As with every expat, the time to move on has arrived. It may not be forever, but from June 30th TFW will be on holiday. To return, I am sure. When, I am not so sure.
What with all this baby stuff (by stuff I mean having one), it seems a good a time as any to head home, spend time with family and finally get certified as a teacher. I will start a PGCE in IT at Southampton University in September, and Chi and I will leave Vietnam for Paris on June 30th.
"What about her family?!" I hear you cry -- well, Chi's situation is rather unique, and her story I am planning to write as one of my final posts.
Connections will still be going strong though, no worries there!
I'll also be starting my own blog based on integrating back into the UK after so long away, address to be announced soon.
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Welcome to The Final Word, a blog from a British guy living in Saigon, Vietnam since January 2005
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14 comments:
Jon,
I have been following your blog for quite some time but this is the first time I post a comment. I feel it would be so wrong not to thank you for sharing the many stories that shape your experience and perspective on the country I love before you leave Vietnam.
I married my American husband 13 years ago in Hanoi and my first 6 months after relocating to the US were very difficult emotionally. I hope & know you will provide the support Chi needs to pull it through her first 6 months. Words cannot describe how much I appreciated my husband's willingness to be patient, understanding & supportive. 13 years later, our marriage & careers are still going strong. I currently work as a VP in Small Business Banking at Bank of America's corporate headquarters, one of the 2 largest banks in the US. Chi has every qualification to succeed wherever she may live, but it's going to be challenging for her to be so far away from the people & city she loves. She is going to need you to be there for her more than she ever has.
I wish you two the best of luck in building the new chapter of your lives together. I have every reason to believe you two will succeed both personally & professionally.
Best wishes,
Vân Brantner
Jon... Good luck to you, whilst you may be leaving Vietnam, I arrive with my girlfriend at the end of July for a minimum of 2 years. She also did her PGCE and now has a job at Renaissance International School. Perhaps we will see you back in a couple of years at one of the International Schools! Just had confirmation of our move to Phu My An Apartments so have spent a while looking at your Phu My Hung Section! Good Luck!
Hi, I just started reading your blog, and I find it fascinating since I'm going to Ho Chi Minh City at the end of July to teach English for a year. I'm probably going to start a blog myself to relay my experiences. Good luck with everything!
I have been following your blog for a while and I just want to say thank you!
Thank you for all the hard works that you put in and thank you for the entertainment that it provided for me.
Will miss your blog :(
Jon,
I've also been following your blog for probably almost a year now and I enjoy reading every post you have. Your blog really opened up the vietnamese culture to me and I thank you for doing such a great job! Best of luck relocating and hope all will go well.
Well, you know...expats take it one move at a time. Good luck with your teacher certification in the UK.
Jon,
Hope you and your wife all the best, especially Chi. I know of lots of Vietnamese British ladies living in the UK and unfortunately not everybody is as lucky or qualified as Mrs Brantner. The UK is very tough to live in, and it is difficult to get a decent, high paid job there unless you have a good first degree from a accredited university. Don't want to be depressing but please prepare to be very very patient, especially when the UK is facing a slowdown.
Sorry to be a gloom monger....
Sad to see you leave.
Alex
Reflecting to Alex’s point above, education will always give you an edge either it’s in the UK, the US, or anywhere else for that matter. In my case, it’s an MBA from a top-tier American Business school. But there were days in my previous employment when I sat in my fancy office, a few blocks away from the Whitehouse in Washington DC, reading Jon’s blog during lunch time and wondering if I was where I was supposed to be. I know of people who went to school with me in Vietnam who have been able to amass some level of wealth that I would never be able to reach within my lifetime working in corporate America, and they don’t have to deal with the cultural & language differences that are still somewhat a simmering struggle inside me after all these years living abroad. But life is not all about money, and I admire you, Jon, for knowing what bring you happiness and setting to live the life you enjoy. To me, that’s inspirational!
So thanks again & all the very best to you & Chi,
Vân Brantner
Thanks for your comments v brantner and everyone else. In regards to what v.bratner has mentioned, I can't explain how I ended up where I am with this life. I was never driven to be successful academically at school or university. It was travelling that finally awakened me to that missing something -- potential of living life abroad, making the most of my opportunities. And taking the risk of boarding a plane to Korea with a one way ticket and enough money for a month was simply something I had to do...most of my friends thought I was crazy. The typical assumption is that people like this are running away...and that is damn right...away from a boring life of non-identity spent in some god awful soul draining office. So, my gamble paid off, now I have a career, a wife and a child on the way. Alex's description of life in the UK is right, if you are one of those people who consider a 'highly paid job' as the be all and end all. There ARE other ways to live and still be happy AND wealthy, and going home to do this course is just part of the long term plan to extend this lifestyle. There is an alternative to the corporate job and living life on credit -- what does it take? Balls maybe? I don't know. All I know is that 6 years ago I just could not face the thought of giving up on life so early, as I see it.
Alex, no worries, because Chi not be looking for a job or career in the UK -- she'll be giving birth and devoting all her energy to what that involves, as well as dealing with the business.
I tried sending you an email but it wouldn't go through. What is the best way to stay in touch in the future?
Gary
Gary, please try the email address again!
No luck sending againg to the same email address I used in the past.
Sorry Gary...having some problems with transferring my domain name...so email me on cunningplanmylord@hotmail.com.
I've been reading this blog for a while now. It's helped me feel a little connected to Saigon, since visiting a few years ago.
I hope you continue to post about your experiences adjusting to life back home, as I think that would also be very interesting. As someone who has been considering moving to Vietnam for a period of time, I'd be very interested what someone else's experience readjusting to Western life would be like.
Anyhow, thanks for the excellent blog and good luck to both of you!
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