I had some choices to make when I arrived in Singapore for my second teaching trip of the summer.

The hotel did not have the correct room ready for me. When I got to the temporary room, I found this.

I also found this.

I decided to keep the two beds. I don’t regret the decision.

He gets three hours of sleep, if he’s lucky.

A noon arrival home from work occurs only if there are no delays. No last-minute questions or problems at work. No trains or buses running slightly behind schedule. No custom’s officer full of curiosity.

Once he arrives home, the 55-year-old greets his wife, has a quick meal and sleeps for three hours, less if there is a delay during his four-hour commute.

The man is back on a bus before 4 p.m. He doesn’t listen to music, talk on his cell phone or read during his trip. Most of the time he doesn’t even have a seat. He’s one of a bus crammed full of Malaysians making his daily commute to work in Singapore. He said the bus is packed with as many people as will fit. The bus driver wants to make the haul as profitable as possible.

“Some people would get bored, but you can train your body to get used to it,” he said. “I’m used to it. It goes quickly.”

The crowded bus is the reason the retiree chose the 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. shift. The bus is even busier in the morning. He would have to leave at 3 a.m. or earlier to make it on time for a morning shift. At some point the inability to add hours to the day leaves you in the negative.

The man is one of about 50,000 Malaysians who make the daily commute to jobs in Singapore. They come to the island, which is attached to their country by a bridge, for higher wages and a chance to work past retirement age.

The man said he couldn’t find work in his homeland because he is too old. He can work in Singapore for as long as he is healthy. The pay is better too.

The man’s retirement used to pay his bills. It paid for a flat for he, his wife and their two daughters. It paid for their food, clothes and utilities. They weren’t rich, but they were doing fine until their oldest daughter decided to go to college.

The family’s budget could not pay for the girl to attend a university, but her father wanted her to pursue her dreams. His chest swells with pride when he talks about her studies.

The man came to Singapore in search of work. He was hired, but he cannot afford to live in the city and pay his daughter’s way through college. After working his entire life, he lives on little sleep and travels about eight hours roundtrip to work each day.

He does it because he loves his daughter. He wants her to have a good life.

He pays less than $7 for his commute. The remainder of his pay funds his daughter’s education.

I paid about $12 roundtrip for taxis to and from work today. I was in the cars less than 30 minutes total. I sat, in the air-conditioned vehicles, listening to the radio and reading on my iPhone.

I was annoyed that I had to wait at the taxi stand.