I always wonder what to say when I get asked to introduce myself.
What I may find interesting bits of information about myself may seem utterly trivial to some or intriguing to others. However, most times when I introduce myself, my biggest fear would be at one extreme I appear to be self indulging, or at the other extreme I seem rather boring.
So here I go, deep breathe, and I will dive into what I hope will be a well balanced, not boring, not self indulged, intriguing yet not trivial introduction to myself.
I write this from my home in Tokyo, the metropolis that I have called home for the past 18 months. Although being Australian, I rarely have had the opportunity to call Australia home since I began what became a global adventure 21 years ago.
Giving up a life in Australia which many would die for, in 1996 I departed for a 3 month assignment in Hanoi, Vietnam. 3 months turned into 3 years, and in 1999, I departed Vietnam for Singapore shortly after marrying my beautiful wife.
6 years in Singapore (less a 12 months stint in Australia in between) and with twin children in tow, I returned with a family to Saigon, Vietnam in 2006. I took the next opportunity in 2009 to move to Amsterdam, uprooting the family once again, and 2 years later in 2011 we made the big move back to settle at “home” in Sydney, Australia.
Little did I realise at that time that Sydney Australia was “my home”, and that 3 other members of my family had different opinions. My daughter, twin one as she is affectionately known, prefers to call Singapore her home (the Singapore government has a different opinion on that), my son or twin two, doesn’t really have a view on where his home is, and generally as most boys of his age, doesn't have much view on anything except minecraft and star wars. My wife on the other hand has quite a strong view on most things, and prefers to call Vietnam, her country of birth, her home.
So I find myself here in Tokyo on “neutral” territory, where all the members of family don't call the country we live in “home”, but where we have come to build a home, one which is loving, caring, and full of unique adventures each and everyday.
I hope to share with fellow steemit friends, snip-its of my journey over the years during this global adventure, the interesting and uniqueness of each country I have lived in, the appreciation I have gained for differences of people and cultures, and the interests I have picked up on the way.
I am grateful for opportunity to introduce myself, and look forward to further interactions.