Looks like one of those Glow Up Transformations... haha.
Hello to the Hive Community!
I was kindly asked by @cieliss to make a proper introduction to further connect with the entire community. I've been blogging on Splintertalk for about two months or so, but I haven't felt the need of sharing my personal story. I hope I've succeeded in making this post a somewhat entertaining and enjoyable read. Thank you all for stopping by!
In short
I'm a French guy with Chinese roots largely influenced by American content creators. My parents were both born in Cambodia and I lived in Australia for a year. In other words, I am a Citizen of the World.
If that sounds interesting, I'll tell you more about the steps that brought me where I am today. If not, I am still happy to have met you! I post about Splinterlands on a daily basis, so you might want to check out my previous posts.
Wait... Did you mention being French?!
Yes, I did, 100%. Everything started in the mid-1900. Welcome back to your History class! I promise I'll try to make it short.
My grandparents from my mom's side managed to find refuge in South Asia during the second Sino-Japanese war from 1937 to 1945. After a period of uncertainty, they chose to settle in Cambodia.
I don't know much about my dad's parents, but I believe they went through a similar story. Anyway, that's how my parents ended up being born in Cambodia! They didn't meet there, however.
Years later, war was going to strike my family once again. The Cambodian Civil War devastated the lives of many relatives, most of them I never got the chance to know. My dad still carries the consequences of this war to this day.
Cambodia being an ancient French colony, my parents found their way to Europe. Not speaking French at first, they naturally hang around the same circle of people. Their similar backstory finally helped them connect with each other.
With limited education and barely enough money to make ends meet, they somehow accidentally got my mom pregnant! They then rushed to marry each other and a few months later, I was born.
A misfit as a child
I recall myself as a misfit in my early years, a "nice" child full of insecurities. I was so afraid to rub people the wrong way that I didn't do anything controversial and therefore interesting.
My mom was the last of 10 children. Having been raised in a traditional Chinese family, daughters were never valued as much as sons. Her insecurities ended up costing her life at 39 years old.
Years earlier, my parents got divorced, which happens to many. I am just mentioning this to say that, at the age of 13, without a mom or a dad figure at home, my insecurities were at their peak.
The thing is I don't want to come up as a "victim" because the reality is I am not. I wasn't mature enough to carry myself at the time but by reading further, I hope you'll see how a person can change!
The start of a new life
In my early twenties, I decided to reconnect with my Chinese roots, an idea that I had rejected for a long time. In hindsight, I feel like I just wanted to be accepted as a French kid like anybody else.
However, growing up, I finally understood that my multicultural background was a unique strength (it was about time!). So, I decided to spend my last year of studies in Xiamen, China.
Leaving behind all my past, I felt like I was beginning to live life on my own terms. Ironically enough, being in a country where we need to rely on a VPN to get access to social media helped me distance myself from what other people thought of me.
A Citizen Of The World
Today, I'm a proud Citizen of the World. I met my wife during my last year of study, which led me to stay in China to build a future together.
Having news feed from both sides, I can tell you that China is not as bad as it is portrayed in the media. And, if this last statement is controversial, I don't mean it to be, but so be it.
I find beauty in the complexity of this world. For instance, the American content creators I enjoy following have often deep connections with other parts of the World.
Andrei Jikh, Patrick Bet-David, Aftersound... They are all Americans with Russian, Ukrainian, Iranian, Syrian, and Philipino ancestors. That's what makes them who they are.
My Wife, my Biggest Influencer
Her patience and her unconditional love are truly what made me who I am today. I bet that this sounds for sure awfully cheesy, but well, I do mean it this time.
Having lived by her side for the last 8 years brought me peace. My temper, among other flaws, got much better because she has set the standard for both of us.
Another thing that helped me was to find unconventional mentors through my readings. At first, I started reading a lot to improve my English skills.
Today, English is almost the only language in which I am consuming all sorts of content. This shows how my influencers are really all over the world.
I know that Self-Help books don't always have a good rep', but in my case, they gave me a direction to pursue. Something I lacked in my teenage years.
Savings, Savings, Savings
Financially speaking, my wife and I are big proponents of saving as much as we can. We live way under our means and it is what helped us do a lot without much.
We both quit our jobs in 2019 to spend a full year in Australia. Because she never left her home country, living this experience with her was important to me.
When we got back to China, we still had enough savings to avoid getting into a mortgage. And fortunately enough, we got our jobs back without former guarantees!
Life is often about choices. We could have bought an apartment in a big city, but this would have meant being in debt for the next 30 years or so. Hell yeah, we value flexibility.
We are not millionaires, even not halfway through (or a third?). However, by keeping our monthly expenses very low, we managed to do everything we wanted in life so far.
Before Covid, we were able to travel quite a bit (Thailand, Japan, South Korea, Russia...). And, you might have guessed, our minimalist way of living has allowed us to build a huge collection of shared memories.
My Next Big Dream
My goal today is to build a beautiful family of our own while trying to avoid the "mistakes" made by the previous generation. I can now see life beyond 39 years old, mom.
Our flexibility gives us the opportunity once more to quit our jobs in the coming year (or more likely, negotiate a home office position) while not having to fear for the next few years.
We, of course, intend on keeping generating income but in a way that would align with the lifestyle we want for our family.
Splinterlands is in a way my high risk / high reward bet. But, as I've mentioned in my previous post, I'll never put in jeopardy the future my wife and I are currently building.
In the end, I'm just a very ordinary guy trying to live out of the ordinary.
Nice to meet you all!
Thomas
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