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: 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 Importance of Language

I have always been an advocate of language learning. I generally like to consider myself above the curve when it comes to languages, seeing as I am fluent in two foreign languages and have a basic knowledge of a few more. However, basic isn't always good enough when living in a foreign country.

I have now lived in Jakarta nearly two months. Unfortunately, I haven't had a lot of time to study the language. However, in the short amount of time I've been here, I have been able to pick up a handful of vocabulary. As they say, "Necessity is the father of invention", or in my case, the father of language aquisition.

Some of the first vocabulary I learned was numbers. Numbers are especially important in a society where bargaining is prevalent. But three of the most important words I've learned are "kiri", "canan", and "terus", which mean left, right and straight.

As I explained in a previous post, I normally take the angkot to work. Though sometimes, it is nice to take a taxi, and sometimes we have to go to a new place where the angkot route is unknown. Thus, the ability to give directions is very important.

The first few times we took a taxi, we got a little ride around Jakarta. It should take 20-30 minutes in a taxi to get to work, and cost no more than 30,000 IDR (3USD), but it has taken us nearly an hour and cost 50,000 IDR (5USD). Some might say, "What's the big deal? It's still cheap", but the problem is that every little bit adds up and it's more the principal of the matter. Just because I'm white, doesn't mean I have a lot of money. And just because I don't speak the language, doesn't mean a driver has the right to take me any route to make some extra money.

The Blue Bird Group is supposed to be the most reputable taxi company, but we have still had problems with them. There are a few other companies such as Express and Taxiku that are pretty good, but there are always bad apples. So, the long and short of it is, when in a foreign country, learn the language. Or at the very least, learn the important vocabulary.