Jurnalis days and selamat tinggal, Indonesia
Being a foreign journalist in Indonesia can be a daunting task, or an impediment, or an advantage but above all… unceasingly joyful. These past 4 weeks have taught me several things about my forming profession and this nation by hearing my colleagues’ experiences and interning for The Jakarta Globe.
While 4 weeks of reporting and occasional copyediting won’t uncover a complete experiential picture, I think I’ve learned a few things:
Indonesia is the place to be. No matter how you look at it. The fourth most populous nation in the planet, a 13-year old democracy with a booming economy and a constant struggle against its woeful bureaucracy; add to that religious complexity, natural disasters and separatist movements … it’s a mine for untold stories. For Australia and other countries in the region, Indonesia is also soaring as an hegemonic neighbour, trade partner and diplomatic game-changer. It’s hard to imagine a future without a global interest for Indonesia. If you haven’t considered Indonesia yet, get down to it before it’s too late.
Indonesia has a long way to go. Trying to find a solution for any problem in Indonesia is often a vain attempt undermined by the ubiquity of corruption, conservative mindsets or an inefficient bureaucracy. For my development studies peers, Indonesia is something of a test tube for humanitarian and environmental initiatives. If it works here, it can work anywhere. They see Indonesia this way because few other nations are as vast and complex. There are many things Indonesia has to eradicate: extreme wealth disparity, corruption, water pollution, extremist interpretations of pancasila… and a many others that needs to implement: accesible education, better fostering of national talents, waste management… Continue reading »
Tinggal di Jakarta dan Bahasa Indonesia kelas
The idea of living in Jakarta had been dizzying since the day I found out I was coming to Indonesia. The “most populous city in Southeast Asia” is a title that evokes imagery of chaos, heat, people, polusi, humidity and more people.
It took me a couple of days to get my head around a map of Jakarta. Hint: most places are located along Sudirman Avenue, Central Jakarta’s main artery. Only a small portion of this colosal city, but probably the only expats like us will get to see.
It’s hard to understand how a city like Jakarta works -let alone how Jakartans survive it.- I like to think of cities as well-engineered urban planned environments. Trains and buses that fit around schedules, synchronised traffic mechanisms… Jakarta is nothing like that, is more like a living organism.
Food vendors sense your rumbling stomach before you. Macets (traffic jams) learn to unjam themselves. Ojeks (motorcycle taxis) spontaneously appear on any street corner if you are running late to offer their amazing space-time bending services.
Jakarta is also a culinary odyssey. Once I overcame my fixation for the words goreng, nasi, ayam and mie (fried, rice, chicken and noodles respectively) what was left was an endless array of padang delicacies. Jakarta days don’t go without finding a new dish in your palate. You are always spoilt with food.
Unless you live on or below the average Indonesian salary. Wealth disparity is one of the most striking things about Jakarta. On the streets, million-dollar cars drive past infant beggars. Well-off teenagers throw pompous birthday parties without even glancing at the five-year old girl outside selling tissue packages to pay for her meal.
Sebulan di Indonesia: 2 Weeks on the Move
I’ve been meaning to write this blogpost since the moment I set foot in Indonesia. Regrettably it’s been rather difficult to find spare time in my two weeks of travelling and the subsequent days exploring Jakarta, learning Bahasa Indonesia and immersing myself in the amazing program that ACICIS JPP has been so far.
Indonesia is a country of unimaginable beauty, of chaos mended with an innate dexterity, of vivid humanity and slow traffic, of polusi and delighting smells and of flaunty wealth foregrounded with extreme poverty. Whatever your expectations of Indonesia are, they will die out in a matter of days, this is a land of surprises and they all hit hard.
Here’s a quick recount of my whereabouts for the past 4 weeks.
