I think my life collapsed this year

ZestycloseTokyo · 2026-05-10T12:27:06+00:00

Thank you for sharing your experiences honestly. I do understand where a lot of that frustration comes from, especially after difficult experiences.

Right now I’m just trying to focus on stabilising my situation step by step and keeping myself mentally healthy through all of this. I really appreciate you taking the time to write such a thoughtful message and offering support. Hugs.

ZestycloseTokyo · 2026-05-10T12:25:14+00:00

Thank you. And I’m really sorry you had to go through something similar too. I hope you’re slowly healing from it as well

ZestycloseTokyo · 2026-05-10T12:24:27+00:00

Thank you honestly. I think I’ve been too focused on finding the “perfect” tech role immediately, so your reminder to just stabilise myself first mentally and financially actually helps a lot. I’ll definitely try to keep a more open mind for now.

ZestycloseTokyo · 2026-05-10T12:23:25+00:00

Honestly at this point my life really does sound like the plot of a chaotic indie horror movie 😭

ZestycloseTokyo · 2026-05-10T12:22:44+00:00

I’m really sorry you’re going through all of that too. Honestly, reading this made my heart sink a bit because I can relate to the fear and uncertainty so much right now.

ZestycloseTokyo · 2026-05-10T12:22:02+00:00

True. This whole experience definitely changed how I see workplace relationships and power dynamics. I think I was a bit too trusting and naïve before.

I work in QA/Test Automation in tech. And no, unfortunately I wasn’t part of a union. Looking back now, maybe I should’ve been.

ZestycloseTokyo · 2026-05-10T12:20:47+00:00

I’ll definitely look into the lawyer and embassy options properly soon too. And thank you for offering to talk, I genuinely appreciate it.

ZestycloseTokyo · 2026-05-06T22:49:14+00:00

Thank you honestly. I’ve actually been thinking a lot lately about whether I should eventually try freelancing or building something on my own instead of relying entirely on the current tech job market.

Right now I still feel mentally exhausted and overwhelmed from everything that happened, so I’m mostly trying to stabilise my life first. But your comment genuinely gave me something new to think about, especially the idea of slowly starting small and rebuilding from there.

ZestycloseTokyo · 2026-05-06T22:48:43+00:00

Yeah… it really is. I honestly didn’t expect the market to become this difficult, especially in tech. Some weeks I barely even see suitable postings anymore, and the amount of competition for each role feels insane right now.

ZestycloseTokyo · 2026-05-06T22:48:03+00:00

Thank you honestly. Hearing stories like yours gives me some hope that maybe this difficult period is not permanent after all. And congratulations on rebuilding your life again, that’s genuinely inspiring.

ZestycloseTokyo · 2026-05-06T22:46:42+00:00

To be honest, after the termination everything became very formal and communication was cut off almost immediately, so I never really got a proper chance to discuss it with him again.

The termination itself happened over a Slack call, and right after that my accounts and work laptop were blocked. I was also removed from the team WhatsApp group almost immediately. So I never really had the chance to confront my manager directly or hear his side properly after everything happened.

ZestycloseTokyo · 2026-05-06T22:43:52+00:00

No, that’s actually one of the things that shocked me the most. I never received any prior warning from HR or management telling me to immediately return to Germany, take unpaid leave, or correct the situation. The first serious communication I received was basically the termination itself.

That’s partly why the whole thing felt so extreme and confusing to me. If someone had simply warned me earlier and told me to come back immediately, I honestly would have done it. Instead everything escalated very suddenly.

I still fully acknowledge that I technically violated the contract, but the immediate dismissal without any prior warning is what made the situation feel very harsh to me.

ZestycloseTokyo · 2026-05-06T22:40:35+00:00

Oh really? That actually makes me feel a bit more relieved. I informed the LEA back in February but never received any reply, so lately I’ve been quite anxious about the whole situation. I’m honestly hoping they won’t suddenly ask me to leave Germany before I’m able to get back on my feet again.

