I already did: When I was computer science apprentice in Switzerland in the late 00s, my mate introduced me to Thai culture, as he was half Thai. I planned to b

I already did: When I was computer science apprentice in Switzerland in the late 00s, my mate introduced me to Thai culture, as he was half Thai. I planned to be different from all the passport bros and weirdos and made a plan: Finishing my 4 year apprenticeship, working in the industry and get enough money, learn the language spoken and written, the culture, as well as going on a few trips to Thailand with my mates Thai family. Early 2016 my time came: Fluent in Thai, already familiar with BKK and my ability to transform between western and Thai culture smoothly, I landed a job at a Digital Marketing Agency in Bangkok that caters only to the local market. No Expats in the office - my dream came true. I learned a lot, not just about other cultures, other ways of thinking, but most about myself. I met my now wife, I made great colleagues and friends for life along the way, I had my downs. It was an exciting time with a lot of growth. The agency expanded from initially 15 people to 130, and then into Vietnam and Indonesia as well. Even during Covid we kept operating - though on a slight salary cut. Fast forward to 2023, I became more and more bored, asked myself if that is it, and most importantly I turned 36 and started to get worried about my wife's and my future, especially retirement. You know, Switzerland has a solid retirement system, social welfare etc. And all of this I gave up, because living abroad means you don't get those... So I convinced my wife to relocate to Switzerland - something she never intended to do. She has to learn a new miniroty language - German - a new culture, a different climate. And most importantly: Her decent office job in Bangkok is something she will have great difficulty to find in Switzerland. We moved in 2023 and it hasn't been easy, especially for her. But we're happy to live in a safe country with great social welfare, low taxes, high income etc. So far we had the chance to stay in Thailand every winter and work remotely. So it's kind of the best of both worlds and my employer is great, they allow this type of lifestyle. What I learned about all this: Your dreams and your goals become irrelevant once you achieved them, either you constantly chase new ones, or you start being happy. And your favorite country always looks great as a tourist or short term visitor, I can really recommend to first try living there temporarily, be it on long holidays or whatever. And most importantly: Don't stay in the expat bubble, learn the language fluently if you plan to stay there. It's a sign of respect and one step towards integrating into society, you don't want to be the outsider forever.