I don’t fall in love with cities, I fall in love with neighbourhoods. And the last neighbourhood that captured my heart is Ari — in Bangkok, Thailand.
I was lucky to call Ari home for two years — on a street tucked away from the chaos, filled with trees, birdsong, and buildings full of stories. Streets alive with food vendors and children coming home from school. It was the people of Ari who made it come alive — and I wasn’t the only one who thought so. In this neighbourhood we had our very own storyteller, Harmish.
He approached me after a community event that I ran at Yellow Lane cafe, curious about my background in social entrepreneurship and what brought me to Ari. On a quiet afternoon, he invited me for a drink at the local Yard Bar and I shared with him my story which he later published on Instagram:
“I was around ten years old when president Suharto’s dictatorship was overthrown. There were mass riots all over Jakarta. I saw people setting fire to buildings. Businesses were closed down, including my school. My family had to move to Australia. I’m half Indonesian-British. Even though my dad grew up in the jungles of Borneo, he’s still white and when we were accepted to Australia, that was when I realized that I had mixed-race privilege. Many people I grew up with didn’t have a chance to flee and had to live with political unrest and worsening poverty.
As a teen, I didn’t understand any of this. I didn’t know how much my parents had to sacrifice to get us to Australia. I had my emo phase, lots of anger. I also never felt a sense of belonging - In Jakarta I was seen as “bule” (white person) and in Australia was teased for being the only Asian girl in my class. I didn’t like the Catholic school there either. I skipped school often and my small acts of rebellion escalated until I became a kleptomaniac, challenging myself to get away with stealing people’s stuff. Deep down inside I think I just wanted the sense of control that I didn’t have at the time.
After I hit rock bottom, I swung to the other extreme, trying to find purpose by making my life meaningful for others. I started to reflect on the differences between quality of life in Indonesia and in Australia. There are some responsibilities in offering something from my privilege. I ended up working on charity projects and international non-profit organizations that were trying to save the world. But now as an adult and having lived in many countries, I don’t believe in these heroes anymore.
I have learned that local entrepreneurs and communities that are solving their own problems in unique ways - we just need to listen and support them more effectively. These days I go to work knowing that I’m here to connect the dots so the people who want to create a positive impact can connect and collaborate together. I started an @impacthubjkt and now I’m coordinating with multiple Impact Hub in the region from Bangkok”.
-- Stephanie, a neighbor of Ari Samphan 2
Thank you Harmish for sharing the stories that live within us, and that connect us, here in Ari.
As someone who as always struggled with “belonging”, it has been special to have my story held by this community. Although I no longer live in Bangkok, I will always feel connected to fellow residents here.
