The Sustainable Expat

Having spent almost four out of the last five years volunteering it’s very easy to kid yourself that you don’t need much money to get by.

Each month you’re handed a living allowance.  It just and so covers the basics and you tell  yourself that the basics are all you need.

But then you take a holiday and you think – well, my volunteering organisation shouldn’t have to cover my little luxuries – so you’re happy to put your hand in your pocket.

The same goes for internet. The same goes for an extra flight home. The same goes for a new laptop when the old one gets so choked in African mud that it no longer functions.

Then, when you’re no longer tied to a volunteer organisation and you settle in a place like Hanoi, you think once more, that you can live cheaply.

But suddenly, all those extras that were previously covered are now your responsibility.  Healthcare being a prime example.

Having got engaged in the future there might be children.  Then what about education? An international standard education comes at an international price.

We’re getting married in the autum.  Next weekend we are moving into a new house. A two-bedroom place in expat land.

It all costs money and yet I have to be sustainable now.  A living allowance level wage simply doesn’t cover all the costs.

None of this is a complaint.  Just a statement of fact.  All those extras, that I dug into savings to cover, must now be covered by a regular wage. Month by month.

What’s more, that regular wage must come from a job that has a work permit attached.

In getting engaged to a Hanoian I  have been overwhelmed by the incredible care and kindness I am shown.  In many way it would be easy to take advantage.

But it does come at a price.  Although it’s me that is imposing it.

Nothing has ever been said but I know that it’s time to step up. I will be the primary provider.

Strangely, I am relishing the responsibility.

So quitting my job this week might seem somewhat daft.  But working as an editor with hours regularly being cut at the drop of a hat is no way to provide for a family.

In the meantime there are some bits and pieces of work that have me back at living allowance level.  There are promises of more and even the promise of a full time position which would pay enough for me to meet responsibilites and even save a little money too.

But in the meantime I’m digging, once more, into savings to cover all outgoings.

It’s strange that after all these years of wandering, what I yearn for most is to be settled.

The right job will be the last step.

* Pic is of new house.