Over four years ago my wife and I took the decision to moved from Europe to Asia. We had left our native UK 9 years previously, remaining in Europe. Now we took the next step, moving 8 time zones further east.
Our first destination, although we didn’t know it would only be our first location, was Tokyo. What an incredible experience that was. We really were thrown in at the deep end and thrived. For the first two years I blogged extensively about this experience. I found the time and had the mental space to do this. For the following two years my life became so hectic that I found my blogging taking a backseat.
Now I am taking a little time reflecting on my experiences during the last four years. We are currently in lockdown in New Delhi due to the global COVID-19 virus. I really can’t believe that I’ve experienced some of the things I have during our time in Japan and India. Part of the problem was that I wasn’t always living in the moment. The last two years in Japan were a period of such professional growth that I had little time to stop and reflect – and even less time to write. This was, however, a conscience decision as I’d re-evaluated my priorities as you can see from the post below:
Six months ago the adventure took another turn as we moved to India for an assignment. This moved us from one incredible Asian city to another. Tokyo, the current most populated city in the world, to New Delhi the city projected to overtake it by the end of this decade. These two cities could not be more different, nor could the cultures and attitudes of the people populating them. Moving to New Delhi and spending time with Indian colleagues, clients, neighbours, and fellow city dwellers has given me so many additional fascinating insights into life.
I’m writing this post while lying in an egg chair on our balcony. The sun is beginning to lower in the sky, I’m enjoying the relaxing tones of composer Ludovico Einaudi coming from my phone. It’s warm and my eyelids are getting heavy – I may doze before I finish writing this post.
These Asian years really have included some of the most incredible highs that I have ever experienced. They’ve also included some of the most incredible lows. Some of these highs I have written about, most of the lows I have not. The one thing that all these experiences have had in common is that they have all been adventures, regardless of whether they were good or bad. Adventures are what make up our life stories. Adventures shape our character. Adventures give us the stories we share with others.
I’ve had periods of my life where I’ve been in a rut – that really has not been the case for the last four years. We really have squeezed a lot into this time. So much so that I can’t believe it’s only been four years – it feels a lot longer.
- We’ve celebrated the previous three New Years on different continents – North America, Asia, then Europe
- We’ve ventured into the Southern Hemisphere
- I’ve visited six countries for work, taking my tally up to 11
- I’ve nearly filled my passport with visa’s and entry stamps
- I’ve chaperoned my son’s class in Cambodia
- We’ve lived in, or close to, places I grew up thinking I’d never even visit such as Mount Fuji and the Taj Mahal
I’ve had a window behind the scenes into some very different cultures. These cultures all have their strengths and weaknesses. The fascinating part of my role is seeing how to help clients work to the strengths of their particular culture and mitigate any effects caused by their weaknesses. When this happens, you really do see sizable change.
Learning Till I Die 