A refreshing start

I do not know where to begin. One thing for sure, our life changed the moment we stepped into this city.

Gone are the days of tubes and red double-deckers for our mode of transportation. Grey cloudy skies are replaced with clear blue backdrop and blazing sunshine. Ice-cream parlours and sweet delicacies cafes can be seen in every block.

On our first day, I was extremely tired and sleepy as our flight arrived after midnight as well as the lack of rest due to packing, cleaning and “emptying” our flat in London a few days before. The cleaning lady came that day and I never felt so much lighter knowing my laundry would be in good hands. She knew we were about to go out and asked if I needed any ironing done. I couldn’t remember the last time I wore anything ironed by someone else. It also felt nice when I was referred as ‘madam’. *grins*

As we enjoyed our outing, for once in many days I felt peaceful as if all my burdens were lifted. The stress I experienced over the past few weeks seemed to have disappeared.

Of course we had another wave of roller-coaster. We spent our days searching for the right place and school. Today we finally made an offer on an abode chosen by the young lady. It is a stark contrast to our cosy 2 bedroom flat back in UK as the young lady will get to enjoy a shared garden right outside the patio. She even said that she would be able to mingle with neighbours within this low-rise development of twelve units or so. The rooftop terrace has enough space for her gardening experiment which I believe would only take place when the temperature is milder. Until then, I have a feeling she will be spending her time indoor in our planned study room/library.

The nearest school is only 5 minutes away but they are not accepting applications as their waiting list is already long. Thankfully, there is a new school which is within 15 minutes drive. It is also smaller compare to others i.e. each year has 1 or 2 classes, a good transition from her previous school which had one class per year.

As we have more or less sorted these two main items, we can finally go on an outing to a neighbouring city, hoping for a close encounter with the friendliest sea-animal. I am sure it will put a smile on the young lady’s face as she has been missing her friends terribly. We are adjusting and coping with these changes, slowly but surely.