yioti

I am an Australian who has been living in Saigon since 2014. Prior to coming here I have worked as a secondary teacher so it follows that I teach English in Vietnam. I would hope that I will be able to be a part of this expat community to contribute and be supported without any malice or hate directed at me but rather constructive criticism (if I happen to express myself in a way that maybe upset someone which would have been unintentional) and with opportunity to learn and grow. Though not new to Vietnam prior moving here to live I have come to see and experience many things which from my perspective is very disappointing and also at times very concerning/worrying. Typically I have seen many times over the way the locals treat foreigners and naturally I have been treated with a lot of disrespect which leaves a lot to be desired. In fact more than a lot. I have met some really great people here but as we say back home. I can count them on one hand. I have met many people here but for the type of personality and character I have they just are not the type I can get along with or maybe more so they can't get along with me because of the huge gap. A lot of that is because of the age gap / my life experiences / culture so it can be 1 or a combination of all 3. Personally I do not like many aspects of the Vietnamese ways of being and doing. For me in my mind it is problematic. Having said that, it is their culture and their country, not mine. We choose what we choose for our reasons, please respect my choices, we don't have to follow just to please people. I make my choices and I typically make choices on decisions I have made in my life as i was growing up and learning and experiencing life. Trying to find someone to connect with here has been more than a challenge. Maybe I would call it a failure. I have also come to learn that my biggest challenge in my life is actually myself. Positives experiences are few and far between here. Living here has been a much bigger challenge than I expected. I have seen a lot and learnt a lot. I love conversation and discourse on many topics though these days as Meryl Streep says ... "I no longer have the patience for certain things not because I've become arrogant but simply because I reached a point in my life where I do not want to waste more time with what displeases me ....". Life is short I want quality in my life with whatever I have left of it. I like to think of myself as intelligent, learned and experienced but I know that there are oh so may people out there who have knowledge, understanding and experience way above mine but I am someone who is always willing to learn and open to listening and to possibilities. I have typically been an active person leaning towards sports based activities for almost all of my life though I do not partake as much now in my later years because of circumstances more so rather than because I have become lazy or disinterested. If there is any interest from anyone I would lean towards comfortable connections from people who can accept me for who I am and want to share time and their lives with me in a lay back/easy/friendly way.