If I say how much of a whirlwind this past month has been, would we even be surprised at this point?
I feel like I start each newsletter with “Hey! This month has been a whirlwind!”
But I only speak the truth.
Last newsletter, I left you hanging by chatting about my Nusa Penida adventures and saying there was still much more to come. Well here we are with allllll the tea.
While I was in Nusa Penida, my good friend Tim mentioned how he was going to Jakarta with his production team to make vlogs.
He invited me along and reiterated how great of an opportunity it was to start my vlogging journey.
Welp. I didn’t have anything planned, so I thought “it would basically be silly NOT to go and pass up this opportunity that landed in my lap.”
The beauty of this life of not having any sort of 9-5 or commitment.
The freedom. My most favorite thing in the world. Right above a gooey dark chocolate chip cookie with ice cream on top. And that’s hard to beat! Let me tell ya.
So I bought a plane ticket literally 24 hours in advance, packed my bag, and drove myself to the airport on my scooter with my backpack on my back.
Then, I walked 20 minutes outside in the heat with the big ol’ backpack to make it to the domestic gate.
Did I look like a crazy foreigner? Yes. Am I used to this by now? Also, yes.
Was everyone shocked when they asked me if I needed transportation and I declined in almost perfect Indonesian? Also, yes yes yes.
Ya girl is getting good at Indonesian! All of the locals are low-key shocked.
And truthfully, so am I.
Never thought I’d be able to pick it up this fast, but it truly is a very easy language since there aren’t any conjugations or tenses for that matter.
Ketika kamu datang ke indonesia, saya bisa mengajar kamu kata-kata indonesia baru jadi kamu bisa berbicara sama orang indonesia juga. :)
Think ya can guess what it means before you google translate it? :)
(“When you come to Indonesia, I can teach you new Indonesian words so you can speak with locals too”)
After being in Bali for 15 months, Jakarta was a different experience that’s for sure. My first big Asian city experience.
Lots of traffic. Lots of pollution. Lots of things to look at.
Motorbikes everywhere. Street food galore. And roads bigger than two lanes. God bless.
Even during a pandemic, traffic is unavoidable. It’s the true patience tester….and I think I passed? Most of the time at least.
It was so cool to simply look around and see the city--the allure of the National Monument and the skyscrapers.
I was so used to seeing Bali’s beach shacks that even mundane skyscrapers were amusing to look at.
Besides the views, I ubiquitously heard about the huge Asian malls.
They definitely lived up to the hype.
I shopped til I dropped and then ate my way through the city.
Not a bad way to live life if you ask me.
That pretty much sums it up, and if you want the nitty gritty details, then you’re in luck because I documented the whole thing.
These past couple of weeks I have been releasing vlogs from my Jakarta adventure, and they have been blowing up!
Turns out Indonesians like seeing what foreigners think of their country.
Some of the reviews have been that “I am a funny foreigner” and that “I have a good positive vibe.”
So jump in and see what all the fuss is about and if you too think I am a hilarious, spunky, funky gal with a good vibe. :)
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After Jakarta, we took an 8-hour scenic train to Jogjakarta in the center of Java. It’s like Jakarta’s more chill, hip cousin.
I stayed with a local friend there who showed me around, and immediately, I fell in love with the city. The vibe there is incredible.
It’s so different than Jakarta.
People say Jogjakarta is to Indonesia what Chiang Mai is to Thailand.
Unfortunately, I only planned two full days there, which was a definite mistake. I wanted to stay for at least 3 weeks minimum.
There is so much to do both in the center of Jogja and in the surrounding areas that staying there for only 2 days was a silly idea.
Whoops, guess I gotta plan my trip back ASAP.
I did pack a ton into the 2 days though. I saw the Royal Palace and Taman Sari (the ancient bath complex).
We even did a jeep tour up a volcano, which was pretty epic.
We ended the Jogja trip with an adventure to Borobudur, a UNESCO heritage sight about an hour outside of the city.
Unfortunately, with covid restrictions, we weren’t able to actually explore the site as thoroughly as we would have liked.
Note to self, go back and go at sunrise.
Traveling is wonderful and all, but it does come with its fair share of disappointments and fatigue.
Yet, I decided to make the best of it and not dwell in it.
I still had the most wonderful time in Jogja, and I am already trying to plan when it would fit in my schedule to go back.
My vlogs on Jogjakarta have yet to come out.
So again, if you want all the details and to see the beauty of all of these places be sure to subscribe to my YouTube Channel.
When I flew back to Bali, I landed and immediately drove 2 hours in the pouring rain to a music festival in the jungle near a few secret waterfalls.
Yep, it was marvelous.
We already know how much I love the northern jungle of Bali, so we are not surprised that I rushed back there the moment I landed.
I was speaking about this unique Silent Retreat in Bali to some new friends I made at the festival, and then of course, magically, I got a text message from the volunteer coordinator asking if I wanted to teach yoga at the retreat for two weeks.
Bali has a weird way of hearing your desires and delivering them to you at lightspeed.
It was like a package with a nicely tied bow was delivered directly to me.
I had no plans and I was just talking about how I wanted to settle in and have some time to myself.
Oh it was time to myself all right.
I taught my first public yoga classes since getting my yoga certification, and although there were a few hiccups, I left the retreat feeling confident in my teaching style.
I brought humor, fun, grace, gentleness, and comfort to every class I taught.
I fell in love with the space I shared with the guests and remembered exactly why I am doing what I am doing.
Teaching is my happy place. Connecting is my currency.
This is what the whole brand is that I am trying to create…. Sharing my journey in hopes to connect deeply to others.
It doesn’t hurt that the food at the Silent Retreat was the best food I’ve ever eaten on the planet. So fresh, so filling, so delicious.
From garden to table. So healthy. So mind blowing.
The silent retreat nestled me in and made me feel at home, so that’s why when I left after two weeks, I felt off.
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To be honest, I still feel kind of off, but it’s all a part of this journey. It’s one that ebbs and flows.
Peaks and valleys. Euphorias and learning curves.
I'm learning how to sit in the eye of the uncertainty storm and simply letting it be as it is.
I keep asking myself, "How can I take things as they come? How can I give up my tight grasp of control to make room for magic?"
I'm gently letting go. Surrendering.
And deeply trying to live in the moment instead of letting the phrase "I'll be happy when...." take over.
I’m back in the Canggu area diving head first into my business. I now have a production team. Yeah, I know. It feels WILD to say that.
They help me create content and vlogs to put on YouTube.
Just 2 years ago, I was sitting in boring meetings in my corporate job longing to be white-boarding and collaborating with my own team about projects I am passionate about.
Fast forward and here we are. I am the “boss” passionately, joyously, and collaboratively leading my team.
It feels good. And scary. The imposter syndrome is real as hell. But again, I think that’s all part of it.
I have this phrase now: “Do it for the book.”
Everything I do is leading to this epic book I will write when I’m older hahahaha.
Well, that’s at least what I’ve been somewhat jokingly saying to make myself feel better.
So, eventually, I will release a book (hopefully), but for now, I’m doing it for the vlog.
If you’ve made it this far and read the whole newsletter, I am sending you a huge squeeze from Bali.
You are a true fan and supporter, and I am beyond grateful for you.
I couldn’t do any of this if it weren’t for you, so thank you for being a part of this community and flowing with me.
Lots of love to you.
Thanks for reading.
I’ll be in touch soon.
Xoxo,
Nikki
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