TZHow does it feel to come back to a familiar place after being away for some time? Well, I can only say being away felt like a dream.
Scrambling to see where I left off
It felt so weird to step back into my home country after 6 months of life in New Zealand. When I landed in Singapore, I was at Changi Airport Terminal 2. Everything felt foreign especially because Terminal 2 also went through a makeover! I was so impressed with what it looked like! Once I landed, it took me about ten minutes of walking around to register that I was back on home ground. Seeing the airport security and police patrolling around in the familiar blue uniforms, people speaking Singlish around me at the airport, all these little things were so mundane yet impactful to tell me that “I’M HOME!”
My ever-supportive family also made my return easy by refreshing my room for me. It felt so good to return home to family. My sister even made a banner at home that said “Welcome Home” and that really warmed my heart. The transition back home was made easy because of them.
What’s next was more of getting back on track administratively.
Restoring my mobile line
I put it on pause when I left Singapore then, paying a minimal fee of $5 per month to maintain the number. So, the first thing I did, even before I landed in Singapore, was to restore my mobile line. That way, you can be contactable as soon as you arrive in Singapore! In this age and time, it is really easy to just do this online. Otherwise, just get someone to do it for you back in your home country.
Finding a job
Next, was finding a job. I was one of the lucky few to be able to return back to my previous employer. This made things really easy for me as I went back to work not long after I returned to Singapore. However, many of my friends whom I’ve done the New Zealand Working Holiday together with had to find new jobs. It was stressful but then, I still hope you will find something you like rather than just anything that works just because you’re rushing to find a job. Plan both mentally and financially, to give yourself at least two months to find something worthy of your skills and capabilities.
If you have the time, you might even want to begin the job hunting process when you’re still in New Zealand. Start off by updating your resume, and setting job alerts on LinkedIn to know what is out there in the market. Speak to your peers back in your home country, you never know when you might meet someone who has access to a job offer!
Getting rid of unnecessary clutter
Living out of a suitcase for 6 months definitely taught me the concept of minimalism. Getting access back to a full wardrobe of clothes felt like a luxury, and yet something I did not feel like I needed anymore. It’s not that I do not want to look good in beautiful clothes, but rather, it did not feel necessary to always have the latest fashion piece. To me, I learned to start picking up pieces that were more timeless and durable.
Because of my working holiday in New Zealand, I learn that one does not actually need that much clothing. You can still dress to impress with a few timeless pieces. Since returning back home, I’ve cleared so much unnecessary clutter from my room and have rarely bought anything more thereafter. I realised I start to also think a lot more before making any purchase now. It is definitely different now as compared to before. I like this new change because I don’t buy anything that is unnecessary now and decluttering is not even a thing I need to do as frequently as I did in the past now.
Waking up from my dream
The first morning I woke up to a view of my bedroom and it felt like I never left. Hello to reality again and may the memories of my New Zealand working holiday stay with me forever~
