Friends - The Album (Part 2)

Meet Brummie A (girl) my former DOS (Director of Studies) and N (dude) former Senior DOS for the whole of the franchise group. Together they were an unstoppable ESL power couple, surely there has to be songs written about them?! They've worked for the franchise group for six years and together for roughly the same time. Seriously though, between them they have so much knowledge and experience within ESL. They gave me a great deal of encouragement and advice when I asked for it or after they had observed my lesson, they provided honest and detailed feedback which I took on board. A was the kids guru and N was the adult guru so together, I got top tips on how to approach both sets. They both are amazing teachers and I am forever grateful for their guidance. I hope I get to work with them again in the future.

Aussie R - This force of nature started the same time as me. She is a ESL veteran who brings a tons and tons of energy to her classes. You almost forget you are in a class if you are observing one of her lessons. She was a good work colleague who had ideas and gave everything creative flair. Did I mention she's fluent in Bahasa? I would hate her if I didn't like her so much. 

Withnail - My Mancunian brother-from another- mother he was in a strange, perverted  way (he nicknamed Tits Magee). Withnail was one of the loveliest guys you'll ever meet. Sharp-witted, well-read and Manchester Red like me; what more could I've asked for in a housemate? We got on so well and I was gutted he had to move back out to his old house. I enjoyed our group movie trips and our many drunken chats. He left on the day Doc arrived and is now living it up in Italy. We keep in touch mainly to commiserate at how fucking awful Man United are this season. Hopefully we shall meet up and have several bottles of wine, unlike old times where the wine was beer hehe!

Five Things I Miss and Five Things I Don't Miss about Jakarta

Mal Sarinah in Jakarta Pusat

It's been 9 weeks since I left Jakarta and I miss the bitch! This south-east Asian concrete jungle of a city was my home for a year and what an intense experience it was? In the beginning, there was not a day that went by where I got pissed off with it and vented my frustrations to my house mates, colleagues or anyone that listened for that matter. The honest truth was that I did not love Jakarta! However, as  time went on, my attitude towards Jakarta mellowed out and I became tolerant and at some points liked it. As I mentioned before, I did not love Jakarta, but I appreciated her for taking me and not swallowing me whole as she had done to so many other foreigners. In the 9 weeks I've been away from her, I've reflected on my time there and I realised how much I got out of it. Friendship,a career option and the opportunity to travel. So I compiled a list of ten things - i.e. five things I miss and five things I don't miss - about living in Jakarta.

• I don't miss Jakarta traffic - I foreshadowed that this was going to be the bane of my existence in this blog and it continued to irritate the hell out of me the longer I lived there. Indonesians are some of the worst drivers in the world and it is any wonder why there are so many road fatalities in Jakarta alone? The worst was during wet season when people just forgot how to drive and created five lanes of traffic with malicious sounding car horns going on and on. I however dealt with it as well as I could and just rolled with it like every other sucker.
• I miss Indonesian food  -  If I'm being very honest, I did not love Indonesian food. I thought it lacked depth of flavour and was not very diverse. I could probably call it the British of Asian cuisine (very unfair!) Most Indonesian food is served warungs ,street carts, Padang restaurants and regular restaurants that specialise in regional Indonesian cuisine. But I digress, I did love some of the food on offer and ate them with no problems and as often as I could especially if it was SO good. My favourites were Beef Rendang (2nd picture),Sate Ayam (1st picture), Nasi Uduk,Ayam Goreng and Nasi Goreng.

• I don't miss taxi drivers - I can say with confidence that around 60% of the taxi drivers in Jakarta alone have tried to rip me off. The main reason for this is because I'm non-Indonesian and female *smh*. Another pet peeve I had was the drivers' lack of knowledge of the city. Unless you know where you are going,chances are you are going to get lost. The more lost you are, the more expensive cab ride will be.That shit frustrated me to death and I walked out on a few occasions and walked to my destination.
• I miss ojeks - Oh ojeks! (picture below). So much fun and so much frustration at the same time. Let me explain the fun part, an exhilarating and often times dangerous ride on these mad men on bikes gets you where you need to go within reason of course (ojeks don't go from one end of Jakarta to the next). Often, they got me where I needed to go in quick time, weaving in and out of traffic like a boss. The frustration came with bargaining with the occasional a-hole and dealing with their chauvinistic attitudes towards me, which I dealt with by telling them in kind exactly what I thought in English and Bahasa. Regardless, I enjoyed the ojeks and took them rather than taxis.

