This January marks my second year of living in Jakarta.
Two years ago, I left cold Southampton for this Big Durian. It was hard when I got here. Everything wasn’t as expected, and I found myself getting frustrated with almost everything. Two years on, and it hasn’t gotten any easier. On the contrary, it’s severely draining me. While in Southampton I only came home for sleeping, in here I’ve become a hermit that chooses to stay at home at all times. Unless it’s absolutely necessary, I don’t go out. I avoid the traffic like the plague.
The only good thing about Jakarta is the family and friends I have here. Thanks to these friends, this year has gotten off to a good start.
Spending NYE with my best friend
On NYE, my childhood friend Lidya and I had a slumber party. We spent the evening watching funny videos on YouTube and a few Friends episodes, so it was nothing much. We were both asleep before midnight, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Nothing beats spending time with your old friend.
Brunch with Christa
The next weekend, I finally met Christa again! Christa and I have known each other for a while through our blogs, and I met her the first time when she hired me to cover her engagement party, but it was such a busy day so we didn’t get to talk much. We promised to have a proper meetup, and 3 months later, we did! I was surprised to learn how many things we had in common. Over brunch, we talked about our jobs, blogging and vlogging, and personal stuff. I had such a great time, I didn’t realize it’d been 2.5 hours (I’m not exaggerating, I swear it felt like it was just an hour).
Thank you Christa for such a great time, and I’m looking forward to more meetups! 🙂
Read Christa’s post about the brunch here.
Friends’ engagement parties
Last week I covered an engagement party for a friend, and this weekend I’m covering another friend’s engagement party. Although I’m holding off commissions for this month to take care of personal matters, these are quite small gatherings so I decided to do it. And I’m glad I did, as it’s putting me in a good and productive mood for the start of the year.
Here’s to more good things for the rest of the year.
12 Comments
walaupun jakarta suka nyebelin tapi kan nyenengin juga.. hahaha
January 19, 2017 at 5:19 pmHaha ada sih ya nyenenginnya, kalo beli makanan di luar murah (malah kadang lebih murah daripada masak sendiri) :p
January 20, 2017 at 8:57 amI kind of understand what you’ve been going through Kak Dixie, it’s extremely though living here in the capital where you can’t find any peace of mind at all. But I sincerely wish things will be a lot easier for you this year and so on! 🙂
January 20, 2017 at 1:21 amThank you Nerissa. It’s been tough, and I have a lot of respect for people who live and work here.
January 20, 2017 at 8:58 amHello Dixie, I visit you back dear..
January 20, 2017 at 8:57 pmI like your blog too 🙂
I spent my NYE only with hubby and camera 😀 as we both just wanted to stay home. I took lot of pictures of the fireworks..And the rest I talked to family and friends..just like you I did not realize I have been talking forever but felt like 1 minute 😀 ha ha ha
Thank you Mbak 🙂
January 22, 2017 at 11:19 amIt sounds like a great NYE. Nothing beats the feeling of being surrounded by friends and family 🙂
It was so nice meeting you Dixie! 🙂 Next time kita coba kopi yg lebih enak ya hehehe
January 22, 2017 at 1:41 pmLikewise Christa! Siiip, kabar2in aja kalo mau meetup lagi hihi 🙂
January 23, 2017 at 1:54 pmI salute you for following your dreams Dixie. I remember reading your post last year where you announced you quit your job and started to work as a photographer. Now, look at you, well done!
Oh, and I do wish we could meet in person one day.
January 25, 2017 at 3:57 pmThank you so much Mbak. I feel much better now than I did a few months ago when I wrote that post. It hasn’t been easy but at least it’s something I love 🙂
I’m wishing the same! I have a plan to go to Europe this year (still uncertain though), but if I’m going I’ll let you know, maybe I could take a day to visit you. Otherwise, I’ll wait for you to come to Jakarta again someday 🙂
January 26, 2017 at 9:51 amI completely understand your frustration, Dixie. The feeling of wanting to visit Indonesia comes once in awhile, but each time I’m there, I cannot wait to return home. I cannot stand the traffic, the disorganization, the noise and the heat 🙁
My NYE was unfortunately boring. I studied until late at night because I had Pharmacology exam on January 3rd. I’m glad that I passed! Hope 2017 will be a better year for both of us. 🙂
February 2, 2017 at 1:53 pmExactly. I have so much respect for people who live and work here, it’s not easy and I can feel that it’s eating me up inside.
I’m glad you passed the exam, congratulations! Fingers crossed for us, I have so much hope for 2017 🙂
February 2, 2017 at 4:11 pm