I have now been in Hanoi for more than a month - in fact, close on 2 months. Much of that time has been spent on settling in, whether it would be home, or at the office. It has been quite the adventure the last year. There are times I cannot believe that I am living in my 3rd country on a 3rd country in under 1 year.
When leaving South Africa on 29 October last year, I had such high hopes for my time in Boston. I was so excited for the new job... and how quickly those hopes were dashed. The position I thought I would have ended up being something completely different. I was under utilised, and basically spent a lot of time doing very little. Moving to Boston was also socially more difficult than I had assumed it would be. I was alone on my birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas... and I did not even get to see my friends in the US (New York and DC) as much as I had wanted to. And add to this coming to grips for 4-5 months of winter!
However, there was a lot about living in Boston that I did love. The super fast internet. Excellent service. How safe I felt - no alarm systems, no burglar bars. You cannot truly appreciate it until you have lived, like so many South Africans, as virtual prisoners in our own homes.
So the decision to move to Hanoi, though professionally was the easy choice, was daunting on the personal front. Yet, I decided to take the leap, and here I am. And who knew that moving to Hanoi would be so much easier than moving to Boston? I have made some good friends among the expat community; I found an apartment easily; and I have already travelled within the country. Of course I miss home and friends and family, and the internet in the US, but I have come to really love the hustle and bustle of Hanoi - if not the weather and air quality!
The food is amazing, and the cost of living is pretty low - compared to the US. Compared to South Africa, it is pretty much on par.
I miss the freedom of having your own car and just going where you want gives you, but then there is the joy of taking a taxi and never having to deal with looking for a parking space. As for riding a motorbike in Hanoi - I am not as brave as yet. Give me some time.
The language barrier is real - just this morning in an upscale shop I had quite the time trying to explain that I was looking for milk.
This country is beautiful (the little I have seen of it), and there is so much development happening here.
What will the future bring? Who knows. For now, I am happy with the choices I made, and I am excited about the next adventure.
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