• I don't miss the pollution - Jakarta is without a doubt one of the dirtiest cities I've ever lived in. The air reeked of car fumes, rubbish was strewn in the streets and rivers.Look at the picture below at the skyline,look at the smog! It's not like I'm not used to pollution but I had not seen it on this level before and I'm sure the more I travel, the more I'll see it.

• I miss Ladies' Nights -  Apart from Facebar, this was my home. Nothing more satisfying than drinking cocktails that were free after a long ass day. Ladies' Nights were in specific bars around the city. However, my favourite and the one in which I was a patron was Thursday night at the Grand Hyatt. It made sense because I did not work the next day lol! Can you imagine Ladies Night in Edinburgh or just anywhere in the UK? The bars would be drunk dry.
• I don't miss being stared at  - I already talked about my feelings of being black in Jakarta in this post. It became quite irritating towards the end that people on my street who I saw day in day out stared at me like I had two heads. Don't get me wrong I am not the only person who has been 'othered', many of my colleagues- majority of whom are white - had experienced being stared at like they had not seen white people before. Bizarre considering you do see many some tourists trekking around Jakarta. Personally, I don't mind if people interact with me to try and get to know me but staring with no action is just plain rude and scary. 
•  I miss being in Indonesia - As much as I did not love Jakarta, I could not help but fall in love with Indonesia. Indonesia is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been and it was an honour living there. I only visited the popular islands of Bali (1st picture), Lombok (3rd picture) and Flores (2nd picture) but there is so much more to see and I would like to return and explore this lovely land. If I were to return to Indonesia, I would visit Sumatra, Sulawesi, Kalimantan,Papua and other parts of Java. I forgot to mention that I miss the heat now that I am back in 'sunny' Scotland.

• I don't miss smoking - I have a nasty secret to tell you... I started smoking again when I was in Indonesia!In Indonesia, there isn't a smoking ban like there is in the UK and cigarettes are dirt cheap (£1.00 a pack). Nearly everyone and there mother smoked here and it didn't help that my housemates and co-workers smoked too! It didn't take long for me to start having the odd one when I was drinking at a bar or a club. So one became two and then I started buying my own pack five years after quitting. I then decided to quit a month before Doc visited and I was fag free until October when I was in the middle of my breakdown. I quit them for good in the new year since I was going back home (at £8 pack in the UK, can you blame me?!). But why start again in the first place? I don't know perhaps boredom, peer pressure, lack of vice, whatever; I started and stopped as soon as I could. Do I miss it? Not really in all honesty.
• I miss my friends - A journey is best measured in friends rather than miles is a quote from Tim Cahill. This certainly resonates with me as I met so many interesting and awesome people. I met some wonderful Indonesians who made me feel welcome and at home. They made me feel comfortable and put up with me butchering their language. I will also mostly miss my fellow teachers especially the ones I had the distinct pleasure of working and living with. They had been nothing but my tower of strength and support during my year. I certainly made some friends for life out there with whom I would like to embark on another adventure wherever it may be. As a matter of fact, Little C and I are going to Denmark in May and the Jays (picture below) are coming to Scotland next week with Girl J staying with me for a couple of days. Excited much? Yes I am.

Have you ever missed a place after returning home? How did you cope being back home?

Musings on being Black in the Big Durian

Me at Bunderan HI

I guess I had this post in mind ever since I got here. I was not sure how to approach this subject but after reading Oneika the Traveller's post about race and travel, I thought to myself it's about time to talk about my experience in Indonesia so far. I will start off by saying that in the past eight months I've been living here, I have not experienced any form of racism (not that I go looking for it). I'm British of Jamaican descent. I spent a healthy portion of my life in Jamaica where unsurprisingly the majority of the population is black. When I was 18, I moved to the UK for university and lived there for nearly eight years prior to my move to Indonesia. I quickly became used to the notion that I was in a minority and  just got on with it. If anything, this prepared me for life in Jakarta. This is not to say that Indonesia is a homogeneous society; in fact, it is one of the most diverse countries in Asia with ethnic groups like Javanese and Sudanese making up the majority and smaller groups like the Bataks, Betawis and Chinese all contributing to the cultural and social identity of this country. It is interesting to note that while there are that many different ethnic groups here, the sight of pale skin or in my case dark skin can still appear to be a novelty?

