It really annoys me when people think that, first unemployed people are in this situation because they want to, and second they think it is an easy task find a job.
I moved to Bangkok almost four months ago, a crazy adventure that I and my husband start. We lived in Berlin for two years, and the weather was starting to get on our nerves.
You see, we are from Portugal, so the lack of sun can transform you into a serial killer, for real.
So after another fantastic cold summer, we started to think about getting to our retirement plan. A warm and beautiful place, with awesome food and smiling people. An ambiance more similar to Portugal, that could make us feel more home.
It didn’t take much time for my husband find a job. You see he is a software engineer so that you can find work even in the middle of the desert; you just need one computer and internet. Unfortunately, I am not that good mastering the art of code. So, I updated my CV, LinkedIn, and started my journey.
We moved at the end of last October and started a new life here.
The life in Bangkok is amazing. It is such a different culture and environment. I just love it. It is like being on vacations every single day.
The first weeks I didn’t even worry that much about the lack of answers to my job applications. I was still absorbing all this vibes and smells and colors. Getting excited to learn Thai, know more about their culture.
But as the days passed by I started to feel trapped and with this anxiety feeling. I was sending CV’s every day and LinkedIn messages to whoever I could find that could help me get a job here. Or at least give me some tips that might improve my chances of being called for any interview.
I am a Customer Experience Manager. I am a person lover, a customer fanatic. Although I have experience in other areas, such Cinema Production and Product Management, provide an amazing experience to a costumer, that makes him really happy with a product, is what I love most.
I had to learn how to manage my expectations, the same way I manage customers expectations about a product or service. So I started to apply all my knowledge and experience to me. I have been my case study. I am my best customer, and my journey started a bit rough, but it is getting smoother every day.
Have hope is an amazing thing, really, but have hope without big expectations it is the gold key. I am not saying to lost your faith or don’t expect anything. Otherwise, you and I would be just a person in a coma with the eyes open. Just adjust the expectations that we have to the reality of the moment. And meanwhile do things that make us feel good, and we can see our value. Improve our skills, discover new ones. Try projects that we never had time for, or never had courage.
And I know it can be hard to get the strength to do this because we can feel drained of energy when we are in this position. But day by day, with some not so good days in between, we can do this.
We can feel that we are doing something. Not just passing the days…
I am still looking for my opportunity, and it will appear for sure. It will be there for all of us that are looking for it.
This is one of my new steps. Write something, share. I am not a writer, so I apologize in advance for the confused text or mistakes or anything that not fit as a professional write. But today was the day on my calendar for it.
Hope I can share more and help someone that might need.
Have a beautiful day.
