This Expat Life (Month 48): Living in Ho Chi Minh City

After moving abroad in July 2014, I started compiling monthly roundup posts about life as an expat in Southeast Asia and all the nitty gritty that goes on behind the scenes here at Travel Lush. Check out my most recent monthly roundup posts April, May, and June.

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The month of July was full of highs and very low lows. It’s a month that started out strong and ended with a lot of tears and heartache. It’s a month that I wish I could leave in the rearview mirror, but can’t. That being said it was an important reminder about how fragile and unpredictable life can be. And that I need to enjoy every day just a little bit more.

Anyway, before I go on a full tangent, let’s just get to it…

Returning to HCMC after two weeks in Lombok

At the beginning of the month of July, I was on a high. I had just spent two blissful weeks beach hopping around Kuta, Lombok, and chilling out on one of my favorite Indonesian islands, Gili Trawangan. To be honest, leaving Indonesia – my home away from home – to return to Ho Chi Minh City was kind of bittersweet.

I’m so used to spending entire summers in Indonesia. So this two-week trip felt all too short. Regardless, I’m grateful that I had the chance to go back and I’m so happy I finally had the opportunity to explore more of Lombok. That island is magical.

But real life beckoned, so at the very beginning of the month Aaron and I found ourselves back “home” in Ho Chi Minh City.

*As a side note, I am heartbroken over the recent earthquakes in Lombok and the devastation they’ve caused to mainland Lombok and the Gili Islands. My heart goes out to the families of those whose lives were lost and to those who have been displaced or impacted by the damage. I’m hoping for no more earthquakes…or volcanic eruptions, for that matter. 

A random visit with one of our dearest college friends

The day after Aaron and I got back to Saigon, one of our favorite college friends just happened to be passing through the city on a 10-hour layover. We only had four fleeting hours with each other but being able to see her face (in person!!) after so many years melted my heart.

For those who don’t know, Aaron and I met during our freshman year at UC Santa Cruz, so we share a lot of the same college friends. So having our friend Brynn drop in on our adopted city was a treat for us both. One thing I love about seeing my old college friends is that we’re always able to pick up right where we left off, even if it’s been years.

We started off being proper adults, gabbing away at a hip café in the city but by the end of the night, we found ourselves sitting on the ground in the middle of Nguyen Hue Walking Street having street beers. We might be older, but some things never change.

Buying tickets to California

That’s right, I’m headed back to California at the end of September and I could not be more excited. Because I still work for a company in China, I get Chinese holidays off. Every year, the entire country gets the first week of October off for what is known as Golden Week. For the past few years, I’ve taken advantage of the free time to fly home and visit friends and family back home.

There have been lots of changes going on with my family lately. Multiple family members have moved away, so I might not get to see everyone but I’ll take what I can get. Being away from family is by far the biggest drawback of living abroad.

I haven’t made too many firm plans yet. But I do arrive the last weekend of the baseball season and my beloved Oakland A’s just happen to be playing in Anaheim – a short train ride from my hometown of San Diego – and my dad and I are planning on going to the last game of the season. It’s been years since I’ve been able to go to a game with my dad, so I’m all kinds of excited. Also, the A’s are killing it this year!

Also, I’m going to eat all the Mexican food and buy absurd amounts of American comfort foods to bring back to Saigon. If you’re an American expat, you understand my glee.

Meeting more people in the city

I’m one of those expats that isn’t all that great at meeting people. In China, I worked in an office so I had immediate acquaintances and Aaron just so happened to work with a small but amazing group of people who became our good friends.

But because I work from home here in Saigon, I’ve honestly barely met anyone. But toward the end of the month, I started going out with some of Aaron’s new co-workers and connecting with more people, so that’s been nice. It’s also a reminder that I need to work harder to put myself out there. Why is it so hard for me?

Losing a friend

This is a tough one for me to go into. When I initially sat down to write this monthly roundup post, I ended up writing a highly emotional, 923-word post all about the passing of my friend. But I couldn’t bring myself to read it over to edit. It’s just too fresh and I’m still just too sad. Plus, it was probably too personal to post publically.

One thing I have loved about living abroad is meeting people I never would have met otherwise. Ardi, Aaron’s co-worker and best friend in Jakarta, was the first friend I made abroad. Despite the fact that we moved on from Jakarta a few years ago, Ardi remained in our lives. He’s one of those people who just clicked with us and one of those people who would have remained in our lives forever. He was a beautiful soul who was taken from the planet far too soon.

The last time I saw Ardi was on the beaches of Gili Trawangan, a place we both loved. I suppose it’s a fitting way to remember him. Living life to the fullest, jumping into the ocean, eating his fill of bakwan (one of his many favorite foods) and marveling at the unreal sunsets over Mount Agung.

He’ll be missed by so many. But I’ll stop there before this ends up being another tear-filled 923 words.

RIP Ardi.