Moving to Balikpapan Part 1: Change, Courage, and Starting Over
I think some people already know that I once moved to Balikpapan for a while. Exactly four months ago, on January 18th, 2026.
Moving to Balikpapan was something I had never imagined before, especially since it meant crossing two islands away from my hometown, Palembang. Even the flight tickets were expensive, with a transit in Jakarta.
But maybe life has its own way of bringing us back to places we once quietly wished for.
Back in college, I once visited Kalimantan specifically Tarakan, North Kalimantan for about a week because of a competition. I still remember how much I enjoyed my days there. It felt incredibly healing compared to the hustle and bustle of the city. At that time, Palembang was covered in haze and smoke, so breathing the clean air in Kalimantan felt almost unreal.
I remember telling myself quietly,
“I hope someday I can come back to Kalimantan… and stay a little longer.”
I didn’t know that “someday” would come through work.
But funny enough, when I found out that my current job could actually give me the opportunity to return to Kalimantan, my answer never changed. Every time someone asked me,
“Where do you want to do your OJT?”
I would answer confidently, almost without thinking twice:
“Balikpapan!”
On January 18th, I flew alone from Jakarta to Balikpapan. My friends had already moved there two weeks earlier, while I had to stay in the Jakarta office a little longer.
I still remember that flight vividly.
Touching down in Balikpapan around 4 PM on a Sunday afternoon, the sky was bright and clear, almost as if the city was welcoming me warmly. There was something strangely comforting about that moment, sitting by the airplane window, watching the sunlight hit the runway, realizing that this city, so unfamiliar and distant before, would become my home for the next three months.
No family.
No relatives.
No local friends in Balikpapan.
Just me, a suitcase full of uncertainty, and 15 friends trying to figure out this new chapter together.
And honestly, if it weren’t for work, I probably would never have had the chance to return to Kalimantan. Yet somehow, this unexpected move became one of the most memorable stops in my life journey so far.
How does it feel to live in Balikpapan?
As one of the biggest cities in Kalimantan, Balikpapan feels like an ideal place to live at least for me. It’s modern enough to feel like a real city, though of course still quieter than Jakarta, but at the same time it never feels too small or rural. The city feels alive in its own way.
The roads are busy, yet rarely stressful. Traffic exists, but not the kind that drains your energy like Jakarta traffic does. One thing that surprised me the most was how disciplined people are on the road. No endless honking at red lights, no chaotic drivers fighting for lanes. People here seem to value order and safety more naturally.
Honestly, I never truly felt like I had moved somewhere extremely far away. Because in many ways Balikpapan feels quite similar to Jakarta, just a calmer and less crowded version of it.
A lot of people told me before coming here that everything in Balikpapan would be expensive. But surprisingly, I didn’t feel that way at all. Many prices are actually similar to Jakarta, and some things are even relatively cheaper. Maybe if you compare it to other cities outside Jakarta, then yes, Balikpapan can feel expensive.
But if there’s one thing Balikpapan absolutely deserves to be known for, it’s seafood. Honestly, this city feels like heaven for seafood lovers! and as someone who genuinely loves seafood, I was very happy living here.
Fresh seafood is everywhere. From small local restaurants to late-night seafood stalls by the roadside, it almost feels impossible to run out of places to try. Grilled fish, prawns, squid, crab, everything tastes incredibly fresh because most of it comes directly from the sea nearby. I still remember how excited I was every time for seafood dinner or lunch. Somehow, seafood in Balikpapan just tastes different. Fresher, sweeter, and more comforting.
One thing that genuinely surprised me, though, was how expensive freshwater fish is here. Since Balikpapan is a coastal city, most seafood comes directly from the ocean, so freshwater fish is considered less common and often more expensive than sea fish dishes.
As a city, Balikpapan is filled with all kinds of industries and companies, which is probably why so many people here come from different regions. Most of the people I met were migrants from Java, Banjar, or Makassar. Honestly, it was quite difficult for me to find someone who was “originally” from Balikpapan, and even harder to define what the city’s “main culture” really is, because everything has blended together so naturally with influences from outside.
