Let it be, 2026 – keep going

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Today is the last day of 2025. Before I realized it, I’ve already been in Thailand for almost two years. Around the same time, my blog also quietly stopped updating. I’ve always wanted to write something, but somehow I never managed to sit down and do it. It feels like I’ve gone back to more than ten years ago, when I first joined the company—too busy with work to care about writing at all. It wasn’t until a later position change that I started thinking about writing again. That was also when I picked up my guitar once more, started reading, and began blogging again. I think people really do need to stop once in a while and reflect.

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I originally wanted to write this in chronological order, but my mind is a complete mess—so I’ll just write whatever comes to mind.

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I’ve always wanted to make a “life checklist” for Thailand—what I want to do here, what goals I want to achieve—but so far, that list is still empty. I’ve mostly just gone with the flow. My colleagues often take me to try new things: my first time camping, my first time wakeboarding, my first home BBQ, my first Christmas gift exchange, my first Thai team building, my first night cruise on the Chao Phraya River… so many firsts. Even someone like me, who never used to go into the water, has learned how to float in the middle of a lake and completely let go here in Thailand. These are things that would never have happened in China. Here, thanks to my Thai friends, I’ve discovered a whole new way of living.

Speaking of Thailand, I really like this country. Most people here are genuinely nice—life moves at a slower pace, people speak gently. Over the past two years, I’ve gotten along extremely well with Thai people. Ironically, I don’t enjoy working with fellow Chinese colleagues as much—everything feels overly competitive, all about making money, with a very monotonous lifestyle. The contrast is striking. As for me, I integrated quickly. I deeply respect this country’s culture, the Thai people, and their customs. I try to speak Thai, eat Thai food, drink and chat with them, talk about life and the future together. In Thailand, you shouldn’t smoke casually or speak too loudly. Ladyboys are not everywhere like some people imagine, and many of them are highly educated. Don’t assume this is a poor country—once you’ve been to Bangkok, you’ll see its extravagance and indulgence. Don’t look down on it. When you truly understand Thailand, you’ll understand what freedom means. Take care of yourself and don’t interfere with others—that’s also a way of life here.

Today, I came alone to Phetchaburi. Tomorrow morning, I plan to visit Kaeng Krachan National Park—another item checked off my Thailand life list. Traveling alone, enjoying the quiet of solitude. Just now, I heard the sound of New Year’s fireworks. Nearby guests at the homestay are cooking and BBQing together, the smell drifting over and making my mouth water. Meanwhile, my dinner is just beer and words. I said I wanted to travel alone to find inspiration—my wife and my Thai colleagues didn’t believe me. Maybe not many people enjoy solitude, but I’m willing to embrace it and look for unexpected encounters. Sometimes, they cleanse my soul. Most importantly, I happen to be facing an inner knot right now. Yes—I want to go back to China.

After more than two years here, all the engineers in the department I manage are now Thai. Since January 2025, the Chongqing office hasn’t sent any Chinese engineers to support me. During this period, I went to the company four times in the middle of the night to solve urgent issues. Every night, I worried about calls from the production line and couldn’t sleep. About 80% of the time, I slept on the sofa, only moving to the bed in the middle of the night. Even so, I made it through. Through constant communication and training, they gradually became capable of handling many issues independently. Every engineer has grown stronger. Contrary to what some people say—that Thai engineers are lazy or unwilling to learn—what I’ve seen is completely different. They are just as responsible and have their own ways of learning. Everyone has their pride.

When it comes to communication, I remember when I first arrived in Thailand, I barely dared to speak English, and I knew no Thai at all. In my first meeting, I spoke Chinese and had a colleague translate. It felt completely wrong—very wrong. There was no way to lead a team like that. The second time, I tried English, but my vocabulary was too limited. So the third time, I wrote everything I wanted to say in a notebook. Again and again. At some point, I don’t know when, I stopped relying on notes. I also don’t know when my engineers began to fully understand me. Communication became barrier-free. I knew then that I had succeeded in team communication. Clear communication is the most basic requirement. In this process, we grew together—it wasn’t one-sided effort, but mutual dedication.

Speaking of Thai people, I must talk about them—especially my leaders. They are truly exceptional. Since coming to Thailand, I’ve been incredibly lucky, especially to have met them. They are: Ball, in charge of electronic engineering; Sun, packaging engineering; Plai, mechanical engineering; Panya, testing; Kloy and Miw, systems engineering; and Kwang, maintenance engineering. If you ask me what I’ve gained in Thailand, besides language improvement and broader horizons, it’s them. I earned their trust and support, and a rare friendship at work. Let me introduce them one by one.

Ball was the first Thai engineer I interviewed and hired after I was assigned as technical supervisor at the end of 2023. I still clearly remember him back then—afraid to speak English (just like me). We asked Susi to help with translation. He was extremely nervous, sitting there without daring to look at me. His previous company was WD, known as Western Digital in China. He had experience in equipment repair. We were short-staffed, so I didn’t set very high requirements—as long as he knew how to use a soldering iron, he could join as an electronics engineer. What mattered most was the feeling. Later on, we often drank together, he took me to very authentic Thai restaurants, and even introduced his friends to join the company. Though he’s not very talkative, he always gives me a sense of reassurance.

