The Reason Why I Moved Out

It takes quite a confidence to write this post, because it requires me to cultivate my deepest aspiration, ambition, and desire to finally tell people the reason why I moved from my hot, small town in Kalimantan to the capital city. People may have figured out the same reason that applies to anyone doing the same thing: 1) to get bigger opportunity, 2) to get better education, and so on.

But there is always a personal reason for each person. This morning I feel like sharing it on this blog: not just my reason to move out, but also why I choose Jakarta among other cities like Bandung or Jogjakarta which are quite popular destinations among my high school friends.

1) I Need Someone to Talk To

What? So am I saying that no one’s talking to me in Pontianak? Not exactly. In fact, I had several best friends that really understand me. They would forever be my like-minded guys whom I would always turn to.

The problem is, these like-minded guys are very small in numbers. Since high school I have been developing high interest to movies and books and recent issues. Unfortunately, only few people share similar interest and they are mostly my best friends from debating club and also best friends whom I coincidentally encounter.

Befriending them and discussing and sharing things with them are heaven for me. But eventually we will part ways and they will move out. What’s in it for me if I stay in my hometown? There is a very slight chance I am going to meet this kind of like-minded guys again.

That’s why I moved to Jakarta at the first place, to forge new friendships with like-minded guys which numbers are surely bigger here in Jakarta, compared to Pontianak where the cinema only plays blockbuster movies and the bookstore does not sell English books.

2) I Want Freedom

Oh my dear, freedom is sweet. And I’m not talking about the freedom of living far from your parents and having no one to tell you what to do. It’s about the freedom of choice. And we get that freedom of choice from the unlimited choices available.

Back in my hometown, the options were very limited, like the kind of competitions you can join, the kind of clubs or organizations you can participate or volunteer in, the kind of courses you can take, and the kind of weekend events you can attend. Humans love freedom. And freedom is not just about the absence of rule, it is also about the presence of options.

If I stay in my hometown, I would forever wonder what it would be like to take that short Joko Anwar’s screenwriting course and to visit at exhibition on Sunday (you see the small-town-girl side of me now, eh?).

And what is life without diverse experiences?

3) It Is Never About the Money

My Dad once told me I should just work in some banks in my hometown because ‘the salary would be just the same and the work-life balance is much better’. I guess I should clarify to my Dad over and over again that it is never about the money. You know that the colony years ago seek for Gold, Gospel, and Glory. And the last word is what I always aspire: Glory.

Now you must be thinking I’m some ambitious bitch, but my point is, doing things in a big city will generally create more impact because of the wide exposure and because people more understand what exactly you are doing (even though I still haven’t really figured out the ‘thing’ I want to do).

Now my Mom also once wondered why I choose Jakarta over other big cities, when clearly Big J has worse pollution and traffic jam and travel distance and stuffs.

My only thought back then was: “Why not having it all or nothing?”