And the weather? Honestly, it’s extremely hot! Even hotter than Jakarta, in my opinion. Since Balikpapan is located close to the equator and is also a coastal city with high humidity, the heat feels very intense. By 9 AM, the weather already feels like midday. And at 6 PM, the sky can still look bright like late afternoon, which sometimes makes me forget that it’s already evening while I’m still out doing activities.
What I found while constantly moving?
To be honest,I never expected this journey would quietly change the way I see life.
My job brought me to so many places.
New cities, new environments, new experiences, and most importantly new people.
Some days meant long drives to unfamiliar places.
Some days meant visiting areas I had never even imagined I would step into before.
And somehow, in the middle of all that movement, I found something exciting about constantly being “on the way” to somewhere new.
I discovered hidden places with unexpectedly good food.
Small local restaurants that didn’t look special from the outside but served the most memorable meals.
Beautiful spots I would have never found if work hadn’t taken me there.
Random conversations with strangers that somehow stayed in my mind longer than I expected.
At first, I thought I would struggle.
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I thought the pace would overwhelm me.
The constant adjustments.
The unfamiliar environment.
The responsibilities.
The need to adapt quickly.
And truthfully, during the first few weeks, everything felt exhausting. There were moments when I questioned myself deeply, wondering if I had taken the wrong path. The unfamiliar routines, the pressure to adapt quickly, and the feeling of being far away from everything comfortable sometimes made me feel lost.
But slowly… something changed.
What once felt overwhelming slowly became exciting.
The unfamiliar became familiar.
The routines stopped feeling forced.
I started enjoying the very things that once scared me.
Maybe moving isn’t always about distance.
Sometimes, it’s about allowing yourself to become someone new. I didn’t move to Balikpapan with a perfectly written master plan.
I moved carrying questions.
Questions about growth. About courage. About whether leaving comfort automatically means finding purpose. Questions about whether adulthood is supposed to feel exciting or terrifying or somehow both at the same time.
People often romanticize moving to a new city. They imagine aesthetic coffee shops, beautifully organized routines, spontaneous adventures, and a brand-new beginning wrapped neatly like a movie montage.
But nobody really talks about the in-between moments.
Not every new beginning arrives with confidence.
Sometimes it comes with uncertainty, homesickness, awkward silences, and the fear of starting over.
Because truthfully, moving to another city isn’t only about adapting to a new place.
It’s about adapting to a new version of yourself.
A version that has to learn how to survive without familiar comfort.
A version that learns how to make decisions independently.
A version that realizes growth often happens quietly, through small daily experiences you don’t immediately notice.
There were moments when I suddenly craved Palembang food at midnight.
Moments when I got tired after work.
Moments when everything felt exciting and lonely at the same time.
But somehow, those moments made me grow faster.
I learned that courage doesn’t always look loud or dramatic.
Sometimes courage simply looks like boarding a plane alone.
Saying yes to opportunities that scare you.
Walking into unfamiliar places anyway.
Starting over anyway.
Now that I’m back in Jakarta, what did I learn during those three months there?
I came to Balikpapan thinking I would only learn about work, career, and responsibility. But somewhere between adapting to a new city, meeting new people, building new routines, learning about change, courage, and starting over. I slowly learned more about myself too.
Balikpapan gave me more than just memories.
It gave me perspective.
That life can suddenly change direction in ways you never planned.
That people can become home even in temporary places.
And that sometimes, the bravest thing you can do is allow yourself to begin again even before you feel fully ready.
And I think that’s why Balikpapan will always mean something special to me.
Because this city quietly taught me that life begins to expand the moment we stop being afraid of change.
Sometimes the best chapters of our lives start from decisions we never planned before.
In the next chapter, I’ll be talking about the people I met along the way, so I hope you’ll stay and become part of this journey with me.
