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 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.

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.