Picking up the Jokis while not getting eaten by sharks...

24 Nov13

So, besides the close to 2 hour commute each day, the Embassy portion of this immersion has been very satisfying.  I have learned quite a bit, and I have only been “shadowing” for a week.  I see the State Dept in a whole new light, and I have come to somewhat understand why sometimes it seems to be a broken operation…especially from the point of view of the military.  They have to coordinate with so many different offices: US govt, Indonesian govt, Non-government organizations, International organizations, and the standardization is just completely different from that seen in the military working environment.  For the most part, it is a lot more laid back…even in the defense/military section.  I shouldn’t get too excited about working in an Embassy though, because that usually does not happen until a much higher rank.  It is rewarding though, to get this opportunity to see the inner-workings of an Embassy Operation.

Indonesia has some of the weirdest occupations I have ever come across…(however, nothing will beat those guys walking outside the perimeter in Afghanistan, sticking walking sticks in the ground at a certain angle to detect and mark land mines…that’s for sure!)  Jakarta has HOV lanes, just like the big cities in the U.S.  And like the US, you have to have a certain number of people in the vehicle to drive in that lane, or you can get a ticket…in Jakarta the magic number is 3.  The purpose is to keep the numerous motorcycles, bajajs (three-wheeled motorized taxis), ojek (motorcycle taxis), and any other weird transportation source out of the fast lane during rush hour.  So, if your driver and you and looking at getting in the fast lane during rush hour, you may have a problem, since the lane requires 3 people.  But not to worry, because you can pay people along the side of the road, to hop in your car and become that third person.  This is what a “Joki” or jockey does…they hitch-hike and then you pay them to ride in your car.  I was a little hesitant at first, but it can cut my 2 hr commute down to 1hr, and the people have all been very friendly.  It just amazes me how creative some of these jobs are.

With the Indonesian work force, there is something else that must be understood.  It takes anywhere from 5-6 people to do one person’s job.  For example, say you go to a bar (just an example that all the “bules” tell me…I don’t frequent Indonesian bars), and you order a drink.  Usually, a bar tender will take the order, make the drink, take the money, process the bill, and wah la!  In Indonesia, each of those steps requires a different person.  I really noticed this when I was at the movie theater…I think there are more employees than patrons.  It makes sense, because this city is so densely populated, and it is a pretty cheap labor source.  I will say, with the numerous employees, there is rarely a instance of poor customer service.

The other thing that I have been struggling with here is the uber-niceness of Indonesians.  It’s to point where it can actually piss you off, because their kindness can start impeding you from doing things your way.  Saturday I went to SeaWorld to check out the place and to also scuba dive in their main aquarium.  The whole experience was great, and for $30 to do all of that…not a bad deal!  I was able to swim with the fishes (to include “wanna-be” sharks) in the aquarium, which is something I had never done before.  Visitors can walk through a U-shaped tube that is surrounded by the main aquarium, so they get a really good view of the fish and in this case, the scuba diver guests.  It was cool gliding over the tube and seeing the reactions of the people, especially the kids.  There were also a couple of opportunities where I was able to “photo-bomb”…when the people in the tube realized I was in their picture, they just laughed…but I digress…

There were two of us guest scuba divers, and I started talking to the other guy and we found we had a lot in common.  He used to be in the Indonesian Air Force special forces, had just had a kid, he was going to CA to get FAA-certified to fly planes for Lion Air in Indonesia…you know, the planes that hit cows and land in the ocean.  Anyway, he offered to (what I originally thought) to give me a ride home, which would have saved me a $10 taxi cab ride.  I thought his friend had a car, but to my surprise when we met up with his friend outside of the SeaWorld, there was no car.  My new “friend” wanted to pay for my transportation home, and since he was paying, he chose the mode of transportation.  In this case it was the TransJakarta bus, which I had no problems with, because that it what I usually use to get around J-Town.  When he got up to the desk to pay for the tickets, he was told that the card he was trying to use was the incorrect credit/debit card.  So I said, hey, let me just pay for a taxi, and we can split it later.  He of course declined, and then proceeded to jump on the back of a motorcycle taxi to go back to the park area to pull out money from the ATM.  So, close to an hour later we get on the bus to make our trip down to South Jakarta.  I think it was nice that he paid for my transportation home…it was just really inconvenient.  I think I need to either be more assertive or just stop making friends.

