Saturday, July 4, 2009

Things I Notice About Indonesia Part 1

I've been here for about a month, and aside from the obvious cultural differences such as the language, the character of the people, the culture (duh) and food, there are still many small little things that bring wonder to me. For example, every night, when I'm up working on whatever it is I'm doing, I notice that every hour someone would bang on a hollow pipe (like on a metal fence or something) to notify of the time. I'm usually up very late, so when the clock hits 12 midnight, there will be 12 strikes which indicates that it's 12 am. When it's 1 am, it's one strike, two strikes for 2 am, and so forth. But it occurs without fail, night after night, hour after hour. It reminds me of old Chinese or Japanese movies where there's always someone patrolling the village at night on foot, announcing the time as he goes by either with a gong or by yelling. This is the Indonesian version of time keeping cuckoo clock, only it's done by manual labor. Many of the houses here employ private security guards 24/7, and these guys must be the ones doing it.

It amuses me to listen to that. It's a sort of community service for the entire neighborhood, and this is prevalent in all of the neighborhoods in Jakarta. I remember hearing this when I grew up in another neighborhood. Since I moved to the US, I totally forgot about this childhood memory and now everything came back to me. It amuses me not because I heard it again after so many years, but because now, in my eyes, it stands in stark contrast against the gleaming, modern Jakarta skycrapers and luxurious shopping malls.

It reminds me that the roots of this culture is very much based on a community, rural, village-like setting, and it's pretty nifty to see that some elements of it is still present in today's hectic daily pace of this metropolitan city of 8 million. I enjoy observing the duality of it.

Culture. What is culture? The Merriam-Webster dictionary define culture as "The integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon the capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations." But to me, the small, subtle, and nearly invisible elements that are omnipresent all over us are what truly define a culture.

It is something that you cannot touch; an intangible. But you know that it is there, and you can feel it. Sooner or later, you'll be immersed in it and it becomes your second nature. I look back at my life and I think about what I have learned about the American culture. Whatever it is, I learned it subconsciously and I can no longer pinpoint specific elements of it, precisely because I have lived in it for so long and I have learned to ignore it: It has become my second nature. But I know I have it, because as in the case with the time keeping illustration above, simple things like that are now foreign to me. It is truly a wonder how humanity works, and it never ceases to amaze me. I thank God everyday that I'm a part of it.

Of course, that bit about time keeping is not the only thing I notice here. Here are some other things that caught my attention:

  • Is it just me, or are drivers here much more patient than myself? For the past month, I've seen a driver stopped dead short of a freeway entrance ramp and calmly backed up, apparently because he took the wrong ramp and was trying to get back out to the main road; countless drivers stop in the middle of the road to drop or pick passengers up (my own drivers included); and cars cutting in 3 - 4 lanes to pull over to the side / get into freeway ramps. In most cases, and I'm not joking here, people behind don't honk.The actually wait PATIENTLY until the person completes the maneuver, and then move on. And it is a thing of a wonder to me, because in the US I would've blasted any fool who even dares to think about doing any of these stunts. Jakarta is rife with honks, everyday, every hour, but when it comes to things like this, they strangely don't.
  • Oh yeah, that brings a point: They honk and high beam when they enter or exit an intersection, apparently to warn other drivers of their coming in. It freaked me out when I first started driving, because I was opposite them and I thought I did something wrong! I slammed on the brakes, which surprised the driver behind me, and HE blasted me, which made me panic even more. I looked like a total idiot. The oncoming driver calmly made the turn and stared at me as if I was a retard. But honking when they enter and exit intersections is a very common practice here.
  • Indonesians have very nice and detailed handwriting skills. They write oh-so-cutely and neatly, like the Japanese, and they use rulers to underline words. Everything is written in properly. They also use carbon copy sales receipts when you buy things, complete with the company's header, very detailed line-by-line item descriptions, and signature.
  • For some reason, they all back up their cars when they park. They don't park head in; they back up into the parking space. Maybe to facilitate easy exit, but it was just funny to turn around and see the entire parking lot full of bumpers and my car was the only one with its ass out.














Perfect Backed-In Parking Example in Jakarta

  • The overwhelming surplus of workers anywhere on any store, big or small. It seems like no matter where I go in this city, there are always more workers than there are shoppers. The ratio of store attendants to shopper is 3 to 1. They all jump at me from the moment I enter the store to the first time I touch an item. Not less than 2 attendants at all times surround me. "Yes, how can I help you?" "Yes, would you like to try the size?" "Yes, we have similar items. Let me show. Come, come!" I usually lost my appetite and just walked out. Call it personal attention, but I prefer TJ Maxx style of shopping where I have to chase around a sales associate for help on size but in return they left me alone to debate myself the whole day long.
  • The can-do attitude of Indonesians. It's really cool to see that most people here are willing to hustle, and they're fiercely competitive to gain your business. For example, cell phone stores (these are mom-and-pop stores not affiliated with cell phone providers) will work to the end with you on any problem you might have, including unlocking foreign phones, upgrade the software, change the casing, finding the best phones and/or calling plans, or simply to have it checked and cleaned. They have no shortage of solutions or recommendations. Taxi drivers will cut 3 lanes and stop in the middle of the road just to pick you up (as opposed to taxis in LA where no one will stop for you for fear of robbery; you'd have to call them in and give a residence address). And a lot of people are willing to go the extra mile for you, such as personally delivering an item you've just purchased.
  • The noticeable absence of dogs. You got cats. Lots of stray cats, everywhere.

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1 comment:

I Valencia said...

You are driving there already???