i have lived in singapore almost all my life, and all of my fond memories of neighbours happened when i was a kid - not as a house-owner. the relationships with my neighbours are cordial - simple "hellos" and "hi" when our path crossed, then closed the door and never talk again (thank you very much!)
the experience in the netherlands, have been so different for me, so far.
in less than a year of living here (at a real apartment, not at various hotels!) i have 2 summer bbq invitations (which unfortunately, i had to decline due to business trips elsewhere) , helping to keep my mail packages while i'm not home, paying for my window-cleaning services first and basically, being neighbourly.
and the latest invite that i had came literally by shouting across the balcony!
an english and taiwanese couple invited me over for tea (when it actual fact it involved kebab and snacks and lots of drinks).
the invite was spontaneous and casual - i was at my balcony, watering the flowers - they were at theirs , basically soaking the sun, and two days later, we met.
it is nice to meet new people in the strange land, and despite all, we do have lots of things in common... in this case, our love for cats, and not able to speak dutch well enough!
they have beautiful siamese (watch their youtube video below to see how really toilet-train cats are) and notice how close and adorable they are together.
and how i miss my cat, but it will be soon, when i will be home again (well, for a short trip AND the great singapore sale).
x
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