linrx.net

When my maternal grandmother was dying, I tried rough sleeping at Tan Tock Seng Hospital and Changi Airport. I couldn't sleep well at home knowing that she is struggling to stay alive at the hospital, I just wanted to get out of the flat and be with her somehow.

For TTSH, the lobby was really a nice place to hangout at night. The A&E was not so optimal, because there was a lot of people moving around in the late middle of the night. However, the lobby was dark and a beautiful sight to behold even in the darkness. I would go to the 7-11 outlet at TTSH to buy cup noodles and enjoy it with the paramedics' companionship. The paramedics were always very busy even at night, and they earned my respect because of their commitment to their duties.

Changi Airport was a choice for rough sleeping that came about because I didn't know where else to go. Back then the benches at Changi Airport weren't partitioned and I could just lie down flat on the benches and close my eyes and switch off. Sometimes I would hide in the toilet and try to sleep while seated on the toilet bowl, it was not very comfortable but I found some peace in solitude in the washrooms. I certainly enjoyed my time rough sleeping at the airport because there was internet and power supply as well as food and drinks available throughout the night. All in all, no complaints because the airport was quite a secure place to hang around in at any time of the day and night.

After my grandmother died, I relocated to Woodlands and have been staying at Woodlands since then. Rough sleeping taught me empathy for this world and I also give thanks that Singapore is ultimately a very safe place to live in no matter what difficulties in life we might run into. I appreciate the good governance in Singapore a lot more because of my tiny experiences sleeping in public.

Cheers.