Tag: Indonesia

A week of firsts

There are still so many things in life I have not done. And this week I was able to cross some of those events off my list. Which is to be expected, of course, when you go abroad for a longer period of time. I didn’t pick Jakarta because I thought it would be easy and because I wanted it to be like home. I picked it because it was different: a little crazy even!

So now, after I have been here for a week (sidebar: it feels more like a month), I can say I crossed some very important things off my list of firsts (mind you, this is not a written list. Although I, as any other, love a practical list, this is not one I actually made).

  • I have traveled to another continent (sure, I have been to Morocco, but it was with Ryanair, so does it really count…?)
  • I have traveled with a backpack
  • I have crossed a very busy street without using a zebra crossing (they are there, but it is more of a suggestion. One that the people in Jakarta really don’t care about much)
  • I have hailed a taxi (I know… If you are a New Yorker reading this, you will probably laugh at me a little, or a lot. But then again, if you are a New Yorker and you are reading my blog, please leave a message! It will mean my blog has turned into something amazingly international)
  • I have taken a semi-cold shower and liked it!
  • I have been attacked by a toilet (the toilet situations can get a little tricky sometimes)
  • I have been to a hospital abroad (don’t worry. It was for a regular check-up that is apparently obligitory when working in Indonesia. 
  • I have gotten a bloodtest and xray for under 15 euros
  • I have eaten all kinds of traditional Indonesian foods, so that are a lot of firsts all rolled into one. 

I wonder how many firsts I will have crossed off after five months here. I guess I’ll never know (because this is not a list I am keeping).

    Taman Mini

    Last Sunday I went to Taman Mini in Jakarta. Everybody said it was ‘miniature’ Jakarta, so I expected Madurodam. That was not what I got. It is a place where you can drive around and they replicated different areas of Indonesia. And in the middle was a lake, with little Islands so that it looked like Indonesia from the sky.

    So the joke of the day was that I did not have to travel anymore, because I have already seen it all.

    There were a lot of children dancing and making music, which was awesome. I filmed some of this, and will edit it later. It made me really happy. Jane, one of the people from couchsurfing that took me there, said that maybe we could take dance classes to learn the traditional Balinese dance (because it is the easiest). I would love that, so I hope that will be in my near future!

    I took some pictures but honestly I forgot what picture was what kind of area. I guess I will need to travel to all of them after all =)

    First impressions

    So I have arrived in Jakarta. I am settled in my room (and my bed) and after a quick update for all of you who are interested to know how I am adjusting so far, I will sleep. I left Tuesday morning, very early. The night before I got almost no sleep and when I got to the plane, I had these wild plans of sleeping the entire 13 hours I was on the flight… I am sad to report that I failed. And not because I had stimulating conversations with my neighbors. Oh no. I was next to a row of Dutch students who wanted nothing to do with me, the guy in the seat in front of me flashed the entire airplane every time he got up and by the time an old lady in a seat on my other side decided to strike up conversation (in broken Dutch) I was already a walking zombie who herself wasn’t capable of coherent sentences.

    So, no sleep. A lot of reading, watching tv-shows and listening to music. To my delight the in-flight entertainment provided a little language course, so I taught myself some Bahasa Indonesia while I was flying across the world. I now know how to recognize most of the numbers (mind you, I cannot actually count. But if I see a number I will know what it is). This skill proved exceptionally useful when I got here and everybody seems to write the way people write numbers. In numbers, not in letters.

    Anyway, on my connecting flight from Kuala Lumpur to Jakarta, I did manage to get some shut-eye. I slept for an entire hour. I was okay, I figured that after my contact picked me up from the airport, he would bring me to my residence and I would sleep until I couldn’t sleep anymore (and I didn’t care if that was the middle of the night). But after an hour long car ride (not because it is far, but because of the traffic) he was so helpful and after we got money for the rent and he translated the entire contract for me, he took me to get an Indonesian number, showed me the way around my neighborhood, took me to the nearby mall. It was so very useful and I was so very tired. I don’t know how I stayed functioning but I did.