The answer is simple, we are a novelty! We are in the minority and it is painfully obvious when I'm being stared at. While I am hardly the only black girl in Jakarta, I still find myself being stared at even in my neighbourhood in Central Jakarta. Men and women who work in the warungs and hang out on my street still take double takes like I'm a figment of their imagination, despite the fact that I've been walking up and down this street for the past eight months. The same occurs in my area of work (East Jakarta) where I do get stared at constantly but that is maybe less surprising considering the demographics of the area (most foreigners live in either South or Central Jakarta). Staring is not seen as offensive here in Indonesia but to me as a Westerner it frightens the shit out of me. Naturally, I've tried to adapt to it, often attempting to make small talk, which could provoke either a warm reaction or a frightened look as if they were ashamed to be looking at me in the first place.

The other way of being 'othered' is the taking of photographs with a foreigner. The first time this had happened was when I visited Bogor Botanical Gardens back in March. People were polite and asked me first, to which I happily obliged some four times that day. Since, I have now had my pictures taken with Indonesians in my class, on holidays in Lombok and Bali and even at the water park in Jakarta while I was mucking around in my bikini on water slides. I don't mind being in photos just so long as the person asks. What I openly despise is the sneaky ones who try to do it on the quiet and that freaks me out, I mean seriously what is wrong with just asking?! I had to put one or two people on blast for it but the worst one was when I was in Taman Mini and this dude asked me but I politely said no to his request as I was not in the mood and had already been in a few pictures that day. He said OK but instead of walking away he hung around and started taking photos of me on his smartphone which I did not take kindly so impolitely gave him the finger. Safe to say he got the message after that but that incident really irritated me. Saying all of that, Indonesians mean no harm in taking a photo with a Westerner, for many it is the first they have met one and want to remember the occasion by taking a photo. A strange concept to Westerners it might be but for many in this part of the world it is a big deal to meet a foreigner.

As a black foreigner, many Indonesians believe that I must be African and not British. Either that,or from Papua, Indonesia's easternmost island province. I have been called African or Papuan in the streets and for the most part it does not bother me. Funnily enough, there is a strong African presence in parts of Jakarta, such as Jalan Jaksa and many Africans play in the Indonesian Football League like my mate JP. It is surprising however, to be automatically labelled as African, considering the exposure that English language films and music videos featuring black artists from elsewhere in the world get over here. Not to mention the fact that the current President of the United States happens to be an African American who actually lived in Jakarta. Unfortunately, Africans do not have a good reputation here and Indonesians can sometimes be very quick to judge people based on stereotypes of people with dark skin (aggressive, dumb and ugly). I therefore feel it is my duty to combat such stereotypes and also educate my students and Indonesian friends that it is not cool to judge people based on  their skin colour.

In the eight months I've been here, I have not knowingly experienced any form of racial discrimination. As a matter of fact, most Indonesians are curious more than rude. I remember this one time sitting on the bus home with Manc C and the 'conductor' asked me in his best English where I was from and I replied Jamaica - I normally say England because it’s often thought that Jamaica is in Africa - and to my surprise he immediately busted into a rendition of ‘Three Little Birds’ by Bob Marley. He then turned around to me said he knew I was Jamaican because I was black.  I couldn't help but laugh because at the end of the day he meant no harm. Indonesians like Reggae and Bob Marley is regarded as somewhat of a deity to lovers of Reggae. Another little incident that still makes me giggle happened while I was pair teaching with Brummie A, a class of four year olds. We were doing an activity in which the kids were to touch something according to the colour I called out. I instructed ‘touch with your little finger something brown’ and one of the little ones Ola, ran up and touched me. I stifled a giggle while A was both horrified and amused. I thought the whole thing was hilarious and its incidents like these that make me laugh at myself once in a while; however, for every funny story there is a 'what the hell?' story.

