Today is my last full day of this amazing trip.  It is unbelievable to think that it’s now nearly over and that the next time I post something here it will be from back home in London.  I am ready to go home.  A month away is a long time.  But there are many things that I will miss and that will ensure that I keep coming back: first and foremost, the people.  Everywhere I’ve been I’ve met amazing people who are not only kind and generous and caring in themselves, but who also understand my passion for writing and using my writing to help the lives of children.  By talking to them I am beginning to clarify in my own mind what it is that drives me, what it is that I hope to be able to accomplish with whatever talent and energy I have.  There’s more to think about on that score, and more to talk about.  But for now I can say that my time here has helped to crystallize for me who I am and what I want to do with this next chapter of my life.  Clearly a new chapter is opening. It is exciting and a bit frightening to think about, but my big piece of luck is that I have family and friends who support me in my hare-brained schemes.

I will also miss the heat, even the humidity, and the incredible plantlife that it produces.  Perhaps my favourite part of Singapore has been the huge botanical garden which exists smack in the middle of the city, producing a variety of flowers and trees that rivals the city’s variety of architecture.  It’s beautiful and it’s free.  Here’s a few photos to whet your appetite.