Singapore…Our New Home

We arrived in Singapore and was anxious to grab a taxi to see our new home at the National University of Singapore (NUS).

   

Kent Vale apartments are staff residences that belong to NUS.  Our specific block is offered to those visiting professors who are staying short-term (usually staying a year or less).  We were expecting a small apartment as we’ve heard accommodations in Asia are small.

The grounds were very well kept and decorated very nicely in the Christmas/New Year theme.  We had a great feeling about the place.

The 3-bedroom apartment was much more spacious and modern than we expected!  Everything was new and in great condition. Here is our living room area.  Outside are large doors that lead to a small balcony that overlooks the arrival area, playground, squash courts and Cold Storage Market.  The kids like to play cards or just relax on the balcony.

The living room.

The balcony overlooking arrival plaza.

    

Our kitchen also includes a washer/dryer and another washroom.

Master bedroom washroom.

Kids’ washroom.

The kitchen.

The master bedroom.

Kira and Simaya’s bedroom.

Ethan’s bedroom.

The dining room.

   

The office is used to house our wireless router.  Kira does most of her school work here. Our dining room also is used as our space for home schooling and work.  There is a nice window beside the table to add even more light to the apartment.  We did find the chairs really hard to sit on so bought a used office chair from another person living in the complex and also seat cushions from IKEA.

We are also fortunate to have housekeeping during the weekdays and breakfast served in the lounge every day except Sundays. It’s nice to go down for breakfast and meet all the people passing through NUS.

Besides the squash courts, we have access to several other facilities.  We have two pools, one of which is attached to our building and another pool about a 5 min walk from us (I can’t find the photo but will add it when I find it!).  We always use the pool attached to our building.  We also have a great view of the pool from all the bedrooms in our apartment!

View of the pool from our apartment.

Working on the 1 km swim!

Splashing around with international friends.

The kids also love going down to the basketball courts to meet their friends.  Sometimes they play soccer there or drive around their remote control cars.

    

We also have access to lots of outdoor fitness areas, playgrounds and a small gym.

Playground…not just for kids!

We also get lots of exercise from all the walking and stairs we have to climb.  These are the stairs from the Kent Vale gate to the West Coast Market.

With some added features to our apartment like cushions on the dining room chairs, a carpet for the kids to sprawl out when they watch tv, and soothing candles and flowers in our vase to give it a more homey feeling. Ethan even bought a plant for his room from Ikea.

It’s our home away from home.

Here is a video Simaya took of our new place.