The first time I flew internationally was over 32 years ago and the first arrival stamp in my first passport was at Changi immigration. While I would have preferred not to have an arrival stamp last night (My Auckland – Singapore flight was late so I missed my connection to KL and was overnighted in Singapore) the efficency and usability of this airport is always so impressive. Even though some of the gate numbering is a bit random at times (E7 comes after E11 and 8?) you just need to trust the signage. It’s big and clear and the walking time estimates are real 🙂

When I first flew to Kuala Lumpur at the beginning of our expat adventure, the sheer size and business of Changi felt a bit overwhelming, especially as I knew I had to switch terminals. I think the reason so many travellers like Changi is it has taken the web usability mantra “don’t make me think” to heart. At almost any point an anxious tourist is likely to think where do I go now there are massive screens you can check your flight against which tell you the terminal and gate number. And as in Changi I have never left from the same terminal I arrived in, as soon as you realise you need to change terminal you look up and there are big signs telling you which way to the other terminals and options to get there.

Everything is written in deep gold on black at a massive font size for readability with the biggest font used for the most important information (terminal number) the next biggest for the next important (gates) and so on. I also realised fairly quickly that if you were heading out of the airport the signs for taxis, hotels etc were blue, so getting to my hotel was just a matter of ignoring the yellow and following the blue. It is a huge airport but the attention to helping people move around it smoothly is a massive contributor to the atmosphere and how people think about it as a hub.

And I will be on the plane again – this time for the last trip back to KL after my 17 months of living with a foot in two places.

I think if anything at the moment I am feeling a bit cautious about anticipating what next. The last few years have been so totally unexpected that trying to predict what the next 12 months will bring just seems rather pointless. In the meantime I am hoping my two bags are not overweight, that my unaccompanied bag arrives ok and that I haven’t forgotten anything critical. My list of tasks is down to buying a driving lesson voucher for my youngest, dropping my coat off to the dry cleaners and getting someone to collect it for me and cancelling the contents insurance.

The main thing that has thrown my planning off is the sudden onset of Wellington summer when my dressing plans for this last week was a final cycle of winter clothes that could be washed and donated. Instead I have had to find some of the summer things that were packed.

While its difficult to be saying goodbye to many friends, I am looking forward to being home again and picking up the threads of my expat life. I am in a different mental space after the career successes of the last few months and it will be interesting to see how I make choices once I have re-settled.