Having just relocated with her infant son to Tokyo, expat partner Nantisa Rousseau has learned from previous experiences to take her time before making grand plans.
A career break
Born and raised in Thailand, Nantisa was working as a lawyer in Bangkok before joining Remy, her French husband, in Hamburg. “I couldn’t work in law without speaking German, so I signed up for an intensive language course. But just as I was achieving fluency we moved to China!” says Nantisa, a polyglot who also speaks French, Mandarin and English.
Starting over
“In Germany, I had many close friends, so socially I had a great time. But professionally it was frustrating. I was used to being in the driving seat of my career. I hadn’t anticipated being unable to continue on that path. When we moved to Shanghai, I was very excited and made many plans. I wanted to do a PhD in international law, learn Mandarin and explore work opportunities. Remy and I also intended to start a family.”
Too many plans
“Looking back, the only person who wondered if I was possibly biting off more than I could chew was Ines Ahrens from Global Connection. This proved to be the case when I faced two personal challenges. Firstly, my mother was diagnosed with cancer. This meant I would be travelling between Shanghai and Bangkok quite regularly. Secondly, my husband and I were trying to start a family. As a result, my PhD and career plans were pushed to one side.”
More realistic goals
“During the pandemic in 2020, I travelled to Bangkok to see my mother. Then the borders closed. Suddenly Remy and I were separated for a long time. That was a challenging time but I finally made it to Shanghai, where my son was born,” says Nantisa, who moved to Tokyo in September 2022. “Previously, I was trying to build a family and caring for my mother in Thailand. I was also considering how to develop a mobile career and find time to study. As a result of those experiences, I’ve learned to make more realistic and achievable goals rather than having too many grand plans at the same time. For now I’m focused on learning Japanese. As I am only free at 10pm local time, my online teacher lives in Rio! Soon my son will start daycare and I will be able to consider my career and study plans again.”
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