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Anna Otran | Phuket 🌺

@anna.otran

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🇻🇳🇦🇺Vietnamese-Aussie abroad.
🏝️ Side quest queen living in Phuket.
🏍️ Travel • Lifestyle • Experiences
📩 [email protected]

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food for thought ✍🏻 taken in Vietnam by @anna.otran

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a month ago

I was reading through my old journals and found an entry written on my birthday in 2019. I wrote about the events and my feelings at that time and it felt so weird to read back at it. At times it got me thinking “Did I really write this? Where has she gone?”
It made me realise how beautiful journaling was for me and what an incredible meaningful practice it is to uncover the depth of your heart. I need to get back to it.

This is a quote that I currently find relevant. I hope you can find a way for it to positively impact you too.

“Because the only thing that stays with you from the moment you’re born until the moment you die is your breath. All your friends, your family, the country you live in, all of that can change. The one thing that stays with you is your breath.
When you get stressed- what changes? Your breath. When you get angry- what changes? Your breath.
We experience every emotion with the change of the breath. When you learn to navigate and manage your breath, you can navigate any situation in life.” taken in Chiang Mai, Thailand by @anna.otran

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4 years ago

Acting like a delicate flower but deep down.. I want to arm wrestle too

#relatableaf #povreels #softbutstrong #girlbro by @anna.otran

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a year ago

wild things taken in Phuket, Thailand by @anna.otran

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9 hours ago

& stop worrying about being judged by the most boring people ever ✨ taken in Phuket, Thailand by @anna.otran

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6 days ago

My immigrant parents took a risk raising their children in the West.

They gave us better opportunities, a stronger passport and travel privileges without needing a whole stack of documents to prove our worth.

But the trade off is that you raise your children away from the motherland. Far from extended family, culture and roots.

Eventually, they may grow up not fully understanding the culture and traditions their parents came from, even if they choose to respect them.

Their mother tongue might not be their first language. You give your children opportunities in a country away from home, and sometimes you watch them grow up to the point where you can no longer communicate with them in the language you grew up speaking.

I didn’t always want to speak Vietnamese growing up. I wanted to speak English with my parents. I wanted to feel Australian. I wanted to fit in.

I used to wonder why, after all those years living in Australia, my mum still hadn’t picked up English.

Hearing mum ordering from a drive through felt embarrassing, and when she would ask me to speak on her behalf, I would sulk at the burden it put on me.

I didn’t understand then. I didn’t understand that my mum wasn’t failing to learn English, she was holding onto the language that had always been hers.

And I didn’t realise that one day, being able to speak Vietnamese would become one of the greatest gifts my parents could have given me.

It wasn’t until I was old enough to travel back to Vietnam without my mum that I truly understood how much she had given me.

The ability to communicate with people, to understand my family, to connect with my culture, to come back to the motherland and actually feel like I belong.

So Mum, Dad, thank you.

For giving me the opportunities of the West without letting me forget the country you came from. For keeping Vietnamese strong in our home, even when I didn’t appreciate it.

For making sure your daughter could always find her way back home. 🇻🇳🤍 taken in Pu Luong by @anna.otran

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18 days ago

The destination: Ta Xua ☁️

#travelvietnam #northvietnam #taxua taken in Vietnam by @anna.otran

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25 days ago

If there’s one thing I learnt about living in Phuket for 5 years it’s this: the magic of this island is its people. 🌴

That’s why I’m joining AMAZING PHUKET: EXPATS IN MOTION.✨ A full day to move, recover, try something new and connect with the community that makes Phuket feel like home.

🧊 Ice bath 9am 🧶 Craft workshop 11am 🛍️ Flea market 2pm

Bring yourself. Bring a friend. Bring the family.
🗓️ Sunday 13th Sept 📍 Andamanda Phuket 🎟️ Register via the QR code on the last photo 🏷️ Use ANNA30 for a discount

#AmazingThailand #AmazingPhuketExpatsInMotion #MoveRecoverConnect #PhuketExpats taken in Phuket, Thailand by @anna.otran

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a month ago

Unfortunately, I didn’t travel to 30 countries by 30 because I kept coming back to Vietnam.

I hold Vietnam so close to my heart, not only because of the obvious-being born to Vietnamese parents, but because of the magic and beauty Vietnam has to offer.

The culture is so strong and rich. The food and coffee, no matter how rural you go. The love and pride Vietnamese people have for their country, which creates a feeling rather than just a destination.

Vietnam continues to amaze me. From miền bắc (north) to miền nam (south) and in between, there is always something new I’m learning about the differences, the traditions, and the unity of this country.

So yeah, I didn’t reach 30 countries by 30, but getting to come back to Vietnam again and again beats skimming the surface of 30 countries just to hit a number.

Some places you want to visit, but it’s the places you keep coming back to that makes it so special. 🇻🇳 taken in Vietnam by @anna.otran

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a month ago

cafe muoi is life. taken in Vietnam by @anna.otran

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a month ago

tag your favourite red flag.

#vietnam #aseancup #vietnamfootball #vietnamvodich by @anna.otran

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a month ago

meet me where the ski meets the sea ☁️🩵 taken in Phuket, Thailand by @anna.otran

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2 months ago