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seven years in Indonesia

WOW it’s been Seven Years In Indonesia

Seven Years in Indonesia!

July 26, 2025, marked seven years since I landed in Indonesia again. Again, because I stayed here for a few years back in 1999-2002. I came back to Jakarta to work with MD Pictures as a COO and stayed for 3 years, and then moved on to Bali. No grand plan. Just instinct, timing, and the quiet tug of something I couldn’t ignore.

Back in 2018, I returned to this country with a suitcase full of clothes and a brain buzzing with possibilities, scattered ideas, and, honestly, an unfinished version of myself. Since then, Bali has been a battleground, a creative lab, and a place that forced me to rethink everything.

In these seven years, I’ve shifted from COO in Jakarta’s entertainment scene to full-time writer (check my book Gerobak 777 at gramedia!), creative consultant, and independent author. I’ve published over a dozen books, most of them led by strong characters and driven by stories rooted in emotional depth and tension.

This country has taught me patience (barely), Bahasa (slowly), and the strange art of working through chaos while smiling politely. I’ve built stories from café conversations, TikTok rabbit holes, awkward visa renewals, and the daily mix of magic and mess. Since then, I have grown on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, and it’s been quite a journey.

Seven years in, Indonesia is no longer just a backdrop. It’s part of the voice behind everything I write. The food, the people, the contradictions, the pace, all of it keeps feeding the creative engine.

Here’s to seven years of letting this place shape the stories I tell. And to whatever comes next.

Thanks for reading.
Terima kasih, Indonesia.

Zsolt Zsemba

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Zsolt Zsemba

Zsolt Zsemba has worn many different hats. He has been an entrepreneur, and businessman for over 30 years. Living abroad has given him many amazing experiences in life and also sparked his imagination for writing. After moving to Canada from Hungary at the age of 10 and working in a family business for a large part of his life. The switch from manufacturing to writing came surprisingly easily for him. His passion for writing began at age 12, mostly writing poetry and short stories. In 1999, the chance came to write scripts. Zsolt took some time off from his family business to write in Jakarta Indonesia for MD Entertainment. Having written dozens of soap operas and made for TV movies, in 2003 Zsolt returned to the family business once more. In 2018, he had the chance to head back to Asia once again. He took on the challenge to be the COO for MD Pictures and get back into the entertainment business. The entertainment business opened up the desire to write once more and the words began to flow onto the pages again. He decided to rewrite a book he began years ago. Organ House was reborn and is a fiction suspense novel while Scars is a young adult drama focused on life’s challenges. After the first two books, his desire to write not only became more challenging but enjoyable as well. After having several books completed he was convinced to publish them for your enjoyment. Zsolt does not tend to stay in one specific genre but tends to lean towards strong female leads and horror. Though he also has a few human interest books, he tends to write about whatever brews in his brain for a while.