About : Life in Elesewhere

Notes from Elsewhere is a personal writing and lifestyle archive documenting everyday life across cities I have lived in, rather than visited.

This site focuses on long-term living experiences, including:

• daily life in cities often seen as “destinations”
• cost of living, housing, cafés, and neighborhoods
• hotels, restaurants, and places experienced as a resident, not a tourist
• quiet observations that emerge only after staying long enough for novelty to wear off

Notes from Elsewhere is a collection of records written from the places I have momentarily called home.

Depending on the chapter of my life, “elsewhere” has been Gothenburg, Sweden, and now, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. In Sweden, I navigated life as an international Master’s student. Today, in Malaysia, I am carving out a new path as a spouse who moved here for my husband’s career.

I am not a traveler. I am a resident. Because I live where others vacation, I have experienced the cold reality behind Sweden’s “happiest country” facade—from falling victim to a housing scam to the small miracle of securing a room against 140-to-1 odds. My life in Malaysia is no different; I explore neighborhood after neighborhood, facing the raw, everyday challenges of an expat settling into a new land.

All content on this site is based on first-hand experience, written and curated by a single author.
The purpose of this site is not to recommend perfection, but to record reality—honestly, quietly, and over time.

Notes from Elsewhere is a space for the stories that surface only when you stay long enough for the novelty to fade and for a place to truly settle in your heart.