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LIFE&FAMILY
122
January14
MUM'S
the word
Over half of your expat life has been
spent in Singapore; what about the rest?
We moved to the Czech Republic when
Olli was two years old and lived there for
three years, before moving to Jakarta for
another three years. We had relocated
to the second-biggest city in the Czech
Republic, and I had to learn to speak the
language. The difference between there
and Asia is that you are fully integrated
into their society, whereas here, even if
you are a permanent resident, you still
belong to a group of expats.
Did you enjoy your time in Jakarta?
Living there, you get to experience
many nice things about Indonesia. The
living standards are high, you get a
big house, and everyone is so friendly
and helpful. In Jakarta, everything is
possible but nothing is easy; but here
in Singapore, not everything is possible,
but everything that is possible, is easy.
F i nn i sh mot he r SANNA
MASSALA and her family have
been living the expat life for 14
years. She talks to me about
bringing up her sons Olli (16)
and Sampo (6) in Singapore.
By Amy Brook-Partridge;
photography by Milla Kantola
Was the transition from Jakarta to
Singapore difficult?
I felt a little bit of culture shock when
we moved here, as we did get spoilt
in Jakarta.
Olli studied at the American School in
Jakarta, so for convenience we enrolled
him at the Singapore American School,
which was a very smooth transition.
I got pregnant againwhenOlli was nine
years old, and I had to learn everything
from scratch as I couldn’t remember
anything about looking after a baby.
Luckily, in Singapore we have access to
excellent health care services and many
essential products are easily available.
You’re obviously very settled after
eight years of living here. What about
Singapore appeals to you so much?
We’ve always loved living in the Sunset
area; it is peaceful, green and mature.
I love the house we live in, and we
also have a very good community
playground around the corner from us.
One of the many reasons I love
my life here is that I get to work at
something I really enjoy. I’m a painter
with a background in fine art and I did an
online graphic design course while living
here. As a freelancer I can work odd
hours, and there are many businesses
needing high quality graphic design
services. The wide-ranging clientele
means I can work on something different
every day.
Is there a strong Finnish community
in Singapore?
Yes, there is a Finnish Association that
has a lot of activities for kids, including
a music group, soccer, Sunday school
and two playgroups, all in Finnish, which
has been a great benefit for Sampo.
There’s also the Finnish supplementary
school, which has up to 70 kids in
different grades.
e
L
Favourite Things
Eating out:
Singapore has many
great restaurants, but my favourite
hawker is the Vietnamese stall at
GhimMohMarket and FoodCentre.
Its food is heavenly, and whenever
we have visitors we take them there.
Travel:
My husband and Olli dive,
and we have been to the Raja
Ampat islands in Indonesia’s West
Papua province many times. The
Papua Diving resort is excellent
even for non-divers, and it’s
fantastic for experienced divers.
Family activity:
I enjoy going to
the library with our children; the
libraries and their resources are
magnificent. In Finland we have
good libraries, but the ones here
are amazing.
Just for me:
My personal sport is
stair-climbing, which I do twice a
week with friends. We walk up the
stairwells of high-rise buildings, 40
floors five times, which can take up
to 90 minutes.