How Snow in Singapore Taught Me to Appreciate Life Better

Yes, you read that right — there was snow on our sunny island.

By Tan Yi Ming   •   7 minute read

Behold the world's tallest indoor waterfall and the nucleus of Jewel, The Rain Vortex.

It was Friday evening after a busy week at work. Turning off my laptop usually felt good as I could start to wind down for a relaxing weekend. However, this time was a little different. My wife had bugged me to bring her to Jewel Changi Airport for the night because she wanted to see the artificial snow that was scheduled to fall at the indoor garden.

As part of efforts to appease travel-hungry Singaporeans during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Singapore Tourism Board and local tourism companies had teamed up to create unique attractions mimicking the year-end winter holiday experience of northern countries. A kind gesture from our Government, I thought, as travel restrictions had been in place for a large part of 2020 and are most likely to remain for another year or two.

Though, as I got into the taxi, I could not help but judge the gimmicky nature of what I had to experience next.

“Something for kids,” I muttered to myself as I thought about how my Friday evening could have been better spent reading an inspiring book with some light jazz — typical of an introvert like me.

Following a hasty dinner, my wife and I hurried into the indoor Shiseido Forest Valley where the "snow" was scheduled to fall at 7:30pm. We were met with swarms of children running around with helpless parents chasing after. This, combined with the thundering backdrop of the Rain Vortex, had me mildly annoyed and already regretting my decision to come.

When the clock struck half past, I scanned the surroundings but did not see anything resembling snow falling. “Must have evaporated in all that waterfall mist,” I sniggered.

Suddenly, commotion erupted with multiple high pitch squeals piercing the air exclaiming, "SNOW!"

Turning to look up, I too caught myself mesmerised in awe. Seeing the air above beautifully sprinkled with white powdery snow slowly descending made me forget about my earlier disturbances.

It was just MAGICAL!

As the snow softly landed on my face and began to melt, I closed my eyes and was brought back to happier days when travel was still possible: Flashbacks of my honeymoon last December amongst the snowcapped peaks of the Swiss alps, to a few years ago skiing on the slopes of Hokkaido...

Oh, how I miss those days when travel was still a reality!

“Snow” falling in Jewel Changi Airport.

Subconsciously, I followed my train of thought as it drifted to consider what travel had meant to many of us: How a single trip could help create beautiful memories that last a life-time; How it could invigorate the relationships of couples, families and friends with time spent together in a foreign place; How a quick weekend to the sandy beaches of Bali could work miracles in curing everyday stresses... With these opportunities no longer easily possible, it made me appreciate the times when travel was so convenient!

Continuing to reflect, I began to muse on the privileges many of us as Singaporeans enjoy to be able to even afford the opportunity to travel. Compared to others in developing nations, we don’t have to worry about food and water, a roof over our heads, and access to basic healthcare. Therefore, we have the liberty to turn our focus to luxuries such as leisure travel.

Visiting the Swiss Alps on our honeymoon last year.

Then, I thought about my wife who, unlike me, grew up in a lower-income family, and did not experience traveling overseas until she could earn enough money herself.

A sense of guilt crept in.

From a young age, I had already been to many different countries on family holidays and saw snow multiple times. Hence, it did not carry the same excitement for me as it did for her.

I felt shameful for my thoughts earlier, for dismissing the novelty of snow in Singapore, and for being incognisant of the significance it meant to others.

With that, I transitioned to realise that I had not fully appreciated the privileges that I’ve enjoyed since young. My father had worked hard to provide a comfortable lifestyle for my family. My mother had sacrificed her career to tend to me and my brother as a housewife. They had dedicated their time and effort to me, ensuring that I had the necessary foundation to become successful in adulthood. Sadly, pre-COVID-19, if I had any extended time off work, I was looking to travel overseas instead of spending more time with them. Thus, making a mental note, I told myself to make use of this situation when we are all stuck in Singapore to visit my parents more often. In fact, a silver lining from this crisis came in the opportunity to work from home. As we stay only a few bus stops away from my parents, work-from-home allows me to drop by regularly for brief visits during lunch — something that was not possible before and that I could now better appreciate.

Finally opening my eyes, I was greeted by images of happy families dancing under the snowfall before me. Their jubilant faces shone with joy. However, any warm feelings that had begun to arise were quickly tamed as I could not ignore the many foreign domestic workers who were also present, carefully watching over the children as they played.

A pang of sadness hit me as I thought about the pain they were probably feeling from missing their own families, hidden behind those smiles. Many of them would have been unable to see their families for close to a year given the lockdown and travel restrictions around the world!

I let out a sigh — not only did I finally recognise how lucky I am to have my loved ones together with me in Singapore, but I also recognised the need to better appreciate the many foreign workers who left their families to work here in hopes of providing a better future for them.

I’m lucky to have my loved ones with me this holiday season, compared to migrant workers who wouldn’t have been able to see their families for nearly 12 months!

I recalled a touching video where Malaysians who travelled to Singapore before the borders closed had gathered near the Woodlands checkpoint to catch a glimpse of their families waving from across the causeway. Many of them looked like young moms and dads — probably just a couple of years older than I am — but are heroes in their own rights, having chosen to accept such hardship of being apart from family in order to afford a better life for their children. In fact, I had gotten to know a few Malaysians over the past few years through my choir. They are all hardworking, humble and reliable individuals with big hearts! Even though organising choir practices took up a significant amount of my time, one of the factors that kept me motivated was knowing that the choir served as a second family to them here in Singapore.

This is how choir practice looks like for us now.

Unfortunately, with singing seen as an activity that carries a higher risk of transmitting the virus, our choir's activities have been greatly reduced this year. Thankfully, with advances in technology, we are still able to hold practices over platforms such as ZOOM and try new things like virtual choir productions.

However, nothing can quite replace the beautiful acoustics when the choir could come together — physically — to sing in harmony. I realised how much I missed my choir, and how I should have better cherished the times when we were able to practice and perform as per normal.

After a few minutes, the snow finally stopped falling. I watched as the last flakes melted away against the concrete floor. Then, I turned to look at my wife who was visibly overjoyed. It was intriguing to think of how this tiny fluffy white particle could bring out such excitement in people!

As for me, it provided a timely reminder of the things in life I should be more appreciative of, like how I should be grateful for all that I have in the present, as they could be taken away at any moment — just like what COVID-19 has done in so many aspects.

Such is the nature of impermanence.

On our way back from Jewel, we passed by the Changi Expo exhibition halls, which were the sites converted to isolation facilities for patients who tested positive for the virus, many of whom were foreign construction employees.

I made a silent prayer for all foreign workers here in Singapore, wishing that they would be able to reunite with their families soon. I prayed for the selfless healthcare workers who are battling the virus on the frontline in order to keep the rest of the population safe. I gave thanks to our Government for their swift and organised response that has resulted in the number of cases in Singapore drastically falling, and allowed our society to return to some sense of normalcy.

Before reaching home, I hugged my wife and thanked her for insisting we went to Jewel for the night.

I promised her that once everything gets better, I will definitely bring her to see snow again.

Skiing in Hokkaido back in 2017. I promised my wife to bring her to see snow again once the situation improves.