observations worth noting

As I was going through my posts for this blog, I came across a variety of unpublished posts that I held off publishing for one reason or the other.  This one really stood out after I re-read it.  I wrote this about four to six weeks after arriving here.  Much of it is still applicable because some of it continues to be a wonder and discomfort to me.  I will comment at the end.

Life in Jakarta brings both wonderful and not so wonderful sights and experiences to this newcomer. Just like in any large city, there are so many levels of experience that it just boggles the mind. I would like to share a few of these observations and spectacles with you now. I will give you a little heads up at this point. This is a departure from my normally cheerful posts. It is another part of Jakarta that I have witnessed. So if you are looking for fun in the sun, it is partly cloudy in this particular post.

One thing mentioned early on, and frequently, has been the temperature. I am acclimating somewhat, but the stillness of the air in stores still kind of gets to me. It isn't every single store. But sometimes when you go in to buy something you just feel like you can't get a breath of fresh air. Indonesian's don't really like wind blowing on them and so many times, the stores don't seem to have any kind of air system blowing a molecule of air. I am sure that isn't really the case. Air is circulating somehow, but it feels so close and stuffy one would never know it. It seems especially true when I go to a Guardian or Century store. Guardian and Century would be the equivalent to Walgreens or CVS. Most of the time when you go to one of these stores it is because you may not be feeling at the top of your game. Stuffy air is kind of the last thing you want to experience. Typically, by the time I get what I need, my face glistens and I can't wait to find the door. The lights seem extra bright in these stores as well, so it adds to the closeness of it all. The pharmacist at one of these particular stores is very nice and very knowledgeable and she speaks enough English that we can usually understand each other. I try to go to that specific location if I can.

However, last week I was on the search for Pepto Bismol and here's where I had a little trouble. With the mention of Pepto Bismol, you know that tummy troubles are the topic. We won't go into detail. Anyway, I wound up at a different mall with a different pharmacist then the one mentioned above. I tried to explain my situation, pointing to my stomach saying I didn't feel well. They looked at me. I then said I was trying to find Pepto Bismol. Hmmm. Words appeared to be bouncing off their faces. Then I said medicine with bismuth in it. Major staring now ensued. I tried saying pink liquid and pointing to the spiffy little outfits that they all wear in the store (FYI-Indonesians seem to really love the color pink)so that might give them a clue. The pharmacist's face brightened and she said "Inpepsa" and goes to the back and produces a box with a bottle inside. She opens the box and pulls out a bottle of rather thin looking pink liquid. Well, this was as close as I was going to get apparently so I payed my 200,000 rupiahs (a little over $20.00) and decide to go back to the hotel and see exactly what I had purchased. I know you are thinking the price tag should have been a big clue. I will touch on the costs of goods here in another post, so FYI cost is not always overly telling. However, after doing a little Internet research on this pink liquid I discovered that I had just purchased medicine for peptic ulcers. Close, but not exactly what I was looking for. It seems that Pepto Bismol is not sold here. The closest thing I can get is Mylanta. Close, but still not doing it. When I return home for a visit, in the near future, you can bet your bottom dollar that I will have multiple bottles of pink liquid in my suitcase for the return trip to my new home.


The point of all of this is that you can go to a pharmacy or apotek here and buy many kinds of medicine over the counter that you would need a prescription for back home. It can be a handy system if you 1. Don't try to self diagnose too much or for anything unusual. 2. Don't take ANYTHING without looking it up first. 3. Be careful when you try to describe what medicine looked like back home - even if it is pink.

Relating to the heat, people here seem to have a totally different thermostat setting than I do. Many days the temperature hovers around the low 90's or upper 80's. In the US that would mean the wearing of light weight clothing, short sleeves, at the very least, and maybe even shorts. Here, it is not unusual to people all bundled up with heavy jackets. Frequently, you will see a baby wearing a knit hat, quilted jacket with a hood pulled up; wedged in between parents on a motorcycle. My son would have had a heat stroke if I had done that. For me wearing capri pants, sandals, a short sleeve or 3/4 length sleeve shirt still leaves me fanning myself. I guess I need more than 8 weeks to feel like I need long pants, long sleeved shirt and a jacket when the temperature dips below 89.

Speaking of children, I have seen very cute children in extremely dangerous situations. As mentioned above, many people will have their babies or small children riding with them on a motorcycle. Most of the time, the grown ups have helmets. This makes them a lot smarter than a number of Texans who love to ride and feel the wind in their hair. However, most of the children on the motorcycles do not have helmets. In fact, most of the time you will see families of four on a bike. Mom on the back, baby stuffed between she and the dad who is driving, and then a two or three year old standing in front of him holding on to the handle bars with such tiny fingers. Sometimes the child is so short that they are standing on tip toes in order to see over the motorcycle handle bars. No one is holding on to the child as the driver needs both hands to operate the bike. Other times you will see a dad driving with two or three small children in school uniforms clinging to one another as they are driven to and from school. Today, I saw a very cute little girl on a motorcycle with her dad and mom. She was standing in front of her dad. Her hair was pinned up on each side of her face with cute little bows. On her face was a pair of red, child-sized sunglasses. Once you got past the absolutely adorable, you started to think about her precarious position.

