Musings on Maslow's Hierarchy

I've been thinking lately about how much we've adjusted and learned in ten months' time. 

When we first arrived in Singapore, it was amazing to us how much time and energy we expended in just completing the tiniest tasks. Getting our family fed every day became a challenge: where was the grocery store? What could we buy there? What could we reasonably make (that was remotely palatable) with just a frying pan, a knife, and a spatula (turns out, we learned, quite a lot!). But wait-- recipes that we were used to often required buying imported "Western" food, and that came at a premium. Sometimes the local grocery store had chicken. Sometimes it didn't. Other times there was pork, but not usually the cut or style to which we were accustomed. Maybe it would just be better to eat out? But where?

We found a grocery store close by, but the only way to get there was to walk. 15 minutes one way in 100+ degree heat with high humidity: ok, no problem, but...we were constantly dripping in sweat and learned quickly not to go anywhere without a water bottle. Wearing a backpack became a must so we could stow the water bottles and also be able to carry groceries home. 

You can imagine our delight when we found a cheap bicycle and had it delivered to the house. An 45 minute trip quickly became a 15 minute one, saving both emotional and physical energy.

We were even more delighted when we discovered a short cut across the neighborhood that took us to a bus stop. Through trial and error, we learned of a bus that came quite regularly and would take us to a local mall where there was a larger grocery store.

I smile with fondness as I think of those first days and weeks of our arrival here. It was so overwhelming but in such a wonderful kind of way. Each step forward felt like a tremendous victory: A grocery store! Boneless chicken breasts! Riding on a double decker bus in air conditioning and finding the right place to disembark! It's also surprising to look back and realize how much we've learned in just a short amount of time. We've been here for less than a year, and we still have so much to learn, but we've come so far.

Today I had to take the kids to piano practice. We are currently without a car because ours is in the shop. I've become so accustomed (in such a short amount of time!) to driving that for a moment this morning I was at a bit of a loss as to what to do and how we could get to piano lessons.

Trent struck out first to find his way to work without paying exorbitant taxi fees. He quickly remembered the bus route that we had originally discovered back in the days when we were really on the first level of Maslow's hierarchy--literally spending most of our energy finding food and shelter.

He texted me to remind me. Oh yeah! The bus! We've moved from walking in the blazing sun to finding the bus to figuring out the train to learning how to drive, all in such a comparatively short time. And, one of the reasons I'm writing this post is to remind myself (and anyone who may be preparing for an international move) how much time and space are needed just to figure out the basic essentials and the simplest of human needs.

Though I initially balked at the inconvenience today of not having a car, being forced again to figure out of way helped me realize how much we've learned and how far we've come. So much more effortlessly, and with the comfort and fluidity that can only come from familiarity, the kids and I  gathered up what we've learned we must have: some cash for bus fare, the bus passes (just putting them in my wallet made me pause and remember how much effort and frustration we felt figuring out how to purchase those bus passes and when and how we needed to use them). We also grabbed a couple of water bottles, a backpack to stow stuff, and--unique to the times we are living in--masks for all and a phone for scanning in and out of any store (for contact tracing purposes). 

The unfamiliar has become familiar; the unknown has become known. There was no frustration today, just fun. A reminder that some places in Singapore are just so much easier to access without the hassle of a car because parking always costs an arm and a leg, parking lots are often full, and sometimes you still have to walk quite a distance to get to your destination.

It's nice to pause in this journey that has involved a lot of steep learning curves. Today I'm pausing and looking back, metaphorically, not at the climb that is ahead, but feeling grateful for the lessons learned and experiences we've had that have gotten us to this point in the journey.

Cheers, Abraham Maslow.