Jacque in Jakarta: Cultural Pollution

Eight months ago yesterday, we landed in Jakarta. The only other place I had visited in Southeast Asia was Singapore, which is nothing like Jakarta. In Singapore, there is hardly any pollution and people are actually fined for littering. In Jakarta, we wear a mask because of the pollution and witness people throwing trash on the ground everyday.

Jakarta is home to one of the most polluted rivers in the world, Citarum (pronounced "Chi-ta-room"). People who used to fish for fish are now forced to fish for plastic because all the fish have died. There has been a push to clean-up Citarum, but simply clearing the debris is not going to address the root of the problem. In order to solve the issue of pollution, the mindset of the people must be changed.

During my first week in Jakarta, I was astonished to see a taxi driver roll down his window and throw a plastic wrapper out his window. I was surprised to see an elderly woman throw her trash on the floor of an angkot. I was disappointed to see children throwing emply soda bottles onto the road. As long as these occurances are deemed normal, there will not be a solution to the ever-increasing problem of pollution.

It might not be popular to voice this opinion, but the people of Jakarta have to open their eyes and see they are destroying themselves. The people have to realize that constantly littering leads to the numerous, damaging, sometimes deadly, floods. If Indonesia wants to participate on a world scale, then they have to make progress concerning their outlook on pollution. Just because your grandmother did it, doesn't mean it is right. Come into the twenty-first century, Jakarta. Stand up for your city, tell people to stop littering now. Stop littering before more lives are needlessly lost.

Jacque in Jakarta: Life as an Expat

The first time I traveled abroad, I was twenty years old. Five years later, I have spent more than half my time living or traveling in foreign countries. By the time I reach thirty, I will probably look back and say that I lived the majority of my twenties in a country other than my own. Through different study and work opportunities I have been able to live in Europe and Asia. I feel blessed to have had these opportunities, but my life is not what some people perceive it to be.


View from my Austrian balcony



The first time I studied abroad, I remember a family member commented that I was going on a 'vacation'. Once I arrived in the magnificiently beautiful Graz, Austria, I had twelve hours of class during the week, I had to pay rent for an apartment, I had five roommates, I went out with friends on weekends and I lived on the Austrian version of Ramen noodles, YumYum. All this is not to say that I didn't enjoy my time in Graz, nor that I didn't find it a fulfilling experience. However, it was not 'vacation'. It was study abroad. I went to another country, and I studied there. Sure, the view from my balcony was different than the view from my friends' dormrooms back home, but the point of going was to study. I also gained valuable cultural and linguistic knowledge, but that is all part of learning.

After studying in Austria, I went on to travel and study in Spain. Then, I got a

Offenburg City Hall

Fulbright scholarship so I could teach English in Germany. Once again, I remember the romanticized ideas of what I was doing in Germany. People thought I would be going to the Alps, traveling all over Europe and generally having a blast. To be honest, I absolutely loved Germany. I met my husband in Germany. I would like to eventually settle in Germany. However, my time spent there as an English Teaching Assistant was not a time filled with abundant pleasures. I was working and I had bills to pay. I did manage to travel to a few nearby cities, but any travel happened during school holidays, just as travel back home would have happend during school holidays.

Now that I'm living and working in Jakarta, I am once again experiencing the envy of people who see me as having an 'exotic' or 'exciting' lifestyle. I'm sure that there are people who would like to ask me how my 'vacation' is going. There are definitely people who wonder when I will get a 'real' job. My response to these ideas is this: I work eight hours a day Monday through Friday and I very often work Saturdays as well. I haven't had a vacation since New Year, and I won't have another one until my anniversary (1 year in July!). I eat three meals a day, sleep at night and put my shoes on one at a time. I am a 'normal' person, with a 'normal' lifestyle.

I do thoroughly enjoy living in foreign countries and experiencing different cultures, but that doesn't mean I am on a constant vacation. I am simply living one day at a time just as anyone else anywhere in the world...though every once in a while I DO have a fabulous vacation.

