- Nadia Rose and her partner Steve Willis left Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 2022 to move to Bali, Indonesia.
- One of the biggest difficulties they faced was giving up the comfort of big cities to live on the island.
- Over time, they learned to be more fluid and embrace the slower pace of life on the island.
This recounted essay is based on a conversation with Nadia Rosa, a 31-year-old female embodiment guide and creative director in Bali. She also runs a Youtube channel with her partner, Steve Willis, about their life on the island. This essay has been edited for length and clarity.
My partner, Steve, and I moved to Bali two years ago, in July 2022.
I grew up in Malaysia and started my career working in fashion in Kuala Lumpur. While living in the capital, I met Steve, who had moved from Sydney to work in education in 2015.
After dating for a month, we decided to move in together. We started with his apartment and six months later we found a better located one-bedroom service apartment. We were in the heart of the city, close to the botanical garden, and have happily called it home for six years.
It was then that I suggested moving to Bali. I had been running my own digital content business for 8 years and working at a women’s retreat company. I have always been passionate about empowering women, and these retreats It opened up a whole new world for me.
I wanted to meet like-minded women and build a community with coaches I could learn from. I wanted a new challenge and Bali seemed like a place full of creative opportunities.
We were drawn to Bali because it was an international hub between Kuala Lumpur and Sydney, where our families lived. We also really wanted to connect with nature, especially after the pandemic.
As Steve was also looking to change careers, it seemed like the right time to start the next phase of our lives.
So we took a chance. Looking back, it was a quick process: we made the decision in January 2022, and six months later we were in Bali.
The possibilities before us seemed limitless and we couldn’t wait to explore new sides of ourselves. In hindsight, it took us longer to find balance than we expected.
We went in and tried to learn how things worked
The bureaucratic part was difficult and we soon realized that there was no instruction manual. We ended up learning everything the hard way.
For example, we were used to automating our bill payments. In Bali we paid in person for a few months before finally learning how to do it online.
We missed the convenience of our service apartment, which had an incredible gym and easy access to public transportation.
In Australia, it’s easy to walk everywhere. In Malaysia we could also get in a car, but here, although it seems like you can get to your destination on foot, there are almost no sidewalks. You have to get on a motorbike to get around, and it took us 10 months before we could buy ours.
The challenges we faced in trying to get used to our new lives began to mount.
We even had health problems because mold grew in the house we rented. After three doctor appointments and a hospital visit, we had to travel back to KL before we finally got a diagnosis.
Being surrounded by overwhelming change on a daily basis was exhausting and distracted us from enjoying the process. It didn’t help that we were our own biggest critics.
We don’t celebrate ourselves enough for the milestones we achieved during our move
Looking back, we were too focused on starting our lives in Bali immediately. Quitting your job and leaving home posed huge risks, and we were determined to make sure we made the right decision.
But slowly, over the last two years, living in Bali has taught us to go with the flow more.
Coming from cities, we are used to efficiency and speed. But here, you just have to sit back and allow things to unfold in their own time. Even the endless traffic.
We also realized that we were not alone.
Many other people I spoke to in Bali are facing similar challenges of building a life and career here while transitioning from a 9am to 5pm schedule. After all, having a routine was part of life in the city.
Life in Bali constantly challenges us to grow. It seems like we are different people every quarter. And at the end of each day, We’re glad we made the change.
