Five Lessons I Have Learned From Living in Indonesia

I have lived in Bekasi, Indonesia for two years now. This is my second international teaching position and hopefully not my last.  Indonesia is a Southeast Asian country made up of thousands of islands, with many different languages. It’s known for its vast and rich natural beaches, volcanoes and jungles with elephants, tigers and Komodo Dragons. The country is so vastly different that it ranges from a vibrant sprawling capital of Jakarta to an ancient World Heritage Site of Borobudur Temple and to places very small and remote that only a few people live there.  There are many things to see, places to visit, and culture to explore. This is just my perspective from living in Bekasi (small town just southeast of Jakarta) and should not reflect an entire nation.

Lesson 1: TRAFFIC

According to the research Java, Indonesia is the most densely populated area in the world. Most of those people live within the capital of Jakarta, and most of these citizens, in this crowded city own a car.  Making Jakarta one of the worst cities in the world for traffic. Now, I researched this before I came, but until you live it you really don’t know what that means. It can take three hours to get to a location that is 30 miles away.  When you do want to go somewhere take a friend to talk with or take a book to read. I have spent relatively more time getting somewhere in a taxi then at my destination.  It’s also ‘hit or miss’, so you never know when there is “macet”.

Lesson 2: MALLS

Do you love to shop? Well then you will love Jakarta. There is no shortage of malls. I cannot count the number of malls there are between Jakarta and Bekasi. I have been in 13 different malls myself. Want to exercise? Go to the mall. Want to go to the grocery store? Go to the mall. Want to get a massage?  Go to the mall. Want to get a mani/pedi? Go to the mall. Want a nice meal in a nice restaurant? Go to the mall. Want to go see a movie? Go to the mall. You name it and a mall somewhere in Jakarta will have it.

Lesson 3: TRAVEL

If you don’t like malls; you can go sight-seeing. Within Jakarta you can visit historical places and outside of the Java Island there are great places to visit.  Travel costs can vary depending on where you go or where you want to stay. I have paid a lot for my vacations inside Indonesia, but the experience was worth the expense! I have seen: elephants, orangutans, birds of all kinds, tropical fish, and Komodo dragons in their natural habitat. There are gorgeous waterfalls, great beaches, peaceful mountains, and wild jungles. I have tried to explore Bali, Flores, Sumatra, Lombok, the Giles and Kalimantan. If wildlife is not your thing, it is very easy to travel to other countries. I have been able to see Thailand and visit Singapore. My friends have traveled to Australia and Hong Kong with ease.

Lesson 4...Read the rest of the article here.