Thoughts post-Jakarta
I am back from my time in Jakarta. One thing about being away from home is that your eyes get opened a little wider each time. Jakarta has 2 sides to it. The haves and have-nots. This little write-up might seem schizo since the 2 worlds are well... worlds apart. =p
<>
The World of the Haves
I did not mean for this section to be a comparison of attitudes, but it sorta got shaped into one.
As much as Jakarta was dusty, the toilet etiquette of the middle class and onward is not bad. I did not see footprints on toilet seats or urine sprinkled floors and seats. The loo at the mall I frequented was clean, dry and not smelly. People queued patiently, I did not experience queue-jumping.
People were friendly and helpful mostly, with a smile on their face. When I needed to borrow someone's laptop to try to access the net for airplane ticketing issues they were not paranoid or skeptical. Back home when I try to borrow a mobile to dial ian (my hp is out of batt or not with me), people insist on dialing for me first. Lol. I guess there have been instances of people running away with other folks' phones.
Because of the bomb blasts, the Indons are extra careful to check all bags for dodgy stuff before letting you into their malls, cineplexes, etc. They are smiley and friendly even as they ask to check your stuff. Our local personnels tend to look like grim reapers themselves whilst checking through other people's stuff. Sometimes they are quite gruff and demanding. It is like people are guilty until proven innocent. It is possible to do your job with a friendly disposition folks.
Indonesia's national day is around the corner- 8 days after ours. The roads are covered with Indonesia's flag and I feel people are pretty passionate about their country and they are definitely more proactive compared to our locals who've had it easy for so long. Patriotism seems to be something they have, that many Singaporeans have forgotten. I was so disappointed to read articles on people's "can't be bothered" attitude about the Pledge Taking @ 8.22pm. Worse still, many adults have forgotten the pledge! Perhaps we should take a little more pride in what we have and not take it all for granted. Saying the pledge should fill us with pride not shame!
The middle class people there and the middle class people here are quite similar.
I guess the greatest impact Jakarta had on me was the following-
The Lives of the Have Nots
Stop at the traffic light and they come waltzing over to your vehicles on crutches and outstretched hands, females suffering from malnutrition with sarongs tied across their bodies and babies peering out from within, transvestites offering to service the car and maybe a little more. It literally makes the journey to the shopping mall and back a guilt trip.
They live in zinc roof zones that are rusty compared to those living in apartments and houses. Outside their homes are blue plastic barrels to collect rainwater. They spend their days sitting by the dusty traffic, waiting for a chance to beg.
Not all of them look miserable though.
Two elderly men battle over chess by the roadside laughing as one of their grandkid keeps trying to clamber on to his grandpa; little kids walk around carefree with smiles- oblivious at times to their tattered clothes and matted hair; a group of youths huddle around a TV at a roadside stall, watching the latest Indonesian drama on telly, eyes glued to the goggle box; some young men offer to help direct traffic under the highway- Ian often wonders who pays them. I wonder if they are doing this out of their good hearts?
The "Have Not" s of this country really have not compared to some of those back home who are having a tougher time during this econ crisis.
The struggle for day-to-day survival is there, but they too know that sometimes the best way to get through calamity is to smile your way through the tough times.
Perhaps we can learn from them, to enjoy where we are now as we journey on to where we are headed to.
<
The World of the Haves
I did not mean for this section to be a comparison of attitudes, but it sorta got shaped into one.
As much as Jakarta was dusty, the toilet etiquette of the middle class and onward is not bad. I did not see footprints on toilet seats or urine sprinkled floors and seats. The loo at the mall I frequented was clean, dry and not smelly. People queued patiently, I did not experience queue-jumping.
People were friendly and helpful mostly, with a smile on their face. When I needed to borrow someone's laptop to try to access the net for airplane ticketing issues they were not paranoid or skeptical. Back home when I try to borrow a mobile to dial ian (my hp is out of batt or not with me), people insist on dialing for me first. Lol. I guess there have been instances of people running away with other folks' phones.
Because of the bomb blasts, the Indons are extra careful to check all bags for dodgy stuff before letting you into their malls, cineplexes, etc. They are smiley and friendly even as they ask to check your stuff. Our local personnels tend to look like grim reapers themselves whilst checking through other people's stuff. Sometimes they are quite gruff and demanding. It is like people are guilty until proven innocent. It is possible to do your job with a friendly disposition folks.
Indonesia's national day is around the corner- 8 days after ours. The roads are covered with Indonesia's flag and I feel people are pretty passionate about their country and they are definitely more proactive compared to our locals who've had it easy for so long. Patriotism seems to be something they have, that many Singaporeans have forgotten. I was so disappointed to read articles on people's "can't be bothered" attitude about the Pledge Taking @ 8.22pm. Worse still, many adults have forgotten the pledge! Perhaps we should take a little more pride in what we have and not take it all for granted. Saying the pledge should fill us with pride not shame!
The middle class people there and the middle class people here are quite similar.
I guess the greatest impact Jakarta had on me was the following-
The Lives of the Have Nots
Stop at the traffic light and they come waltzing over to your vehicles on crutches and outstretched hands, females suffering from malnutrition with sarongs tied across their bodies and babies peering out from within, transvestites offering to service the car and maybe a little more. It literally makes the journey to the shopping mall and back a guilt trip.
They live in zinc roof zones that are rusty compared to those living in apartments and houses. Outside their homes are blue plastic barrels to collect rainwater. They spend their days sitting by the dusty traffic, waiting for a chance to beg.
Not all of them look miserable though.
Two elderly men battle over chess by the roadside laughing as one of their grandkid keeps trying to clamber on to his grandpa; little kids walk around carefree with smiles- oblivious at times to their tattered clothes and matted hair; a group of youths huddle around a TV at a roadside stall, watching the latest Indonesian drama on telly, eyes glued to the goggle box; some young men offer to help direct traffic under the highway- Ian often wonders who pays them. I wonder if they are doing this out of their good hearts?
The "Have Not" s of this country really have not compared to some of those back home who are having a tougher time during this econ crisis.
The struggle for day-to-day survival is there, but they too know that sometimes the best way to get through calamity is to smile your way through the tough times.
Perhaps we can learn from them, to enjoy where we are now as we journey on to where we are headed to.
Comments
Post a Comment