Hello! My name is Amalia. I am an Indonesian by heart and blood. I have been blogging since 2004 — one of the earliest Indonesian bloggers at that time 😀 . I currently live in London, UK.
Background
So far, I’ve lived in 7 different countries scattered in 3 different continents. Yes, I’m a global nomad and a third culture kid. I was born in the land of Pharaoh, Egypt, and lived there for about 5 years. My family and I then moved to Saudi Arabia just before the first Gulf War began. I grew up and lived in Jeddah, the city known as the Bride of the Red Sea, for more than 10 years. I decided to find some fresh air and be partially independent when I moved to Jakarta, Indonesia for my 3 years of high school. Just when I was about to get to know my home country a little better, I got out of my comfort zone and was literally thrown to Brisbane, Australia. I studied Information Technology at the University of Queensland. It was in Brisbane when I learnt the real meaning of life and slowly transformed from a girl to a woman. After graduating from the university, I decided to spread my wings and left for Europe. I studied there for 3 years and had one of the most memorable moments in my life. In desperate need of summer and sun, I moved back to Asia to find my luck there. Not only was I quite lucky to find a job in Malaysia (my 6th country) and settle quickly, I also managed to find the love of my life. My husband, Foogie is a vlogger on YouTube. See some of the videos our travels below. Do subscribe to him!
After living for 7 years in Malaysia, I decided to give Europe a second chance. We moved to the UK in 2018 and have been living here ever since!
Full-Time Traveler
I consider myself a traveller by birth. Traveling eases my mind. It allows me to learn about new things in a matter of short time. It opens up my mind — it gets you to the real story rather than depending on media and all the stereotypes that they create. It gives me the chance to meet not only normal people but inspiring and wonderful people. It amazes me, basically. And of course, it’s about having fun and being free. Freedom energizes me.
Up until today, I have been to 31 countries. Mongolia, -stan countries (Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kurdistan) are next in my list. I am fascinated with cultures and history of each country I visited and I want to visit those countries that are most vulnerable to human destruction (war, climate change, deforestation, etc). I regret that I did not get to step my feet to Iraq before it was invaded. Iraq was the centre of knowledge and culture and everything was lost in the blink of an eye :(.
When I’m not travelling, you’d find me hiking, cycling, or rock climbing.
If you have any questions regarding anything, feel free to email me.