7 years ago, I embarked on my student exchange to Sweden and had one of the most memorable journeys in my life. A week ago, I decided to pursue my Master's overseas and lugged my bags with me to the UK once again. So much has changed in the last 7 years and I have once again met people from different backgrounds.
I had 35kg of my daily life with me this time round, pretty much the same as 7 years ago but I definitely brought with me more comfort. I went shopping after settling down in my new place and find myself going around buying a lot of things that I was so used to using them when in Singapore. Compared to 7 years ago, I live simply. I guess that's the difference when you have enjoyed material comfort and have the purchasing power to afford comfort. When I visit the supermarket, I will not scrimp and save but keep a lookout of things that I enjoy eating, seafood, salmon, what not. Back then, my fridge was filled with sausages, crabsticks and cheap processed food that were cheap by a student's standards but pathetic by my standards these days. LOL.
In addition, I have a young girl from Kazakhstan as my neighbour and she is like a reminder of my younger self. She told me this is the first time that she is living abroad on her own, in fact also the first time she left home. She is very homesick and she does not know her way around Europe. She can speak English but really basic conversational level and she finds it hard to communicate with others. Cultural differences meant that many of the other European students or more Americanised students from the Middle East, Eastern Europe and even South America have communication barriers with her. She does not know how to cook and I think she does not want to spend too much on her daily life so that she can use the excess for travelling. I was once in her shoes many years ago but I was definitely better off. At least I had Kim and Monica who came from the same country as me as company.
However, I guess she is in company that is more open compared to my times in Stockholm. Perhaps it is because of age, back then when I was in Stockholm, the majority of my neighbours were enrolled in the CEMS programme and honestly it was quite difficult to break into their social circle. They were much older than us and I feel that they had higher social status - be it wealth, family background, etc. compared to the friends that I have made thus far. Most of them are from Western Europe - Holland, France, Germany, Spain, etc. and they are very 'atas'. However this time round, we are all studying in the same Master's course, around the same age and also people come from more humble backgrounds or countries - Czech Rep, Brazil, Albania, Central Asia, Bulgaria, Belgium, etc. They look beyond skin colour and race and make friends with everyone. That to me, is definitely more important than anything else.
I myself was also quite shocked with my own experiences. I came here, expecting to be independent, cook my own meals and buy my own food but because we all came from different countries and had nothing with us, everyone was willing to chip in and share to buy some food. However, we have not started cooking together, perhaps because we weren't big enough a group, compared to the times when I was in Stockholm. Nevertheless, I look forward to the different parties that we can organise - Middle Eastern, Brazilian, Czech, Bulgarian, etc. as we spend time together for the next 1 year.
There are things that I like about my times in Stockholm and others that I felt was missing from my experiences but I think that my mindset is the most important in shaping my experiences. That is what I constantly share with this young and innocent neighbour of mine. She will have a good time in the next 1 year I believe and bring home with her memories that will stay on for a lifetime! :)
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