Immigrant twice — once for the visa, once for me

I moved to Sydney for a job I had earned. Two years later I moved across the country for a life I hadn't planned. The second move was harder.

The path, in milestones.

1. 2019

   Arrived with two suitcases and a contract

   The job paid well, the apartment was near the office, the supermarket signs were a foreign language for the first month. I cried over a packet of rice that wasn't the right one.

   Lesson: Small foreignness wears you down more than the big one.
2. 2022

   Realised the visa was the only reason I was staying

   I had been turning down weekends because I was 'tired'. I was lonely. I moved to a smaller city, took a 15% pay cut, found a Vietnamese church on the third Sunday.

   Lesson: A career that costs your community costs more than you think.