As Mike celebrates one year of living on location in South East Asia, he shares five new things he has started doing since the big move.

One

Using another language to communicate. While English is definitely still the language I am most comfortable using, I try to use it as little as possible.

Two

Reading books on a Kindle. I really enjoy sitting down with a good hard-copy book. Practically, though, a Kindle is the best option for a booklover like me who travels. My Kindle is the thing I’m most glad I brought with me.

Three

Riding a motorbike. I still occasionally drive a car, but rarely. And if I have the choice, I always choose the motorbike. It’s quicker. It’s so much easier to park. And it’s cheap!

Four

Being ‘late’ to events. I never used to be late to anything when I lived in Australia. If anything, I was always too early! In South East Asia, however, people are more relationship-oriented than time-oriented. This means the event starts when all the people are there – even if that’s an hour or more ‘late’!

Five

Going to coffee shops at night. Here in my location, most coffee shops don’t open until 4pm in the afternoon. But they stay open until almost midnight! Most of my local friends here love to sit and chat late into the night. Fortunately the caffeine doesn’t seem to affect me too much.