Willkommen in Polska: Do widzenia

Once again, time has flown by and I haven't written in about 4 months. It's really hard to believe, but my excuse is that I've been incredibly busy with work, a second job, an online graduate degree program, and being pregnant. But I think it's important that I make time for this post, since it's my last one from Poland.

The past few years have been filled with goodbyes, and I'm still not really good at them. As always, I don't think it's really hit me that I'm leaving for good. I'm excited to be seeing friends and family in the U.S., but I think it will just feel like a nice vacation before returning to work in Poland. That was actually the original plan, but life has its way of making other plans.

Poland has been a really unique experience. After living in Jakarta for a year, we had an awesome honeymoon period here. We had the opportunity to build up a school from the beginning. We were able to "learn" a new language (I'm not sure if we'll ever truly learn Polish as it's probably the most complicated language with a Roman alphabet). Most of all, we met some amazing people. Since Alexander and I have been together, Poland has been our home for a longer period than anywhere else that we've lived, so it will always be special to us.

Every time I leave a country, I say it's not "goodbye", but I'll "see you later". This year, I was able to return to Germany, just as I knew I would eventually. One day, Alexander and I will make the trek back to Jakarta to embrace our friends who we dearly miss. And sometime in the not so distant future we'll bring our little one to see our Polish home.

Dziękujemy, Polska. Na razie!

Willkommen in Polska: The Honeymoon

Our first morning in Kostrzyn, I looked out our window and smiled. We have a beautiful tree full of autumnal colors. I told Alexander I was so excited because I would actually get to have a honeymoon phase, which didn't happen in Jakarta.

View from our window

We arrived on a Thursday and started the official paperwork for Alex on the Friday, so we got to drive through the beautiful forests of the region we're now living in. On the Saturday, we were able to get things to cook on our stove with and bake in our oven with. It was fantastic to be able to cook a proper meal with a four-burner stove top. On the Sunday, we went with our boss to his family church and met a lot of his family, and on the Monday, we started work.

On the walk to work

We walked 3.5 kilometers to work and about one kilometer of the walk was through a forest. The students here are about the same as students anywhere else. As with most foreign language learners, they tend to revert to their native language. The first week I was able to teach English, German and Spanish to students from the age of  6 to 50+, so it hasn't been boring. It's been especially exciting to be able to use the languages that I studied and got my degree in.

One of the first things I noticed about Kostrzyn was the deutsch. Due to its closeness to Germany, Kostrzyn has German on so many signs and several people here kann ein bisschen deutsch, which has made things a little smoother when it comes to transitioning here.

The first week in Kostrzyn was truly awesome. It was great to breath fresh air, and be surrounded by fall colors, and hear leaves crunching under my feet and raining onto the rooftops. However, in our second week we started to deal with a lot of bureaucracy, such as registering me, a non-EU citizen, to live in Poland. All the bureaucracy meant my honeymoon phase was quickly over...but it was great when it lasted.

A trip to the other side of the world: Take two (Part 1)

Last year, Alexander and I took a trip to the other side of the world, which was from France to Jakarta, Indonesia. This year, we took our second trip to the other side of the world, from Jakarta to Poland. We now live in a little town on the Oder River called Kostrzyn nad Odra.

Our trip started several weeks ago, when we left from the Jakarta airport on our way to Washington, D.C., via Tokyo. We arrived in plenty of time, thanks to our friends Helen and Andy, and quickly made it through the lax security and baggage check. Once we got to immigration, we were told we had to fill out a landing card. It didn't matter that we had already lived in Jakarta for a year, we had to fill out a landing card like someone who was just visiting for a few weeks. After getting over my frustrations about that, things went smoothly through immigration. Once we passed immigration, we had planned to find our gate and then get something to eat. Our gate was on the other side of more security, where there was no place to eat and no bathrooms. So, we started the flight hungry, frustrated and tired, since it was nearly 10 pm. Nevertheless, we decided to take a picture at boarding...and the camera batteries died.

