- People
- 05/07/2021
Exploring the world as a digital nomad
Esther van Kalken (28) will become a digital nomad. She decided to quit her job as program maker at Studium Generale and to put everything she owns in a backpack. She wants to live in Southeast Asia together with her boyfriend for the time being. “We’ll see what comes our way there. As long as I have my laptop and my bikini.”
“The idea is that we’ll discover which environment gives us what we need, and then base our decision on where to live on that,” Esther van Kalken explains over the telephone. “We want to be location independent, preferably in Southeast Asia. We’ve both been there before and loved it very much. The people are really friendly and the food is great. Life is cheaper there, so that we can save money for the future, and the weather is nice every day.”
The plan is to close the door of their home in Eindhoven behind them in mid-September. The advantage is that theirs is a social rental home, which they are allowed to sublet for a maximum period of twelve months. “It’s really great that our furniture and other large belongings can stay there.”
She started to feel the urge to become a digital nomad about four years ago. During her Arts and Culture studies at Radboud University she had already considered travelling abroad for an exchange program, but her choice for a board year with ‘Cultuur op de Campus’ kept her in Nijmegen. But when she realized early on in her relationship with Jordy Schreuders that he too wanted to travel the world, they started to make plans.
SG
She gives up her work at SG for this dream. “I’m not happy with that, because I had a great time there during the past five years. I feel really safe and comfortable with the SG team, and leaving that behind is very hard. That also applies to our families. My parents have mixed feelings about it. They want me to have this opportunity, but they’re also sad about having to miss me for such a long time.” Mother and daughter, incidentally, know what it feels like having to miss each other for six months; when Esther was a teenager, her mother spent half a year studying in South Africa. “Back then, I thought it was a cool thing for her to do. Perhaps it plays a role subconsciously as an example of all the possibilities life has to offer.”
Back to SG. “One of the coolest things I managed to achieve during the coronavirus restrictions, was a screening of the documentary White Noise. It was the very first online movie screening and I got the director of the documentary to take part in a live Q&A afterwards. He was in the US and we got to interview him live in Eindhoven. Hearing him answering questions from the audience was a really valuable contribution to the event.”
In addition to that highlight, she also suffered a major setback during the past year. “The World Press Photo expo has been my project ever since I’ve been working for SG. Due to corona, the 2020 exhibition was constantly postponed and eventually cancelled altogether because of the lockdown. That was a great pity, not just because it’s a very beautiful and important exhibition, but also because of all the effort that had already been put into it.”
Freelance
Van Kalken has been gaining experience with freelance work for a year now. “I take care of social media for a number of small companies. I can do that anywhere. My boyfriend Jordy works as a software designer, a branch in which location independent working is quite common already.” He has already worked with colleagues from all over the world.
Sitting on a pearly white beach while you earn your money maintaining social media accounts sounds great, but it also has a flip side. “I will really miss the enthusiastic responses from the audience in the hall after a successful program. I always get much energy out of knowing that people had a great evening and that they experienced something that enriches them and makes them think.”
She hopes to eventually do some work in the cultural sector from her address in Asia. Corona has shown what is possible as far as this is concerned. “With today’s technology, it’s very easy to stay in touch with friends and family. A videocall is like sitting on a sofa together.”
Now that she made an appointment for a second coronavirus vaccination, the final hurdle before she can embark on her trip around the world has been taken. “We can now request our visas and book our one-way flight to Indonesia. We’ll figure out where to go next from there. That’s just the kind of freedom we’re looking for.”
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