Winter sports is practically zilch in Singapore as it is a sun locked tropical island. In order to engage in winter sports, we have to travel far north or south at the opportune timing to catch the bountiful snowfall in the mountains. Unfortunately, the Northern and Southern Hemisphere snow seasons rarely coincide with local school vacations, depriving local students the opportunity of experiencing winter sports.
I am a fervent fan of the mountains. Before I had kids, I would trek the mountains and soak in its grandeur and awe, especially snow capped mountains which serve as a sanctuary to my spirit. However, snowy mountains are far away from the equator or the nearer ones would command heights more than 3500m, rendering a longer time to scale these mountains due to distance. As a mom of 2 young kids, it is almost impossible to pluck myself away from them for more than 2 weeks as homesickness and guilt will kick in.
In tune with family life, I had stayed away from long treks and greatly reduced my occasions atop snowy mountains. But the yearning will not be doused, leading to an alternative way to reach the summit in a much shorter time - skiing! I managed to escape into snowy mountains a couple of times while leaving the kids at home biding their school schedules ;p
When the chance finally arose for my kids to ski with their favourite cousins living in Australia, I did not hesitate to take them off school for a couple of days. As young kids, they are ideally suited to learn a new sport - their sense of balance, agility and boldness are amazing! They mastered the green slopes in a matter of a 2 hour lesson, freeing them to ski breezily (I learnt to ski as an adult and had to conquer many psychological fear before achieving their ease!) Furthermore, skiing and bonding with right company adds to a beautiful experience, memories that will last a lifetime, whereas the few days of local school routine would be barely productive in a child's learning nor imprint a lasting memory. Here's a pic of my girl and her best friend cum cousin while skiing - a fond memory etched in her forever :-)