 

Jacque in Jakarta: My walk to work

This past month has been a bit hectic, so I'm just doing my best to try to write a post twice a month. Exciting news: Alexander and I have decided to renew our contracts for another year, meaning we won't be leaving Jakarta until October 2014 at the earliest. Thus, the longer we live here, the fewer things I'll be able to comment on, so I might eventually only write once a month.

For my topic today, I decided to write about my walk to work. I have previously written about my commute to work, but that was when we were living at a different place. Since we moved, our new commute to work is only a walk of just under 10 minutes. This might sound like a pleasant improvement from the terrors of the angkot, however, there are still plenty of...what should I say...challenging aspects of getting to work.

To start with, our apartment is still a construction site. That means there are quite often cranes suspended in the air which we have to walk under and there isn't really a place for pedestrians to walk. They seem to only take motor traffic into consideration.

Then, as I have discussed in a previous post, the sidewalks in Jakarta are, to say the least, difficult to walk on. The sidewalks between my apartment and work pose a few additional hazards, which include: An exposed and dirty river, dodgy coverings for said river, motor vehicles on the sidewalk, and parts of the sidewalk missing.

I think Jakarta without human influence would actually be a beautiful place with lovely canals. However, Jakarta is known for its pollution, thus the canals aren't that lovely. Imagine walking next to this everyday with the fear of falling in:

As you can see, there have been a few attempts to cover the river, but I don't trust the stability of wood that has been exposed to the monsoon rains of Jakarta.

Then of course there is the issue of where to walk, when it seems that cars and trucks have taken up all the possible space you could use to avoid walking on the road.

And finally, it wouldn't be a Jakarta sidewalk if there wasn't damage to it.

If I think of it imaginatively, walking to work is really an exciting adventure. It's like mixture of an obstacle course and kind of the opposite of "Hole in the Wall"....don't fall in the hole!

Jacque in Jakarta: A Trip to Bogor

On Good Friday after church, Alexander and I took a trip to a town called Bogor. We needed a break from the city (Jakarta can be quite overwhelming at times) and Bogor seemed to be a very quick escape (only an hour away), so we decided to hop on a train and spend a night in a "cooler" and "smaller" place. Oh the surprise we had at expectations versus reality.

To start off, we did research on the internet and decided that a train would be the easiest way to get to Bogor. As per our information, a train left from Gambir station quite often. That worked perfectly for us, seeing as Gambir is less than a 10 minute walk from our church and it's quite a nice station. So we brought our bag with us to church and headed over to the station after the service. Once we arrived, we tried to determine which line we had to get in to purchase the ticket for the "nicer" train to Bogor. Much to our astonishment, there wasn't actually a train from Gambir to Bogor. The man at the ticket counter informed us that instead we had to go to Juanda station. Luckily for us, Juanda was only a ten minute taxi ride. Unluckily for us, the station was less than desireable for Westerners who appeared to have money. We were harrassed by a beggar and Alex was actually physically assaulted. Fortunately, we were able to jump out of that fire....and into a frying pan, or so it seemed. We were packed on the train like sardines and the "AC" was actually just oscillating fans. We had to stand for the entirity of our journey to Bogor.

Once we got to Bogor, we discovered that "cooler" for an Indonesian, doesn't quite mean the same thing as it does for a Westerner. A normal temperature here in Jakarta is about 30 Celsius and Bogor was probably a mere 28 Celsius. So, we didn't get a break from the heat, but we did get a wonderful, relaxing bathtub:

Besides the bathtub, the hotel we stayed at was quite nice and quite close to the famous botanical gardens, or Kebun Raya. So, after having two baths on Friday evening, we spent Saturday exploring the gardens. It was nice to smell grass and fresh air. But, there was still plenty of litter....and not the best use of English.

The red thing isn't a rock...

Who knew that plants needed to work on progress?

Once we had our fill of the gardens, we returned home to Jakarta. The trip home wasn't much better than the trip there, so the mini-vacation turned out to be more of a stressful experience as opposed to a relaxing get-away. However, we discovered that we could have taken a train that has overflow passengers on the roof!

