sat in the domestic airport of Bali, it can be easy to forget why I call home Indonesia, no doubt, there is no need to remember the challenges to make your way to North Bali, struggling against sand trucks, the domestic terminal Denpasar, let alone the next series of beep, honk and squeak to make the animated home Mega Kuningan. I'm not here to bore you with another round of discussions traffic, however.
My time in Indonesia was a lot of ignorance. I did the typical Aussie was heading to Bali for a beach and night club annual pilgrimage. Frankly, my Indonesian experience was based on six months of Bahasa Indonesia in the first half of high school - forgotten second half, the scandal of drug Schapelle Corby and of course the tragic bombings in Bali. Sad I know. It was actually an Indonesian tourism ad at the right time which swung my list of pros and cons and converted me to move. Sometimes you have to follow directions.
After only two years in the Big Durian I am proud to call home in Indonesia. Now I wish my colleagues and friends will make me look like a typical Australian tourist, wearing my best shirt Bintang, expat or for that matter. The reality of what I like to call, sustainable living in Jakarta kick in at some point, in many least for most of us.
If you are still reading then maybe you have experienced a similar transition to expat illumination. Laughing we? Well, I probably would not go as far as to call me enlightened, perhaps aware is better placed. After all, if it was the whole world would easy to do, right? Anyway, today I see this country and my new home from a very different perspective.
I will view a recent trip to Brisbane (my hometown) to invite my discussion to explain why it is I love this place. Before even setting foot in the country, I remembered how a nanny state of Australia has become. For example, how to engage the exit 101. After three warnings over the loudspeaker and two additional warnings anonymous airline hosts I was sure that we would be facing a death defying "Indiana Jones" departure. I'm certainly disappointed to find a simple step, not even a gap, in which the most incapable of all humans could navigate. So, the question beckoned me, when he declared that we are all fools unable to navigate a step or passage? And the list and :. Am here, he walks behind the line Sir, plastic cups, light beer and I'm sure you can think more from your own home - Singapore please stand up
So what is the point I hear you ask? Well consider the freedom to consider yourself personally responsible for almost all actions and moral decision you make. When was the last time you were arrested for drunk driving or J-walking? Way home last week, I was distracted by the unnecessarily huge video screens Mega Kuningan and collected my leg on what appeared to be a perfectly inconvenient light post. Who else did I have to blame, really now ...
Of course, I would not be so ignorant to consider our house "free". We are daily confronted with moral dilemmas, social, political and personal. When did he become the norm, for example, not to recognize the mother and baby begging for their next meal outside the local warung makan? It was my wise mother who repeatedly said, "Every cloud has a silver lining son," and he never had a real word spoken when we take time to recognize the daily difficulties of life Unlike nowadays disguises day - like not being able to pay the high price to watch design and settle with anything less. I hope this will become less of a problem when you are faced with this mother and child every day. All I ask is for a little perspective, people.
Perspective I hear your groans ... Will I say, when did you last took the time to recognize the feeling of gratitude by observing humans recycling collection garbage by man-drawn wagon in the heat, traffic and pollution of Jakarta, for a simple Rp.50,000 per day? If it does not help you to free yourself from the constraints of everyday buying your next designer watch or investment property, I do not know what will.
When first considering "things that I like Indonesia," it was easy to pick the low hanging fruit - home help, drivers, sapphire cards, weekend trips -end to tropical islands, insatiable nightlife and how can I forget my favorite, sambal. Only after scrapping the first attempts I realize it is not the low hanging fruit that helps infuse my love for this place. It is the love of responsibility, the thousand and one reasons outside my door that humiliates my life and gives me perspective on what is truly good fortune. When I think back to my race with the light pole perfectly placed, I'm really only me to blame and I am more than confident that the same principle can be applied to all aspects of life in Indonesia.
As an expat, by definition we are here to help transmit knowledge and teach those around us lessons that we have had the chance to learn already. Sometimes if I do wonder who is the real teacher, thank you Indonesia.