Learning to Love in a City of Strangers

by Jennifer Parsons (United Kingdom (Great Britain))

A leap into the unknown Singapore

Today I found myself residing at the Rucksack Inn, a down-to-earth hostel, a stone’s throw away from the overcrowded but charming streets of Little India and things were looking up. Surprisingly I even made it in time for the free breakfast (despite losing my key and locking myself out). The day was brimming with possibilities for exploration and after being on the road for a grand total of 3 days, I felt like I was getting the hang of this whole travelling gig. Slowly I was relinquishing the fears I had carried with me from England and every step held slightly more confidence than its predecessor. I began by wandering through the Botanical Gardens, where nature expressed itself in the most articulate fashion, gathering around arched trusses and meandering through hidden waterfalls, before heading out to Orchard Road. Entering the Champs Elysees of Singapore, my senses were shaken; rumbling car engines, shrill beeping of pedestrian signals and pattering of feet along the hectic pavement disrupted the peace I had experienced only moments before, but I proceeded regardless, into city life. I hit upon the birth place of the Singapore Sling, the opulent Raffles Hotel, but deciding my budget didn’t cover $40 cocktails, I moved onwards to Marina Bay. For me, this was the jewel of the city. Every element here had been meticulously designed, giving the city a sophisticated panoramic. The Marina Bay Sands Hotel stood prominently over the delicately rippled water and the Merlion Statue, like a mysterious creature from a children’s novel, proudly guarded the CBD that towered behind. As I stood against the railing, waiting for an obligatory photograph I struggled to take in everything I had witnessed on my self-guided tour. I was overflowing with new experiences to recite to the people I loved but they were 8500 miles away, immersed in an utterly different world. As the realisation hit, I felt alone and afraid at what I had embarked upon – a stark contrast from the naively fervent girl of this morning. Ambling the streets, I searched for a place to rest my legs and fill my stomach. I passed a few places but nowhere sparked my interest, despite the encouraging queues of locals outside many. It was only about 8:30pm, but it felt like midnight. In my mind I had decided - to the end of the street, and if nowhere looked promising, it would be the nearest MRT station to the hostel. But that was when I saw it. A beam of hope, tucked neatly behind a couple of supporting pillars: My Awesome Café. The faded words upon the battered stone spoke to me like the answer to a prayer. Hesitantly I stepped inside. The ceiling was adorned in a bright array of paper lanterns, intertwined with fairy lights, like a cloud of stars protecting the patrons below. Immediately I was escorted to a table by one of the waiters, a rotund man with the friendliest smile, who guided me through the menu with an immense passion for his workplace, guaranteeing me delight for every taste bud. Promptly he hurried off to welcome the next cohort of intrigued guests, and I began to notice the other customers around me, all smiling, all content, yet many of them also alone. I turned to the wall across the bustling room. In bold, orange letters, it read: ‘IN THIS FAMILY WE ARE REAL WE MAKE MISTAKES WE SAY I’M SORRY, GIVE SECOND CHANCES, LAUGH REALLY LOUD WE DREAM BIG WE CLAP, SHARE, FORGIVE, CELEBRATE, LOVE’ The words resonated in my mind. ‘In this family’. I looked around again. All over the world there are havens like this, waiting for lost travellers. A slight smile crept onto my face. I sat there longer, absorbing as much of the merriment as I could, thinking to myself – perhaps this will be alright, I can survive this trip alone. As long as there are places like this, with a little magic at their core, I will not feel so alone in this vast world. It was in this moment my confidence grew a little bigger, my heart lifted a little higher, and I learned to love in this city full of strangers.