Violation

The first time in my adult life my purse was stolen and that in broad daylight! I was very much affected by the incident. I was running through my mind if only I have had done this or that…. And as I was running through the event, I could not understand why I could stay in that shop that long. If only I had left that shop once I finished my purchase, I would have had saved my purse and my depressing emotions.

I was surprised myself how emotionally low I could plunge! It was not a big loss monetarily and also none of my cards were there. However, somehow I was very depressed. And after talking it over with a friend who is truthful and sincere (not very common here), I recognized that it is very common here to be pickpocketed; her purse was pickpocketed too! She was the one who revealed to me that it was a violation of my right! Suddenly the vocabulary, ‘violation’ made sense to me and answered my query.

It was then that I realized my reason for the emotional turmoil within myself. At the same time, God was teaching me more about myself, especially my weaknesses and my response towards Him and the culprits.

It was also through this incident that I discovered children as young as ten years old steal. And stealing is very common here. As I was talking to my students, they also narrated to me that they lost a lot of things, ranging from exercise books to cash. I even came to know that a friend of my friend’s whole bag was stolen!


This is a big part of stress being here, having to be always alert when I am out. On the other hand, it is also a test of my trust in Him and how much I look to Him for help and solution, protection and safety.

Permanence.......

Guzhang is gone.
The familiar vitamin shop that I go every six months when I return is gone.
People expect me to be what I was before I left/what I should be (since they are).
It was the mercy and grace of Jesus to bring my guzhang to be with Him. It was unexpected but it had come to pass that my guzhang asked Jesus to save him.
The stubborness of my aunty not to grant my uncle's wish at his death bed shocked me.

Singapore is a merciless place, she expects her people to take care of themselves; she moves on and you are left behind, she does not wait for you, you have to catch up, and that on your own initiative, own effort, own strength.

The only permanence is the love of God and His presence. Rom 8:38-39.
Only He is the same yesterday today and tomorrow (Heb 13:8).
And very sweetly, He will never leave you nor forsake you (Heb 13:5).

Upon landing at the airport, news of my good friend's father passing away struck me.
This very good friend had been my pillar of support when I was going through spiritual attacks and she, besides praying for me helped me in practical ways. I wanted to be the support for her at her declining moments too. Thus, the next day after landing at the airport, I went to visit her at her father's wake.

It was great to see her again, and also to give her her birthday card; her dad's passing on is just a day before her birthday.


Prior to my friend's dad's passing on, I recalled my prayer of telling God to keep my uncle living till I would see him after knowing that he had only about 2-3months
to live.

Indeed, He has been very gracious and I could visit him twice on two consecutive days
before he went to be with Jesus, all to His mercy and grace.

My very good friend's father is gone and my uncle is gone. The familiar vitamin shop is gone too.

After a week of running around to wakes and hospice and finally to my uncle's funeral, I could settle down a little to rest, rest away the Indian fatigue. However, that too not for very long because I had to be moving house..... again; which accompanies adjustment to new environment and moving around again....

All these ununderstandable moving and changes made me question permanence.

I concluded it to be:
The love of God and His presence. Rom 8:38-39.
Only He is the same yesterday today and tomorrow (Heb 13:8).
And very sweetly, He will never leave you nor forsake you (Heb 13:5).

First Experiences

Witnessed a girl alighting from a bus and seconds later was pulled out from under the bus unscathed

Having six people, including me in a three-seater motor (three-wheeler) commuter, one on top of another

Attacked by a dengue mosquito

Bitten by a harmless creature and almost died

In a public mini van with 13 other men at night in Delhi

Went to Singapore Embassy in Delhi by public transport by myself

Applied for post-graduate studies in Delhi

Moving house three times in one month

Witnessed pee coming out from a man in public (on the street)

Attended BSF

Asked by a stranger for water in a metro (MRT)

Received unclaimed mailed package from home country

One hand fanning myself with a small stack of paper and one hand writing with a marker on a whiteboard teaching. It was summer time and the electricity failed!

: D