Curious what it would be like to work or study abroad? My Life Abroad is a column by Her World that gives a glimpse into the lives of women from Singapore who have pursued their dreams and ambitions overseas. If you would like to share your experience, please email us at magherworld@sph.com.sg with the subject “My Life Abroad” in your email header, and one of our editors will get back to you.
In today’s column, we speak with 30-year-old Jane Tor (@janetoryl), who’s a senior manager in the consulting department of a Singapore-based marketing agency. A digital nomad, Jane has been travelling and working remotely since the start of 2020. She is working from Bali (for now) and to date, she has worked remotely from Croatia, Italy, Thailand, and Indonesia.
Intuition can creep up on you like a soft feather or hit you like a truck. Mine ran me over. Three years ago, I got a divorce and felt destroyed. I asked myself, “You’re 28 – what do you want to do with your life?”
I decided to make a month-long trip to Mexico, which I had planned to visit when I moved to the US with my ex-husband. It was my first solo trip, and it forced me out of my comfort zone. I met so many different travellers with whom I shared my story – they too shared something of their life, which helped me heal and deal with my own pain. There were travellers who were unafraid of sharing their stories – not held back by stigma or shame, and there were travellers who strayed from conventional ways of living. They inspired me to change my life.
After coming back to Singapore, I realised I love the country but didn’t feel like I fit in. So instead of continuing to live in Singapore, feeling unfulfilled and complaining about life every day, I chose the digital nomad life.
I spent the rest of the year working in different corners of the world in exchange for food and boarding – babysitting in Oxford, doing restoration work on a Victorian house in Leicester, volunteering at a hostel in Albania, and more. The experience broadened my perspective and gave me the space I needed to be more introspective and figure out what I want out of life.
After coming back to Singapore, I realised I love the country but didn’t feel like I fit in. It occurred to me that it’s more important to live a life that I find meaningful and fulfilling. So instead of continuing to live in Singapore, feeling unfulfilled and complaining about life every day, I chose the digital nomad life.
As a digital nomad, I normally rent from locals as it’s the best way to immerse myself in the local scene. Right now, I’m living in Amed, Bali. For a one-bedroom studio apartment, with a kitchen and terrace, I pay 3 million Indonesian Rupiah ($300) a month. This doesn’t include electricity but it does include twice a week cleaning and wifi. Most people who live in Bali live in Canggu, Seminyak or Ubud, and in these places, you can expect to pay more. I know people pay between $800 to $1,200 sometimes but because Amed is three hours away from the hustle and bustle of Bali, rent is relatively cheaper.
I chose Amed because I’m a diver and want to be close to the dive sites. If you like scuba diving, snorkelling or free diving, it’s paradise. There are many locals here and also expats who have moved here have learned to speak the local language and married Balinese. There’s also a small international school in the area.
What’s interesting about Bali is that each province is run by a different village head, and the different characteristics of each province would appeal to different people. For instance, Canggu might appeal to surfers, as Amed does to divers.
In Amed, there are potholes everywhere which might turn off people who don’t ride a bike well. The wifi connection in Amed is also not as good as in Canggu or Seminyak so I personally had to get my own router.