The first of the incidents happened in March on the way back from Bogor. Myself, L, S and Manc R were sitting on the train heading back to Jakarta when an Indonesian soldier dude in his forties hopped on and took an interest in S, so they started chatting. Now S is British of Iranian descent and the soldier was totally convinced she must be Arab-Indonesian because ‘brown people don't live in the UK’. At this point, we were all shaking our heads and thinking what the heck. Trying to appease the group, he asked R his name and where he was from and then the same to L. When he came to me, rather than following the same line of questioning, he shouted and pointed 'Negro, Negro!' to which all my mates were like 'Dude, you can't say that!'. He didn't even say sorry or acknowledge me in any other way but carried on talking to everyone else until he disembarked. My immediate thoughts were that this is what ignorance can do to a forty odd year old man. The incident left a bad taste in my mouth but for the most part I forgot about it.

Little C and I were walking home from Jaksa at about 3:00am. Tipsy and merry, we engaged in banter the way two girls who had had a good night would. We walked past some locals and greeted them with Selamat Pagi and they responded in kind. Then we walked past this shack with two men just standing there chatting to each other. As we walked past, one of them shouted 'Nigger, Nigger!' I looked over to C and asked if I had heard right. She responded yes because she heard it too! Tipsy and tired, I did not have the energy to confront the dude and call him out on it. I went home and slept. Now I personally do not use the word in my daily speech because it’s an evil word with very negative connotations. Thinking again about the incident, I got angry as to how the hell an Indonesian would know that word?  It wasn't until I sat down and I watched MTV that I found my answer....the hip-hop music videos! They bleep every other word except for 'shit' and 'nigger' because they are not offensive right?! WRONG! Damn right it's offensive! A few of my fellow teachers have said that the word has come up a few times in their classes mainly teenagers and adult classes where many of them tell their students that it is an offensive word and should never be used. Most Indonesians are not aware of the negative connotations of the word because there is a lack of dialogue or education about it. While it is not cool, it is incredibly sad. 

Despite these two incidents, I have never allowed them to get me down because what would be the point? I prefer to let things roll off and remember all the other lovely Indonesians I have met. Being black does add a different dimension to living here but for the most part, it has helped me appreciate my skin and heritage all the more. I love talking about growing up in Jamaica and living in the UK to my students and Indonesian friends as much I love hearing them talk about Indonesian culture. Knowledge is power and with this dialogue, I feel richer for it and I hope the knowledge I impart makes people feel richer. In conclusion, being Black in the Big Durian is about being and different and therefore making a difference.

Update!!!

Hey sorry for the hiatus, I've been feeling a little bit uninspired and not been in the mood to write about what has been going on so here goes:

• I've been off the booze - Since Ramadhan started, I've been off the liquor. I decided that it was time for a cleanse because my first three months I was partying up like it's 2999 when I was not teaching. So while I did not do the puasa (fasting in Indonesia), I thought this would be a great opportunity to enjoy a booze free month but boy I could murder a drink right now.
• Little C has flown the coop - Little C left Jakarta on Wednesday with her parents (they came to visit and deliver her back to Canada). She has been a great friend and awesome house mate and for sure I will keep in touch with her. She will be missed by all who knew her here and mostly by me and Girl J.
• Happy Leberan to all so where am I going? -  No where I'm afraid. I have a week off work - along with everyone else -and I will be staying in Jakarta while everyone else is off to exotic locations. Jealous much?! Well yes and no. The main reason why I am not going away is because I could not afford to go anywhere. Prices shoot up like they do at Christmas or Summer back home so after paying for my trip to Bali, I could not pay for another trip despite having the time off. On the bright side, Jakarta is going to be a ghost town so it will be clean,quiet and most importantly traffic free!
• House sitting for the Jays - Scottish J and Girl J are on holiday in their respective home countries so I've been tasked to look after their love pad. I have no issue with this as it is an awesome place with a pool and a gym. So I've been meditating my worries away in this tranquil space enjoying the peace.
• I am not in love with Jakarta - I came here with an open mind at expected the chaos and madness that comes with living in an Asian Metropolis. After nearly six months here, I have become bored with the traffic, the horrible smell and night clubs (where the music is the same). I am just plain old BORED of Jakarta hence me not liking it. I hope my feelings change about Jakarta and hopefully Doc's visit will left my spirits.

