Hello everyone. Thank you for taking the time to read this.

TL;DR: I'm facing homelessness in two weeks and often go without food. Any support would help me keep a roof over my head, contribute to my father's medical care, and allow me to launch a global Tai Chi teaching business.

I never imagined I'd be in this position. My struggles began during COVID when finding work became nearly impossible—and it hasn't improved since. I hold a master's degree in chemical and biological engineering from EPFL and an MBA from Hult. Most recently, I served as Managing Director at Enterprise Rent-A-Car, overseeing 250+ staff and leading operations in Vietnam (I'm originally from Switzerland, though my family is Vietnamese). Despite this background, I've been unemployed for over two years.

Then family crisis compounded everything. My parents invested their retirement savings in Vietnamese real estate, but because only Vietnamese citizens could own property at the time, they put it in my mother's stepbrother's name. Three years ago, while they were away, he sold the house and disappeared with the money. My father has also recently undergone surgery and suffered a mild stroke. I haven't had the funds to fly home to help—I haven't seen my family in five years.

Since losing their savings, my parents have been financially devastated, and I've been supporting them. But Vietnamese salaries can't sustain people living in Switzerland long-term. Supporting my family while unemployed for two years has brought me to this breaking point. I've moved from a three-room apartment to renting a cheap room in someone's home. For the past four months, I've been eating every 2-3 days. The constant pressure has led to suicidal thoughts. These have been the hardest years of my life.

I've accepted that I may never find another director-level position—the economy, AI disruption, and geopolitics aren't helping. So I've decided to become a Tai Chi instructor. I've practiced Tai Chi for over 25 years since my teens and have reached an advanced level. I'm currently building a comprehensive Tai Chi reference website (https://sites.google.com/view/taijironin) for practitioners worldwide. It will be mostly free and open to the public, with support through Patreon and eventual social media content.

Where your support would go:

* $200 covers one month's rent

* $100 provides food for a month

If I receive enough for 3-4 months of basic needs, the remaining funds will go toward my father's care ($5000) and launching my Tai Chi business (which requires more time than money). Maybe fly home. I need to buy time so I can find a way to take care of my parents.

I know launching a GoFundMe at the last minute isn't ideal. But if you can help, I'll be forever grateful. If you know of any job opportunities—anything at all—that would be even better.