Decade

Marcus Phung
Jul 21, 2017 · 2 min read

Ten years ago today, I arrived in Seattle (and America). It was the first time I’d ever set foot in the USA, and I had moved halfway across the world to start a new job and a new life here. I can’t believe it’s been ten years already…

I only realised that it would be a decade since I left Perth when I went back for a visit in March. That visit brought a new perspective and appreciation about Perth for me, and a realisation that I’ve missed the city, the lifestyle, and the culture there. I wrote then a piece about how Perth would always be Home. However, it’s undeniable that Seattle is now also home.

I mentioned in that piece that I don’t regret moving to Seattle, and I really don’t. While Perth will always be Home, Seattle is my home, and the experiences and connections I’ve had and made here have played a large part in making me the person I am today. I would go so far as to say that I was never fully comfortable with the person I was, or the life I was living until after I moved to Seattle.

Moving to another city, to another country, and to the other side of the world without a fully established support system of friends and family forces you to, well, basically, grow up. And to deal with any insecurities that you may have. That’s not to say that I’m without insecurities now — I’m just more aware of them, and more comfortable with acknowledging and dealing with them.

My life here, my friends here, my experiences here, have made me a more complete person. Someone who is more comfortable with himself than he ever was when he lived in Australia. A large part of that, I’m sure, is age. But a large part of that is also a lifestyle and connections I’ve made for myself that I never would have if I’d continued the life I was living in Perth. Not that the life there was a bad one by any means, nor to diminish the foundation of being that my friends, family and life there built — but it was different.

So, to Seattle: Thank you. And thank you to everyone I’ve encountered here. It’s been ten years, and the time has flown by. I don’t know where I’ll be in ten more years, but I know that wherever — and whomever — I am, it’ll be in a large part because of you.

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Marcus Phung

Written by

Geek, foodie, and generally disoriented. (I mean, really: Chinese Malaysian Australian living in the US?)

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