Before 2005′s big property boom, nearly all Western foreigners lived in pristine condos or downtown apartments.  After the en bloc madness was over, all but the richest foreigners were forced to move into Singapore’s HDB littered heartland.  My journey over the past four years has been from a three bedroom apartment at Mt. Emily, to a rented room near Pasir Panjang, to a two bedroom HDB in Clementi.  The roughest part is that I’m still paying the same rent!

During this transition, my workout venue is perhaps the only aspect of my life that has become more convenient and affordable. When I first arrived in Singapore, I was lured by the wild promotions and flashing signs of California Fitness.  The advertisements told of free complementary visits and sessions with a personal trainer.  The reality is that you only get the complementary visit if you sit through their sales spiel, and the free session with a personal trainer is just a commercial for more sessions with a personal trainer.  During the trainer’s high pressure sale, he poked my belly and said, “You like burgers, eh??!”  Shocked and naive, I was hoping that he’d just check my form on some of the workout machines and help me write down a good training schedule.

The California Fitness sales scheme was secretive and inexcusable.  I wanted a piece of paper that listed the their standard rates.  Instead they pounded me with questions and attempted to extort every last dollar.  Knowing full well that most people don’t go to the gym that often, they entice you with overpriced four year, three year, and two year plans available in not-very-different gold, silver, and platinum levels.  I eventually settled on a one year plan for something in the ballpark of sixty U.S. dollars a month.  After my first year I regretted my decision and canceled.

After I moved to HDB territory, I learned that there’s a better realm of fitness available in Singapore.  These small gyms are typically located near community sports centers and go by the name ClubFitt.

At a ClubFitt, there’s no pressure to join, and the pricing schemes are reasonable.  Adults can pay $2.50 per visit or the more ambitious can buy a six month membership for $170 (Those prices are Singapore dollars). There are bargain memberships available for seniors, students, and those willing to go at off-peak hours.

The environment is wholesome, but still tough enough to take fitness seriously.  Rather than the Spandex clad tai-tais and business high-rollers of the California Fitness set, ClubFitts will have buff National Servicemen working side-by-side with aerobic aunties.

If you have a question about the fitness equipment, there’s always a staff member willing to answer.  They will never pressure you to pay an extra fee.  There’s also plenty of equipment to use, and I usually have to wait less time than I did at the more expensive Orchard Road California Fitness.

There are, however, a few drawbacks. First, the rules are quite strict.  I’m not allowed to carry my water bottle with me and I have to leave it on a shelf outside the gym. For sanitation reasons, you are also required to carry a small towel at all times.  If you should forget your towel, the staff will force you to go buy a dollar towel from their counter.  The shower room, which I rarely use, is old and dingy.

The Singapore Sports Council makes a PDF available that provides comprehensive information about the ClubFitt gyms scattered around the island.

ClubFitt Gym Directory

If that link doesn’t work, more information can be found at the Singapore Sports Council’s official website.

Singapore Sports Council

International schools are some of the finest educational institutions in the world.  Wealthy families send their children to places like the Singapore American School or United World College; and their kids have chances to use the most advanced equipment, participate in international sporting events, and prepare for the Ivy League.  Yet there are drawbacks for some students, but many of these problems can be solved by selecting a school that has a Christian focus over the typical, worldly-wise international school.

This leads to the question:  Who should choose an international Christian education?

1. Students that need extra support

International Christian schools tend to be smaller, and class sizes often hover around fifteen students.  Just as Jesus taught that every person matters, from the outcast leper to the poorest farmer, teachers at international schools believe that every child matters.  In contrast, some elite international schools pride themselves on high standardized test scores.  These schools also have long waiting lists.  If a student gets to secondary school and it looks like his test score won’t measure up, they’ll often ignore that student and hope he leaves.  The typical rate of stay at an international school is around two years.  If your child doesn’t perform, there’s a rotating door of others that might. At international Christian schools there is an emphasis on the whole child; we care about more than just test scores.

I’ve seen students diagnosed with ADHD, Asperger’s disorder, and dyslexia thrive when placed in an international Christian school. At their previous schools they felt marginalized, but in an international Christian setting they felt loved. As a consequence, they were better educated and became well-rounded people.

2. Families with a sense of humility

At many international schools you’ll see BMWs and Ferrari’s in the after school pick-up line; maids tuck lunch bags into the backpacks of little ones; students brandish branded watches; and Spring Break trips to Cannes and the Alps.

At an international Christian school, you will have a smattering of wealth here and there, but there will also be an equal amount of middle class humility. Many of the students will be the children of pastors and missionaries.  School trips won’t be nearly so ostentatious.  They will usually be to budget locations or designed to facilitate service to the poor. Like any private school, there are moments of perks and privileges, but teaching entitlement and elitism is never the intention.

3. Families that want to protect their children from drugs

I once met a successful publisher who had his start teaching in a wealthy Hong Kong international school. He reported that rich kids often snort cocaine between classes, and the school administration has no financial incentive to stop it. No sane parent will want to send their kid to that environment.

Moreover, relaxed drinking laws in overseas settings lead to a legal, underground drinking and party culture in many international schools.  Most international Christian schools have rules and expectations to the contrary- and these rules are enforced.

4) The children of missionaries, pastors, and Bible college professors

Many Christian international schools were started to help the families of missionaries and pastors. In addition to helping the pastor’s ministry by allowing the children of different religious leaders to share the common experience of growing up, international Christian schools often offer discounts and scholarships to these families.

5) Home schoolers that need advanced classes

The process of homeschooling is something many families cherish, but unless the parents are scholars there are limits to the process.  In a home school environment, parents can prepare better fields trips, deliver more individualized instruction, and adapt schedules to the students’ circadian rhythm.  However, senior level Anatomy and Calculus require professional instructors and mastering competitive sports requires competition.   International Christian schools will reinforce the Christian values of most home school parents and deliver excellent higher level instruction to the students.

6) Parents that spurn relativism

Since the Modern Age, many people have given up on truth.  Either they feel that truth doesn’t exist or it is too hard to discern.  This leads to many throwing up their hands and reaching the contradictory conclusion that “everybody’s right” about the moral, ethical, and religious diliemmas of the day.  Most Christian schools are certified through an organization called the Association of Christian School International (ACSI). All teachers credentialed through this organization must write a philosophy statement detailing their understanding of truth and God’s Word.  There is a diversity of opinion within the organization, but the reality is that if a teacher thinks that there is no truth, that all religions are the same, or that “everybody’s right,” then he won’t be allowed to teach at a Christian school.