About Us

Who we are.

We are a family of 4 currently living in Jakarta Indonesia. I was born and raised in Mexico and constantly looking for new places to visit and live in. By the time I finished college I had visited over 20 countries and lived, studied and worked in 5 of them. Little did I know that I would later find my perfect mate, with whom I would get to travel the world and experience what being an expat is truly like.

My husband is an engineer by day, a superhero by night and on the weekends. He loves the outdoors and cannot sit still for more than 5 minutes unless it is with a good book or playing with anything Apple.

My 2 year old, Evan Alexander. He has taught me what being a mom is (a tough job, I might say). He is my biggest pride and joy. He is a very active little boy who is always looking for trouble. If by any chance he’s quiet, he is probably taking something apart (that he takes from daddy). I’m sure I will find lots of anecdotes to share about Evan as he is constantly finding new adventures and I can’t help but enjoy his every move.

My newborn, Joshua David. He is the sweetest baby I’ve ever met. It’s hard to tell what his personality will be like this early but I can tell you that he loves people. He craves company and loves babbling and looking at everything around him. I can’t wait to see him interact with his big brother.

Who we aim to be

We strive to be a God-centered family and to trust God in every move we make. Sometimes we forget that it’s by his mercy that we are here, and we are together. We want to set an example for our boys and guide them in a meaningful way.  People often ask us if we’ll stop moving when the kids start getting older and start craving more consistency. We won’t. We believe that as long as we as a couple and family remain constant and strong, our boys will thrive anywhere we go.

Who we want our boys to become

We just want our boys to be happy and to become whatever they want to become. We encourage them to be creative and find new ways to discover their surroundings. We are sure being third-culture kids will be enriching intellectually and emotionally.  We are attempting to raise them bi-lingual, although I sometimes forget to speak Spanish to them and my husband ends up using his Mexican movie Spanish when speaking to them.

What this blog is all about

It’s about life . Life as an expat in the Big Durian. Life as a stay at home wife who loves to bake, craft, decorate the house and host parties. Life as a mom to two boys  who’s learning that cars and trains and (gulp) dirt are fun.  It’s about life, our life and the wonderful people we share it with.

 

We love to make new friends everywhere we go. Drop us an email at stumbleabroad@gmail.com

 

45 thoughts on “About Us”

  1. Nice to meet you. I used to live in Jakarta for a few months. I hate the traffic in that city but love its people.

  2. Came across your blog while surfing and absolutely love it! I’m Malaysian-Australian married to an Indonesian living in Jakarta with a 2 year old toddler so your blog is truly interesting to me!

    • Hi Sarah! I’m glad you find the blog interesting. It’s sometimes hard to find things to do with toddlers so when I find something Evan likes I think it’s worth writing about. =) I hope you are enjoying Jakarta!

  3. I’m so glad that you dropped by my blog. I’m laughing about your comment about finding cars and dirt fun. Too bad we don’t live closer b/c I’m finding that tea parties and dress up is fun (gulp). I was such a tomboy growing up, but it has been great having my very girls girl. I’ve learned so much. I enjoy reading more about your adventures as well.

  4. So glad you found me! I am really getting excited to expat soon and hope that we learn if it’s Romania, Netherlands or somewhere else in the next couple of weeks. I am most worried about screwing up the boys naps and sleep- twins are 18mos and my oldest is 3. You can imagine that I rely on them! I’d love your tips on how to regulate their sleep while on the move.! My email is farrah dot ritter at gmail dot com (I have The Three Under blog :) )

  5. Hey Ana,

    It was so nice you found my blog and liked it! Thank you so much. It sounds like our paths could cross at some point…I’m traveling all over SE Asia. Let’s keep in touch. Your blog is great.

    • Hi Jen,
      I’m sure they will… =) I will have to ask you about things to do in Bali. Last time we stayed in Nu Sadua and I’m sure there are more interesting things to do than bali collection…I look forward to reading more about your adventures in SE Asia!

  6. What a beautiful blog you have! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment on my blog, which is how I found yours. I visited Indonesia in 1990, so it is interesting to me to see your life there today. I liked what you said about trusting in God for your life.