Even though it was nice to get out of Jakarta for a bit, we decided that next time we will leave it to the professionals. Better to pay extra than to have faulty information about non-existant trains.

Jacque in Jakarta: Life as a Christian

In honor of Easter, I've decided to share my experience as a Christian living in Jakarta. It hasn't been the challenge I was anticipating, but it has been a challenge in ways I never realized.

The first two months we were living in Jakarta, we weren't going to church. It was a a burden for me because we had been going every Sunday before we came to Jakarta. Finally, my amazing husband tracked down an English-speaking Christian church. We went on the first Sunday, and I was so happy to be home. It was something that had definitely been missing, and once we had the comfort of a church family, it made life here in Jakarta a lot easier.

However, things aren't always easy for religious minorities. Here in Indonesia, Christians make up less than ten percent of the population, while over 85% are Muslim. This has led to some religious strife here in Jakarta. Luckily though, we haven't faced those issues since we've been here.

For me, this journey as a Christian in a Muslim country hasn't been publicly challenging, but personally challenging. I have always been unsure about the strength of my faith. I would sit in the pews furthest to the back. I would never put myself in a position to talk about my faith. Even though I had a true longing to be more involved, I would do everything I could to avoid it. But, I have learned in the past few months that the plans we have for ourselves are not always the plans that are best for us.

"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'"
-Jeremiah 29:11

This was the first verse I heard on the first Sunday I went to church in Jakarta. I return to it time and again. I know that whenever I get a pull in my heart to do something, it's a pull toward the plans that the Lord has for me. He pulled me to return to church in Jakarta, which can be dangerous. He pulled me to join a Bible study group, so I could share my testimony and learn more about His word. And most recently He has pulled me to join in the prayer ministry at church.

And of course, I know that He has used some awesome people to give me the extra pushes I needed. First and foremost, my loving husband has been my support to get me to the door. And I wouldn't have come this far without the encouragement of my loyal friend Helen. Also, our vicar, Jon, has opened doors to my faith that I didn't know existed.

All in all, life as Christian is a challenge. Sometimes though, the biggest hurdle is yourself.

Jacque in Jakarta: The view from my new apartment

After five months in Jakarta, we have now moved three times. Thus, in less than a year of marriage Alexander and I have had 1 graduation, 1 new job, 1 TEFL certification, 2 hospitalizations, 2 flood days, 5 moves, 6 countries visited....and a partridge in a pear tree ;). I can honestly say that I'm ready for a break from the craziness and look forward to being somewhat settled for at least the next 6 months, and possibly longer.

The new stove top

The new living room/dining room

Our new apartment is actually brand new. Not only is it newly built, but there is also a lot of new things in it (T.V., stove top, fridge, shower). All that is obviously an improvement from the last. However, our stove top only allows for one pot at a time, so it's a bit more challenging to cook, and we also have a lot less storage space. But all in all, I still see it as an improvement, and by Indonesian standards, it's actually a luxuary apartment, so I really can't complain.

I especially can't complain when I see the view from my balcony. It's incredibly humbling to look out and see the shacks that the average Indonesian lives in. In fact, the average Indonesian makes a measly 2 dollars a day, which means they make less in an entire year what we individually make in a month. Although our salary isn't large by Western standards, I feel very spoiled by Indonesian standards. On average we go out to eat three times a week, take a taxi to and from church every week, go to the movies once or twice a month, get a massage twice a month and generally live a very comfortable lifestyle. So whenever I even consider complaining about my salary, I just look outside to remind myself of my neighbors who live like this:

We as Westerners live an incredibly priveleged life. Of course, not all Westerners are well-off, and plenty live in conditions that are similar. However, on the whole our governments have programs in place that take care of us. Food stamp programs ensure that our children are fed and don't have to beg on the streets. Medicare and Medicaid programs allow elderly and poor to seek affordable healthcare as opposed to suffering through life-threatening illnesses. Although these systems are not fail-proof, at least they are in place.

Since Jakarta is currently my home, I hope I can do something to raise human rights awareness. People need to understand that life can be improved. I'm not sure how to do it, but I guess the best place to start is with myself. I vow to no longer complain about First World Problems and instead dedicate myself to addressing real world problems. Will you join me?

