Waking up in Hanoi On the morning of July 12th, the sharp screech of my alarm ripped me out of sleep in my little hostel bunk in Hanoi’s Old Quarter. Just hours earlier, my sister Arli and I had stumbled in, backpacks weighing us down, exhaustion in our bones, but excitement buzzing beneath it all….
The Girl I Became in Paris
Whoever said “time flies when you’re having fun” was absolutely right. It’s the end of November 2025, and I’m sitting in my fourth Paris apartment, reflecting on the past three years. I feel so proud of that 19-year-old girl who decided to take a leap of faith and chose to experience the extraordinary. On January…
Two Sisters in Saigon: A Journey Through Vietnam’s Soul.
Touchdown in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam — the fifth stop of our backpacking journey through Southeast Asia. A brand-new destination, waiting to be explored. After our incredible time in Cambodia, we felt more prepared—more confident navigating the unpredictability of backpacking through Southeast Asia on our own. But every place has its own rhythm, its…
