Durian, a true Singaporean experience

Durian is a widely known fruit here in southeast Asia. The fruit is known for its size, thorn-covered husk, and smell. When walking through wet markets, the smell of Durian either repels or attracts people - it definitely repels me! It is hard to describe the smell but according to a Google search, people have compared the smell to gym socks, rotten eggs, almonds, and turpentine. Personally, I would simply describe it as disgusting.

 

Well, yesterday I had the opportunity to try some. For those of you who know me know I am not a picky eater and thoroughly enjoy eating :) Because I am in a new country and want to experience as much of the culture as possible, I happily took a piece. As you can see in the picture below, there are smaller sections of the fruit inside the husk. My first impression of the fruit was, "this doesn't seem as bad as it smells." Well...I took a bite and it was worse than it smelled!! It tasted like onions and mayonnaise and it was all I could do to swallow it. 

I am glad I tried it just because now I can say I have. But it sure tasted bad! What was even worse was the smell on my hands and the taste in my mouth that seemed to linger there for hours! No matter how much water I drank, I would not seem to wash the taste away. 

As I was thinking about this experience, it made me think of how I should strive to be like durian (not literally - I do not wish to be known for my bad smell!). A durian is known for its smell - it is very easy to recognize the smell...even from a distance. John 13:35 tells us we will be recognized by our love. There is even a song that says those exact words, "They will know we are Christians by our love." I want people to know I am a disciple of Christ - even if I do not say a word to them - I want my actions...my love...to show them. 

My first time walking through a market, I smelled the durian and I had no idea what it was....but I sure smelled it! It was not until my aunt explained to me and showed me the durian. Just because someone may not know Christ does not mean they will not recognize our love. They will pick up on our "smell". So why don't we all strive to leave Christ's "smell" wherever we go. It does not have to be big things, it can be small things. Giving up our seat on the bus for an elder, paying for the person behind us in the drive-thru or sending a note of encouragement to a friend. 

"And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward."

- Matthew 10:42

I encourage you to leave Christ's "smell" somewhere today. Show Christ's love to someone today. Just like the durian left a taste in my mouth and smell on my hands, so will Christ's love shown through us leave an impression on those around us. Go...and be smelly for Christ!

Sentosa

I (along with my uncle, aunt, and cousins) spent the day at Sentosa. It is an island just south of Singapore - but still a part of Singapore. It has beaches, roller coasters, butterfly garden, 3D and 4D movies, and much more. We drove to the island but there are trolley cars or sky lifts that most people can take. Our first stop was Underwater World - got to see huge sting rays, even bigger turtles and lots of exotic sea creatures. After grabbing a bit to eat, we found some seats for the dolphin show. East Asia is known for its pink dolphins and Singapore is proud to have pink dolphins! It was rather hot and humid out so we found a beach and spent some much needed time cooling off in the water and in the shade. It was fun spending the day exploring a new part of the island - even if it was hot and humid...but when is it not!! Below are some pictures of the day.
Tomorrow I begin training for my job. I am nervous but mostly excited :)

Singapore will be celebrating its birthday come August.

The biggest sting ray I have ever seen!!

The smallest jelly fish I have ever seen!!

Here they are....the pink dolphins

This sign made me laugh :)

Indoor skydiving facility. Definitively on my "to-do list"

Isn't God creative?

Fun new discoveries

Each day I discover something new and exciting. Below are some of my discoveries...enjoy!

• In order to take a hot shower, I must turn on the hot water - not a big deal
• In order to use any electricity, I must turn on the outlet 
• You must pay to park anywhere - I personally do not drive, but if I did drive I would have to pay to park :(
• Singaporeans walk fast, so it is a good idea to stand on the left side (remember - they drive on the opposite side of the road over here) of an escalator so the fast walkers can easily pass
• When eating out, no need to leave a tip...it is already factored in to the total
• In parking garages, they have green lights over the vacant spots and red lights over the taken spots. Most ingenious idea ever!!
• When buying lotion, be careful NOT to buy whitening lotion...unless the look you are going for is whiter skin.
• Must keep in mind, God made us all different shapes and sizes...some bigger and some smaller. They are smaller over here. When buying a shirt, do not be discouraged if the size you buy over here is two or three times larger than the size in the States. 
• Do not eat or drink on the public transportation - up to a $500 fine. I did not find this out the hard way, just an interesting fact.
• Carry tissues with you at all times - in a food court, napkins cost extra.

Those are only a few of the many discoveries/differences I have discovered. I am sure there are many more to learn. But despite all the differences, one thing remains the same...worship. Yesterday at church it was so neat singing praises to God with people from a different nation. Although we looked and sounded very different, we were all singing to the same God. God created diversity and it is such a beautiful thing when His children - all colors, shapes and sizes - are praising His name.

First official day

First official day in Singapore - CHECK! I arrived rather early in the morning and my uncle met me at the airport. I successfully got through Immigration and found my baggage. 

