In 2022, I chose to leave Singapore, my comfort terrain of 32 years, and moved to the United Kingdom (UK). The biggest challenge I faced was adapting to the new climate. 

If you have lived in a climate that is constant throughout the year most of your life, transitioning to a seasonal climate will bring surprises to your life. You will get to experience the extremity of the pleasant and harsh climate. Life can be more interesting because of the variability in the weather. 

The climate affects the way we dress, how fast our laundry dries and how quickly mould grows in our houses. When I was in Singapore, my biggest frustration was drying big loads of laundry every day. I was changing 2-3 sets of clothes daily due to the warm and humid climate. However, when I moved to the UK, I learned that clothes do not dry quickly enough. Intensive energy is required to dry the clothes which can be costly. 

On the bright side, while it is common that homes in Singapore are plagued by ants infestation, you will hardly find traces of ants trail in the homes in the UK due to the cold weather. Also, food does not become soggy quickly as the weather is drier in the UK. I find myself thinking about all the Science concepts that I learned in Grade 4 while living in the UK. 

It may sound trivial to people that I am talking about the climate when they asked me how’s my life in a new country. However, I think the climate has the biggest impact on my life. Having experienced living in a temperate region for a year, I find myself more equipped to plan my life according to the season. I am thankful that my plan had panned out as I wished to date. As much as I would like to, I hope I can continue to be in control of where, when, and how I would like to spend my time.