“Live in a better country,” As two sugar plums (who are sugar plums, anyway?) living in a “third-world country,” that’s something we’ve heard throughout most of our lives. At least, mine if not Nathan’s. (Also read: One year and a little more)

I’ve always wondered what makes life so beautiful in “better” countries.

A few years ago, Nathan went to Australia. To settle down. To live a “better” life. Instead, two years ago, he came back to Sri Lanka. Settled down in the picturesque tiny island in the Indian ocean. (At least for now – Nathan’s never settled anyway.)

One September night, we sat under the stars at Honey Beach Club and gobbled up a holy moly lipsmacking pizza (they are good but there are better places) and Nathan told me how he loved his time in Australia. With friends. One and a half month later, with a half-sliced tandoori chicken sandwich in his hands, he looked at me with eyes brimmed with tears. Six months later, when he said goodbye to his down under dreams, I asked him why he had tears that day at Paan Paan. Lying down on one sofa on a lazy Sunday at Clock Inn Colombo, he told me how he hated Sydney’s fast-moving, money driven lifestyle. And that he never wanted to go back. (Also read: Two years down the line)

Now it’s almost two years to his new life in the island. I sit next to him and ask him about how he finds it different. With a wry smirk, he says, “life is same everywhere. It’s how you live it. If you do a 9-5, it’ pretty similar. You’d commute to work everyday, slog your bum at work and come back home. Eat. Sleep. And repeat.”

It made me think. Made me think about the fancies people talk about. Sure, you’d get an air-conditioned metro instead of a crowded uneasy bus. But at the end of the day, what do you really have? An air-conditioned metro.

And I think, we, humans, we aren’t never satisfied. I, for one, whine 24/7 about the city life. About Colombo. About humidity. The sun (sorry sun, I love you at the beach, see: hypocritic, also see: unsatisfied). About carbon dioxide I inhale, about crowded streets and dust. I want to go to mountains, somewhere far away and live a quiet life. And people from small villages want to come to the city, find a job and earn more money. And I am from a small village, too. Oh, the irony!

Life, like Nathan (who’s pretty much the best sugar plum on planet because he also happens to be my super-annoying bestfriend who cooks me poached eggs and mashed potatoes) says, is, same everywhere. It’s how you live it. If you live in the mountains, growing veggies and bananas with an airbnb helping your village folks, I’d say that’s pretty cool. You can also live in a house on a top of the mountains, being an office-folk commuting to nearby small town every day ‘cause you’ve got three kids and money matters. (Also read: Dear sugar plum)

Life is same everywhere. It’s how you live it.

How would you live your life?

Zinara x