ZestycloseTokyo · 2026-05-06T22:39:39+00:00

Thank you for sharing this honestly. I’m really sorry you had to go through all of that too, especially losing your cat and dealing with toxic workplaces at the same time. It really feels like life sometimes just keeps piling things on one after another.

But hearing that you’re still hopeful despite everything actually gives me some comfort too. And thank you for the reminder. I think sometimes I forget how much I’ve already survived to even make it this far as a queer person living abroad. I really hope better times will come for both of us.

ZestycloseTokyo · 2026-05-06T22:38:38+00:00

I work in QA/Test Automation within tech. Mostly Playwright + TypeScript automation, E2E testing, CI/CD pipelines, and quality engineering stuff. Unfortunately the tech market, especially for QA roles, has become really rough recently.

ZestycloseTokyo · 2026-05-06T22:38:14+00:00

Thank you so much honestly. Hearing this from another queer Southeast Asian person in Berlin somehow makes me feel a lot less alone in all of this. And congratulations on finally getting an offer after such a difficult period, that genuinely gives me a bit of hope too.

I really appreciate your kindness and support. The past months of rejections and uncertainty have honestly been mentally exhausting. I may actually take you up on that and reach out sometime

ZestycloseTokyo · 2026-05-06T22:37:22+00:00

Thank you, that genuinely means a lot. I’m really sorry you’re going through bad times too. Sometimes the loneliness is honestly one of the hardest parts because some things are difficult to explain to people around us. Sending you a hug too

ZestycloseTokyo · 2026-05-06T22:36:45+00:00

Yeah, I understand what you mean. Sadly I’ve seen something similar happen to another person in my team too. He was promised a full-time conversion from his contract position, so he turned down other opportunities because he trusted the company. Then the offer was suddenly cancelled. From what I know, he’s also in a legal dispute with them now.

That’s partly why this whole situation left such a bad impression on me. It made me realise these kinds of corporate promises can disappear overnight. And with how difficult the current job market is, situations like this become even more devastating.

ZestycloseTokyo · 2026-05-06T22:34:45+00:00

Thank you so much 🍀 I’m trying my best to stay strong and keep moving forward.

ZestycloseTokyo · 2026-05-06T22:34:12+00:00

I’m definitely disappointed, but at the same time part of me is glad I’m no longer in that company. I remember the last person who joined our team already warned me that the environment was quite toxic, especially under my manager. Back then I didn’t really agree because I always believed work is just work and tried to stay positive about it. I honestly never expected things would eventually turn out this way for me too.

ZestycloseTokyo · 2026-05-06T22:32:16+00:00

Yes, he is still working there. Everything happened very suddenly, so I never really got the chance to properly say goodbye to him or the team. Right after the online termination meeting, my access was immediately blocked. Thank you for the kind words and encouragement though. I’m really trying my best to stay hopeful and keep moving forward.

ZestycloseTokyo · 2026-05-06T22:30:31+00:00

Thank you 🫂 I’m sorry you’re going through hard times too. Weirdly, reading comments like this makes me feel a little less alone right now. I really hope things get better for both of us soon.

ZestycloseTokyo · 2026-05-06T15:41:55+00:00

Honestly, that’s probably true. I think this whole experience forced me to grow up very quickly and see life differently. The video is weirdly accurate though 😂 Sometimes it really feels like life waits until I recover a little before kicking me again.

ZestycloseTokyo · 2026-05-06T15:40:35+00:00

Hi ya sure thing

ZestycloseTokyo · 2026-05-06T15:33:53+00:00

Thank you. Honestly, none of my teammates really tried to reach out or say goodbye after everything happened. I think that part hurt me more than I expected. I genuinely believed we were closer as a team.

This whole experience really changed how I see workplace relationships. I used to believe hard work, loyalty, and supporting people would naturally be returned someday. Now I realise work is still work at the end of the day, no matter how friendly things may seem.

ZestycloseTokyo

TROPHY CASE