WaterAid
Save the Children
Children International
World Vision
ActionAid

Jacque in Jakarta: Pollution and Political Correctness

Since I haven't written in nearly a month, I decided I would catch up by giving a double dose of insights.

After the floods last month, we had an interesting point of view from our apartment. Once the water had finally receded, it left the river looking like this:

Yes, that pile of trash is actually the river. The heavy rains pushed all of the litter into the river, and the river carried it to this bridge. The next logical question is, 'Where did all the litter come from?'

The answer is that here in Jakarta, people have a different idea about littering. In the West, we are given fines if we throw trash on the ground, and even if we're not caught, the people around us think we are slobs. Here in Jakarta, there doesn't seem to be fines for littering and, in general, it seems to be a natural way of life. I've seen children throwing candy wrappers on the sidewalks, taxi drivers throwing bottles out of their windows and even an elderly women of about 70 throwing her used tissue on the floor of the angkot.

My students seem to realize that this isn't healthy for their environment, but when asked about it they simply accept defeat. They complain about people littering, but say nothing about it. It's as if they have accepted that this is the way it is, and therefore it's the way it always will be. Speaking of 'the way it is' leads me to my next topic.

In the West, it is generally understood that you never ask a person, especially a lady, the person's age. Additionally, marital status is something you find out from general conversation as opposed to flat out asking if someone is married. In Jakarta, the first question people ask upon meeting you is your age. The second question is about your marital status. If you are not married, they ask why you're not married. If you are married, they ask how many children you have. If you are married and don't have children, they ask why you don't have children.

Here, it seems to be understood that people, especially women, get married in their early twenties and start having babies in their first year of marriage. If you are single or childless, there's something wrong with you. This Western idea of having a career before thinking about marriage or saving money to have children seems to be lost here.

Whether or not I agree is another matter. It is simply a different way of thinking, and I suppose as long as I am a Jakartan resident I have to accept 'the way it is'. But no worries to my Western friends and family. I won't be practicing littering and I don't intend to pick up the habit of asking taboo questions any time soon.

Jacque in Jakarta: Houses of Sick, a.k.a. Hospitals

After less than a year of marriage, Alex and I have now seen the inside of a hospital twice. Last year, I had a severe kidney infection in London, and this past week, we got to experience the Jakarta healthcare system. I must say, it was a pleasant surprise.

At about one in the morning, Alex woke up incredibly sick. Being the stubborn man that he is, he was refusing to go to the hospital. Finally, by eight in the morning, severely dehydrated and writhing in pain, he agreed to go to the hospital. We took a Blue Bird taxi thinking it would be quick, but between the Jakarta traffic and a driver who wanted to make a few extra rupia, a ride of fifteen minutes took over thirty minutes.

Once we arrived at the hospital, I was expecting to have to mime symptoms for the doctors to understand. However, everyone there spoke English and were very friendly. Instead of the stacks of paperwork and the hours of waiting I was anticipating, there was only one paper with basic information to be filled out and Alex was sent into the ER to be seen by a doctor immediately.

After a quick prod of the abdomen, the doctor was able to determine that Alex had a bowel infection. He was put on an IV to restore the lost electrolytes and they drew blood to run a few tests. He was so happy that I took this picture:

Something between a smile and a grimace.

The blood tests took a little over an hour for us to get back. His liver was healthy, he was completely negative for typhoid and he had an acute bacterial bowel infection. The doctor informed him that he had two choices: Admit himself to the hospital, or go home. Of course he wanted to go home, so the doctor perscribed him five different medicines and sent him on his way after only four hours in the hospital. At that news, he looked much happier:

At this point I think he wants to break the camera.

So, after all was said and done, we learned two important pieces of information. First of all, even the tiniest of things can cause big problems. Alex actually got the infection from one tiny bite of fish he ate at church. Secondly, hospital visits actually can be cheap. The visit here was a seventh of what we paid in London. Moral of the story: Don't trust any food that's been left out, and should you get sick, a Jakarta hospital is cheaper than a London one.