Sun is a Thai colleague I treat like a younger brother. During his interview, he told me he left his previous job because of a knee injury. I asked him to introduce himself in English—haha, he stumbled through it and could barely get a sentence out. Looking back now, it’s really funny, because today we talk about everything, all in English. He taught me a lot about Thai culture. Before I bought a car, he often drove me home after gatherings and even helped me move. He explained that in Thai culture, it’s common to split the bill, and I didn’t need to pay for everyone. He taught me Thai and how to interact with Thai people. Through him, I felt a kind of friendliness I hadn’t experienced before. Back in China, people helped me because of my position or what they could gain from me. Here, it was pure help, without ulterior motives—at least that’s how it felt to me. Sun is still young, and I truly hope he has a bright future.

Plai—I attended her wedding, and it was the only traditional Thai wedding I’ve ever been to. Her résumé was one I carefully selected while browsing at the hotel. I suddenly noticed she had HSK Level 4. At that time, I urgently needed a Thai engineer who could speak Chinese. When we first met, her Chinese wasn’t great, but her English was very good. Most importantly, she told me she felt bored at her current job and wanted something interesting. That was exactly what I needed. While waiting for her decision, I was afraid she’d ghost me—something that had already happened several times in Thailand. Through constant communication on Line, I finally relaxed when she officially reported for duty. At last, someone who could speak Chinese! Ironically, later we mostly communicated in English. She even complained that I didn’t speak Chinese with her, slowing her improvement. She helped me immensely—choosing a car, buying insurance, handling countless Thai-specific issues. I’m truly grateful to her and wish her increasing happiness.

Panya, or PY, is my most direct disciple. He came from the same company as Ball—WD. Extremely smart and experienced, and we almost failed to recruit him, haha. From interview to onboarding, we communicated on Line for a long time. He wanted to return to Pathum Thani because his girlfriend was there. After persistent persuasion, I finally brought him onto the team. From barely understanding batch processing to writing scripts effortlessly, his progress came from his own hard work. He’s great at summarizing and organizing tasks. He was also the first colleague who invited me to his home in Thailand—I even stayed overnight. We drank until 3 a.m., and it was pure joy. He and Sun often take me camping, to national parks, to play in the water and enjoy life. A man who’s played golf since childhood is truly different. I hope I can travel to more places with him. Enjoy your life, my friend.

Kloy is my No.1. A graduate of Thammasat University, fluent in English, able to communicate seamlessly with HP customers. In the team, she’s like a big sister—excellent at organization and outstanding at work. A true Thai elite. I believe this company is just a stepping stone for her; her future is limitless. During recruitment, like PY, I persuaded her patiently on Line because my budget was limited. Talented people were often won over with sincerity. I told her, “Please trust me—your choice is the right one.” Nearly two years have passed. Belle, who joined at the same time, has already left, but Kloy is still here, growing with me. Because of her, we had our first team building, our first night cruise on the Chao Phraya River, and the first Thai section chief still in position. Together, we created hope. I’m grateful to her—for helping me with bank accounts, building the systems engineering team, and countless other things. I used to worry about her leaving, but now I feel at peace.

Miw is a very quiet person. Originally, the role was held by Nit, but SQL was simply too difficult. After Nit left, Miw stepped up and stabilized the situation. He doesn’t talk much, but he’s very serious about his work. I only recently learned that he enjoys running. People who love running often have something special about them. He reminds me of an SIE I hired back in Chongqing—similar personalities. Maybe people who study languages tend to be quiet, or maybe my instincts just keep leading me to people like this. Silence isn’t a bad thing—silence is golden. I hope Miw has a great future.

The last leader I want to introduce is Kwang. He helped me tremendously during the toughest period of inventory management. In Chongqing, motherboard repairs were handled by DL workers, but that simply didn’t work in Thailand. The educational level of Thai DLs was too low—they lacked even basic circuit knowledge. So I came up with a new approach: engineers train engineers, engineers train technicians, and technicians train DLs—a three-layer structure. The results proved me right again. After Chinese repair support left, defective motherboard inventory once surged to 1,800 units. By the end of the year, it dropped to 300. All repairs were done by Thai staff—3 engineers, over ten technicians, and more than 20 DLs. Nothing is impossible if you work hard and use the right methods. Thai people can absolutely do it. Kwang proved that to me. Thank you.

I’ve met many more people—those memories can wait. Right now, my writing has no structure at all. Writing after such a long break really makes it hard to know where to begin. There’s no literary flair, just rambling words—consider it a simple record of life. My teacher once said my essays always read like流水账 (a running account), so maybe this is just my true level.

I want to go back to China. Every time this topic comes up, many people try to persuade me, saying the domestic environment isn’t good and it’s better to earn money abroad. Honestly, it makes me want to laugh. From the very beginning, my purpose for working overseas was never about money or position. I just wanted to prove myself. Being denied the role of head of the engineering department didn’t mean I wasn’t capable. And the truth is—I was capable. Not only that, I held the position abroad. I proved it. That’s enough. There’s nothing left for me to prove at this company. I was just unwilling to swallow that resentment. So when it was time to push forward fiercely, I chose instead to step back calmly. I don’t need others to judge whether I did well or not. I only need to tell myself: you’ve done well enough. Now go do what you truly want to do next.

**2026 — keep moving forward. That’s all.**

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