Why I Become a Nomad

Not all those who wander are lost.

— J.R.R. Tolkien

First thought when I decided to leave home was, “Everything will be full of experience and freedom!”. I never thought that I’ll need to have a part time job to get extra money so I can survive until the end of the month.

I guess it all started from the beginning, 1 week after I came to this world my mom brought me from Manado to Poso, based on google maps it takes around 1.026.0 KM. Since then we keep moving around Indonesia. In the year 2000 there’s a big riot in Poso caused by terorism. The riot happened when I was 5 years old, and we were pushed to move. Leaving the place where you spent your childhood is kinda hard, but my family decided to go back to Manado. Once I was 10 years old my mama told me we needed to move to Poso again but I insisted on staying and living with my aunt. My parents went to Poso and I moved to the Capital (anyway I live in the city side). Once I was 14 years old my mama told me I needed to come with them. Then we moved to West Papua, where all my senior high life began and ended.

Then my time comes when my mama can’t decide where I will go after. I finally finished my senior high, and I plan to go to java and live only on my own, actually with my boyfriend (Sorry mom). After arguing with my dad and talking with mom, I left my house. This is where the story of the nomad girl began!

I started to live on my own in 2013, no family in town, no one I know, only my boyfriend. We live in a separate home, which means I still manage everything on my own. First I need to get to know the city, which public transportation I need to take and where to buy furniture and foods. Everything feels so good until 2017. I still receive money from my parents and get money from my part time job. During university, I never went back home even once. Me and my mom prefer to use the money for college matters, rather than spend it on transportation for holiday trips.

After I finished my uni, I was confused about where to go after and my father started to call me and want me to go back home. I am still a stubborn girl. I insist on going back home, and getting a job in Jakarta, the Capital city of Indonesia. The place where everyone is busy and hustling. I was so excited and started to pack my bag and take a flight. A year was fine, my circle just fine, we have good life and have so much fun and work and travel.

Then my contract was finished and I moved to a big corporate, multinational company and had a good position as manager. Everything was just fine in the first but then it became worse in my third month. I start to feel exhausted with work, I feel what I do is not align with my values and purpose. Everythings becomes so blurred and I have no idea about my future. I smoke a lot, go to clubs, play dating apps and have some fun with a lot of strangers.

There was a time when I woke up, I just felt so done with my life and I think I just want to jump from my 21st floor apartment. But I soon changed my mind and took a glass of water from my fridge and decided to just list down what makes me happy and what doesn’t. On my list I see one place that I dream to live, Bali. Then I decided to move to Bali, I left my Job, a fancy apartment, a lot of good friends and all the guys. I started my life in Bali, everything was just so different from my life in Jakarta. This is the place where people know the nightlifes is here, all the happiness is in here. But when I moved to Bali, I changed my mind. I stop being a fancy lady, I wear simple and breathable clothes. The people are humble, full of Joy and simple. I wonder, what are they doing here? What is the recipe of happiness and joy in? They’re working but still look happier compared to the people in my previous city.

There are a lot of things you need to know about being nomadic, you will be far from home, there will be a time when you will feel hungry, have no money and foods to eat. The time when you have nobody to share your problem, when you get sick and no one will make you a cup of hot Chocolate. But, there are a lot of beautiful things about being a nomad that you also need to know. You will meet different kinds of people, you learn from different cultures, you train yourself to survive, you decide what is good and not for yourself, You are able to face the consequences for every decision you make. You will make friends and become family and you will finally be able to decide what kind of person you want to be or who you want to be.

You are free to plan your life, free to have an idea and free to put action on it, because you finally realize, it is not only about the place that you visit and where you live. It is about how you keep growing and start to understand the meaning of life.