Through the trials and tribulations of life, you find yourself here. Are you where you want to be? What do you dream of doing?
We rarely make time to pause and reflect. There are always too many goalposts in front of us — the next thing to check off before we let ourselves take the next vacation.
Facebook was my first job out of school — two years at the Menlo Park headquarters. Before that, I’d interned in the Bay Area, a Canadian in the Bay — perhaps a more common trope than any of us expected. It was an incredible opportunity, and it shaped my growth. My closest friends and social circles all grew out of the deep, meaningful relationships I built with the people I worked with. Is that strange? I don’t think so.
Hi Friends,
In the words of Winnie the Pooh, “How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard”.
This is a goodbye to California. It is a goodbye to the friends I’ve made throughout the previous 7 years. For some of us we’ve known each other since day one, and for some of us we met as soon as I was about to leave. Who would have guessed how far we would have come. In short, it has been our incredible journey.
Saying goodbye was a time for us reflect and appreciate the fun, amazing, and stupid things we’ve done together. I’m thankful for the 50+ of you who have spent the effort to send me off in my last weeks and months as I set my eyes on my next adventure in Singapore.
With love,
Jacky
(p.s. follow me on instagram to follow my adventures)
This post is a memory — new comments stay in 2019.
So the question was never whether the place was good. It was harder than that: when is the right time to leave something good? I don’t pretend to have the answer — only the practice that comes from having faced the question more than once.
Sometimes leaving is obvious. You go to school; you chase a bigger goal in your education or your career. Most of us have made a move like that at some point. We’re pioneers and adventurers — we follow the path that’s right for us now rather than staying in the place we were raised. Something in us is wired to go looking for greener pastures.
And sometimes leaving is ambiguous. In 2019 I was on a team that was growing and exceeding its goals with no end in sight. I couldn’t say anything was going wrong; I was in an ideal spot for my career. I was working through some personal things at the time, and when the chance came to move to the Singapore office — halfway around the world — it met me at a moment when I was ready to roll the dice again. That roll is a privilege. Not everyone gets to make it. I just happened to be in a position where I could.
So I did.
The dice roll landed somewhere I never expected it to. Singapore has been home ever since.