Postcard from Singapore

A couple of weeks ago, I began 2026 with a work-related trip to Singapore to attend a consular leadership development course called the CLDC—it was my first CLDC and my first time ever in the country. It was also the first time since returning home to Burma from the hospital in Bangkok in December that I had traveled anywhere on my own; it felt not only like an exciting professional opportunity, but also a chance to road-test my healing body.

I was deeply appreciative that my boss and our embassy leadership supported my candidacy to attend the January CLDC, despite the strain created by my unexpected five-week medical evacuation in November and December. When I returned to post a few days before Christmas, I immediately covered my boss’s three-week holiday leave—he departed the very morning I arrived—so we never overlapped in the office.

Our bureau then confirmed I was a CLDC selectee, so I left for Singapore on the Sunday my boss returned to post. After Singapore, I would also have two weeks of scheduled R&R outside Burma, meaning that my boss and I effectively became ships passing in the night, without a single day back at work together since before my accident.

Modern Singapore was a welcome break from the inaccessibility and daily stress of Burma, and a rare chance to focus on consular training and networking with colleagues. Although I brought my wheelchair for the airport portions of the trip, I mostly got around using my walker. I was still not cleared for full weight-bearing on my left leg because of three healing pelvic fractures, but walking was beginning to get easier.

Still regretful about how much I’d missed while hospitalized, I was in my “yes” era, accepting every possible invitation and gratefully sightseeing and socializing every chance I got. Singapore was rainier and more muggy than Burma at this time of year, but it hardly felt like winter—and particularly not for those colleagues coming from posts with actual winter or from freezing cold Washington, DC.

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When the CLDC participants arrived on Sunday night, the conference organizers arranged a no-host dinner at a terrific local Indian restaurant. Both attendees and presenters took part, making it a great way to break the ice before the formal sessions began.

And in addition to our sessions that lasted throughout the business day, each night during the week, a different colleague took the lead in arranging the logistics for an optional group activity. Monday night many of us went to bed early, jet-lagged or with colds, but by Tuesday most people were ready for an evening river cruise and a couple dozen of us signed up for what our colleague J graciously organized (and prepaid for).

The river cruise tour included our own bus and guide, and a trip to the Singapore Flyer, the Spectra Light and Water Show at the Marina Bay Sands, and the Garden Rhapsody Light Show at the Gardens by the Bay. It was a lot of fun, and a few people capped it off with a visit to the Lau Pa Sat food market. I was tired by 10 p.m. and opted for room service instead.

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Wednesday night I went grocery shopping and to run errands: the big purchases were things like baking supplies and —oddly— cat food, which is evidently in short supply in Rangoon presently. I also needed a 2026 Moleskine planner, since the one I’d ordered from the States in December had apparently been lost in the mail, so imagine my surprise to learn there was a Moleskine store a five-minute walk from our hotel! A bunch of people that night went to the famous Singapore food hawker stalls with a group of officers from U.S. Embassy Singapore, but I decided it would be physical overload for me and sadly had to bail out.

Thursday night a handful of colleagues and I took a trip to the Mandai Wildlife Reserve for a night safari. It was a bit of a trek to get there; though the distance between the hotel and the zoo was only about 11 miles, with the evening traffic it took us about 90 minutes round trip in a Grab. But it was still worth going. We saw elephants, civets, wallabies, rhinos, hippos, wolves, pangolins, and more. I am highly motivated by activities related to nature and animals and I was willing to put forth a lot of effort to be there. After hours of walking through dark sidewalks and uneven terrain, I was in the first group of people to come back — arriving at the hotel at 10:45 p.m.!

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And Friday night, a bunch of us who weren’t leaving until Saturday and weren’t yet ready to say goodbye headed off to the Botanic Garden. The National Orchid Garden in particular was so gorgeous and well-curated. It was lightly raining half the time we were there, and it wasn’t the easiest terrain to traverse with my walker, but I’m very glad we went.

I think my colleagues overall were amazed throughout the week that despite my accident, which I shared the details of, that I still came to the CLDC and tried to spend as much time as I could getting to know people and seeing a bit of Singapore. I wouldn’t have had it any other way, although I did have to modify my activities significantly because of my injuries. I’m not sure in what reality besides the one that includes this accident would I have ever been in a city featuring a Sephora and not at least popped in!

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During the week, we had valuable opportunities as consular colleagues to discuss current policies and operations that affect our shared work, and to hear directly from our Washington leadership and counterparts about what lies ahead. We also took deep dives into professional development topics of interest to mid-level consular managers as we lead teams and serve the American public. Later in 2026, additional consular managers will have the opportunity to attend CLDCs located in Bucharest, Buenos Aires, and elsewhere.

On Friday night, before heading back to Rangoon the following morning, I spent about 90 minutes typing up my notes from the week’s sessions. I shared them with my boss, because having a Washington perspective is so important when you’re serving in the field.

When I made it back home to Rangoon, my husband V and a motorpool driver picked me up at the airport and assisted me to get home. Only one day later, V and I would be back at the airport to depart for the first R&R of our Burma tour… to Vietnam and Indonesia!