So, at the end of the road, what do we love, and what could we do without? Here is
my own broad-brush opinion, based on three months living, working and traveling in Indonesia.
The Things We Love
1 The People.
This is easy. Far and away, the best thing about Indonesia is her people ---
warm, friendly, curious, respectful, great to be around. I felt different and
people looked at me, but always in a friendly way. People offered help before I
could request it. And I always felt safe and secure. I am happy to report that
being a Westerner in the largest Muslim nation in the world was a non-issue. If
I had any wariness or fear of Muslim people, it’s gone.
Natural Beauty and Scenery. Indonesia is spectacular in many places, and simply
beautiful in most. Unfortunately, I must honestly exclude Surabaya, and while I
have not been to Jakarta, reports are not favorable. Urban planning has not
been a big priority. But there are some pretty cities, and most importantly,
many of the last great, wild and tropical places on earth are in Indonesia.
Volcanoes, waterfalls, jungles and terraced rice patties dotted with ancient
temples, perfect islands and lakes, exotic flora and fauna are all here and
accessible with a little effort. You can still visit places that remain virtually
unexplored, with indigenous tribes who have not seen white people ---- like you
used to hear about 30 years ago in many Asian countries. And if you don’t want
wild, places like Ubud and Yogyakarta provide both civilized alternatives and
great cultural experiences. My copy of Lonely
Planet Indonesia is dog-earred to mark the many places I would love to
visit. My take is: Indonesia is the place to see, while it’s still its own, unspoiled
place.
Cost of Living. By Western and American standards, it’s incredibly cheap to live
in Indonesia. Food, clothing and necessities are less than half than what I pay
at home, and as a consequence, money goes so much further. A teacher friend’s
girlfriend is a local, and has “a good job.” She‘s a secretary for a big
company, and makes about $150. per month. Using this as a yardstick, you can
extrapolate to consider what $1000. USD will get you. You can buy land
(although there are real title issues), or rent cheaply. If anyone came here
with even a modest nest egg and some kind of work (teaching?), he or she could
live very well, and travel too. For a young couple that is willing to put down
roots, and again assuming reasonable employment, I’d bet that you could be quite comfortable, and get in on the ground floor of a good future. But even for a
short time or a vacation, it’s amazing (and refreshing!) to see how far your
dollar goes.
Food.
It’s good, fresh and inexpensive (see above). I have been eating very well on about
$10. per day. At a food stall you can eat a lunch of chicken, tempe, two vegetables, white rice
and a splash of sambal for about
$1.00. Add a fresh vegetable juice or fruit juice for 50 cents more. Fresh
fruit juices are everywhere and delicious. Tropical fruits are endlessly varied
and so good, you don't need anything more for dessert. But if you want sweet,
these fruits are often served on ice with tapioca, sweet gelatin, fresh
coconut and some condensed milk. There are vegetarian options if you wish. Fish
is also delicious (although in Surabaya I wondered about where it comes from).
A tasty whole fried fish dinner with white rice, greens, sambal and an avocado
juice at a good restaurant costs about $8.50. Supermarkets are pretty good and
there are a few “specialty stores,” for cheese or something different. But if you don't want to shop you can also simply eat out well for very little money. The conditions are mostly
not spotless, but there are also fewer genetically modified foods, pesticides
or hormones in what you eat. I loved my Indo food.
Muslim life / the “good.” The effect of
the largest Muslim culture in the world on daily life is interesting. There is
good and bad, I’d say. Indonesia offers plenty of good non-alcoholic beverage
alternatives, which makes the likes of me very happy. Also, the lifestyle is
relatively quiet, which, again, suits me fine --- not a lot of nightclubs or
bars. This leads me to benefit #3 --- there are very few drunks in Indonesia.
Personally, I don’t care if people can drink and handle themselves so as not to
annoy or endanger others. But in my experience there are lots of drunks at home
who are a pain in the ass, and when they drive I want to lock them up and throw
away the key. In Indo, the whole issue goes away. It’s almost worth not being
able to get a cocktail. Finally, one can see a real respect between young and
older people which is very refreshing and seems “right” in my world view. It’s
certainly a cultural thing we could learn from in the US.
The Things We Don’t Love
Sanitation in the Third World. They burn garbage in Indonesia. Every house has its own
burning area adjacent to the street. There is no underground sewer system to speak
of. Tap water is not safe to drink. People bathe in local waterways. Food
preparation can be sketchy, as is refrigeration in the traditional markets. There
is heat, flies and humidity. It’s the third world.
Critters.
Let the women leave now; this is a big drawback for the squeamish. Indonesian
cities have rats, lots of them, and they live in ditches and the garbage. Also,
large roaches, many bats, small and large geckos like I see in Florida, and mosquitoes
to some extent. I experienced all of these in a suburb of Surabaya. And the
rats and roaches really put me off, because you would see and hear them,
especially at night.
Low Standards of Quality. The quality of electrical and mechanical things is not
great. Copiers are never fixed, they are merely repaired over and over again.
Everything is “mickey-moused.” House utilities break down periodically. Time deadlines are merely suggestions. Medical
and dental care does not compare to what we’re used to in Boston. If I were really
sick, I might be concerned about treatment.
Muslim life / the “bad.” I never did get
used to the call to prayer broadcast from the mosque five times a day. It happens
in the middle of the night, and it’s very hard to sleep through. Sometimes,
they will start reading the Quoran at 4 a.m. and just continue for seven or
eight hours, on a Sunday, for no apparent reason. The other bad could be just
in my head. Sometimes I wonder if the young people feel a bit repressed in
their ability to express themselves. Not sure. The culture supports building
more and more mosques (and there are SO many already), and the mosques are the
best buildings in town. Where people live, on the other hand, seems very poor
in comparison, and this seems misguided, at least to me.
*Gratitude*
Well, I’m
back in the USA again, at home with My Lovah.
Looking
at these last three months, I’d say that my time in Indonesia was very fruitful
personally and professionally. The work went well. I learned about teaching
kids and broadened my skill set; garnered good reviews; worked for a well-respected
organization. The cultural experience was exactly what I was hoping for; that
is, living and working as a local in a foreign world. I met some very cool
people. And the travel was fantastic ---- Yogyakarta, Borobudur, Solo, Mount
Bromo, Lombok and Ubud, Bali are all unforgettable and left a great impression.
I’m
feeling lots of gratitude today. I want to acknowledge Cheryl’s enormous role
in making this trip possible. She took care of me from afar and kept our life chores
and home fires well tended. Also thanks to friends and family who kept in touch
and provided support and much needed social contact. Finally, thanks to all of
you who checked out the blog and sent encouragement. It’s been good therapy and
great fun writing this way.
I’ll
tell anyone who will listen to me that Indonesia is a wonderful country and
tourist gem. I hope to visit her again and get to know her better. I hope you
will be encouraged to discover Indonesia too. If I can answer any questions or
provide any information, please let me know.
Wishing all of you a good journey, wherever it takes you.
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