The Decision

So the deal is this.

I’ve always wanted to experience living a life overseas, but due to circumstances, it didn’t happen.

When I graduated from poly, I had to work to pay off my diploma fees.

After working for 2 years, and with my debts cleared, I did not have sufficient savings to get a degree overseas. So I settled for a RMIT degree from SIM. In fact, I’m still paying off my degree’s school fees.

Now that the boyfriend is studying in Melbourne, he convinced me that it is possible for me to go overseas, cause he can provide food and accommodation. All I need to do is settle the school fees. And that can be settled by selling my car.

I know it’s a big sacrifice.

What about my job?

I love my job. It’s an amazing company with awesome colleagues and an awesome boss.

I spoke to my boss. Of course, as a boss, she wished I would stay. But as a friend, she encouraged me to go. “It’s a good opportunity, you don’t get chances like this everyday. You’re still young. Go on, experience life.” She even offered me 1 year No-pay-leave. How awesome is that?

However, I thought through it for days. It’s not easy hiring a 1 year contract staff, as there’s no prospects. It also meant that there is a chance that the contract staff will not put in her best effort. To sum it up, it’s actually quite disruptive for the company. And how can I do that to my boss when she treats me so well?

The other alternative was to resign. That does not mean the end though. She told me to call her when I’m back and if there are any vacancies, she will definitely put me on the list.

What about my family?

My parents have been quite supportive. It’s a good experience, my dad said. 

No doubt I will worry and miss them when I’m away. But with technologies, it will be easy to keep in touch.

I will miss my baby girl, Xena, the most.

It will hurt leaving her behind. All I can do I stock up on her treats and food, and bring her out more often while I still can. That’s the least I can do for her. Well, at least I know she’s in good hands.

What about my friends?

Most of the friends I spoke to said that it’s a good opportunity and I should go.

However, some of them were quite concerned.

How sure are you of this relationship? What if you guys don’t work out?

To be honest, I can’t say for sure that the relationship will work out. Neither can I say for sure that it won’t work out. If I have no faith that it won’t work out, then why am  I still in this relationship?

Ok, so what if we really don’t work out? I trust my judgment. I trust that even if we are separated, he will not throw me out and leave me out there in the streets. I trust that he will make sure that I’m still safe. Besides, I am intending to get a job, so if anything happens, at least I will be able to get by. If all else fail, I also have friends there to seek help from.

How much do you have set aside? Where are you going to stay? What are you going to study? Is it recgonised? What jobs are you looking at? What if you can't get a job?

To be honest, I've thought through every thing that can go wrong. But there's really no point worrying so much. I've got a basic plan, but that's about it. I'm gonna just take one step at a time. In life, even if you have every single thing planned out, it might not go according to plan.

You can say it’s stupid to give up a good job and sacrifice my future over this.

But it’s not every day that you get such a chance. I can always get another job, but I might not ever get a chance to live a life overseas.

I don’t want to look back in future and say “I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.”  

So I've decided to head to Melbourne, and will probably be there for 1.5 years. I'll be leaving in end February.

When you make a major decision in your life, any decision, it can be terrifying. But it's also exhilarating, as you open yourself to new possibilities. So go ahead. Take the risk. Quit that job, follow your heart. You might surprise yourself.