To answer the ultimate question, I think it is too much to ask, but I am cynical human with little faith left in humanity. I too am the expat that stuck around too long, and here in Cambodia most people that stick around this long either become overtly successful or fall apart as a human being. I am one of the rare ones that is pretty much the person I was almost 15 years ago when I got here.
Cheers to you for hanging onto sanity all these years and maintaining enough self-discipline to stay upright 👊😉.
it does take a lot of self-control to not implode over here. Seeing as how there are almost zero consequences that would get you in a lot of trouble in the West, the only thing keeping you from destroying your own life over here, is you. Unfortunately, I think that this part of the world and how affordable it is attracts a lot of people that lack this level of self-control and they give in to drugs and drink until it shatters their very existence.
Good work on remaining who you are. I gained a bunch of weight since moving over here but to be fair I was nearly 20 years younger when I moved to this part of the world and I believe this to be an acceptable excuse.