It's the best year of our lives but...we hate it

More than 11 months have gone by since we moved to the UK. Never in my wildest dream would I imagine myself saying that it is the best year of our lives. There's never a day that goes by that we don't say "this is way better than XYZ..."

But we hate it....we really do. Here are 8 reasons why...

#1 Schooling 
No syllabus to follow, no mandatory exams to take, no invasive home visits to host, no investigative file of evidence to submit to a government officer, no state enforced "national values" to indoctrinate, none of it!? Don't get us wrong, we still do ensure our children match up with their British AND Singaporean peers academically. We are still working towards their GCSEs and A Levels so they will be able to go to University or other paths.
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We hate it that we have tasted the freedom from these things homeschooling our children here in the UK. We hate it so much because we never want to go back to pleading for permission to school OUR children by ourselves and in the way we desire. 

How do you justify teaching Primary school children about ancient civilisation and taking an entire week to make a paper Mache Egyptian death mask in a report?

Or visiting the Zoo for the millionth time to watch keepers feed the penguins?

And to actually feed the Lorikeet?

It is definitely impossible to justify taking my kids to hug the Gruff...Gruffaa....Gruffalo.

Maybe we can tell them the playground was PE lesson...

#2 Roaming
We hate it that we have now tasted the freedom of living in a land we will take a life time to finish exploring. If you are willing to take a hike or a drive, you'll be spoilt for choice. We hate to think that the simple pleasure of seeing no people or houses in sight for miles and miles can disappear just like that. 

Just to be free and not sweat and worry about our skin condition...

Or mosquitos....

No entrance fees.

No fences

There's always somewhere we can explore..

#3 Community
We hate it that we have experienced a community that genuinely cares. We hate it that we have seen people living how they wish, be who they want to be and be taken care of unconditionally. We hate it that we didn't have to worry about being who we really are for the entire year. Now there is a reference for comparison. 

We have never felt so welcomed, loved and accepted. It is scary to think that we can lose it.

The shop was quite crowded inside...Oh how we hate crowds but now we know people do support hand crafts, skill and local businesses...

You can be independent and profitable without selling at Temu prices...

​#4 Values

We hate it that we have now lived in a society where it isn't all about the money all the time. Yes, people still do want to get rich, own big houses and cars they collectively still believe in each other's welfare. We hate it that we didn't have to fear and worry in a time of crisis because of the values that the whole society pays for to maintain. Now we know what I means to be rooted, invested and connected. 

For the first time, I brought a bleeding child to the hospital worrying if he needed more invasive treatment instead of worrying if my bank balance can foot the bill. (He had two other accidents when he was way younger). We walked into A&E and left within 90 mins. Our taxes fund a system that cares for everyone. Thank you NHS.

The recycling and clean energy stats speaks volumes. The amount of pollution linked allergy reactions we've had: ZERO

Those who have given their lives, served, sacrificed for the nation are remembered.

#5 Remembering
We hate it that we've seen how people cherish their traditions, history, architecture and heritage. How can we bear to see another building, town centre and historical place torn down to be replaced by an integrated hub?

There's a place for the next bubble tea shop but there's also a place for age old recipes

Not everything brand new is best

When people knew how to use glass.

When architecture is an expression of worship

Where history reminds us we are but a tiny part of the larger fabric...

​#6 Seasons
4 seasons have come and gone. We hate it because we have experienced so much it is now impossible to go back to tropical monotony all year round. We have grown to love the long days of summer and great long days of adventures. We have also grown to appreciate when nature springs to life and shuts down. We have learnt to rest and appreciate the little sunshine we get on the short days. We down the ice cold drinks in summer and hot cuppa when it's colder. We can now appreciate an ice-cream in winter because it doesn't melt. 

Mesmerising colours!

We hate that our eyes have been open to all these colours...how will we live just seeing green?

Such a visual treat.

Do we really need LED trees? I hate it that I've found out they do change colours themselves.

#7 Memories
I hate to think that there may come a time when we can't have this much quality time together. I don't want to ever have to look back at 2023 and think "I wish I never experienced that". 

Because if you don't already realise by now, I am basically petrified that this new life we've grown to love will no longer be ours. We hate 2023 because it is the best we've ever had as a family. I hate to think that we what goes up must come down. I know it is very irrational to think that way but if you've lived our lives for the past 11 years, you'd concur. 

Am I crazy to think this way?