It's incredibly disappointing that we didn't have a camera on the trip from Jakarta to Tokyo, because we were able to see Mount Fuji from the plane, so imagine that this picture was taken on a plane, by me:






Once we got to Tokyo, or Narita International airport, we were incredibly jet-lagged because I had the brilliant idea of not sleeping until our second flight from Tokyo to DC. The plan kind of worked, except for the fact that we had the most painful four hours of a layover. On the bright side, we got to eat Ramen in Tokyo and get a few (thousand) yen.

The flight from Tokyo to DC was about 13 hours, of which I slept about 6 hours. Needless to say, by the time we got to Dulles International Airport, I did not want to wait in line with Alexander, my non-American husband, for over an hour when I could have been out in less than half that time. But I waited with him, like a dutiful wife.

After we collected our luggage of two checked bags we decided to rent a car to get to our final destination in DC. Once there, we resisted the temptation to immediately sleep after our 24-hour trip and made some delicious burritos instead. Then we slept.

Continue to part two.

Jacque in Jakarta: The Last Month

One month from today, Alexander and I will be finishing our year-long contract here in Jakarta. The original plan was to renew for another year. We planned to live in Jakarta for one more year. We planned to dodge motorbikes, breathe in pollution and circumnavigate holes in the sidewalks for one more year. We planned to spend more time with our friends, have dinner out a few times a week and get massages for under five dollars for one more year.

That was our plan. But life isn't something you can always plan.

After much thought, long talks and a lot of prayer, Alexander and I decided we need to be closer to our families. This doesn't mean we'll be living in anyone's backyard. But there's a big difference between a 9-hour flight and a 24-hour flight. There's also the complication of exit visas here in Indonesia, which don't exist in Europe.

So we've decided to return to Europe, Poland to be exact. This wasn't a decision left to chance. Over the course of a week, we sent out about thirty applications around the world. By around the world, I mean: Indonesia, China, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, Poland, Germany, France, Spain and Morocco. Out of all those positions in all those countries, there was only one school that offered an acceptable package for both of us: Poland.

It will be a bit of a culture shock for us to go from a city of over 17 million people to a town of around 10,000. We also aren't completely prepared to go from temperatures of 40°C (104°F) to 25°C (77°F). It will additionally take some getting used to going from Indonesian Rupiah to Polish Zloty. But I think we're ready for the change, and it's a decision that is best for us at this time.

In the meantime, we still have a month left in Jakarta. I don't want to get upset about leaving my friends, but instead I want to enjoy the time we have left together. It's not "goodbye", Jakarta, it's "see you later".

Jacque in Jakarta: 10 signs you're an Expat in Jakarta

After nearly a year of living in Jakarta, I've started to become acclimated with parts of the culture I originally took issue with. Here's a list of ten things that any expat in Jakarta can relate to (and may be a sign you've lived here too long). In no particular order:

1. You think outside your front door is the appropriate place to store shoes

The shoe gallery down the hall

When we first arrived to Jakarta, we were surprised to see a shoe store outside our neighbors' apartments and vowed we would never leave our shoes outside of our apartment. Fast forward ten months and you will find the bulk of our shoes outside our front door. At first we may have had a fear of theft, but then we realized that nobody is going to steal a pair of Payless shoes.

2. You have Batik for every day of the week

A glimpse of our Batik collection

Batik is the traditional clothing from Indonesia. Each region has its own distinct design of Batik. Normally on Fridays, people are allowed to wear Batik to their workplace. When we first arrived, we were entirely Batik-less, but over time we have purchased Batik and received Batik as gifts from Indonesian friends. Now, we can wear Batik just about every day of the week in order to feel like a 'local'.

3. You own a pair of knock-off Crocs

Flooding is common in Jakarta during rainy season, and even in dry season there can be monsoon storms. Therefore, Crocs are quite useful since they dry quickly and have a firm grip on wet surfaces. I held out for a long time, but finally found my pair of purple crocs for a bargain price of 50,000 IDR ($5.00).