    • Hi Lynne, I really enjoyed your blog, too! I bet Indonesia has changed. I have friends who’ve been here for about three years and even in that short amount of time they’ve noticed a difference! And yeah, God is so good to us we are so grateful for his mercies every day! =)

  7. Hola Ana Gaby, me topé con tu blog por medio de Worlds Moms Blog y ¡me encantó! Que valentía la de tu familia de andar de aventureros por el mundo. Yo también soy de México, estudié 7 años en E.U.A. y llevó casi un año en Alemania. Ya con dos países siento que llevo mucho, no imagino todos los cambios que tú has hecho. Seguiré tu blog y tus aventuras. Que padre conocer a otras mexicanas internacionales ;) Muchos saludos! Tania

    • Hola Tania! Que bueno que encontraste el blog. Donde en Alemania vives? Nosotros estamos Frankfurt por dos semanas haha. Ya te estoy siguiendo yo también. Que tal deutschland? Vivimos Aquí un tiempo y ahora que regresamos nos dimos cuenta que hay muchas cosas que nos gustan de aquí!

      • Estoy en Hamburgo! Ojalá y les toque buen clima en su visita :) Yo también me he ido acostumbrando a la vida por aquí, y si me gusta! Saludos

  8. Hi! I’m a Malaysian girl living in Jakarta and have been here (drumroll please…) almost 7 years! Stumbled upon your blog whilst searching for Jakarta expat bloggers – love the photos and quips on Jakarta life. Keep it up, and hope you’re enjoying the city…I have a small blog which has been abandoned for months…time to start writing again :)

    • Hi, I’m so sorry I didn’t reply before! I thought I did but I guess my phone didn’t send the msg thru! I’m sorry it’s been so long! Thanks for visiting! Wow, 7 years! I’ve been here for a bit less than two and it seemslike an eternity!!! I look forward to reading more about YOUR Jakarta! xo!

  9. Hi! Very interesting blog you have..

    I’m indonesian working in jakarta, father of 2 daughters.
    I was looking for ideas to spend our long-lebaran-holiday in this city
    and voila, i found this blog! Thanks to you.. :D

    Keep writing, as u seem to know a wayyy lot better than me about this city.. :) )

    Cheers

    • Hi Indra! Thanks for your comments! It´s nice to e-meet you! I´m still learning to appreciate the sweetness inside the prickly surface of the Big Durian. I love exploring and finding new places for the kids to enjoy! Selamat Idul Fitri!

  10. Your description of Evan sounds familiar. My 2 year old is also very active and silence is trouble. He likes to take things apart! Anyway, I hope you are enjoying your adventures in Indonesia. I think the weather, scenery and culture is a lot like the Philippines where I originally came from. :-)

    • Hi Grace! Thanks for visiting! I haven’t had the chance to visit the Philippines but it’s certainly in my to visit list! It’s a lot of fun to have an active little boy but it can be scary sometimes hahaha.

    • I bet Nicaragua is awesome, too! My mom is Nicaraguan and I still haven’t visited Managua, let alone all the amazing beaches and jungles… It’s definitely on our to do list!

  12. Hola Ana,
    I just found your blog accidentaly when I searched about Spanish speaker in Jakarta.
    I was born and grew and Jakarta but live in Bandung since 4 years ago.
    I read ur some articles and it was very nice! me gustar mucho!
    gracias por compatir la informacion. tal vez puede ensenarme espanol a vez.hehe..
    Salud!!

  13. actualmente, es muy muy dificil buscar gente se habla espanol aqui. (I found spanish speaker twice who are couchsurfer)
    primero, aprendi espanol de internet y libros, despues acabo de encontrar el maestro de spanish embassy en JCC cuando eduacation higher expo.
    es facil buscar se habla espanol en yakarta?

  14. Hola!!! te he escrito en otra parte del blog y ahora veo que sos Mexicana! tengo un pesimo ingles, por fin alguien de habla hispana, actualmente estoy viviendo en argentina, soy argentina y quizas el año que viene iremos a Balikpapan, me gustaria saber cual es el habla predominante alli en los colegios, y si conoces balikpapan o alguien con quien pueda comunicarme y compartir experiencias. Un gusto haberte encontrado! saludos!!