In efforts to combat the jet lag, I was escorted all over by my wonderful aunt and three cousins. Our day began by having breakfast...I love food! After we were all fed, we walked down the hill to the local wet market. A wet market is a market where you can buy things like chicken, fish, flowers, veggies, fruit. There was also a Hawker attached to the wet market. A Hawker is a food court - varieties of Asian cuisine. There are many shops around the wet market, so we wandered through various shops and found a 7-Eleven where we got a snack. Continuing our journey, we walked over to the MRT (Mass Rapid Transit - the subway system) and took it to the Botanic Gardens. The picture below is of my cousins and I at the Gardens. It rains a lot. No sooner had we gotten there did it start to rain - what a great time for lunch! We ducked into the children's part of the Gardens and had lunch at the cafe. After wandering through the Gardens we went back to the house and got ready to do a little shopping downtown! Orchard Road is the place to shop - Prada, Gucci, and tons of other fancy shops/name brands I have never heard of are there. The day ended at the American Club - we had a poolside dinner and swam. What a great start to a wonderful adventure!

Almost there

I am sitting in the airport in Hong Kong - I have a five hour lay over! It is currently 10 pm...and my flight does not leave until 1:30 am! So far the trip has been way better than I expected. First off, there was no one sitting by me (according to the flight attendants, it was a "light load)" - I was able to completely stretch out..and even lay down and take a snooze.  What a blessing! Secondly, the food was not bad - I especially liked dessert...ice cream! Third, I had unlimited entertainment. Each seat had its own TV with hundreds of movies and shows. Although I limited myself to two movies, it certainly did make the time go faster. The time difference, lack of sleep, and lack of movement is beginning to get to me - so I decided to do a little exploring in the airport. I've attached some pictures of my journey so far. Should be landing in Singapore at 5:15 am, July 19 (Singapore time)- that would be about 4:15pm, July 18 (Central Time).

 That sure is a looong way to travel!

I'm not exactly sure what meal this was...I think it was supper. It was hard to tell because of the strange time difference.

 I sat outside Disney Store for awhile, and the only songs that came from within were from Mulan - I guess that makes sense...considering where I'm at :)

This is for my friend Cora - Strabucks in Hong Kong!

It's all yours!

Cannot believe I will be leaving in the morning. God really has shown me his providence and his creativity. I know he is going before me and he will be all around me. Please be praying I fully rely on HIS strength - I have a tendency to want to do things on my own - but I cannot do anything without HIM!


Check out the song below. Steven Curtis Chapman is one of my favorite artists. In this song he briefly mentions Singapore...but he also talks about how no matter where we are, it all belongs to God. What a great reminder - no matter if we are in Minnesota or in Singapore. Our life...our desires...our heart...our gifts...ALL belong to him!

6 days...

This time next week I will be on a plane, starting a whole new adventure. I am beyond excited - God has blown my mind in the ways He has arranged things. There is not a doubt in my mind that Singapore is exactly where God wants me. I cannot wait to discover and experience what else God has in store for me.


In preparation for living and teaching overseas, and as a requirement of my new job, I attended a Pre Field Orientation (PFO) in Southaven, Mississippi. Before going to PFO, I really thought I was ready - mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. I was wrong! Each session I heard, the more I was convinced I was not ready. The information ranged from safety to Third Culture Kids to our transition into our new country/culture. Although I felt as if my brain was going to explode, from all the information I was absorbing, I am grateful for the information I was given. I know nothing will prepare me fully until I step foot in Singapore, but I am so much better equipped to live and serve overseas.


A typical day would begin with breakfast, followed by small group Bible study. My small group had four girls that were going to countries in Africa and South America. It was so cool to get to know these women - even just for two weeks - they each had such love for the Lord and passion for overseas missions. The passage of scripture we studied was 1 Peter 1.  Below is a passage that really hit my heart.

"In this you rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith - more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire - may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ."       

1 Peter 1:6-7

I was expecting to be "grieved by various trials". I knew I was going to miss my family and my friends; I knew I was going to face frustrations as a first year teacher; I knew I was going to be very confused in my new culture. What I did not know was that when I experience trials...I am grieving. And when I face these trials and this grief...I am suffering for Christ's name sake!!

WOAH.....hold on a second!? First off, I thought only martyrs suffered for Christ - I am simply teaching second grade. Secondly, I won't be grieving - people who lose a family member, a close friend or a pet grieve. 

Yes. People who lose a family member or friend or pet do grieve. But I am losing things and people as well - it is okay...and even good to grieve missing my family and friends and pets. I am giving up things to follow God's leading and because of that, I am suffering for Christ. Just like 1 Peter says, "so that the tested genuineness of your faith may be found to result in praise and glory." And that is my prayer.

James 1 sums it up perfectly.

"Count it ALL joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness."

James 1:2-3

One last verse....

"More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame."

Romans 5:3-5

As followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to live a backwards life. Rejoice in my sufferings?!!? Only a God who is bigger than any of my sufferings would demand that.

Contact information

I would love to hear from any and all of you. Please feel free to contact me...just keep in mind the 13 hour time difference :)


E-mail address: addleamary@gmail.com
Skype: ajorgenson
FaceTime: ajorgenson1@hotmail.com
Mailing address: 38 Kings Drive Singapore 266405