9 Things Moving Countries In The Middle of a Global Pandemic Has Taught Me

Just like that we’re officially a weekend away from last quarter of 2024. Then, it’s 2025 —a good 5 years after the world locked down and I still open my presentations with “post-pandemic” because the impacts are far-reaching and the world will never be the same again. 

As for me, I moved countries twice: Hong Kong (2020), and Singapore (2022). PTSD is real. I’m both a weaker and stronger version of myself for it. Here are 9 reasons why:

1. You’re stronger than you think you are. At your weakest moments, you will get up because the plumber is outside your door and you don’t have a choice. The next slot is in 2 weeks and they charge for every extra hour. So you will. That’s how you build strength, my friend. You will get used to doing chores even when you feel like you really don’t have the bandwidth for them because no one else will. Taytay said it best, “you’re on your own kid.”

   
   

2. Self-compassion will take you to places…quite literally. Navigating 3 different covid protocols on top of 3 different immigration laws with 3 different employers is the best recipe for anxiety. YOU. WILL. FUCK. UP. At some point. I promise you. It’s not going to be a smooth-sailing journey. But you will be okay because you will learn to self-soothe. “It’s okay, bud. You can catch the next flight. You tried your best. You can rest.” 

   
   

3. You’re allowed to trust “strangers”. When you do, they will surprise you. They will know your food allergies. They will think of you when they see something “Filipino” even when they have no idea what they just got you. You will find treats on your desk because they noticed you haven’t had a chance to take a bite. They will volunteer to help you pack or watch the Olympics with you even when they don’t even know who’s playing where. You will thank your lucky stars for them.

   
   

4. You will find your tribe. It will take time but, trust me, you will. Your home will no longer be one place but the people who are there for you when you want to drink your problems to oblivion (and at some point in the night they will have no idea or context about what you’re rambling on and on about but they choose to see it through anyway) or the ones who will call you up when you’re uncharacteristically late for work because you passed out sick last night. 

   
   

5. There will be dark days. Then, darker days. You will feel terrified to ask for help especially when your job is on the line but sometimes you will get lucky to find supportive bosses who will tell you that the only way is through and who will be there for you as you wait for the light.

   
   

6. You don’t know this person anymore and that’s okay. You can always spend time to get to know this version of you who is equal parts in control and spinning out of it all at once. You’d find yourself doing things you never thought you’d do. Your preferences will change. When someone asks you to tell him something about yourself, you will be at a loss for words. All you can say is, “next question please.”

   
   

7. In the middle of all the changes, your values will anchor you. You will be in all sorts of uncomfortable conversations. You will have to make life-changing decisions for you and the people around you. You will be in a constant state of confusion. In these moments, what you hold near and dear will direct you. That’s how you sleep at night.

   
   

8. You will take time to rest. Your mind is overwhelmed. At any single moment, you are fixing your papers, furnishing your flat, adjusting at work, and constantly meeting new people from all different places. So it’s literally okay to spend the entire weekend on the couch re-watching Chesapeake Shores for the 3rd time in a row because your brain just cannot process anything new anymore.

   
   

9. You will make decisions you will regret because you’re in an unfamiliar environment and you can’t possibly know everything there is to know when you need them. Again, it’s okay. You’re going to be okay. Think: you did what’s best for you given all the information you had at that time.