Jacque in Jakarta: The perils for pedestrians

As promised in a previous post, I am now going to address one of the "cultural quirks" about life in Jakarta: Pedestrianism. Or, to put it more bluntly, the lack of access for those who wish to be a pedestrian. Not only are there not proper sidewalks, i.e. flat, even surfaces for people to walk, there are additional hazards such as motorbikes and floods that prevent people from walking even the shortest of distances.

Since arriving in Jakarta less than four months ago, I have purchased three pairs of shoes. First let me say that I'm not much of a shoe horse. Although I have thirty pairs of shoes waiting for me back in Arkansas, those shoes have been accumulated over the course of about fifteen years and the majority have been given to me by my grandmother. I hold firmly to the belief that if I keep them long enough they will eventually come back into style. So for me to purchase more than one pair of shoes in ninety days, I assure you there is a good reason.

The first two pair that I bought were on a two for one sale. Ask most anybody who knows me and they'll assure you I'm a sucker for a good sale. Thus, I had no choice but to purchase two pair. I assumed they would get me through my entire year hear in Jakarta. Well, you know what they say about assume. After about six short weeks, one pair of shoes had broken....in half.....from the sidewalk. Merely walking on the Jakarta pavements caused a pair of shoes to fall apart. Therefore, my husband forced me to the shoe store to buy another, more proper pair of shoes for this environment. If only the uneven, broken, damaged sidewalks were my only concern, then I might still hazard a stroll down the road.

However, there are also the motorbikes. Lots of motorbikes. They don't follow the so-called rules of the road, and I'm increasingly doubting Jakarta even has rules of the road. People don't seem to stay in lanes when they're driving, and I have yet to even see proper lines down the road to mark lanes. But the motorbikes seem to even have different "non-rules" as compared to the automobiles. Motorbikes don't always stop at red lights, they drive down the wrong side of the road, and sometimes they even come up onto the sidewalks. There is no safe place from the motorbikes.

And last, but certainly not least, the rainy season. Not rain as in a miserable British summer. Rain as in torrential monsoon downpours. Add that to the ever increasing litter problem and you get floods. Monstrous, jaw-dropping, see-it-to-believe-it floods. And since a picture says a thousand words, let me say no more than this:

This is what it's like to be a pedestrian in Jakarta

Jacque in Jakarta: My fifteen minutes of fame...sort of

View of Krakatoa

This past week Alexander and I traveled to a quaint little place called Carita beach. It was quite refreshing to escape the madness of the city for a few days, though a bit disheartening that it rained everyday we were there. All in all though, it was lovely to go for a dip in the sea and exciting to see the infamous Krakatoa volcano on the horizon.

Living in Jakarta, I've grown accustomed to people staring and calling out 'mister', 'miss', or 'bule', but while in Carita, we experience something a bit more intense.  Of course there were plenty of people selling unnecessary baubles who assumed we had lots of money to blow, so they swarmed us. However, we got very good at saying 'tidak' firmly enough to scare them away. But, the sellers weren't the most surprising reaction. Since Carita is such a small town, the local people rarely see Westerners in person, so they were quite excited to witness two of them on their beach.

As the saying goes, "take a picture, it will last longer". Well, that's exactly what the locals did. They didn't just stare at us, they took pictures. Lots of pictures. There were pictures of us at dinner taken by people who worked at the hotel. There were pictures of us walking on a trail taken by a group of children staying at the hotel. There were pictures of us kissing in the pool taken by other guests in the hotel. I had a bit of an idea for what celebrities must feel, and I can honestly say I did not enjoy it. At first, I took no real issue and didn't mind if they asked for a picture with us, but after four days of the same it grew quite exhausting and a bit invasive. Not only did they ask for pictures, they invaded pictures that we were trying to take. And when we tried to have a private moment and ignore the camera, they called for us to have a kiss for the camera.

In the end, it was nice to breathe some fresh air for a change. Though next time I'd go for an abandoned island....or at least one with people thoroughly adjusted to the sight of Westerners.