So it’s been a busy week here in Jakarta. We’ve been staying with Indonesian families in different parts of the city all since last Monday afternoon. It has been quite the interesting experience. Like many things here there is a mix between the familiar and the strange. Three of us have been staying with the parents of the Indonesian girl who is the assistant leader of the team. They’ve lived in Jakarta for 12 years but are originally from Manado in the north of the island of Sulawesi. Like many Manadoese they are Christian, and they are ethnically Chinese. Their family speaks Indonesian, some Mandarin, and Manado at home. They all also speak varying amounts of English. The family lives in a typical Indonesian home in a neighborhood on the outskirts of Jakarta near the airport. If the winds are just right the climb out pattern for the airliners is almost over head. The house is small by our standards, one of several in a row made of block and stucco with the typical tile roof. In front of the house is a concrete patio where the family parks their motor scooter. The main room and two small bedrooms are tiled and have basic furnishings. The living room has two chairs and a few plastic stools for gatherings, a writing desk, bookshelf and small fish tank. There is also a small TV on which we have been watching the World Cup. The bathroom is typically Indonesian, with tile walls and floors and the typical Indonesian “plumbing”. There is a cistern that holds ground water for washing and a blue barrel that holds clean water for rinsing. Since Indonesian bathrooms are “wet”, there is no separate shower like in western baths. There is also no shower head or tub, and the toilet isn’t exactly a toilet, but that’s all one needs to know about that. Unless, you’re here of course. The kitchen is in the back of the house, added onto what might have once been a patio. The roof is open in places to allow sunlight, rain and the occasional lizard in. They have basic appliances and running water, but because the water isn’t potable there is another blue barrel for washing and cooking. Beside the refrigerator is a water cooler that holds “white water” for drinking. There’s a table and chairs, some shelving and a old LPG oven and separate cook top set on blocks, I think. Ibu (their word for ma’am) prepares food on the floor, sitting on a small wooden block, in the traditional fashion. All in all it’s a simple home, modest by Indonesian standards but not impoverished, though to our eyes it seems at first derelict. It’s darker and dirtier than we would like, and maybe a bit crowded. Whatever they may lack in material things, or modern technology or “western” comfort is overshadowed by their humility and hospitality. They do everything they can to take care of us and make us comfortable and welcome in their home. They food they provide is so amazing. It’s a mix of Chinese and Indonesian, and is do good…though having rice three times a day and noodles at least twice might take some getting used to. Getting to know this family and the language and their way of life has been a challenge and a blessing. Sometimes you feel every bit at home, and sometimes you wonder exactly where you are. But every minute has been worth it, building relationships and learning about them and about ourselves. The next time I have a chance to write, I’ll talk about our morning, and evening, commutes….
Life in Jakarta