Sorry for being such a downer but I am looking forward to my week off. Hopefully, I will be zen and raring to get back to teaching.

Happy Ied Mubarak when it comes!

BEST NEWS EVER!

On holiday in Greece 2010

I will be reunited with my beloved Doc on the 27th of August.By the time he gets here, it will be 8 months since we had last seen each other, crazy eh?! We will most probably head for Bali to relax and reconnect. I am so fortunate to have this wonderful man in my life that I am literally bursting with joy and excitement!

Do you have loved ones visiting you in far-flung places?

Quick Update

It has been awhile since I have given a run down of what has been happening in the last couple of weeks. Not to worry, I am still in Jakarta and still teaching but I have been up to a couple of things.

But first let me start with a bit of gossip concerning my teacher house as seven became six. Two weeks ago, Big P flew the coop within four months of his year's contract. It is not surprising but it was the manner in which he left that I was miffed by. He basically did a runner! He despised everything about Jakarta and teaching. I will miss his banter - he had a lot of travel stories and a sarcastic tongue - but I will not miss his negativity - he hated Jakarta, the people, the job, the fact he was living with really young people (dude's 44, so old enough to be a dad to a couple of the house mates!). So moving on from that, we have acquired a new house mate albeit temporarily. My colleague T is staying for a month while his room is being renovated  due to serious leaking problems.

I have found two bars that I REALLY like in Jakarta. One that is within walking distance and is pricey and the other is a Rp30,000 taxi ride away and is pricey (I'm a girl expensive taste, LOL!) I will do a post about these classy joints shortly.

I had my first trip out of Jakarta on Tuesday. It was a public holiday and my house mate L and I thought a trip to Bogor would be a nice way to spend the day. We went with two other teacher friends and had a great time despite the inclement weather. Blog post coming up shortly for that too.

Lastly, I am rested up after spending a day in Singapore yesterday. I went with my friend Manc C for the primary purpose *ahem* getting work permits.  I think I like Singapore! I will do a blog post about that trip soon.

Stay tuned for other blog posts!

Some Gossip

Hey! I have not dropped off the face of the planet but I have since come down from my brush with fame as per my previous post. A lot, has happened in the last couple of weeks that I have not mentioned at all.

First off, my house mate and colleague, Girl J only gone and got herself a job working at an international school where she will be tripling her salary and she will start in April. This also means she would have to move out of the teachers' house and find her own place with Scottish J (forgot to mention that they are a couple). I am so happy for her as she is a great teacher and she will do well, but I will miss our wee chats and her being my Yoda (re: wise beyond her years and not small and green with pointy ears) since I moved here as a teacher. So J,congratulations on your new job and BIG UP YOURSELF! Speaking of teachers' leaving, my housemate L is going to be finishing up in about a fortnight and my friend D from Traveler Writer Filmmaker (check out her great blog) had her last class on Tuesday and will be leaving Jakarta to Bali for some R&R this weekend. I will be catching up with her tonight.

Secondly, I've been going out like nobody's business since I landed in Jakarta. Clubs, bars and hotels hosting free drink for the fairer sex. I will have to do dedicated posts about my experiences in each place. In a city like Jakarta, there are some decent drinking spots but I would love to find a place where I could hear some Urban tunes and pop my booty with reckless abandon as the clubs I've been to mainly play House music. So stayed tuned for posts on Jakarta's night life.

Thirdly, I've been Skyping my significant other on numerous occasions and weirdly enough I have not cried or been overly upset about not seeing him. This is the longest time I have not seen my darling Doc. I miss him terribly but he has been my biggest supporter in my endeavour and for that I am SO grateful to have him in my life. Truth be told, long distance relationships are a pain in the ass but absence makes the heart grow fonder!

Stay tuned for further posts about Jakarta transport and traffic!

