Jan. 10, p. 7
I was fortunate to live in the United States for more than two years. I never thought I could spend my youth in another people’s land. It was weird when I first set foot on Washington, D.C. Everything was so different. I felt so lonely when the driver took me from the airport to my hotel. I didn’t see many people on the streets, a scene that I always saw in Jakarta.
Your comments:
I found that the writing posted by Tasa Nugaza Barley was not up to The Jakarta Post’s standards. The Post, which I have known for almost eight years, is always up to contradiction, but it always delivered a polite tone and manners.
This time it’s too shallow. While I think the comparative issue is not relevant, if the Post wants to publish it as a light viewpoint, it’s still not even within light “By The Way” standards, which normally has two viewpoints summarized by the writers.
PRAMI RACHMIADI
Jakarta
You are just one of those guys who returned from an “orderly” state called America and complain that the land and country you have grown up with looks like “hell”.
Here, many Indonesians say that America is hell! Moreover, a great number of Americans I have met even admitted that their country was indeed a worldly hell. That’s why they prefer to stay and live in Indonesia, and date/marry Indonesian girls. And you know what?
These Indonesian girls like Americans better than their Sundanese or Javanese boys! Well, I am not writing to tell you what to do. I just want to welcome you back to your homeland, our beautiful country!
AGUS SATOTO
I think the author is not comparing apples to apples. He should compare Jakarta to New York as both are metropolitan and commercial centers. Sure, even compared to New York I find Jakarta’s traffic to be worse. But I won’t dare go walking around a bad neighborhood in New York by myself, especially the so-called “housing projects”. On the contrary, I can walk in any neighborhood in Jakarta and still feel safe.
MIKE W.
I was born in Jakarta, grew up here and established my business here, with some years in between spent in the States (California and Dallas). I have been stuck once in China Town in Los Angeles in what I would say is the “deadliest” traffic I’ve ever known.
Yet, here I am, years later, still stuck in the same kind of traffic, day in day out, year in year out. The feeling of hopelessness has long turned into frustration, ready to explode. You can’t blame those who feel, at times, hopeless since those who express their fanatic love of this city are often those who have the power to solve problems.
KATRIN
Jakarta
I would say this is looking at the same picture from a different angle. Telling the writer to stop whining and grow up is too much. Just like the other author says, it is “reverse culture shock”. I never stay long overseas, but I admit I get stressed out when I stay in Singapore. I feel like my survival skills deteriorate and I become less creative in dealing with daily challenges. I don’t like it; Jakarta is much better.
So I guess I couldn’t agree more with other posters that it is not about being “better than the other,” it is simply being different. The problem with Indonesian people (including myself) is sometimes we just think about ourselves, about being practical, and we forget that what we do may harm other people’s lives. The list can be endless — parking your car in inappropriate places, throwing rubbish everywhere. This is what makes life difficult in Jakarta.
RIANA
I was very fortunate to live in America for five years. I had bittersweet feelings about leaving and I was homesick when I had to leave Chicago for good. It was definitely a hard time for me in Jakarta.
It took quite a while for me to adjust to all the habits and bitterness here. However, with my clear mind, I knew that I had to deal with everything that’s ahead of me. And so I did! It was never easy but I did manage it. Meeting new people and having your closest friends and family was my first step.
I gained valuable lessons from American culture: being on time, straightforward, explicit, firm and responsible, and I still keep those lessons until now. In sum, it’s really from yourself how you can survive through any culture shock. Keep the good lessons and get rid of the bad ones! You’ll do fine!
YUTI RESANI
The article is a good illustration of a condition known as “reverse culture shock”. Those people who snipe at the author for daring to be critical of her home city are missing the point, and I suspect they would themselves benefit from traveling more often.
As a UK citizen resident in Indonesia for some years, I get the same shock every time I go back to the old country. I have to concentrate very hard when driving, having picked up a lot of Indonesian habits that could bring me into conflict with the law there.
I also get shocked at the long intervals between garbage collections, the lack of assistance at filling stations (all self-service now), the absence of my beloved nasi padang and the refusal of public transport drivers to stop anywhere other than official bus stops. That doesn’t mean the UK is “better” than Indonesia or vice versa, just different.
DAVID, Jakarta