4. 'Banjir', 'macet' and 'demo' are part of your active vocabulary

That string of lights is all cars

Free swimming pool!

Upon arrival to Jakarta, even if you don't speak a word of Indonesian, you will quickly learn that 'banjir' means flood, 'macet' means traffic jam and 'demo' means protest. When Indonesians have asked me about my experience in Jakarta, I usually respond with these three words and they laugh, knowingly.

5. When you see a white person, your first thought is, "Bule!"

The only Bules in the village

In our first week of living in Jakarta, I lost track of how many times someone shouted "Bule!" 'Bule' (Boo-lay) is a term for white Westerners. Generally, it is not meant as an insult, but it can be challenging to our Western sensibilities of racism. After so much time here, I get excited when I see other white people and inadvertently say, "Oh, look! It's a Bule!"

6. You spend at least one day a week at a mall

One of the many Jakartan shopping destinations

Something we learned quickly is the cost of land here is so exuberant that restaurants, clothing stores and most other stores have to set up shop in a mall. It is difficult to find free-standing restaurants or shops, so most weekends or free days are spent in a mall. As a friend of mine said, Jakarta is the city of a hundred malls, so you can really find anything and everything you need in a Jakarta mall.

7. You've been hit/nearly hit by a motorbike at least once

Walking to work or the store is always an adventurous experience. As I've mentioned in previous posts, the sidewalks leave much to be desired, and motorbikes don't seem to understand the concept of pedestrians on sidewalks or one-way streets being one-way. If nothing else, I have learned to ALWAYS look both ways in Jakarta, even if you THINK you're on a one-way street.

8. You have at least one epic story of a horrible taxi driver

The "reliable" taxi company

Countless times we've had taxi drivers racially profile us as being rich and so they have taken advantage of us in numerous ways. Sometimes they offer to take us on a toll road that is 30 minutes out of the way. Other times they'll take a 'short cut' that extends our ride considerably. My favorite story is when the taxi driver insisted that there would be more traffic because of the Lebaron holiday (The holiday in which Jakarta is practically empty). The best advice I could give to newbies is to have a map and insist on the route you know. After a while you can explain in Indonesian, "Saya tidak bodoh".

9. You consider four people on a motorbike to be normal

A regular family vehicle

The first time I saw five people on a motorbike, my jaw dropped. Now, I consider a motorbike to be a family vehicle, suitable for the same number of people as can fit in a sedan.

10. Your diet contains more 'nasi' than bread

I have always enjoyed eating rice, which I consider a bonus for coming to Indonesia. The first time we bought a 5kg bag of rice, I thought it would last us the rest of the year. A month later I was worried that I didn't have enough rice for dinner.

There are many other signs to be shared, but these have been my main experiences. For those of you in the same situation, I hope you've enjoyed the post. For those of you who don't get it, just come to Jakarta for a few months.

Jacque in Jakarta: The Joke about Summer

About a week ago, I heard on the news that it was the first day of summer. For the first 23 summers of my life, this actually meant something. It meant that there would be very little rain and lots of daylight. It meant I wouldn't need a jacket when I went outside and I could definitely wear my summer dresses. It meant that it was officially summer, spring showers were supposed to be over. Then last year, I was in England for summer. More specifically, I was in England for the rainiest summer of the past hundred years. There were a few sunny days, but it was mostly rainy, cold and dreary. Many days I sat by the fire to warm up.

And now this year I'm in Jakarta. Talking about summer is a bit of a joke here. In fact, talking about any season is kind of a joke. There are supposed to be two seasons here: Dry and wet. However, very little change occurs between these two seasons. The temperature stays relatively the same, with only a slight variance between hot when it's raining and very hot when it's not raining. We are supposed to be in the dry season now, but the seven-day forecast shows rain almost everyday.

I used to really love the summer heat, but now I long for the crisp, clean smell of autumn, the sharp, piercing cold of winter, and the cool, refreshing mornings of spring. Without a change in season, it's hard to appreciate the sunny summer days. I will be visiting the U.S. in September, and among many other things I look forward to the end of this ceaseless summer. I look forward to a change of scene and season. I look forward to the chill of my home.