Dave's going-away...and yes, he loves Indonesia that much!

Trash...I mean Scuba Diving!!

17 Nov 13

Some of the crew, plus family and guests

            So, I have been spoiled over the last month, and it looks like I get another month of the same treatment.   I have failed to introduce the crew though.  Adi, Tono, Engkos, and Henri are the young men who do most of the cleaning and maintenance.  Every morning I usually work out, chat with Gretchen and family and then go eat breakfast.  Sometimes I take 30 min to eat breakfast and sometimes 10-15 min.  However, it never fails that those guys seem to have the bed made, bathroom cleaned, and floors swept, before I get back upstairs…they could make it big in the NASCAR pit crew world.  Sometimes I come home from class and my laptop screen is clean, all the cords to my mouse, headphones, etc. are wound up, my dirty clothes are taken, TV controllers are back in their original place, I mean you name it, and it is done.

            In the kitchen are Narti, her daughter Dia and then another girl named Nia.  They do such a great job and they make sure that I never leave the table hungry.  In fact, if I don’t finish my breakfast, they are kind enough to “brown-bag” it so I can have it for lunch.  Last week I mentioned the BBQ that we had and they were able to take a break.  Whenever there is not a lot of work to do around the house, Mel and Nana usually take them places for shopping and hanging out.  It is a very platonic boss-servant relationship.

            The traffic in Indonesia is so bad…(how bad is it???)….It is so bad, that additional help is needed to assist cars doing U-Turns, turning on busy streets, and of course parking.  I remember seeing the Amazing Race episode where they are in Yogyakarta (another large city in Indonesia) and have to choose between parking motorcycles or street dancing.  Parking cars is a very lucrative process and all you have to do is flag cars into a parking area and then guide them into a crammed parking spot.  Now, they don’t get tipped a whole lot, but over a day it adds up.  Of course, if you ding someone else’s car, you just pay the “tukang parker” (parking assistant) so he does not report you…aww corruption at its finest!  To completely avoid this (in particular the larger malls), you just get a valet to park and retrieve your car.

            Friday was my last day of class for the learning portion of my immersion.  They were very happy with my progress and said that I have improved in all areas.  I really don’t think there has been much improvement, but it may be something that will be more evident in the future.  I will have to say that I am a much better at Indonesian than I was last November J.

            Saturday I had the opportunity of heading out to the Thousand Islands (not the salad dressing) or Kepulauan Seribu for my scuba diving trip.  We got to the pier at around 7:15am, but our high-speed motorboat did not depart Jakarta until closer to 9am.  I was thinking that the boat ride was going to be like a city bus…crowded, but surprisingly it was not too bad.  There were quite a few people going out to the islands (I imagine) to get away from the city, and relax.  The boat trip was about 90 min, and as we passed the various islands near Jakarta, you could see the trash floating and in the background was the smoggy skyline…what, were you expecting blue skies and crystal blue water?  There was one spot where the boat had to adjust its course so some debris/trash would not get stuck in the propeller.

            Arriving at our destination, we saw the blue water, but one thing that we did not get away from was the trash.  It is funny, because there will be signs like “No Fishing,” but in that same body of water there are plastic bottles, cans, cartons, etc. just floating along.  Once we met our dive master, he got us out on a smaller wooden fishing boat, and we went out to our first spot.  This spot was about 2 km (1 mile for you Westerners) north of Pramuka Island, which was nice because the water was really blue and as far as I could see, there was no trash.We got under the water and one of the first things we came across was a sea turtle.  I have never seen a sea turtle in the wild, so that was really cool.  I must say, once we got under the water, the trip was all the better and well worth the $160.  All in all it was two dives and I saw a total of 4 Sea Turtles, a lot of beautiful fish, collected a couple of shells, and only saw maybe three pieces of garbage.  The best thing about scuba diving is that it can be raining but it doesn’t matter because you are already wet and under the water.

