Not Made In China

The end of last week was a little complicated. I haven't been happy in either my job or being in Hong Kong as of late and was considering throwing in the towel at Christmas. However, I didn't want to be a quitter and had been sticking it out; more than anything, to be in a place I'm not so keen on and doing a job I'm no longer fond of is a good mental challenge. But at some point enough is enough, and it's time to move on to bigger, better and desired things. This job was a small detour (with a view to make some money to fund Uni) which had turned into a roadblock. I learnt a lot and was able to experience a whole new country/culture but things were beginning to run their natural course, whether it may seem premature or not.

So, news that my Manager had not lived up to his title by having to close the Hong Kong office because of lack of funds*, actually came as a blessing in disguise.

I was given a choice - return to the Japan office and carry on, or take severance. The choice wasn't too difficult, and I am now, after some negotiations, officially unemployed.

Until the money comes through, I don't really want to give anything more than the short version on here, so if you want to find out, ask me directly or Dad, Mum etc

To summarise, I have two weeks to enjoy Hong Kong and be a proper tourist here before I return to Japan. I can quickly pick up English teaching** and earn a bit of cash on the side whilst I apply to Universities, and then it's a matter of when to return to the UK (or some other country for Uni, if it happens that way). However, it's a lot to take in in such a short time, so I still have a lot of thinking.

Bottom line is, I'm glad I'm out, I'm not going to feel guilty or failed for reasons beyond my control, I'm going to enjoy the next few weeks, and I'm going to move onto to something far more on target for me, all the time having this piece of life experience to save as a story for the grandkids.

Oh, and I'll have time to finally write up about the trips that I've taken so far.

*I won't go into details here but, suffice to say, money was not carefully managed
**Since Nova went, private teaching is lucrative