The biggest thing that happened for me this past quarter was moving down to Chiang Mai…and while it’s still early days, so far it’s been everything that I’ve hoped for.
I chose to leave Hong Kong because after almost two years of living there, I just felt like I didn’t fit. Between having friends and family around me, a great apartment and ample football opportunities — on paper I had everything necessary for a great life…but it just wasn’t right.
For all it’s perks, Hong Kong is an expensive, status-driven and fast paced city — traits of a place that I don’t want to live in. Being expensive and status-driven meant there was always a focus on earning more and while I’m an ambitious person, money should be the fuel that takes me somewhere rather than the end destination. Beyond that, the fast paced nature of the city means most interactions, whether discussions or relationships, remained shallow. This isn’t to say it’s impossible to have deep connections in Hong Kong — it’s possible, just less likely as a result of the speed.
Most importantly though, Hong Kong was just too comfortable. Seeing the life that many of my older friends and cousins built, while highly respect-worthy, was one that I didn’t want to live. Surrounding myself with friends of a similar background meant I wouldn’t have my worldview challenged. Being near my family meant there was always the temptation to rely on them rather than standing on my own two feet. Living in the same city that I grew up in meant I wouldn’t see the difference between my upbringing and myself.
At this point in my life what I value most is growth and ultimately being in a comfortable environment just wasn’t conducive to that.
So why Chiang Mai?
There were a few easy reasons up front: it’s cheap, it’s easy to travel in and out of and while it’s a new place, the culture isn’t far removed from what I’m used to. The big one though was the hope I would find people who shared similar values and goals for life. Chiang Mai has a reputation as a digital nomad hub and given I plan to spend the next 5–10 years of life moving around a lot, I thought it would be an ideal place to start. Ten weeks in — things couldn’t have gone smoother.
One of the hardest things moving anywhere new is always meeting new people. In that respect Chiang Mai has been fantastic. As an introvert who doesn’t enjoy socializing, I thought this would be the hardest area for me but it’s been easy meeting great people. For one, most expats who live in Chiang Mai do share similar values in terms of the desire to live a non-traditional life and having the courage to do so. Moreover since the expat community is small and most people work less than 30 hour weeks, the environment is there for friendships to happen. Comparing this to Hong Kong where everybody already has family and existing friend commitments, the difference couldn’t be starker. Even with that said, I’m still fortunate to have met people who I enjoy hanging out with quickly and am grateful I get to spend my time here in Chiang Mai with them (Mel, Cal, Ash — you guys are awesome!).
In terms of developing broader interests, living in Chiang Mai has been helpful as well. Spending less here on life than I did on rent in Hong Kong means that I have the extra cash to try new things like taking salsa classes and studying Japanese. Chiang Mai being slower also means that I have the additional time to do these things, read and just relax more in general. I operate much better when life is slower since I react less and reflect more, so having my environment support that lifestyle goes a long way for me.
Finally, the past couple months have been huge for me professionally. Marilou, Altanx’s manager, has gone from strength to strength and done a better job running the company on a daily basis than I ever have. Beyond that, Video Husky 5x’ed in terms of revenue and we tripled our team size since the beginning of Quarter 3 meaning everybody at the company, including myself, has had to level up to ensure we keep delivering the same quality work.
Overall, the best part about this quarter was just the sheer amount of novel experiences that I’ve been able to have. While I’m looking forward to slowing down and consolidating in Quarter 4, there’s no better way to grow than to try new things, make mistakes and reflect for the future. While I’m realistic that things can’t stay positive forever and there’ll be a lot of challenges to overcome; all in all, I couldn’t be more content with how things are going right now and can’t wait to see what the next quarter holds!