Jacque in Jakarta: My Halal Decision

A few weeks ago a friend of mine requested that I write a blog about food in Jakarta. I explained that I don't eat enough Jakartan food to write a blog about it, but I decided I could at least write a post about it. So here is my post about food in Jakarta, or, more specifically, halal food.

Since Indonesia is eighty-six percent Muslim, most meat has to be halal in order to get sold. The meats that are not halal are pork and fish. For those of you who know me, you know that I don't eat pork. It's a decision I made when I was in Germany because I discovered pork is a very dirty meat and I wanted to be more conscious of what I put into my body. That being said, I decided after eight months of eating halal beef I should check out what exactly that entailed.

Some more background about my dietary choices is that I have been a vegetarian off and on since about the age of fourteen. My main reasons for becoming vegetarian were always ethical. I don't believe living creatures should be tortured and I don't like that some animals are given special treatment over other animals. It contradicts my idea of justice that in the West we treat dogs and cats like members of our family but cows and pigs are just the main course.

I did a lot of research on halal meat after consuming a very delicious Pizza Hut supreme pizza made with all halal meat. I always knew that Muslims were required to eat halal meat, but I didn't know what made meat halal. So I researched it first on the ever-trusty wikipedia and came across the section on method of slaughter. When I read that it "causes severe suffering to animals" I became greatly concerned about my dietary habits of the past eight months and decided to do more thorough research. I found many arguments from both pro and anti halal sites and finally decided to see it for myself.

The first video I watched was pretty horrifying. WARNING: This video is very graphic and not recommended for young audiences or weak stomaches. This video shows Halal butcher. I thought I should watch a few more videos to make a more informed decision. After about an hour of online research I decided that I am ethically compelled to abstain from halal meat.

Not eating halal will probably make the rest of my time in Jakarta quite challenging. I have considered eating pork again, but I'm not looking forward to it. Most of the restaurants we frequent serve halal meat, so we'll either need to discover more vegetarian options or go out to more Chinese restaurants which have plenty of pork options. There's a saying that "ignorance is bliss" and I have to agree. Life was much more blissful when I could eat a beef burger without wondering whether it was halal.

Halal butcher of cow. Cow is tied up and throat is cut with sharp knife.

                                           

Jacque in Jakarta: Looks Can Be Deceiving

View of the Kahtedral towers

Today we were able to take a tour of the Istiqlal mosque in Jakarta. Istiqlal is the largest mosque in Indonesia. It was completed in the 1970's and, ironically enough, was created by a Christian architect. Inside there are twelve pillars to represent the birthday of Muhammad and five levels to represent "pancasila", which is the philisophical foundation of Indonesia. From the outside grounds there is a view of the Cathedral towers across the street and the Monas national monument not too far away.

A drum used for call to prayer in Indonesia

It was a very beautiful and grand building, but the most interesting thing for me is how Alex and I were treated. It was very different from how we've ever before been treated in Jakarta. People were incredibly welcoming. Strangers were shaking our hands and happy to see us. They then explained why they were so friendly to us by saying one word, "Muslim". They thought from the scarf I was wearing on my head that we were Muslim. They assumed we were "one of them". I happily said, "No, Christian" and then I said what I thought was the most important word "hormat", respect. I tried to explain that I was wearing the scarf out of respect for Muslim traditions. Even though I don't agree with Islam, I am perfectly happy to respect Muslim traditions when I am in their house. Unfortunately, as soon as they realized we were Christian they quickly left us and seemed sorry to have introduced themselves. It seemed that "hormat" wasn't enough. We needed to be "one of them".

Even though the after reaction wasn't very nice, I am still happy we were able to visit Istiqlal seeing as Indonesia contains the largest population of Muslims in the world. I think when traveling around the world it is important to learn about cultures different from your own and to show respect for those cultures. As the saying goes, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do"...even if the Romans don't reciprocate your respect.

