Here it comes again, the time where I have to say goodbye - just when I begin to feel comfortable. I have spent 3 years trying to understand the French, to speak the language, to understand the gestures, to appreciate the goods and to accept the bads. As I entered the third year, I began to be able to argue in French and get things done my way. That's an indication that I am becoming more "local". But somehow, after all of that, I have decided not to stay. My family and I are moving to Singapore.
My colleagues and friends asked me why....Did I not like it in France? Some others asked me, why Singapore - is it your home? Strangely I was not able to answer those questions with a simple yes or no. I am moving not because I dislike France or because I am going home. I am moving because I am still searching for home.
But what is a home?
I believe a home is a place where you can comfortably be in the present while eagerly looking at the future. A home is not a place to escape, it is a place where I can get fully involved. A home is not a place where I sleep to close today, but to open tomorrow. It is not a place where I display those that I can buy, but instead those I have proudly earned.
I believe my home exists, but I have not arrived. Until I find it, I shall not settle, or settle down for anything less. So goodbye France, thank you for your hospitality and for allowing me to pass by. Hello, Singapore, I wish for nothing but the best for you and a path closer to home for me.
