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! |
No comments:
Post a Comment