Leaving the city for the beach for half a year, Gen Z realizes a bitter lesson

Thu Phuong has no regrets about leaving the city for the sea, but she once suffered a mental breakdown because of her impulsive decisions - Photo: NVCC

"That half year had emotional ups and downs, but there were also times when my mentality hit rock bottom because I didn't carefully calculate the route to leave and build a life in a new place," Phuong said about her journey from the city to the sea.

Pham Thu Phuong (25 years old) is currently a freelancer running a content marketing team (about 10 people) in the fields of tourism, health, and education. Currently, Phuong supports the operation of 4-5 homestays in Dong Hoa town, Phu Yen province - where she lives.

Journey… spontaneous

Before leaving the capital, Phuong had planned a basic itinerary and prepared a 6-month travel budget, including regular money sent home for her mother's medical treatment. "I planned for this amount to be 100 million, but by the time I reached 60 million, my health was exhausted and I could no longer continue working in Hanoi," Phuong said.

Admitting that she is an emotional person, even though she had made plans, she ignored these bullet points. After quitting her job, she stayed at home for two weeks and then began her journey to Phu Yen to live long-term after trying it out for a few weeks.

The first month out of the city and reaching her desired destination, Phuong felt the trip was like a honeymoon and called it a sweet honeymoon for her tired body.

She "let go" completely, spending money more freely than before, wanting to make up for herself after a period of "working like a buffalo". "I rented a house long-term in Tuy Hoa at a relatively high price, but when I felt like it, I would leave for other provinces continuously.

"I lost money on rent in many places, and I didn't have any special experiences elsewhere," Phuong called this a spontaneous trip because "I just went without knowing what I was looking for." After 2-3 months, she moved to Dong Hoa.

Besides, Phuong admitted that she did not manage her spending closely, subjectively having a good income from an online job, so she just "went and spent whenever she wanted".

Leaving the city with tens of millions in savings may sound like a lot, but she said that in less than 3 months, this amount of money was gone. "When relatives were sick and business was difficult, I called and I quickly sent money back, so in just a few months, my money hit rock bottom. The lack of money caused me a mental breakdown," Phuong shared.

Luckily, she had taken the initiative to find a job in advance, so she was not in such dire straits that she had to return to the city. She confided: "I was in a crisis because I had no savings, but I still had a backup job and friends who could lend me money when I really needed it. I regretted not preparing carefully, but I don't regret quitting my job in the city to live by the sea."

After a period of living a haphazard life, the 25-year-old girl realized a heavy lesson. On a Facebook forum, Phuong's heartfelt post titled "The mistakes I made when I first left the city for the sea" for those who are facing difficulties in the city, thinking that leaving for the sea will bring peace to everything, attracted a lot of attention.

Even with an online job and a reserve fund, young people should still research and calculate carefully before moving somewhere to live long-term - Photo: NVCC

Lesson learned from a painful lesson

According to her, young people who want to leave the city for a long time should prepare their itinerary more carefully, avoid leaving in a hurry because of emotions and then miss the opportunity like her.

First, Phuong said, don't go just because of temporary feelings, but make a list of what you want to get when you go somewhere. For example, learning from the locals, seeing beautiful scenery, discovering cuisine, culture... or just relaxing.

These things need to be clarified before going so as not to feel lost in a crowded city or depressed in a remote countryside, wasting time and money without feeling or learning anything.

Next, you need to manage your spending carefully to avoid falling into the trap of indulging yourself after working hard. There is one thing that is difficult to see, especially for those who have just found a place to live long-term, such as buying furniture or renovating the house in a hurry.

"It must be said that it costs a lot of money. I just think that since I'm staying long term, I have to buy some things. I can't let myself suffer too much, even if I'm going back to my hometown.

But not only is it expensive, if it doesn't suit you during your stay, moving is also a waste of time and hassle," Phuong said.

Before going, you should learn about the locality carefully before living there long-term, avoid the situation of people living in one place but their minds are elsewhere and then running around. When choosing a rental house, you should pay attention to the facilities in the house and the surrounding living environment to see if it can meet the needs of the seasons of the year, don't just feel it in the short term.

For example, when coming during the rainy season, you have to pay attention to how this house and area are in the summer, are there too few trees, is it near the beach where things wear out, is it hot or has strong winds.

One important thing is not to be subjective even though you can do it online, because the work can be lost at any time, and offline work in the local area is not quick to find. "You should research in advance in groups to have a backup.

For example, in Phu Yen, there are only many jobs recruiting for service, transportation, sales, etc., so we have to consider whether we can do those jobs if we lose our online jobs. If not, we have to return to the city," Phuong said, adding that she currently lives and works in the country.

Mental crisis is what happens when leaving the city for the sea, because it is not always rosy. "I think it depends on the stage and the individual's imagination and acceptance of life there.

For example, I would easily get mad because of summer flies, the constant karaoke noise, or even the scrutiny and gossip of local people," Phuong said.

Phuong added that she disagrees with the "adult" view that blames Gen Z for being negligent and demanding to seek healing. "Each time has its own pain, no one suffers more than anyone else."

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/bo-pho-ve-bien-nua-nam-gen-z-nhan-ra-bai-hoc-cay-dang-20240529134257753.htm