First, thanks for coming to my blog. I promise that if anything my ramblings won't bore you... and if they do, do me a favor and keep it to yourself.
I guess I'll start by giving you a snapshot of my life and describe how my life has flipped a 180 in the past 6 months... then the reason for this blog.
I never wanted to work in Corporate America. In fact, I had promised myself when I was a freshman in college (Michigan State University) that I would never go that route. My mother and father both worked for large corporations (K-Mart & GM) and I knew that I would never be happy in that world. However, when faced with the hundreds of options in front of me... I simply didn't know what I wanted to study, or what profession I wanted to pursue. I changed my major 4 times, and finally ended up with a Business Degree in Supply Chain Management. Boring.
I've never been a perfect student, or followed all the rules... in fact, I broke almost every one. But I did somehow manage to "play it smart" when it came down to the things that were "important". I got decent enough grades to get accepted to a decent college. I made enough friends to get hooked up with a good internship with a large automotive company. After graduation I grabbed a plum job working for a large Fortune 500 company, who sent me around the world on various projects of varying degrees of interest.
Why did I jump straight into the Corporate World when it was the last place I wanted to be? Come on, you know the answer... money. I needed to pay back all my debts, and the only way that was going to happen quickly was if I slaved myself out for a while... so I did, and despite hating my job (really hating it) I stuck it out for 2 years and then decided the time to quit had arrived. I informed HR of my intentions to leave the company, and wouldn't you know, they promoted me instead of letting me walk away. While I didn't really want to work for the company anymore, the offer was too good to turn down.
In 2008 I was sent overseas to work on a project in Dubai. While I worked crazy hours, there were some serious perks... I was one of the first residents on The Plam Jumeriah in theFairmont's Shoreline luxury units, and had a perfect view of the Burj Al Arab from my $1.2M apartment balcony. My salary was basically doubled, and I had a new car every 2 weeks, an expense account, bonuses, etc.
Some life huh? At 24 years old I reached the peak of my corporate career. My next door neighbor was an executive at Universal Studios (great guy) on a fat contract and I knew that it was never going to get better than this. Ever. So I squeezed all the juice out of it I could get. Then I squeezed some more. 2008 was one of the best years of my life professionally, and I had a lot of fun partying in some of the most expensive clubs in the world, and living the high life of luxury. But I never felt fulfilled, or truly happy. I knew that once this dream assignment ended, it would be back to reality and that I needed to save my money and plan, because I would never be happy going back home to the normal daily grind in my hometown of Detroit.
And then the end came. The US Market crashed, and the banks folded up like a house of cards. Without financing, my project was wrapped up and put on a shelf for better days (bummer).
Back to the Dirty D.
My company went bankrupt, and after 6 months of watching friends being "let go" aka fired, and smelling the stench of nervous sweat and worry, I decided it was time to get the hell out. I handed in my resignation feeling good because my leaving meant someone else's job was saved. I bought a Harley and rode around the countryside for a couple months, scheming, planning, brainstorming... trying to decide what my next move would be.
After 3 months of soul searching, reading career books and daydreaming about what my perfect life would be like, I realized that I really had no idea of what I wanted anymore. I had been so focused on my work that I no longer had a clear picture of what I wanted. I no longer had any loves in my life. I wasn't really passionate about anything, and I found that deplorable. I didn't have any hobbies with the exception of riding my newly acquired bike, and I was no closer to answering the question, "What do I want to do with my life?"
It was then I realized that getting another job wasn't going to solve my problems, make me happy, or help me to figure out the answer to my question. Knowing myself, I needed a change of scenery.... I needed to go searching for the child inside of me. To somehow remember how to have fun, be excited, and appreciate each day because that is all that we're promised. Some people might be able to do that no matter where they are, but for me, I needed to get out.
So I booked a ticket to Shanghai, China where my father currently works and lives. I went with the intention of discovering those things, but ended up in a fast-paced city, trapped between the influence of friends that were partying their asses off and my father's pressure to continue my career so I could once again be a productive member of society and a proud topic of conversation. After a couple months of progressing very little on my true agenda, I once again escaped and flew to Malaysia. (This is another story which I will get into later)
Over the past 2 months I have backpacked from Kuala Lumpur up to Bangkok, meeting fantastic people along the way, having adventures, and refining the art of living cheaply... I have ended up in Mui Ne, Vietnam where I am currently residing.
This town is a surfer town... kite surfing, that is. People from all over the world come to this little stretch of beach because this particular spot on the coast gets more wind than almost any other place in South East Asia. During the peak season (which is just now ending) you can see over 200 kites looping and soaring through the air, with their passengers flipping and twisting handle passes beneath them to land 30 ft jumps... it's wicked.
Life is simple here.
I live off of $10-$12 a day. I rent a 2-window room with a fan, a bed that consists of a 1" thick pad over wooden slats, and a bathroom/shower with no hot water for $4 a day. I eat cheap at small local "restaurants" that charge between $1-$2 a meal. I have 3 pairs of shorts, 4 shirts, 1 pair of jeans/sandals/running shoes, my computer, and toiletries.
When there is wind, I go kite surfing.
When there isn't, I read, lay on the beach, work out, nap, and talk about life and love with the various friends I make.
People come, and then they leave. There are only a handful of expats who live here year-round, but they are a close group and seem to have a permanent smile on their faces. The local Vietnamese people are a friendly bunch. They are always smiling, willing to help visitors, and seem extremely content despite the fact that they have much less than the people we consider to be poor in America.
I am learning what it means to truly relax here... I don't think I ever realized how stressed out I was about many things in life that I had no control over. But each day here, I focus on living my life today, and being thankful for the blessings that I've been given.
That's what this blog is about... Counting your blessings, exploring your soul, enjoying the simple things, finding your purpose and keeping it simple.
Something tells me that for now, this is the perfect place to discover the answers to the questions I've been pondering about my life... the moment it ceases to be that place, I will move on...
Whatever you are struggling with in your life, it is my prayer and hope that you find the answers you are searching for.
- Johnny Angel
