Many people dream of escaping the humdrum, nine-to-five rigmarole of city living, and yet very few actually pack up and leave. But for Charissa Adeline and her husband Yoong, moving away from Kuala Lumpur to live a simpler life had always been their dream.

“We could either join the rat race, save money and savour the moments we got to travel, or we could live the life we want to every day,” 33-year-old Charissa tells FMT.

She and Yoong ended up moving to Malim Nawar, a small town in Kampar, Perak, with their two children. But it wasn’t as easy as just packing up and leaving – Charissa and Yoong had to prepare themselves by finding ways to be self-sustainable.

“We started by growing food in our garden on a small scale to see what it would be like. We also gave soap-making a try as we wanted to cut out commercial products that contain chemicals,” she says, explaining that their goal is to live as naturally as possible.

The couple also had to learn how to literally build their own home. “Everything was self-taught and done by trial and error, but we slowly developed our skills and knowledge.

“We had a small budget, so we decided to explore alternative home-building methods. We looked into earthbag buildings and shipping containers, among other options for tiny living.”

In their search for a suitable location, they first found a piece of land in Taiping but later discovered it got waterlogged when it rained.

“Then we chanced upon Malim Nawar, completely randomly, and fell in love with the place. We applied all we had previously learnt to work this land,” Charissa says.

“Our home is located in a kampung of sorts – there’s this spirit of communal living. Some of our neighbours even helped out with the electrical wiring and plumbing.”

The five-year journey to their final destination paid off when the family moved into their self-built home in February last year.

Along the way, Charissa and Yoong honed their handicraft skills to the extent that they were able to launch Down to Earth, an online store selling homemade items such as macrame jewellery, toys, and bath and body products.

Among their bestsellers are the toys in the Peg and Play series. “I’ve been dabbling in creative things all my life, and Peg and Play is a combination of my creative interests,” Charissa shares.

She started by making peg dolls for her children and posting photos on Instagram, which led to requests from people interested in buying the toys.

She and Yoong have since invested in additional tools to expand the range and complexity of the toys, and also look forward to investing further in their overall business.

Charissa explains that she and Yoong were in their mid-20s when they got together and “didn’t really have the skills to live the way we wanted”.

With this in mind, they have decided to homeschool their children, encouraging them to explore and pursue the things they are truly interested in so they are “constantly learning”.

She is thankful the various lockdowns have not had a significant impact on their day-to-day activities, as they can still move around freely rather than be stuck indoors.

And even though she does not miss the hustle and bustle of big cities, Charissa acknowledges there are fewer opportunities to meet people and network in places like Malim Nawar.

“It is absolutely peaceful but quite sleepy in small towns,” she says fondly, adding that while they have had to sacrifice their social lives, she and Yoong look forward to building a virtual network of like-minded individuals as themselves.

The couple are also keen to get more involved with the local community. “Some of our neighbours are already working with us part-time, and we aim to organise workshops and start something like a ‘bengkel komuniti’ soon.”

For those who are thinking of living a similar lifestyle, Charissa says they must be open to taking risks and making sacrifices.

“Be willing to face the unknown. Know what you want to achieve and make plans, but don’t be scared if you don’t know how it will go exactly.”

A firm believer in manifesting one’s own destiny, she says it is important to “have faith in oneself, in life and in the universe”.

“In the beginning we had doubts we could do it, so we informed ourselves the best that we could and focused on our goals.

“It was a slow process that took sacrifices, but it could be done,” she says.

To buy Charissa and Yoong’s handcrafted items, check out Down to Earth on Shopee. Also follow the adventures of Charissa and her family on Instagram.