Life is meant to be enjoyed

There is a lot to learn from living abroad, and this not only entails learning directly from my immediate surroundings – people, places, situations, but also figuring out and discovering new things about myself as I adjust to a new environment. Riding on the vein that “you only live once (or rather, you are only young once)” have led me through a series of character developments, where I now place importance in not just my studies but also in simply enjoying life. There’s something about knowing that I’ll never be the same person in the same time and place doing the same thing again, that pushes me to live life to its fullest and maximise my experience here. This switch wouldn’t have been possible within the confines of Singapore’s routine-centric lifestyle dominated by relentless studying, because that was just how I’ve lived my life for many years. Here, the transience of youth pushed me to be more forgiving on myself, letting myself find new balance and indulge in fun even during hectic times. Surprisingly, adapting this mentality has enhanced my productivity, as I kept myself busy not just with academics but also other meaningful activities (cooking, pottery, CrossFit, cycling, grocery-shopping). Because I wanted to have fun and wanted to make the most out of my experience, I had no choice but to plan my days meticulously, ensuring I had enough time for both play and academics. This experience has also made me realise that happiness is indeed omnipresent, we just have to look for it. While the things we did might be short of anything exceptional, I think that was just the way I liked it. I hope I look back at this and see a tint of youthfulness, and feel glad that this was how I spent my time.

Our weekly pottery class.

Beads-making event by CBSKrea.

The day the weather was so lovely we decided to lie on grass and snap some pictures.

Gnocchi-making on our day in! Kneaded shapes and experimented with funny faces.

Making gingerbread cookies with our European friends.

The art of a slow-paced life

Simply watching how others live their lives have shed light on the way I would want to live mine. Here, life is characterised by a more relaxed and pleasant rhythm, where people simply seem happier. I used to think that superiority lies in working and hustling more, and any signs of diversion seemed like a shortcoming. However, I realised that the slower pace of life here is actually how life should be lived, and it is not inferior, it is normal. A personal anecdote I had occurred during one of our initial group projects, where I felt like I was putting in more effort than others. I questioned how these people seemed so chill, and how even when their peers were lacking, they could easily separate work from friends. They had an entirely different work ethic from me, where good is enough and perfection isn’t necessary. Yet, a part of me knew that they were onto something right, and though these people seemed so laidback with their work, I could feel they were going to be successful anyhow. They were confident, somehow had their lives figured out, and were simply on a roll. This was a concept I struggled with to understand, because what was I lacking? I thought I was doing the most. Nonetheless, I now know that success is multilayered, as opposed to the “hustle-only” mindset that I once embodied, and it also also depends on how you define success. Is hustling and struggling more the only the way to reach it? Who knows. But at least I now know that suffering need not be a prerequisite for success, and though I may still not know how to figure this one out, I’m thankful I got to realise that it’s possible to deviate from an unwanted fast-paced life. Life is truly what you make of it : )