5 Reasons I decided to move to Bali
My beloved Jarin came over to my place one night in April and carefully asked if I would be interested in moving to Bali. At first I was pretty stunned by the question, but as the idea simmered in the pan of my mind and we spent much time talking to friends and family about the decision, we both decided that it was a great idea. These are 5 reasons I decided to take the dive into the unknown.
1. Adventure
My partner Jarin was invited to come teach at a new school being built by her colleague who she studied with in Sweden called Montessori Farm School in Bali for Adolescents. Being a trained Montessori teacher and having had a desire to live abroad for a long time this has been her dream manifested.
We had only been dating for a few months and known each other for twice that long but our soul's knew that the relationship we have grown together is one of deep trust and love.
I too have had the desire to live abroad after my last trip to Thailand in November of 2024 and after spending a month and a half living in Thailand and training in Yoga I knew that I would eventually live abroad again. I had no idea it would happen so quickly.
Jarin and I were both asked to finalize our decision on whether or not we would come by end of April, which gave us less than 3 months to come up with a plan for our move. Adventure began once we said yes.
2. Learning
Learning is one of my most important values and this has continuously changed me as a person. There was life before and after I learned about software engineering and automation, the same with speaking multiple languages as a polyglot and the same with writing and sharing poetry.
Moving to and living in a foreign country has become the biggest learning opportunity for me and I've been enjoying it profoundly.
Before I even moved here I decided I would learn the local languages and it has been really fun and interesting to see how both Balinese and Indonesian languages are used with the people I meet. Fortunately Idonesian is a rather easy language to learn in comparison with other languages (particularly for English speakers) and Balinese will be more difficult but speaking both have become my main central learning project after moving here.
The culture, people, perspective, foods and life is so rich with possibility and growth that each day is a rewarding experience that feels so fresh and inviting. I have spoken with different levels of fluency and proficiency Persian and Spanish but actually living in a place like Bali where I will be fully emersed is a dream for my learning ambitions.
3. Simplicity
Life feels more simple here than back home in America. I have learned where I can purchase drinking water refills for my home, where I can take my clothes for laundry, where I can go purchase groceries from locals. We moved to a less busy village where we can walk to different stores and experience life like a local.
There are challenges here like there would be anywhere but the ability to take a short ride to the beach and enjoy a coconut or a walk through town is part of the sweetness of life that I am enjoying so much and am finding so beautiful and rewarding.
As I live here longer I will continue to share more about the culture, philosophy and perspective of what living in Bali feels like but simplicity is truly present in this province of Indonesia.
4. Safety
People here are happy, the smile often and are some of the most friendly people you will ever meet. This helps us all feel safe and reassured when we are in Bali as it is a huge tourist destination for the world. The combination of the welcome you feel being here along with the genuine joy of the people who live here bring a sense of safety everywhere you go.
Initially my partner and I felt a bit of shock as it took us time to let go of the fear of arrival. A fear that is very normal for anyone who picks up and moves to a new place. Now that it has been two weeks since we left I can say the feeling of being on guard has fully dissolved as I have a sense of ease and being at peace in my new home and environment.
I won't go much into the political challenges going on back home in Texas or in America but suffice to say that Bali feels like a breath of fresh air.
5. Challenge
The immediate challenge of moving from Austin to Bali was figuring out what to do with all my material pocessions. I had lived in a 3 bedroom house with a really large vinyl record collection and book collection. It had taken me years to collect all of those items and now I was planning to re locate to the other side of the world.
Crazy?!
Maybe a little bit.
I posted my vinyl record collection online and sold several thousand dollars worth of records and donated/sold at a depressingly low price my books to Half Priced Books. Facebook Marketplace also was invaluable in helping me downsize. I was also able to store many boxes at the homes of friends and family so we both decided to forgo a storage unit.
Jarin moved in with me after we decided to relocate to Bali and the biggest challenge for her was less in letting go of material pocessions but instead in finding a good home for her dog Cricket. She was able to process the emotions of finding a place for her beloved dog and this was her biggest challenge with the move.
There are so many challenges we faced along the way to make this move a reality but we are really happy being in Bali now. As I write this Jarin is developing the plans of the school opening next week with her colleague Abdoul while I work remotely on my different projects.
