Goodbyes are hard 🥲🇸🇬

We always knew this day was coming. What started off as a brief stint in Singapore unbelievably stretched into 17 years. Never in my wildest dreams had I envisioned that this tiny island would serve as our home for that long but it did and now this beautiful chapter of our lives has come to an end. 

I arrived here as a fresh graduate and newlywed, carefree and naïve. I’m leaving as a postgraduate, working professional, blogger & mother of two - older, wiser and full of life-affirming experiences. 

Like most people, I was (still am) weary of change. But isn’t change the only constant in life?

Moving overseas forced me to step out of my comfort zone. I moved mountains to lay the foundation for a major career shift. Of Singapore’s top two Universities, I consider myself fortunate to call NUS my alma mater and NTU, my workplace of the past 6 years. I have had the privilege of being mentored by distinguished scientists and working with intelligent and inspiring individuals. During my time in Singapore, I’ve armed myself with new skills and developed more confidence in my capabilities. I’ve adapted, built resilience and braved all the challenges that came my way. 

We have met so many wonderful people here, both locals and expats, most of whom I’m sure will continue to be a part of our lives. As a family, we have embraced many aspects of local culture and ways of life which will go on to become a permanent and uniquely Singaporean part of our Indian identity. 

We lived in two rental homes before buying a place of our own and we have indelible memories associated with each of them. But selling and eventually leaving our beloved nest of 12 years, the one we painstakingly did up, welcomed our babies into, forged so many precious memories, cooked countless meals and so lovingly looked after (and which looked after us in return!) has been expectedly hard 😢

My blog was born in Singapore and is in many ways, a love letter to the island. The safety, cleanliness and facilities in Singapore are unparalleled. With innumerable indoor play areas, sprawling green parks, leisurely bike routes, museums, restaurants and world-class attractions, there is so much to see and do. The learning infrastructure, pedagogy, sports resources, and public libraries are top notch as well. And having the option of affordable full-time domestic help so you don’t have to be a superhuman juggling it all is a luxury many developed countries simply don’t have. Neither my husband nor I had to sacrifice our careers or rely on our parents for childcare. Our children have had an unforgettable childhood here and I’m so grateful for it all 🙏🏻

Hand on heart, I can honestly say that we have made the absolute most of our Singapore experience.

That said, I don’t believe that happiness should be tied to any particular place or person. Happiness comes from within and with the right attitude, anyone can be happy anywhere. Family has always been hugely important to us. The pandemic made us re-evaluate our priorities and contributed to one of the many reasons we felt the time was right to head back to what matters the most and where we will always come first 🇮🇳 

But now that I’m leaving Singapore, I realize just how much I’ll miss (almost) everything about it. Years down the line when I’m still posting Singapore throwbacks and you ask me, “After all this time?”, my answer will be “ALWAYS” 🥹🥲

This will be my last blog post from Singapore and I want to say a gigantic heartfelt THANK YOU to this incredible country and everyone who has been an integral part of our Singapore story 🙏🏻❤️ 

And now it is time for us to write a new story. I believe that we can make it a good one 🤩 

Here’s to new beginnings! 🥂

P.S - Thank you to all my blog readers who kept up with my journey in Singapore. I sincerely hope you will stick around! Once I gather my bearings, I promise to be back with lots of recipes, reviews and ramblings.