<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR>June 16, 2009
THEY CAME TO STAY FOR TWO YEARS AND STAYED ON FOR ALMOST 15
</TR><!-- headline one : start --><TR>A love affair with Singapore
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><!-- show image if available --></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->I CAME to Singapore from New Zealand with my husband in 1994. It was my first visit.
We had planned to stay for only two years as his contract with Singapore General Hospital was for just two years. However, we decided to stay on, not really knowing how long. We returned to New Zealand last year, so we were in Singapore for almost 15 years.
Our Singapore experience was a wonderful one. Of course, it always takes time to settle after such a big move, and New Zealand is quite different from Singapore, with climate, population and cultural differences. There were also lifestyle changes and we missed family and friends at home. This was difficult at times, but family and friends came to visit and we returned to New Zealand once or twice a year.
So despite those first years of adapting to cultural differences and getting to know new friends and colleagues, we approached these challenges with a positive attitude, and began to enjoy our new home.
Singapore, to my husband and me, is a well-organised and governed country. We were impressed at how it had grown so fast in such a short time. Because my husband is in the health industry, we learnt that health was of a high standard, and much importance was attached to public health and money was spent wisely on new technology.
Second, we were impressed with the education system and how much importance was placed on a good education for the future of the country. And how people were encouraged to save for their children's tertiary education, rather than take huge student loans.
We were both sad to leave Singapore and would happily have stayed, but thought we would like to be closer to family and friends in New Zealand.
I visited my Singapore - I call it my second home - in April for eight days and felt I was home again after eight months away. It was a surreal experience and parts of it were sad also, for example driving past our old condo in Toa Payoh or visiting the Botanic Gardens where we used to walk daily. I wanted to park my car in Wheelock Place again, do some great Singapore shopping and return home to our condo, but I had to board an SIA flight back to my other home in Christchurch.
I want to say a big thank you to Singapore and its people for allowing us the privilege of living in your wonderful country for 14 years. Singapore was and always will be our second home, and I look forward to visiting as much as I can over the coming years. Sue A'Court (Mrs)
Christchurch, New Zealand
THEY CAME TO STAY FOR TWO YEARS AND STAYED ON FOR ALMOST 15
</TR><!-- headline one : start --><TR>A love affair with Singapore
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><!-- show image if available --></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->I CAME to Singapore from New Zealand with my husband in 1994. It was my first visit.
We had planned to stay for only two years as his contract with Singapore General Hospital was for just two years. However, we decided to stay on, not really knowing how long. We returned to New Zealand last year, so we were in Singapore for almost 15 years.
Our Singapore experience was a wonderful one. Of course, it always takes time to settle after such a big move, and New Zealand is quite different from Singapore, with climate, population and cultural differences. There were also lifestyle changes and we missed family and friends at home. This was difficult at times, but family and friends came to visit and we returned to New Zealand once or twice a year.
So despite those first years of adapting to cultural differences and getting to know new friends and colleagues, we approached these challenges with a positive attitude, and began to enjoy our new home.
Singapore, to my husband and me, is a well-organised and governed country. We were impressed at how it had grown so fast in such a short time. Because my husband is in the health industry, we learnt that health was of a high standard, and much importance was attached to public health and money was spent wisely on new technology.
Second, we were impressed with the education system and how much importance was placed on a good education for the future of the country. And how people were encouraged to save for their children's tertiary education, rather than take huge student loans.
We were both sad to leave Singapore and would happily have stayed, but thought we would like to be closer to family and friends in New Zealand.
I visited my Singapore - I call it my second home - in April for eight days and felt I was home again after eight months away. It was a surreal experience and parts of it were sad also, for example driving past our old condo in Toa Payoh or visiting the Botanic Gardens where we used to walk daily. I wanted to park my car in Wheelock Place again, do some great Singapore shopping and return home to our condo, but I had to board an SIA flight back to my other home in Christchurch.
I want to say a big thank you to Singapore and its people for allowing us the privilege of living in your wonderful country for 14 years. Singapore was and always will be our second home, and I look forward to visiting as much as I can over the coming years. Sue A'Court (Mrs)
Christchurch, New Zealand