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: 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: 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: Something like Christmas

It's hard to believe that I haven't written anything for a month. It's not that nothing has happened this past month, it's more the fact that I haven't been able to find the time, or even the words, to write about everything that has been going on. There are still plenty of cultural quirks I plan to write about (i.e. as I type, I'm watching people drive through a river where there should be a street, and I had to buy new shoes because the last pair were broken by the sidewalks), but for now I think I'll write a post about Christmas.

Generally, the holidays are a time to be with family. Last year I was with Alexander and my grandmother in the U.S., but two years ago I was in Germany, three years ago I was in Spain, and four years ago I was in flight to Spain. Needless to say, I'm used to not being home for the holidays. I haven't spent Christmas in Arkansas for five years. This year feels a bit different though....literally. As opposed to having Jack Frost nipping at our noses, we need to keep the a/c on so we don't sweat. And there's no White Christmas to be had here in the tropics, or a winter of any kind. Instead it's just a gray, rainy season.

But the one thing that has salvaged my Christmas spirit is my co-workers. We had a gift exchange and pizza party with sweets and egg nog (home made by me). Even though not everyone celebrates Christmas, they were all happy to join in the gift exchange and party. It reminded me what Christmas is about. It's not about gifts, sweets, egg nog, or even location. It's about joy and bringing joy to others. It's about happiness and love. It's about family, but it's also about friendship and human connection. Even though I'd like to be somewhere with a winter for next Christmas, I'll never forget my Christmas here in Jakarta and the people that made it special.

Jacque in Jakarta: "Hei bule, bule, bule! How are you?"

After living in Jakarta for over a month, I've been able to notice some quirks of the locals. I've mentioned the cramming culture before, which is one quirk that I'm slowly getting used to. However, the thing that really drives me crazy is being called "bule" by a complete stranger.

Walking down the street, random people will quite often call out to me or Alexander and say, "Hei Mister/Hei Missus!", which is something I'm quite used to ignoring. The world over I've had to ignore unwanted advances of strangers. But more often then Mister/Missus we'll hear "bule". Generally, it is said more than just once. It kind of reminds me of a pig call, except they say, "bule, bule, bule".

"Bule" is not meant to be a derogatory term, it simply means Westerner/White person. It is not meant to be an insult, attack, or even rude. The most hilarious part is that they usually try to speak English to us after having called out "bule". The only problem is that we see it as rude, whether it is meant to be or not.

In Spain, I would joke about being a guiri, or gringa, and even here we say we're bules among friends. But if someone screamed guiri at me in the middle of Sevilla, I would understandably be irritated. It's kind of like telling someone who's disabled that he/she can't walk. Stating the obvious is never very polite. So even if they're just trying to be friendly, that's not the way to make a good impression with a stranger.

Alexander has taken to responding with, "Indonesian, Indonesian, Indonesian" everytime we're called bule. At first I was embarrassed that he did this, but then I realized a taste of their own medicine might be just what the doctor ordered. We may even achieve a cultural awarenes that bules don't like to be yelled at in public. Then again, Alexander might just give bules a reputation for being crazy.

Jacque in Jakarta: The grass is always greener...

This past week, Alexander and I moved into a new apartment. We were excited to have more storage space, hot water and a bigger bed. However, we didn't make the connection that with more storage there's more places for roaches to hide, that in a hot environment there's little need for hot showers, and that a bigger bed means the full size sheets we have don't fit.

Thus, our first night here we spent four hours cleaning out the kitchen cabinets and taping cracks of possible entry and laying down chalk that's supposed to kill roaches on contact. Over the weekend, we've spent several more hours scrubbing floors and cabinets and moving furniture to clean behind everything in an attempt to exterminate all the roaches.

As for the hot water, I think our bodies have gotten so used to cold showers that a hot one isn't that enjoyable. In fact, I generally enjoyed the cold showers compared to the hot ones. A hot shower just isn't as refreshing as a cold shower when the temperature is so warm outside.