Where are all the dogs?

10 Nov 13

            So there has been something weighing on my mind since I have been here.  It has been almost a month and I have only seen maybe 2 dogs.  When I was in Guatemala, I was immediately attacked by street dogs, and so I was prepared to dust off my old “dog repellant” techniques that I learned on my mission.  I have seen a lot of cats, but no dogs…Why?  So, I have asked around, and the only thing I have been told is that dogs are very dirt and Muslims are very conscious of cleanliness, and if a dog licks you, then you are dirty.  However, if you go to other parts of Indonesia there are dogs.  The reason why there are dogs in other parts is because the dogs are used as tools…not pets.  It then dawned on me that I had learned a lesson quite a long time ago in one of my Intl Relations classes…I don’t know if you’ve heard, but Mohammad had a cat, you know.  Since this is a largely Muslim country, it makes sense why there is not a large population of street dogs.

            The people at church have really opened up their arms of fellowship, as well as their homes.  Last Tuesday I was invited by the Relief Society president over to her house for a birthday celebration and the fact that they had the day off Tuesday due to the Arabic New Year, they held a bar-b-que.  Several people in the ward work for Conoco/Exxon and have been all over the world.  It rained pretty hard that day, but I was still able to catch a cab and attend the bar-b-que..  I must say, these Conoco folks are living life nice.  They have very glamorous houses, furnished with very beautiful furniture, and usually there is a pool in the back.  This particular family has been all over the world and their house is full of souvenirs from places like Doha, Germany, Japan, etc.  After dinner we played some good old-fashioned “Mexican Train Dominos.”  It was a really good time.

            

Over the last couple of days, I have had the opportunity of watching different Indonesian-produced movies in class.  The focus of all of these movies has been the issue of education, and how it has affected the overall development of the country.  It is very common for a child to not attend school, and this really hurts the country’s future.  These films have enlightened my understanding to the different efforts that have been taking place in this country to improve education.  Probably one of my favorite films is called “Laskar Pelangi” or “Rainbow Troops.”  It is about this tin mining town in the 1970’s that has several different elementary schools.  But the oldest Islamic school is “out-dated” and on the brink of falling apart.  It shows the contrast between a well-funded school and a school that suffers just to get chalk, but the school that lacks funds has children that really want to learn, and go to great lengths to attain their elementary school education.

            This weekend, the Breau family (Homestay I am staying at) held a party for friends, family and their servants.  It was really cool to see the servants kick back and not have to be working.  I was able to get to know them a little better, as well as meet some new people.  I had a chance to Facetime with Gretchen and I got to take her on a tour of the house…I could hear Elise in the background talking about the “mansion.”  I feel very fortunate and lucky to be staying here.  I will definitely request this Homestay for future trips and they will get a pretty sweet recommendation from me on Trip Advisor...

Taman Mini!

4 Nov 13

Sacha Stevenson...a really funny "Bule"

So, some may be wondering what “Boolay” means.  It is spelled as “bule” and it basically means “white person.”  Since I am easy to spot in a crowd, that is what I usually hear on the streets of Jakarta.  I have been very fortunate to be staying at this homestay known as the “Pesona Guest House.”  It is owned by Nana (who is Indonesian) and her Canadian husband, Mel.  When I first got here I was surprised to meet them…in fact, initially I spoke Indonesian to Mel and he gave me a weird look.  He doesn’t speak a “lick” of Indonesian and his wife speaks English pretty well.  They also have a 12 yr old daughter named Mita, who acts just like an American teenager and speaks English very well.  Her conversations include the boy band “One Direction,” (which I know nothing about), Marvel movies, and The Walking Dead.  To me it is like a parallel universe, and I am learning a lot about both Canada and Indonesia from the Breau Family.

