Just three weeks after leaving the bustling metropolis of Singapore, June Wee-Grant and her husband signed on the dotted line and bought a house in Vejle. June decided to commit to her new city with her heart and soul, including taking part in an activity she never dreamt of trying but has become completely addicted to.
The lights in the candlesticks are pastel-coloured, the sofas are creamy white and the lamps on the windowsills are from the Danish designer, Verner Panton.
You don't need to have stayed very long in June's home to feel her enthusiasm for the bright Scandinavian interior-design look.
“We sold all our furniture when we moved from Singapore. We have therefore bought new furniture, which of course had to be Danish design. I really like it,” says June, who has by no means forgotten her Asian roots. Small Buddha figures and other knick-knacks let you know where she comes from. She also asks guests to take off their shoes before entering the living room.
“It's a tradition where I come from, and I want to continue it,” she explains, as she picks up Mr Fong, her confident little Pomeranian dog.
June and her husband, Andy, are citizens of the world with a capital W. June is Chinese, while Andy is South African with roots in Scotland. Together, they’ve lived in New York, Los Angeles and Singapore, where they lived when Andy was offered his dream job at LEGO.
“We had heard about Denmark, as Andy loves LEGO bricks. But we had never heard of Vejle. We also didn’t know how to pronounce it. Was it ‘Wejle’ or ‘Vej-Lee’?!” she says with a loud laugh.
Everything was so ‘cute’
June and Andy briefly considered moving to Billund to be close to Andy’s new workplace, but Vejle’s size and nature made their decision easy. Their first impressions of the city fortunately matched their wishes for a new adventure:
“We went for a walk in the area and suddenly we were standing in front of Vejle Windmill. It was just so idyllic. And the pedestrian street..! Wow, it was like it was taken out of a history book with the old buildings. Everything was so ‘cute’,” she says emphatically, while hugging an attention-seeking Mr. Fong. She then lays the little dog on the light oak table and buries her hands in his caramel-coloured fur.
The joy they had for their new city quickly led to June and Andy’s next move. They scoured the real-estate websites in search of good houses for sale. As fate would have it, they bought the very first house they looked at. A newly renovated, white detached house in the neighbourhood near the city hospital.
“We instantly knew we wanted to live here. It’s bright and pleasant, and it’s close to the forests where we take lots of walks and are always discovering new things. We both knew we needed a different pace in our lives, and we could get that here,” says June, who still wonders at the absence of traffic noise, which was part of her everyday life in Singapore.
When June packed her suitcase in Singapore, she thought about how she would become a Dane and a ‘Vejlenser’. She set herself a goal of embracing her new life and building her network by being open to new acquaintances.
“If I was going to be happy in Vejle, I couldn’t hold myself back,” she says, adding that she signed up for a yoga class and got chatting with one of the women. The woman, whom June now calls her good friend, also introduced her to an activity that in June’s head sounded completely bizarre: winter bathing.
“Think about bathing in ice-cold water. I thought it sounded so crazy. But I also knew I wanted to try it.
So one November day in 2023, June immersed herself in the cold waters of the fjord before retreating to the sauna that she’d booked along with the other winter bathers.
“Wow! – that was the wildest dopamine kick. And sitting in the sauna afterwards without clothes felt fine. My friends from Singapore asked, ‘Did you really sit naked in the sauna?’ They think I’m very brave,” June laughs, as she rises to give Mr. Fong a snack from the kitchen drawer. She adds:
“And now I’ve become completely addicted to winter bathing. Who would have thought it!?”
Vejle is pure rehab for big city folk
Five steps from June’s terrace door lies the extension with her furnished workspace. She works as a coach and reiki healer, helping people with different challenges in life.
June is also in the process of contacting other coaches in Vejle with whom she can create events and collaborate. It’s important for her to meet new people and form new connections.
“I just want to put down roots here and meet more people. I’m so grateful for all the experiences we enjoy here in Vejle,” laughs June with a sparkle in her eyes.
June also keeps in touch with her friends from Singapore and around the world online and opens her doors to anyone who decides to pay her a visit. At Christmas 2023, June and Andy were visited by Andy’s parents from Scotland. They quickly fell in love with Vejle, just like June and Andy.
“My father-in-law said, ‘Vejle is a magical place. There’s a little bit of everything.’ I can only agree with him. I usually say that Vejle is pure rehab for big city folk with all the space and lovely nature.
Translated by Tony Langford (Influentsy ApS)