I was recently asked by a friend in Scotland what Indonesia was really like. Apparently her computer at work prevents her from logging in because of the expletives being filtered, but, rather than pointing out the shortcomings I sent this off, trying to explain some off the little things!
What does one say about Indonesia that has not been said many times over.
When I first arrived over three years ago it took a bit of understanding to comprehend the vastness of the archipelago.
The country is huge, from the tip off Bander Ache to the most easterly point of Irian Jaya is equivalent to the distance from London to Teheran, something that the maps do not truly convey.
In between these two boundaries, the wealth of diversity once again lies beyond belief. Not only do nature’s splendours take ones breath away, the peoples from Batak to Dayak and more ensure that there is no such thing as a typical “stereotype” that can be applied to its inhabitants.
However, as visitors there are many aspects to living here which confuse, astound and amuse.
It takes time to understand and accept what is taken for granted by Indonesians and we must never forget that we are merely guests, living for short periods of time in one off the most interesting countries in the region!
Take the language, Language here is fraught with pitfalls, being a mis-match of over a hundred languages, welded together recently to create Bahasa Indonesian.
This is a nation where one needs to learn at least a smattering of the local tongue, but also, we should ensure that we are tolerant on the occasions where we interface in English on a day to day basis.
Recently, as is my want, I entered a watering hole in Kemang and ordered a Bintang.
Smiling, the charming young lady with excellent English asked me if I wanted “Draught or Bottle”
“Draught” I replied.
“Would you like a glass with that” was the response!
I was understandably stuck for words and there are many other examples but we are not here for language lessons.
The weather, so dissimilar to our native country has a profound effect on daily lives here!
The rainy season started early last year with moderate daily showers increasing on a weekly basis until they became humongous downpours every day. Many parts of Jakarta are in low lying areas and consequently, when combined with a total lack of drainage the rainy season makes for an unpleasant number of months for the denizens of these areas. It has been said that many of these residents have adapted to the bi-annual semi aquatic environment, however I have yet to see any evidence of webbed feet and gill adaptations on their necks.
In all honesty, I like storms, the ferociousness and power of the Indonesian rainy season fills me with awe and I am often humbled by the raw power. Having said that, I’d much rather be in my car than walking during one of the downpours.
Like all things here, it takes time to become accustomed to the idiosyncrasies of life in Indonesia! But there are many things we take for granted in a very short time, all of which are so different from home.
Indonesia's official unemployment rate hovers at around 10 percent but anyone who has lived in this country for any length of time will scarcely find this a credible figure. So many people seem to turn their hand at any form of informal occupation they can find in order to sustain a hand-to-mouth existence. Here the ingenuity and perseverance of the nation is displayed on a daily basis and I greatly admire their fortitude.
My favorite job-non-job would have to be the parkir fellows on the street whose smart uniforms, loud whistles and smiling demeanor help distract from the utter tediousness of their occupation.
God bless every one of them. Without these guys' ceaseless kiri , kanan and terus I would have no doubt have had my car scratched, dented and possibly written off.
Satpams, Pembantu’s musicians on buses, tailors on bicycles, you soon get used to it!
How do you know you have settled in, become acclimatised, well that’s a tough one!
...if the one and ONLY bottle of medicine you have at home cures every single illness known to man.
...if you can use two 100-Rupiah coins as tweezers.
...if you can eat any dish consisting of 50% Sambal without heart failure.
...if your only morning alarm clock is the regular 4:30am mosquito attack.
Then I would say that you are nearly reaching an understanding of Indonesia.
Finally, you have settled in when strange things happen and you accept them, however there are moments when you still raise an eyebrow. Without these moments Indonesia would not be Indonesia.
In essence, Indonesians have an astoundingly high tolerance for the day to day problems and are able to do things for hours that would send us into dotage.
They painstakingly tend rice fields. They carry heavy loads for hours up mountains, repeating the trip many times a week. They have to contend with a land in which natural disasters are commonplace and they understand life in what I consider to be a deeper level than perhaps we do!
This is an important thing to remember when trying to comprehend a culture that is, effectively, so different that most westerners may never really understand it.
I like this country, it is alive, vibrant and offers new experiences every day.
After all, things are not all bad when you consider winters back home!
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