Sep 14, 2026

I'm visiting home for a bit. It feels so weird to say visiting, I used to live here. This was my life for 26 years. The same familiar streets, the same people, the same food. Hundreds of thousands of foreigners move here every year. For a lot of people - this place is a dream. Endless picture perfect cafes, unparalleled food, vibrant social life. Bangkok is perfect in so many ways. For someone arriving here with a suitcase and a laptop, Bangkok can feel like freedom. For me, it had slowly started to feel like a cage.

I had several reasons. I outgrew my environment and craved independence. I love my family so much and living with family has a lot of perks but it really contrains your idea of yourself. You almost hand over the controller for your self image to the people around you.

The feeling of claustrophobia had started settling in years ago, trapped in a monotonous routine that felt like life was on auto pilot mode. I didn't feel like I was in control. Just steering minor work problems, barely growing. Fulfilling jewelry orders, meeting the same set of people, talking about the same set of things. The bank account was doing just fine. But the soul was desperate for more. I had delusional dreams to follow. People to meet. Experiences to experience. Before I get pressured into marrying a stranger. Time felt like it was ticking yet I wasn't moving. So I decided to move. On a whim. Unplanned. Told my family I'm going for a bit, when I was actually planning on moving completely.

And man I'm glad I moved. It's been over a year since I moved to Mumbai and it might have been the single greatest decision of my life. I've grown in ways you can't quantify or define. Created memories in a span of a year that people don't experience in a decade. New people, new places, new stories. Every month was a story. I've created friendships that I'll never forget.

I'm back in Bangkok for a month. I found a corner in the Starbucks on my street that has probably been here for over 20 years. The chocolate chip shake still hits the same. I'm walking on the same streets, greeting the same people, and it feels like not much has changed here. Except for me.