No, it's not that I don't love sg, however, staying in Karlskrona for nearly three years has exposed me to more of the world out there and honestly, I began to understand why people would decide to migrate to live overseas. 

There are plenty of factors that play a part, from culture to weather to living conditions to the people around you. And from the bottom of my heart, I must say that I think Karlskrona will make a better place for retirement. =)

Yeah yeah, it's true that winters may be harsh, terribly cold and long, especially this year. And the thick layers of snow makes travelling difficult, not to mention you gotta shovel and dig every morning just to drive your car out. But, it's also cos' of the snow that we get to indulge in winter activities like skiing, snow sledging and even dog sleighing. Apart from winter, the weather is really nice in spring, autumn and abit hot in summer, but never ever as hot and humid as it gets in sg. Never!

Somehow, all these makes the air nicer to breathe in and you don't get so overwhelmed when you hit the streets. No pushing and shoving amongst crowds like you do in sg (remember the MRT in peak hours? or during GSS? *gasp*), no more endless traffic jams, horning, ERPs and selfish cutting of lanes (I don't even think we have gotten horned at once in the past 2.5 years! and the people here are generally nicer and more patient on the roads). Having a sparsely populated environment with better air also makes it harder for you to fall sick. We feel so much healthier and less prone to illnesses here, just think about the hand foot mouth and SARS in sg. 

It's not that all singaporeans are ugly, I know that many of us are still kind at heart. RIGHT? But somehow, it's just that we are not as helpful and we are too engrossed in our own minds own activities sometimes. I remember last year in sg, I was travelling via the MRT with Angel on my own. She started getting cranky in her stroller and I had to carry her out, which at the same time my stroller fell over and so did my stuff. Amazingly, at the crowded MRT station, no one, yes I do mean NO ONE, came to my aid. Some turned over to look at me and my crying baby, but no one came forward. I was so shocked. In Karlskrona, even old aunties would offer to help jw shovel the snow and to push his car when he needs help. People would hold the door and elevator for you, let you cut queue in supermarkets if you're only buying two items, and help you lift your stroller up the steps. Yar. It's that extreme sometimes. You really see the difference in attitudes. Another thing, Angel loves to wave to people when we go on holiday and it's usually the ang mohs who wave back, smile at her and come forward to talk to her. When she waves to Asians, they generally think we have a problem, or they give a very forced smile and continue doing their own stuff. I dunno why. But it's really evident. Maybe we are just more introvert, more skeptical and suspicious of people generally.

Yeah, definitely sporeans work much harder and live at such a fast pace of life that we sometimes don't know how to slow down and appreciate the simplicity of life. Maybe it's just me, I like simple and I am simple. I don't know why we rush to and fro so much (like going to be reincarnated!), why we work so late and pack our lunches to office so often, why we are so kiasu and kiasee, why we have to be up to date with newest technology, why we are so overstressed and end up overstressing our kids by loading them with tonnes of tuition and extra curricular activities. It's just peer pressure and the result of the environment, sometimes. You don't wanna lose out. And in the process, we forget how kids should have a happy and more carefree childhood, and when kids grow to adults, they become like us too, living the life of a headless fly, bumping here and there endlessly. It's a vicious cycle we will never break free from. Oh well. It's not that bad. But you know what I mean. We need to SLOW down, but we can't, and all we do is keep stepping on the accelerator so that we are not the last in the race. So somehow, I appreciate the relaxed pace of life here. People get off work early to enjoy family quality time in the evenings, shops close on sundays and work half days on saturdays to give shop workers a well-deserved weekend break, and very seldom do you see people working OT (even in audit firms like Deloitte which is right across my house!). I would say there is more of a work life and family balance here. 

Another good thing about staying in Europe is that you can get to go on road trips often without spending a big bomb. You can drive to nearby countries, go on long summer road trips, or just take the budget airline to nearby countries for a short getaway. You get to see so much more of the world that you don't see when you stay in sg. I'm so glad I had the chance. I was sort of the mountain turtle back in sg, less travelled and not well informed of the world. I did not see much of the world nor get in touch with other cultures and civilisations other than in Asia. But now, even if it's a short 3 day weekend, we can still drive to germany or even norway and spend a weekend there. Cool huh? Like when popo was here, we brought her on a road trip and like what she said, she ate breakfast in sweden, lunch in denmark and then dinner in germany. Wahaha. I hope I can continue to travel, go climb mountains, go explore unseen parts of the world when I turn past 50 (like my adventurous and fit ah yi who just conquered himalayas!).

Ok. That sort of sums it up. I can list out more, but you get the idea. Despite saying all, we will be heading back to sg soon and join in the rat race again. It's my home and no matter what, I love singapore. I just wish I could still lead as simple a life as I have been living for the past 2.5 years. With my hubby, my baby, and me, in a small, cosy and happy house, leading a simple but blissful life. =)