And our bed is much larger and higher, but the sheets we brought were for a full sized bed. So, we spent Saturday shopping for sheets that would fit, and were surprised to find cotton sheets on sale for about 80USD including the fifty percent discount. We eventually managed to find some sheets for a reasonable 30USD.

As the saying goes,"the grass is always greener on the other side." On a positive note, while cleaning we managed to discover a way to arrange the furniture where we would appear to have more space and be able to use the moveable bar as a table. So, as another saying goes, "every rain cloud has a silver lining."

Living Room After

Living Room Before

Jacque in Jakarta: My commute to work

This past week was my first full week of teaching. It's been great. I really love my job. It's the only place I've worked where the second I walk through the door everyone is so happy to see me and is eager to greet me. It's incredibly welcoming.

Something that I'm not really overjoyed about concerning my job is the commute. According to google maps, my home is approximately 15 minutes from my work. In actuality, it normally takes about 45 minutes, and it can take hours. The reason for that is the traffic I discussed in my previous post.

Having to sit in traffic for an hour wouldn't be quite as bad if we took a taxi to work. However, being the penny pincher that I am, I always take the ankot.

In order to get onto the ankot, you simply wave the driver down and then hop through the open door. An ankot comfortably sits about seven people: One in the passenger seat, one on the bench at the door, two on one side, and three on the other side. But the reason I take the ankot, like so many other people, is that it's so cheap. To get from my home to work, it's 3,000 Rupiah, which is approximately thirty cents in USD. So, for the ankot driver to really make money, he has to cram as many people as possible. Thus, the top right picture shows the ankot with fourteen people, two who are sat in the passenger seat and one who is hanging onto the door frame out the door.

Family of three on bike

At first it was shocking for me to see how people were crammed onto the ankot, but then I noticed that there seemed to be a whole cramming culture here. Whether it's an ankot, an elevator or a motorbike, it seems people try to cram on as much as possible. It's normal to see a family on a bike, as pictured to the right. I've seen as many as five people on one bike and quite often see three and four people.

The cramming culture could be an explanation for why traffic is so bad. The metropolitan area has approximately 30 million people, and the population density is the nineth highest in the world, so people are just vying to fit in wherever they can.

As for me, I can honestly say I will be quite happy to return to the oversized seats of the West. It may not be the most economical, but at least it will be comfortable.

Jacque in Jakarta: The view from my balcony...

We've now been living in Jakarta for nearly two weeks. There are a vast array of differences with the West. Everything from the common modes of transportation to the main staples in the diet differ. For this post, I will simply discuss the view I have from my balcony, which is located on the 25th floor.

On a side note, the 25th floor isn't actually 25 floors up. There is no thirteenth floor, due to Western influence. Also, there is no fourth floor due to Japanese influence. The Japanese word for four sounds like the word for death. Thus, there is no floor 4, 14, 24 or even 22 because two plus two equals four.

Back to the main topic, the view from our apartment. It may seem innocuous from a quick glance, but take a closer look and you'll discover why Alexander and I have to travel to work everyday looking like this:

No, we're not off to rob a bank, we're simply trying to protect our respiratory systems from the inhalation of all the pollution that constantly surrounds us. After about thirty minutes of walking around without a mask one day, I could barely breathe in the evening. Needless to say, the air quality in Jakarta is less than desireable. 

"Why is that?" you may ask. Well, the picture on the right says it all. This was the view from our balcony this past Friday night. That's an image of bumper-to-bumper SUVs, taxis, ankots, motorbikes, buses and bajails all adding their own exhaust to the atmosphere of Jakarta. The problem is this isn't only on Friday nights. This is every night...and every morning...and every afternoon. For about 12 hours or more everyday the traffic is horrendous.

So, when we first arrived, we thought we saw a morning fog while looking out from our balcony. However, one day here taught us that it was actually a daily smog. Which is unfortunate, since it ruins what could be a beautiful view or a beautiful day and it also makes an already miserably hot day a few degrees hotter.

So should you ever venture to this side of the world, it's best to forgo your vanity and bring a facemask... lest you want to cough up Jakarta's air in the evening.