there 
I'll tell you "Please, apparently you share your time between Jakarta and Yogya ... So tell us amazing expatriates in Yogya." my "bule" (expatriates) to Yogya friends ... I must start by saying that the expatriates in Yogya community is so small you barely cross the city. Only in some places like Via Via Café, Bakery Hani, Gadjah Wong restaurant, restaurant Zango, Monico Café, Café Asmara or in pleasant shopping malls and trendy where you will be finger pointing by the local population. It is only funny the first week of life here ... After that ... Um ... Not really, but at least it makes us understand what it feels like an ape in the zoo all day.
So we basically four categories of expats here.
The first category I will mention that "business people" who basically hate making it difficult or dangerous to organize a dinner with more than five people. We believe that most of the time without us Yogya will be absent knowledgeable things like design, art, technology and food (but this is basically an international sense and not pleasant right expats?). We also try to ourselves and convince our visitors that this city is as trendy as Paris or London, but we like even escape from here as often as possible. The best place we found for a drink is an ugly and noisy boulevard where they offer a single product concept, the concept Bintang (local beer)! We all pretend to be happy with these four clubs, including one that recently closed. Most business people are married with beautiful and strong local ladies who are trying their best to support their husbands (the reverse is also true). We try to meet as often as we share the culture and art playing footsal, paintball, off-road motocross cycle and clubbing! If you want to meet them all at once, then you go to the pool Hyatt on a Sunday. This is the "white South African camp / Chinese" in Yogya. - The family camp This is the only meeting that I jump, the other, I'm one of the guys and I have the opportunity to meet than I ' would never have met in Europe, which is extremely positive.
the second group could be called "the hippie / intellectual / artistic people." They decided to live a very long and interesting life experience. A priest promise not to have sex, and this group decided not to have money! Kind of a big group, a great mix, they like yoga, vegetarian stuff, alternative and green energy fair trade stories. I recognize they are nice and very well integrated with the locals, because they have to share their lifestyle by eating in the street and live in a beautiful 50m² wooden house. They mostly are involved in the actual cultural events (which is good) and they are in panic if you mention the words :. Immigration, Singapore or business
The third group are "the people of NGOs" which are less (thank you God). They were supposed to stay for six months after the bad earthquake in 2006 but somewhat enjoyed the "business group comfortable lifestyle" with a nice feeling to save the world by enjoying the pool at the Hyatt. apparently non-governmental organizations does not mean that organizations are unprofitable? They are well integrated into the "group of companies" and they even have a better lifestyle sometimes. I crossed one of them in the Garuda room last week, he is a good friend of mine and it seemed a perfect businessman - fashionable and equipped (iPad, BB, Notebook , fantastic rolling suitcase, Ray Bans). I looked like a gypsy at his side (I also look like a gypsy next to a gypsy my mother would say).
And finally, the group has "the pensioner group", mainly Dutch and apparently happy to have left their homeland soon under water to get cheap beers here (in thousands). Honestly, we meet just as they are the kind of secret people - certainly a lot of "sleepers" of the CIA spy on us from time to time. I sometimes meet in the street and they look on me always suspicious eyes. Then they immediately write a little note in their black book. It's a little scary there, but I think they need to enjoy themselves by believing that the Dutch government is still here.
I have to say I strangely shaped with most groups despite the fact that I am a part of the "group of companies" devil.
But I'll tell you now why it is a bit unique.
An unfortunate and sad event opened the eyes on the positive aspects of these four mixed groups.
Thereabout two years, we have lost one of the finest old figures of expatriates in Yogya community; a 65 Canadian friend, former journalist, professor former academic, a writer, a poet, an intelligent and open-minded. It was very sudden and a group of friends decided to make a simple ceremony.
I arrived at the furniture factory of one of his best friends, a European businessman. The ceremony took place in a large courtyard and simple, a console table was displayed in the middle with flowers, candles and some photos of our friend. I saw people arriving by the dozens, and I suddenly understood why Yogya was a bit unique. The four categories mentioned above were well represented and everyone was chatting. It was a bit surreal: locals, business people, intellectuals, NGOs, retired. He was not only because of the personality of our friend; it was also because Yogya has this magical way to mix people. We listened very beautiful texts translated into French and English by his close friends so we were all in a big circle - a very moving moment. I normally hate this stuff I'm certainly too sarcastic and always find a way to misbehave even when he is not good at all (my mother will also be confirmed).
And suddenly another unpredictable moment. One of his best friends and very old, a native American Indian, a lanky guy with long hair, wanted to sing an American Indian song. I know this may sound a cliché or funny bit, but it was not. Then he began to sing those strange words and sounds you can hear in some old movies Cowboys against the Indians. These strange words ascended to heaven. First, I think there is no easy performance at all, and suddenly, I must say that I was overwhelmed by great emotion to see all my friends and all those messy groups. Together, standing and listening to these ancient words from the other side of the world with moving candles in the air, I thought, "How come ,,,, some American businessmen, hippies, writers, retired British German Dutch local workers, volunteers, artists, computer programmers, chocolate manufacturers could stand together in the middle of a warehouse in Yogyakarta play a song American Indian ?! "
The name of our friend was "Georges Khal" (1945 Palestine - 2010 Yogyakarta). He was a great man