"The Pesona"...nestled in Cilandak, South Jakarta

            Mel’s son, Desmond runs the Language Studies Indonesia school, so it happened that this homestay was located right down the street from the school where I am studying.  The faculty are very easy-going and I have had some very interesting cultural and religious discussions with them.  They are very interested when they find out I am Mormon.  A lot of Indonesians are not too familiar with the LDS church, and some get so excited when they meet a Mormon.  It’s funny, because Religion and Politics are “Taboo,” but it seems to be the root of all the discussion questions in my classes.

           

On Friday evening I was able to get a sneak peek of the new Thor movie.  Once again, I was quite amazed at the facilities that they have in these malls.  I went to yet another mall called “Kemang Village,” which was built on a cemetery.  In fact, if you look at the location on Google Maps, all you will see is a cemetery…this Mall/Hotel/Plaza is pretty new.

            On Saturday I went to indulge myself in (what so far has been) the ultimate cultural immersion experience.  The place is called “Taman Mini,” and they have everything from museums to water parks.  It cost like $0.75 to enter, and then you pay for things like the museums, sky lift, water park, IMAX, etc.  However, there were plenty of things to see that were free.  It is set up to represent each province/region of Indonesia, so theoretically, you can travel through the entire country of Indonesia and somewhat get a taste of the culture from those respective areas. 

Each region had replica houses, worship places, buildings etc. with museum-like exhibits inside.  It was cool traveling through the different parts and seeing the different architecture and cultural elements.  Probably the pinnacle part of the experience is taking the skylift across the park.  You get a really cool view of the mini-map, and it was well worth the $3 price.

You know what makes traffic in Jakarta even worse??? A Marathon!

30 Oct 13

Pondok Indah Mall

So October is coming to a close, and I am in the middle of some pretty extreme language learning during the weekdays and some sight-seeing on the weekends.  Saturday, I went to one of the more larger and luxurious malls known as “Pondok Indah.”  This mall is located in the more wealthy area of Jakarta, and elaborate and spacious mansions are on one block and tin shacks are on the next block…quite a contrast!

On Sunday, Jakarta held the first-ever Marathon, which caused quite a disruption in Sunday morning traffic.  Church starts at 8am, so I found myself right in the middle of road closures and some pretty bad traffic congestion.  I asked the taxi driver to drop me off on the side of a toll road, and I would walk the rest of the way.  Little did I know that it would take a little over 30 minutes to get to church.  I got there right on time, but others were stuck in traffic, so church started 30 minutes late.

We had special guest speakers during our short Sunday School class.  They were senior missionary couples that have been assigned all over the globe to help out with pediatric care through a program called “Help Babies Breathe: The Golden Minute.”  The focus is specifically teaching midwives and mothers CPR and other skills that have been proven to decrease the infant mortality rate in third world countries.  They shared with us some experiences they had in Bandung (west of Jakarta), one being a newborn baby that stopped breathing while the family was caught in a traffic jam, and the mother was able to resuscitate the baby.  It really showed me the great services that are provided by the church and the awesome opportunities that are out there to provide service like this to countries like Indonesia.

In my studies, I have come across some very interesting cultural points of interest in Indonesia.  I studied about these guys who go out to get bee hives so they can sell them in the market.  It sounds simple, but one guy has to climb the tree using things like bamboo and rope to assist him in his climb.  He also climbs up with a branch of leaves on fire so the smoke will drive away the upset bees.  Now what is crazy is these guys put themselves in pretty dangerous situations and only get paid like Rp 40,000 (which is like $4) for a day’s work.  And yet, they come back and do it almost everyday.  What a life!