u/Loose-Ad848

Hello, I want to get a traditional Khmer sak yant and I have find the design I want, but the artist only offers machine gun tattoos. He explained that afterwards I have to go get it blessed by monks and that it is as strong as a traditional bamboo tattoo. Do you have any advice on the pros and cons on having a bamboo tattoo vs a machine tattoo for a Sakyant ? ( in terms of spirituality and how it will aged ect ) Thank you !

Hello, I want to get a traditional Khmer sak yant and I have find the design I want, but the artist only offers machine gun tattoos. He explained that afterwards I have to go get it blessed by monks and that it is as strong as a traditional bamboo tattoo. Do you have any advice on the pros and cons on having a bamboo tattoo vs a machine tattoo for a Sakyant ? ( in terms of spirituality and how it will aged ect ) Thank you !

Hello, I want to get a traditional Khmer sak yant and I have find the design I want, but the artist only offers machine gun tattoos. He explained that afterwards I have to go get it blessed by monks and that it is as strong as a traditional bamboo tattoo. Do you have any advice on the pros and cons on having a bamboo tattoo vs a machine tattoo for a Sakyant ? ( in terms of spirituality and how it will aged ect ) Thank you !

Hi everyone,

I’m feeling really lost and could use some outside perspectives.

I’m 25, a French agricultural, agronomy and food science engineer, and I’ve been working for almost three years in QHSE (food safety, health & safety, and environment) in catering and F&B. I’m currently based in Cambodia.

My company can no longer keep me here and is transferring me to Germany. It would be a similar role but in inflight catering, with a decent salary, excellent career prospects, and much more responsibility.

On paper, it sounds like an amazing opportunity. I actually always wanted to try inflight catering.

The problem is… I don’t like my job. I feel like it goes against who I am. I spend my days enforcing rules, auditing people, correcting mistakes, and I’m often perceived as “the police.” People stop talking when I walk into a room, and I hate that feeling. For months, I woke up every single morning stressed, including weekends and vacations, with a constant feeling that I was already behind.

Everyone tells me Germany would help me grow professionally. I’d learn a lot, lead a larger operation, and it would look fantastic on my CV.

However, what makes this decision so difficult is that I honestly don’t know whether I dislike the job itself or whether I dislike the context I’m currently in. This is my first real professional experience, and it’s in Cambodia, so I have no idea what this kind of role feels like in another country. The team in Germany also seems much younger and more dynamic, which could completely change my experience. I’d also be much closer to my family and friends in France.

A part of me thinks it could be interesting, but at the same time, I keep thinking: if I’m already this unhappy and exhausted in what’s supposed to be a less demanding position, what will happen when the workload, pressure, responsibility, and expectations increase?

On the other hand, staying in Cambodia is probably the bigger leap into the unknown.

I’d have to leave my company without another job lined up. I’d lose financial security, health insurance, and any guarantee of stability. I do have a few promising leads, including one with a company in Vietnam, but nothing is certain.

Part of me wonders if this could actually be an opportunity to figure out what I truly want to do. I’ve never really given myself the time to explore what I enjoy professionally. I’ve always accepted the next opportunity without questioning whether it was actually the path I wanted. My diploma gave me a broad knowledge of a lot of different topics, but I’ve only done QHSE, nothing else. I feel like I’m limiting myself and a part of me would love to discover other opportunities in other sectors… but I only have experience in QA. I do have some savings, but I’m scared that if I turn down this opportunity, I won’t ever be able to find another job in Southeast Asia that could cover my student loan and basic living expenses.

I’ve also always imagined building my life in Asia. I never expected to return to Europe this soon.

There’s also my partner. We’ve been together for a year and a half, we live together in Cambodia, and he’s from Myanmar. Realistically, there’s almost no chance he’d be able to move to Germany with me.

He has even told me that if I stay, he’ll cover our rent for a while so I can focus on finding a job without immediately worrying about money.

If I end up getting the opportunity in Vietnam, he would also have a much better chance of finding work there than in Germany. That said, I would still be moving to a new country where I don’t know anyone, far from my family and friends.

So it feels like I’m choosing between:

• Germany: career growth, stability, financial security, international experience, and the possibility that I might actually enjoy this work in a different environment.

• Staying in Asia: uncertainty, but also my relationship, the life I’ve always wanted here, and maybe the opportunity to discover what I genuinely want from my career.

Looking back, I honestly don’t think I chose this career because it was my passion. I just kept saying yes to opportunities that came my way.

Now I have no idea what career would actually make me happy. I also feel like I have a weird dependency on my job, since I’ve made it my whole identity and haven’t really had time to develop hobbies or interests outside of work. I’m scared that if I leave this job, I won’t know who I am anymore. I just know I don’t want to spend the next 30 years feeling the way I do now.

Part of me also wonders if I’m idealizing staying in Asia because I’m afraid of Germany. Another part wonders if I’m making Germany seem worse than it really is just to justify turning it down.

I also know I could try Germany for a few months and come back if I truly hate it or find something else in Asia. But I’m scared that once I’m there, I’ll feel too settled, too uncertain, or too “stuck” to leave, even if it’s not right for me.

I genuinely don’t know if I’m listening to my intuition… or just to my fear.

Has anyone ever turned down what looked like the “perfect” career opportunity because the work itself didn’t feel right? Or because of your relationship?

Looking back, do you regret it, or was it the best decision you ever made?

I’d really appreciate hearing from people who’ve been through something similar.