Living Alone: ​​navigating solitude in independence

It’s been 17 years I have been a migrant, far from my place of origin in Gresik. This migrant trip became part of the significant points in my life, such as when I had the opportunity to study in Depok, then continued the master of the Australia, and finally worked in Jakarta. That way I live alone, one of the questions that I often hear is, “Doesn’t it feel lonely?”.

Certainly felt, please. I was previously accustomed to living at home and spent time with my family, of course surprised because suddenly I had to do everything myself. The migrant journey is indeed decorated with various fear, fatigue, and worry, but also brings a lot of lessons that I will not find if not through this experience. One of them is to realize that the sense of loneliness is present side by side with independence, and we do not need to make a sense of loneliness as an enemy.

In my overseas to Canberra, Australia, I chose to live in a student dormitory. At that time I also had the opportunity to become Senior population (SR). This SR is a kind of Pak RT who is given the confidence to oversee student residences in 2 blocks containing approximately 10 people from various countries. I was trained to observe my needs, welfareUntil preparation for the emergency situation that might be faced by fellow students. During my SR, I really hone my foreign language skills and intercultural communication here; skill which is very useful in professional life, especially if you work in a multinational company. But, the most important lesson I got here is that It turns out I am not alone. There are also many people who are also far from their families to pursue their dreams. Because we are both struggling, the thing I can contribute is to care for each other.

After completing my undergraduate and master’s education, I will finally continue my journey to Jakarta to work. During the overseas, I began to understand my own preferences, one of which was that I was a person who really appreciated and needed personal space. I don’t really like living with other people in the same space because differences in lifestyle and daily routine are not always compatible with my preferences, ending in disturbing thoughts that have been enlivened by other aspects of life, such as work. But, concern about the sense of loneliness when living alone it still exists.

Finally, I chose to always stay inside Housing together Like boarding or student dormitories to overcome these two needs (plus, more friendly in the bag than having to rent a house or apartment every time you move). Therefore, when in Jakarta I chose to try to stay in living together, Precisely from Cove. I took this option to look in the mirror from my time as a SR. I see how there is a kind of person in charge in a community very helpful in the quality of life overseas, so it is housekeeper provided in dwellings living together can lift a little daily load that has been enlivened by deadlines work.

In addition, dwelling living together Generally offers a variety of community activities that can bring us together with other migrants. At Cove, this community activity is presented through sports activities or other lifestyles, one of which is the class burning which I had followed last May. This activity can be an alternative when I start to feel bored, as well as being able to get new acquaintances with other occupants of the Coves, who might feel the same thing as me.

Even though I have found many new friends during my own stay, I still often feel miss my family in Gresik. I can say I am a person Family man, So leaving them to migrate is a very heavy thing, even today. The thing that most helps me to deal with this is virtual communication. Thank God for the development of technology, I can still see the face of my family through video call when Exchange of written messages began to feel insufficient to treat longing. It turned out that it wasn’t that bad to be connected virtually, instead motivated me to be able to work harder so I could go home, or even invite my family to surround Jakarta.

Unfortunately, there is always a time where I feel lonely but can’t contact my family or friends, and also there are no community events from where I live. When I was feeling lonely and indeed was alone, I often turned to exercising in the gym. Not only being healthier, I also can still get out of the room and meet other people during the trip or while in the gym. So, from here I realize that having a hobby is very important, and this applies not only to those who migrate. It doesn’t have to be sports, but when we have any activities we like, we can enjoy an activity without having to depend on the presence of others and instead ‘accompany’ ourselves.

A simpler way for me to be able to spend time with myself is to enjoy Jakarta. Although sometimes noisy and full of pollution, this city turns out to offer a lot of things for me to explore. I often walk around where I live, visit a coffee shop or a new restaurant that seems to continue to appear every week. When Bucket list I was up, I will enjoy the view of Jakarta just from pedestrian and JPO, then take some photos. From the catch of my picture, I realize that even though it is full of busyness and pressure, this city still has a lot of beautiful in its corner. Apparently, there are a variety of things that I can be grateful for while migrating.

I live alone, which was originally a fear, I managed to live for 17 years. When compared to the heavy taste, it turns out to taste beneficialThe same is the same! If you are one of the people who are considering living alone, Do! I guarantee 100 percent that the journey will not always be beautiful, but that does not mean it will never be beautiful. By living alone, I learned to recognize myself and more respect the presence of others, and especially My presence, for myself.

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Written by Gilang Hernanda
MARKETING PROFESSIONALS & COVE TERSTANDS