    So when I had all the necessities and I was left alone in my room, I slept. No, let me correct that. I went on the wi-fi, texted my brother some of those before-mentioned incoherent sentences, let my mother know I was safe and liked practically everything on Facebook. And then I slept.

    I did set an alarm however, because the bed I slept on had no pillows or covers and I had no food, if I were to wake up in the middle of the night. So I limited myself to three hours of sleep and when I got up, I went back to the mall. It was very strange, walking around here by myself. I felt a little uncomfortable and people were looking at me (and not because I looked like I hadn’t slept in two days, although I’m sure that was part of it). But because I am a Bule. It makes me a bit self conscious, but we’ll see how I manage in the next couple of days.

    One more thing to add before I go to bed. I have really been dreading the rainy season that is coming up in Jakarta, usually starting from October. But this year, it seems, they predicted it will be dry until January. And when I say dry, I mean dry! There will not be rain. And although I realize this is bad for the crops and perhaps the economy, I am secretly (well, not so much now anymore) happy about this. No rain. Until January. Amazeballs.

    So, to sum up:

    • So happy to have cheap fruit.
    • Relieved that the traffic is not as bad as I imagined, although it’s still pretty chaotic.
    • Glad that my temporary home looks good and my bed is comfy.
    • Looking forward to meet people and to not walk the streets alone.
    • I feel like (and in fact, am) a freaking millionaire.

    I think I will be able to absorb it all more after I have gotten some sleep (I know, in this post I seem obsessed with sleep. I’m sorry. But hey, if a crack addict is not getting his next fix, crack is all they will be able to talk about. So actually, we should all be content that I didn’t just write about sleep).

    So proud of myself for all of these legible sentences I just produced. Goodnight.

    p.s. if you haven’t clicked on the link of the mall, you are seriously missing out on my funny side.

    Rice, vegetables, fruit and walking

    These four words pretty much sum up all of my great intentions for the time in Indonesia. During one of her pep talks, these four keywords were mentioned by my friend Jeanine (thank you for unknowingly giving me a title for a blog. I really enjoyed our day <3) and she is so right. If this was all that was waiting for me in Jakarta, I would still be pretty happy (but it is not, which makes me even happier).

    Because I don’t eat meat or fish, a lot of people warn me about the hard time I will have finding something to eat in Indonesia. But for me, it’s very simple. I have set my mind to a plate of rice and vegetables every night for six months, and nothing could make me happier (except for the fact that I am having the adventure of a lifetime). I seriously think I will not get sick of eating the same thing every day! I am actually looking forward to the simplicity.

    Here in The Netherlands, I eat a lot of fruit, but it is so expensive (doubting my fruit addiction? Check my fruity Instagram: @traveling_sunny. #healthylifestyle ;)). Even though I decided quite some time ago not to save money on healthy food, it always costs me an arm and a leg. In Indonesia, fruit is so cheap! I cannot wait to try all the exotic fruits and save money on the regular fruits that I have grown to love.

    I’m also used to get my exercise by jogging or cycling, but in Jakarta, I will not venture out into the traffic on a bicycle (because I don’t have a death wish) and jogging while inhaling all of the smog and avoiding cars and scooters doesn’t seem like the best idea (not to mention I won’t have my running gear there). So I have found other ways to stay/get in shape.
    First, ever since I knew I was going to Jakarta (which is a long time, I’m kind of a planner) I decided Indonesia was a great place for me to learn yoga. So I will take a yoga class and practice yoga every morning. Also, because I am slightly afraid of the traffic, I will walk a lot! I’ll walk twenty minutes to and from the hotel where I will do my internship, and I will walk everywhere else (within reason). It will prepare me for all of the long days of traveling later on! Also, I think I will do quite some swimming. You know why. No? Because it is hot in Indonesia, that’s why.

    As you can read, I am not only looking forward to the standard experiences of moving abroad for a serious amount of time. I am also very excited about the little things, the daily routines and the new life this place will be able to give me.

    I’m just pretty excited in general.