This blog is waaaay overdue. I have been living in Jakarta as an English teacher for almost a year now. Living here has really improved my Indonesian! I studied Indonesian for three years at University. Nothing compares to living and working in the country. I have been loving it living here. It hasn’t been easy or perfect though, but hey I am happiest when my life is exciting and feels like an adventure!
Why I chose to come to Jakarta in the first place...
Indonesia had so much to offer me! Every language teacher dreams of living in the country who speaks the language you teach: becoming fluent and gaining a richer knowledge of people places and cultures. Indonesia is such a beautiful country, so much to see, to eat and to do! People are usually really friendly in Jakarta and helpful to foreigners. People are always asking me where I come from, school children run after me for a chance to talk to me. It takes some time to get used to but I think generally I get much more positive attention than negative attention. People are keen to try to speak English no matter what their fluency level is. It can be very endearing! Indonesians still call females 'mister'. Everyday I hear "halllo misterrrr" or "bule! bule!" (foreigner) thus the title of this post.
After doing my Secondary Education degree I really felt that I wanted to sharpen my teaching skills and really challenge myself in a new environment. Most of my degree was focused around curriculum things and sociological academic things and less on pedagogy (the art and science of teaching). I honestly felt that being in Australia would have bored me into insanity if I had stayed there and started to teach Indonesian without an authentic cultural and linguistic experience. I never want to be a fake!
Working at EF suited me perfectly for a number of reasons. If the students were bored they would say so: being an afterschool, class and all! I would have to be super fun and accountable otherwise my students wouldn’t want to come back! The hours are pretty good and the job isn’t super demanding. I am also a person who likes a lot of creative freedom and licence. I actually really really hate strict structures if they limit you in actually doing your job well! Needless to say I have run with it and done some really cool things with my students! Haha with EF you can sleep in too! Office hours usually start at 1pm. I also work with some amazing teachers! we all get along and we have a lot of fun working together!
I am privileged in many many ways to be fluent and have quite a good knowledge of Indonesian culture before I came here. I can sympathise with those who come here and can’t handle it. I am not sure If I could handle living in a completely foreign country: China for instance! Where I would not know how to speak the language and there would be lots of cultural barriers. I have unwavering and total respect for the expats who come without knowing how to speak Indonesian. A lot of people say that I am brave to live here. I really don’t think so! My biggest weapon is my language ability and I think I use it well.
Jakarta really is the best place for expats to live in Indonesia! The night life is great and there are lots of support networks out there for expats. If Jakarta had a better transport network (the MRT is under construction) I would probably wouldn't ever want to leave. I lived in earthquake torn Padang three years ago while on a language study trip . I was part of a group of about twenty Indonesian language major students living in one huge house, only two months after one of the biggest earthquakes ever in Indonesian seismic history. There were very very limited supermarkets and fresh food markets, very few taxis and very few western options, only one dingy bar and alcohol store in the whole city. Might I also add very very few acceptable and convenient places to eat. Guess what though? We all survived and had a good time! Why? We could all speak Indonesian and we were all mostly easy going and resourceful people.
Conclusions I have come to so far:
Living in a different place you have use different logic: you have to adapt, not fight difference! Lateral thinking has to apply in a new environment! If you can get it, or find it , find a happy medium or a substitute.
I could bitch and moan about how many things I can’t have while I live here! Why would I do that? That's not a useful way to think. Sure If I lived in Kemang I could get most things that are western and Australian, but it would hurt the hip pocket. Why would I want to do that? I try to focus on all the awesome things I can get and can eat and can do while I am here :D
I can eat tropical fruits, gado-gado, pecel, gudeg and BEEF RENDANG while I am here. As my good friend Ari says “there are only two types of Indonesian food: delicious food and VERY delicious food!” . My obsession with Rendang is so complete that I once said ‘pool of Rendang’ (kolam Rendang) intead of ‘swimming pool’(kolam renang). Rendang is the signature dish from Padang, the capital city of West Sumatra where I lived. I fell in love with Padang food and I often joke openly that I will marry a man from Padang just so I can cook Rendang like his mama makes it ;)
Indonesia is so dynamic, so much fun and so free! How many countries have so many beautiful holiday destinations so cheap and so accessible. So many interesting brave and awesome people live here. There is so much to see and to experience. So many different cultures exist within Indonesia, so many distinct traditions, slang words and ways of thinking!
An example of adapting: I changed my hair back to blonde, almost my natural colour after several months of living here. Previously my hair was a very deep shade of auburn. After two months my hair started to turn the very horrible shade of ‘brorange’. No matter how much I kept up with the dye I bought from home I couldn’t get it to look that nice again. The sun and chlorine was getting to my hair and it was looking patchy all over. I could have moaned and whinged and demanded to be sent 15 boxes of hair dye or went to a super special and pricey expat salon every three weeks to make my hair look good. Why bother? I couldn’t get red hair dye here for caucasian hair but I could get good quality blonde hair dye for caucasian hair at $ 5 a packet. It was a simple practical choice. Blonde is also a more forgiving shade with patches and streaks. I was worried a little about being a blonde here, but I knew that I could deal with comments as I would know what people were saying!
Common expat problems and how to get over them:
Can’t find the right medicine? Most pharmaceutical products have generic chemical names. You should be able to find it by looking up chemical names on your smartphone. if all else fails translate whats wrong with you and point to body parts.
You can’t find clothes that fit you? Go to wholesale market, an ITC (Indonesian Trade Center) a discount store or a tailor: they are heaps of super cheap options here! You just gotta ask and keep looking.
Can’t find healthy foods? Cook for yourself, or you can cook part of your meal so its healthier.
I often take brown rice in a container with me to work as I don’t like to eat too much white rice. I order some vegetables and bam! I have a healthy dinner :D
Can’t find a product you need? Ask an Indonesian co-worker, they will probably know. If they don’t know, look at blogs. If all else fails: explore! You have got nothing to lose.
If you are super worried about one specific product (that isn’t medical) then you probably shouldn’t worry about it. If you live in another country you have to accept that you can’t get some things.
I like to try to think about awesome products and services that I can’t get back at home :D Rose scented insect repellent sold in small sachets for your handbag, cheap clothes and accessories, food is sold everywhere!, angkots (below) are super cheap and convenient and arriving all the time! Beauty treatments are super affordable! Taxi’s are very easy to order, free wifi is almost everywhere! These are a few of my favourite things…. (sound of music tune)
Thats about all for now! Off to eat some warteg food (Warung Tegal) then go to a market riding an angkot while staying bite free with my scented insect repellent.
Have a great day!
Simone
