Living in Jakarta
Living in Jakarta
Early this year we decided to try and live somewhere, preferably outside of Australia. I’ve been working remote for quite a long time now and it didn’t make sense anymore to stay at the same place, especially a place where housing is expensive. So we moved to Jakarta, Indonesia.
Our goal was simply to improve our quality of living. Paying an expensive rent means not being able to spend that amount of money on something that is more fun, on things that can make us happier, healthier, etc… It’s the most logical choice given our circumstances.
It’s been great so far. We’re definitely happier and we are a lot less stressed living here. Jakarta, being a megalopolis, is definitely livelier and I find that there are a more things to do and places to visit here. And having a bigger family here really helps with the physical and emotional support.
One thing that I’ve learned from this experience thus far is that living in a different place requires a different kind of mindset, as well as a different kind of diet. During the first couple of months that we’ve been here I tried to find the same types of food we were accustomed to back in Sydney - kale, bone broth, cheap blueberries, weetbix, etc… Some of the foods we were accustomed to were just either too hard to find or too expensive to buy. So we had to find cheaper but healthier alternatives, which is non-trivial.
But overall, we’re happy with our choice to come here in Jakarta. We still go back to Sydney from time-to-time as we also miss it, and it’s our long-term home afterall. But right now, we’ll be exploring living here in Indonesia until we’re ready to settle back.
