Hello. This is Machiyama from Monosus Thailand.
Time flies, and a year has passed since I left my home country. Is it summer in Japan now? It's summer here in Thailand, summer all year round. I miss the winter when my breath turned white...
Now that I have spent a year in a foreign land with perpetual summer, I would like to take this opportunity to look back on this year and think about what has happened, how I feel about the current situation, and what I think about the future.
Changes in the surrounding environment
Three major aspects of the environment surrounding me changed drastically when I came to Thailand.
living
It was my first time living alone, and besides, different countries have different cultures. There were many ant infestations in the house I was living in, and when the repairman came to fix the water heater in the bathroom that was leaking, I had to go out and buy the missing parts myself.
After maintenance, the air conditioner, which was supposed to be working fine, started leaking water, and when I opened it up, I found out it was a very basic mistake, so I ended up fixing it myself... When I had trouble like this with everyday life, I had no choice but to communicate with the owner in my poor English. I feel like I'm steadily acquiring the skills to live independently.
I occasionally go to an event where we exchange unwanted clothes. Girls of all nationalities gather there.
People I associate with
Since coming to Thailand, I have met many people of various nationalities. However, with my English skills, I can only maintain a conversation for the second time. After the third time, we have already introduced ourselves to each other, and the hurdle of having to have everyday conversations becomes much higher.
Also, even though they were all Japanese, I met many people who were different from the people I had been friends with in Japan. I was lucky enough to become friends with some people, and we often went to events together, so I gradually made more acquaintances who were familiar faces, but even though we had something in common as Japanese people in Thailand, it was hard to meet people who shared my values. I still don't have many friends that I can go out with, so I would like to increase the opportunities to communicate with more people and gradually expand the area of my activities!
work
Since I changed the industry I work in, I had to supplement my basic knowledge on the job or I would be left behind. At first, I had adrenaline pumping every day and had plenty of time, so I would supplement my missing work knowledge after I got home. However...
Four months after joining the company, a sudden big crisis
This was when my busy schedule was at its peak. I lost about 4kg.
When I first joined the company, there were two senior Japanese directors who were handling projects. Since I started with no experience, I spent the first few days learning the basics during my training period. Just as I was leisurely wondering how much more time I would need to be able to handle projects as smoothly as the two reliable directors, things took a sudden turn. One of the directors decided to quit, and I was forced to make my debut on multiple projects... Of course, I received full support, but the days were hectic...
At the beginning, I really didn't know what to do, what was normal and what was irregular, how to respond in those cases, and what I needed to understand that... I was at the mercy of all sorts of problems that only came up when I started working. Before I knew it, those hectic days had taken up the majority of the past year... I was pushed harder and harder both mentally and physically, and it was really tough, but I feel that it's because of this condensed period that things are easier now and I gained a lot from it.
Through this past year
Three things I learned from my job
The more deliveries you make, the more confident you become
Looking back, I handled 60 cases in the year after I finished the training. I worked seriously on each one, but I was in charge of more cases than most people, and I was able to be directly involved in a variety of cases. Because I gained experience from that number, the range of predictions I could make within my knowledge expanded, which led to my confidence.
The ability to arrive at an answer
I think I've gotten better at extracting the information I want. The projects I'm currently working on are in Japanese, so there are often parts that Thai coders can't fully understand from the design, and bugs that are specific to the Japanese language.
In such cases, it is obviously faster and more accurate to look up information in Japanese, so the Japanese director will look for similar cases and solutions, and ask the Thai coder, "Can we solve the problem using this idea?" In the end, they almost always solve the problem. Everyone there is really talented and always helps us out...
Ability to divide work
Before, I would take on a lot of things myself, but now I've learned to ask others to share the responsibilities. Now that I can do this, things have become a lot easier.
I am still focusing on clarifying the requirements and scope of coverage for the entire project, and this is still a challenge for me.
Through this past year
Three changes in my personal life
Discover the joy of saving money
Speaking of personal matters, I've been able to save money. When I was in Japan, I lived in Tokyo with my parents and spent money without much of a concept of saving... But this past year, I've been so busy that I don't have time to spend, and before I knew it, I had saved money. I was happy to see that, and I learned the joy of saving. Compared to Tokyo, the cost of living is much lower, and there are fewer temptations, so there are fewer opportunities to spend money in the first place, which is a big deal.
Tourist guides at your fingertips
I can now guide my friends around the area! At first, taxis would refuse to let me in, wouldn't even stop for me, and would look down on me if I spoke in English and charge me extra... Taxis don't have navigation, so I can only rely on the map in the driver's head. I sometimes get lost on the roads, and I don't have the local knowledge to correct them, so it was hard getting used to it...
Now, I have mostly memorized the Thai words needed to give directions, and as long as I can convey the feeling that I'm not a tourist and that I live here, I generally have no problem, and I've also become more familiar with the area, so I'm now able to correct people by saying, "That's not the way! It's this way!"
A fashionable food court that is popular with both Thais and foreigners. It has an atmosphere that you won't find in Japan, so all my friends from Japan are happy!
Also, there are many buildings with a scale and open feeling that you can't find in Japan, and there are some surprisingly stylish spots, so I think I've become better at guiding my friends around, knowing what to look for!
Making acquaintances is easy, but making friends is hard
I may have become a little shy... It's really hard to find friends who share the same interests as me. And for a long time this year, I didn't have the energy to go out and make friends. But recently, I've had more free time at work, so I'm thinking of expanding my range of activities. I just enrolled in an English conversation school, so I'm going to make more Thai friends and discover more of Thailand's great points!
Change comes from steady effort
Thinking back to a year ago, living abroad was just a dream come true for me, as I couldn't speak English and didn't have any special skills. Still, I'm managing to get by outside of my home country.
Until then, I think I had somehow felt that if I could make a big change in my environment, my inner self would be influenced and would change drastically for the better. However, now I feel that no matter where you are, your habits and the essential parts of yourself are not so easy to change, and that if you want change, you have no choice but to steadily make an effort.
This year, I would like to work hard to recognize the gap between how I imagine myself and how others actually see me, and to narrow that gap as much as possible.