The grass is greener where the heart is...

Living in a foreign land can be both exciting and nerving. When I was young and single, I told myself that I will definitely migrate elsewhere. The grass is always greener on the other side, isn't it? There's wide open spaces, beautiful mountains and fresh air elsewhere compared to overcrowded, hot and humid Singapore. And then, I thought, if I'll ever find a mate, I'll follow him wherever he goes. Then I married my husband Tahir, a true blue Singaporean, and the farthest he'll probably settle down is Johor. Johor is great for makan and cheap bargains due to the exchange rate but definitely not a dream home. Then one day in 2001, we went for a holiday in Melbourne and to visit my sister who has made Melbourne home with her Nepalese husband. Surprisingly, Tahir fell in love with Melbourne. He felt that it would be a good place to raise Afzal and it would be less of a bottleneck as compared to Singapore. Somehow I was not as thrilled as before. I guess it does not matter where I am as long as my family is with me. I have also grown to groom my mind to fit the Singapore way of life. If I were to bring up Afzal in Singapore, I am ready to embrace the educationally-obsessed-lifestyle of Singapore. What took a rethink was my career. I was working long hours, working my butt off and winning awards. I sacrifice my precious time especially with Afzal to put great performance at work but what do I get in return. The returns was not worth the sacrifices and the fact that Afzal is bonding more with his dad. I would rather earn less or nothing than to work so hard and earn peanuts. I quit my 10-year so-called glamorous job, finished off my masters in early childhood education and went into research for a tiny bit before we move here to Alabama, following wherever my husband goes. And now, equipped with a masters in early childhood education, I am a full-time homemaker, bursting with energy and ideas to educate or even homeschool Afzal here in Alabama... but that is another story altogether.