    • Hola Julieta! Deberia escribir mas en espanol… Te cuento que en Jakarta hay una buena comunidad de Argentinas. la mayoria estan bastante contentas. En lo personal no conozco a nadie en Balikpapan pero voy a preguntarle a unas amigas y te cuento.Se que mucha gente que vive en Jakarta viaja seguido a Balikpapan por cuestiones de trabajo. En particular en el area de petroleos y gas natural. Espero que los preparativos para la mudanza no sean muy pesados! Saludos!

  15. Hi Ana! I stumbled on your blog while looking for an article about Sarinah dept.store, I’m indonesian living in Jakarta for almost 30 years, haha… thanks for sharing ! and Glad that you enjoy the ups and downs of this town, keep up the great blog! …………happy new year!!!

  16. Hi Ana I came across your blog while looking for a new play place to take my very active 2.5 year old daughter . I am Malaysian and have been in Jakarta for close to a year now. Love reading your blog and can totally relate to your experience . Looking forward for more interesting post on your blog !

    • Hi Rubini. Thanks for your comments. It’s not always easy to keep the little ones engaged! I’m glad you’ve found the blog useful! I look forward to hearing from you again! Take care!!

      • Hi Henk,

        I usually buy them in Grand Lucky near Pacific Place. We like to make our own dill pickles, too so I buy them often. Sometimes they don’t have the super small ones but I usually find them to be fresh and crunchy. Good luck finding them! Let me know if you have any more questions!

  17. About pickles-This is for Henk (and anyone else who might want to know)
    Just picked up a jar at Ranch Market in Dharmawangsa Square (mall) on Friday. They had a very large range of pickles from several different countries. I tried a jar of Spanish ones, for a change, and love them.

    • THanks for the tip Steeve! I like spanish pickles, too. I always ask my Spanish friends to bring me some tapenade, olives and pepinillos when they ask me if they can get me anything from Spain.

  18. Hi Ana,

    While surfing the net for an outdoor playground in Jakarta for my 1 year old daughter, I found your blog. After reading your post about Kemang Playground, in the end I read almost all your articles re. living in Jakarta. As an Indonesian who was born in Jakarta and have been living in Jakarta for almost my whole life and as a mother who really cares of her daughter, I really appreciate that an expat writes such a wonderful blog about my city with many tips about raising kids in the city. Just the blog that I’m looking for. I, myself, have a deep love and hate relationship with the city. Sometimes, I just couldn’t stand the traffic and the polluted air. But, when I studied in Singapore, each time I got free time, I always went home:) No matter how crazy the city is, this is my root, this is where I belong. Again, thanks for your blog!

    • Hi Marthine, Thank you so much for your kind comments! ANd yeah, I have made it my mission to find fun things for my boys to do! I hope your daughter enjoyed the Kemang Playground, it is one of our favorites! We love living in Jakarta except for the dreadful traffic that seems to be getting worse. Hope to see you around!

  19. Hi Ana, My name is Felicity and I just stumbled (no pun intended :) across your blog and I love it!!! My husband and I along with our 4 children were meant to be moving to Vietnam in June, but we just found out a couple of days ago, we will now be moving to Jakarta! Talk about a huge shock!!! :) Finding your blog has been so wonderful and informative and I’ve really enjoyed reading about another expat family living in Jakarta! Can’t wait to read more and learn more about this city that we’re about to move to!!!

    Felicity xo

    • Hi Felicity! Thanks for your message! Jakarta is definitely tons of fun and I think your family will enjoy living here. Please let me know if you have any specific questions about life in Jakarta. Some things can be challenging but overall Jakarta is a great city for kids. Have fun getting everything ready for your move!! xoxo!

  20. Hi Ana, I’m Natasha, I’m an Indonesian food blogger. I just bumped into your blog while looking food reviews, and ended up reading all your post! You’re doing an amazing job in sharing your life in Jakarta. Oh, and I especially love the ‘Fabulous Jakartan Friday’ section, its very fun looking on other people’s perspective and recommendation about my city. Thanks a lot.

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