Life is never boring, that's one of the things Australian expat Jen Jen has to say about living in Jakarta, Indonesia. That isn't to say that everything is smooth-sailing, though! Jen Jen describes her experiences of living in this Indonesian capital city, a city that she and her family love for all its good and not-so-good aspects.	Jen Jen

-Where were you born
Sydney, Australia

-In which country and city are you living now?
Jakarta, Indonesia

-Are you living alone or with your family?
Here with Husband and three young kids

-How long have you been living in Indonesia?
We arrived in January 2007, so 9 months so far.

-When did you come up with the idea of living in Indonesia?
We were at a BBQ with friends and the subject of relocating and the advantages that it offered career wise was discussed. It was something we had never thought of before and after a bit of research we decided to give it a try, six months later we were here. We originally wanted to move to Shanghai, China, as it is a safe, vibrant country on the move. Indonesia was offered as a stepping stone and career wise it was a big promotion. We were very concerned at first in regards to safety and after many hours of researching we decided to give it a go. I spent hours on the internet searching forums and blogs and emailed any one I found who new about Indonesia.

During my research I found two quotes from Mark Twain that helped us decide to move.

"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime."
- Innocents Abroad

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour.
Catch the trade winds in your sails.
Explore. Dream. Discover."
--Mark Twain

-Was it hard to get a visa or a working permit?
The HR department handled all of this. I had to supply all relevant paperwork and photos to the Jakarta office and then go to the consulate office in Sydney to collect visas.

Once we arrived we had an agent in Jakarta to help with all the formalities which was great as the procedures here are VERY confusing.

-Was it difficult for you to get medical insurance before you went there or when you first arrived?
The company arranged all this for us, using another big multi-national insurance agency. We also belong to the SOS clinic. Good health insurance is vital and you must have an evacuation policy. It is not advisable to have any invasive treatment or use blood products here. If any of us requires major medical help we will be flown to Singapore.

-How do you make your living in Indonesia? Do you have any type of income generated?
Husband was transferred from Australia within the same company. I teach ESOL at the kids International school in return for a sizeable fee relief.

-Do you speak Indonesian and do you think it's important to speak the local language?
We are all currently studying Bahasa Indonesia, and I’m finding it tough. I coach ESOL children at my kid’s international school in English, concentrating on Phonics and pronunciation which makes it difficult to switch to a whole new set of sounds.

We believe that to get the most of the experience, learning the local language is a must. You can get around here as most people have a very basic skill in English. People do seem to appreciate it when you try to speak the local language.

-Do you miss home and family sometimes?
Yes, BUT we live in an age where communication is so cheap and easy. Phone calls are expensive and often don’t work, but there is always the internet and skype.

There are a few playgrounds that the kids really enjoy and we find we met up with friends often.

-Do you have other plans for the future?
We LOVE it here, and would seriously consider extending our posting at the end of our three-year contract. If another country was offered we would consider it as well. I don’t know if we could just go back to suburbia, the expat life is very interesting and addictive.

-What about housing, have you bought, or are you renting a home? How much do you pay for it?
We rent a great house in a suburb close to the expat hub of Kemang. Our housing allowance was two thousand US dollars per month and we managed to stick to it. The housing choice is enormous as is the price range. You can get a nice older home for US$1000 per month up to mansions in excess of US$10 000 per month.

Everything is a compromise; we have a relatively small lounge room and kitchen but a big flat garden and live in a dead end street with absolutely no traffic at the top of a hill. Our house has five bedrooms and four and a half baths.

Rent is payable up front in advance; we signed a three-year lease on our house and three years of rent was paid up front.

-What is the cost of living in Indonesia?
Not as cheap as I thought, that’s for sure! The expat supermarkets are probably about the same price as at home, if not more expensive. The local markets are definitely cheaper, but if I go I am charged four times the price as I am obviously a westerner.

Clothes are cheap and plentiful if you have a tiny Asian figure but expensive for western shapes. Alcohol is very expensive. Once you have your residency paperwork you are able to purchase alcohol at duty free shops.

Electricity is super expensive. We pay between 3- 5 million rupiah every month. We only run two a/c at night and one during the day (we have a total of 9 units in our house) and have the outside lights on all night. We pay this ourselves…..Tip: if you are negotiating a package make sure this is included!!!!!!

-What do you think about the Indonesians?
Wonderful, friendly and helpful. Unfortunately westerners have a reputation of being excessively wealthy and it is not considered wrong to overcharge, extort money and steal. As long as you are aware of this and take precautions it works out ok.

You can also meet people who are friendly, smiling and happy but would take you for every last cent and then more. The same can be said for many countries and their locals......

-What are the positive and negative aspects of living in Indonesia?

Negatives
*Security and all it entails…..We have 24-hr security guards at home. Most malls and offices have bag searches and metal detectors at the entrances and cars are searched inside, out and underneath with mirrors every time you arrive. We have a 12-ft wall topped with barbed wire around our home.
*Dirt, filth and pollution. Jakarta is surrounded by mountains, I have seen them once!!!!! The air is always thick and brown. There are often no footpaths and if there are they have huge holes and or/motor bikes on them. There is no drinkable water in Jakarta, we and most others have a well drawing up contaminated water. There is no sewerage system either, only our toilets go into a septic system and ALL other water flows straight to the gutters….Tip: never live at the bottom of the hill.
*Terrorism….
*Traffic. Everyone talks about how bad it is, but you cannot comprehend how REALLY bad it is until you experience it yourself.

Positives
*Indonesia is a vibrant and alive country with enormous potential. The history and scenery are amazing and the people are so diverse and friendly. Life is never boring. All other expats we have met are great; we have already made life long friends. I have never felt unsafe here, though we are always careful. Life outside the city is amazing. *The island of Java is breathtakingly beautiful.
*Food is great, really great.
*Here we can afford the luxury of household staff…this is seriously addictive. It takes some getting used to though; we went from a family of five to a household of 8-10 depending on the time and day.

-Do you have any tips for our readers about living in Indonesia?
Everything is negotiable......EVERYTHING. Learn to bargain hard!

-Do you have any favorite Web sites or blogs about Indonesia?
My own blog, of course: http://jenjenqld.blogspot.com

This is a great “daily photo” site: http://jakartadailyphoto.com

This is the photograpy site of an American living in Jakarta: http://thejavajive.com/blog

Living in Indonesia, a site for expats: http://www.expat.or.id