The First Seven Days...in fragments

Since I have now been in Jakarta for two weeks, I think it is fair that I give a run-down of what my first seven days were like so here goes:

 THURSDAY 31ST OF JAN - Arrived at Jakarta International Airport in the afternoon where I was picked up by my colleague - who I will refer to from now on as Irish C - who took me to my humble abode and gave me the low-down on Jakarta and school life. As soon as he left me to go back to work, I had a much needed nap in my room. When I woke up, I was greeted by one of my six house mates, Scottish J . Since I was still in a bit of a sleep induced haze and not to  mention the fact that I did not know much about my surroundings, J took me to get some money changed and got some beers. By the time we got back, a few more house mates turned up ( two Canadians girls, Girl J (who I will be working with at the same school) and Little C and another Brit dude, Big P) after their long day at work. We promptly went out for dinner with other teachers which  included my other two other house mates (English J, a dude and another British girl L) from other schools and two which was cool but then, the jet lag kicked in around Midnight. Got back home where I slept with my eyes open (I can't sleep in a new place) but drifted off eventually.

Indonesian Rupiah - Still trying to get my head around this currency

FRIDAY 1ST OF FEB - Woke up at 3 (yes 3 in the afternoon, jet lag claimed me!) and realized much of the day was gone ; regardless, I went out and got myself a cheap phone at a shopping mall called Thamrin City (cheap bazaar type plaza). I also got dinner with Little C at Grand Indonesia Mall (grand as it is hella dear). Spoke to my boyfriend via Skype to say I am good (I updated on Facebook the day before that I was OK) and people are cool. Did I mention, that I was woken by the Call to Prayer at 4:30 in the morning?! I think that was why I spent the whole day in bed.

SATURDAY 2ND OF FEB - Found my way back to Thamrin City to a supermarket to get some toiletries food, hangers and the like to set up home and finally unpack my bags. I also got my phone registered and got credit on it thanks to a Indonesian girl who spoke good English and two cheeky boys who spoke no English.

SUNDAY 3RD OF FEB - Went to a buffet with my house mates and other teachers. I ate and drank my weight in seafood, fish ,cheese, cakes and red wine. This will probably be the last time I eat this will in Jakarta. More on that in another post. I also found myself at a party with a few Jamaicans living in Jakarta, thanks to a couple of acquaintances -Jamaican D and American M- I made before coming to Jakarta (gotta love social media). The party was great with Jamaican food and music I was getting down to some old school Dancehall tunes like no one's business, why not?!

Buffet Food

MONDAY 4TH OF FEB - First day at school I was picked  up from my house and taken to school by a driver; who will all also drop me home (this is just for two weeks though *sad face*). I was introduced the school's Director of Studies Big J, an Englishwoman who just came back from compassionate leave. The electricity also went out at the school for a LONG time, but in that time I became acquainted with the local staff and a warung (Indonesian eateries) where I got my lunch. But regardless, I got to meet my fellow teachers and observed a couple of classes. One with pre-schoolers and the other high level teenagers (taught by Girl J). This showed me the stark differences between teaching kids and older kids.

TUESDAY 5TH OF FEB - Spent another day at the school observing a couple of lessons taught by time with senior teacher, London boy T and Irish C.

WEDNESDAY 6TH OF FEB -A day of firsts - Indonesian rain and Indonesian traffic. The latter is something that will irk me on no end. I also co-taught a class of intermediate girls. I planned the lesson with one of the local teachers -there are three at my school- and added a Taylor Swift tune to the lesson to teach the 3rd Conditional because pop music in English lessons always translate well. This class will be mine to teach for the coming weeks so it was nice to get to know the girls.

Jakarta Traffic

THURSDAY 7TH OF FEB - Finished work early.One observation and going over lesson ideas with Big J because I teach my first class on Saturday *biting nails* *silent scream*. I also did another observation of a lesson with Brighton A , a dude from Brighton.

FRIDAY 8TH OF FEB - Day of rest (no school!) but planned my 3 hour class for Saturday and went to another part of Jakarta known as Kelapa Gading and met my acquaintance from the Jamaican party. I got there by taxi in Jakarta traffic at a tune of 50,000rph ( £3) which made my soul cry as it is pretty steep. Kelapa Gading reminds me so much of Croydon near South London, a city within a city because it was PROPER busy! I also tried Nasi Goreng- the Indonesian national dish- for the first time at a restaurant there and it was DELICIOUS!

One of the many shopping malls in Indonesia. This one is in Kelapa Gading

Roundabout in Kelapa Gading

Yummy Nasi Goreng and Chicken Satay 

So there you have it my first few days. Stay tuned to find out how my first class went.

Are you an expat living or had lived  in Jakarta? How did you find it?