We have great friends back in the U.S. So many of them offered to make connections with their friends and family members around the world. Singapore offered us the chance not just to stay with one host family, but with two! Hostel and hotel life can get a little dull, so we jumped at the chance to stay with both families.

The Mortonsons of Fox Point connected us with their former neighbors, the Martzels. The Martzels are new to Singapore, having been transferred there by work just a few months prior. Originally from southern France, Bertrand, Juliette and kids Matilde and Antoine were such generous hosts, especially at meal time. We enjoyed delicious food and delightful conversations. I even got to cook a meal. We celebrated when Bertrand and Juliette finished their first-ever marathon. The family gave us a tour of the relatively new Marina Bay Sands complex and we enjoyed watching a Green Bay Packer game on a very early Monday morning.

Getting wet....it rains a lot in Singapore.

Kids in front of Marina Bay Sands

The sore and very happy runners!

Hawker Stall Dinner

A few days later we met up with our second hosts, the Grahams. Thanks to the Gallentines of Minneapolis, we got to meet Jim, Marla and their kids. A job brought this worldly family from Kansas to Singapore over 4 years ago. They were a wealth of information when it came to shopping, good eats and movie theaters (very important, as we had to see the opening of The Muppets). We chatted over delicious New Zealand wine and even folded paper cranes which were being sent to a sick friend in the US.

Enjoying a birthday celebration.

Cheers to new friends!

We are so grateful for these connections around the world. They give us a sense of home, a comfortable place to stay and most importantly, new friends. Thanks friends, old and new!