Actually, even more horrifying than that are the children who wander the sides of the very busy streets tapping on the side window of your car wanting whatever money you will give them. On my way back from the Pepto Bismol quest I saw a little girl who was maybe three or four walking all alone next to a very long line of motorcycles stopped at a stop light at a major intersection. She had a small rag in her hand and she would half-heartedly wipe the front fender of the motorcycle and look up at the driver to see if they were going to offer here a coin. If not, she would move on to the next one. She proceeded this way down the line of motorcycles until the light changed. They zoomed off and she stood there in the street, all alone, waiting for the next group of vehicles to stop. I still have that scene in my head.


On a lighter note, today I witnessed a forklift being driven down a major thoroughfare. The man drove it along in front of us for a while and then we eventually wound up beside it. I thought maybe the forks were not attached to the front. Wrong. Sure enough, once beside it, there were the long forks sticking out as it merrily rolled along. Seemed like all kinds of accidents waiting to happen. But the traffic and how it functions here are massively different. There is no way that the traffic anywhere I have ever driven in the US could function within the same "guidelines" that are used here. It is pretty remarkable and I am impressed by how it works every single day.

Seems like my list is heavy on traffic concerns. It is such a major part of life in Jakarta that my concentration on it would make a lot of sense to you if you were here. I love how some woman ride side saddle on the backs of motorcycles. Sometimes they have on very high heel shoes and have there little feet poking out just so. It is funny to see them holding their purses so lady-like on their laps and not holding on to anything else as the motorcycle on which they are a passenger, weaves in and out of traffic. Sometimes they are talking on their cell phones as they zoom along. The age range is broad. Some are young women in flip flops or sandals. Some are more mature ladies sitting up so proper with feet crossed at the ankles. You see head scarves on many of the riders and sometimes helmets. They have a kind of motorcycle taxi here called an ojek. Don't know how much it is to hire an ojek, but you see their stands all over. Usually, there is a small sign attached to a tree or pole and a big clump of motorcycles waiting to be hired so you know you are at the right place. Apparently, some of the drivers will let you wear a spare helmet, maybe for an extra fee perhaps. This would pose quite a dilemma for most US citizens. Go helmetless or put on a helmet that countless heads have worn. Head lice is a very real possibility. Since I would not get on an ojek, I am blessed not to be faced with that particular choice.

Some of what I wrote, and a lot of what I didn't write, is difficult to imagine or at least was before I got here. However, Indonesians are an interesting, kind, and sociable group of people. To be in such a large city (the sixth most crowded metropolis after Tokyo, Seoul, Mexico City, New York and Mumbai)people always greet you, smile at you, feel sorry for you if you are eating lunch by yourself, will crowd your hospital room with visitors so you won't feel lonely, adore children and love to spoil them, and may not always get it right but will certainly try as hard as possible to please you. They love it when you make small talk and make eye contact. I am finding I bow a lot these days and greet people more openly. I am glad I have learned to do this.

Yes, there are a lot of things that I talked about that sound as if I am talking about two different cities. The graciousness and warmth vs the harshness and cruelness of reality for many. That is what makes it complicated and fascinating all at the same time.

Here are my follow up comments about two and a half years after I wrote this. 

Tummy troubles are a part of life here.  I was having lunch with a friend the other day and at a table behind her was a guy opening a box of Norit.  Poor guy.  Norit is activated charcoal.  It can be used to help absorb nasty things you might ingest.  They are small black pellets in a yellow tube.  I carry them in my purse along with Imodium and Pepto Bismol tablets.  The down side to Norit is that because of their small size you have to literally take a handful with a lot of water to get relief.  You also have to be mindful of the fact that if you take them too close to any medications that you take it will absorb that as well.  But it works great and they can really save you.  But I do bring back Imodium and Pepto every time I return to the states.  It is a necessity and they still do not sell it here.

Traffic continues to be something that everyone talks about.  Jakarta is a growing city and public transportation is a problem.  With the growing middle class, many are turning to scooters and motorcycles as a great, inexpensive way to get around.  Unfortunately, you cannot imagine what it is like to turn on to a major street and there are motorcycles and scooters almost solid across both sides of the road coming at you.  Over the last few months I have noticed a few changes in the driving habits.  They do not think anything about being on the wrong side of the road and they will challenge you head-on without any hesitation.  There are many mornings we are forced to get as far to the left as possible or even stop so we don't collide.  Unfortunately, if you stop more and more of them pour in to your lane and you cannot proceed.  We just flat out have too many vehicles and not enough road.

I have gotten fairly used to seeing small children on motorcycles.  It still concerns me to see them begging on the sides of the roads and wandering in and out of traffic.  I also am concerned about the exhaust they are inhaling and riding with no helmets or even sun glasses to protect their eyes from dust and road debris.  But I understand that this is many times the only option they have to get to work or school or the doctor.

Yes, I still feel that it is a city of massive contrasts.  I am learning more and more of them as I live here. I still love the greetings and their politeness even if sometimes I know it is all a facade.  There is still much to learn and much to attempt to understand.  It is an impossible task to do so in such a short span of time.