Jakarta, Indonesia

SELAMAT DATANG KE JAKARTA!



When we lived in Indonesia, we never took public transport. But on this trip, Alkesh and I had already taken car, bus, ferry, and so it was easy enough to decide upon the train as our mode of transport to cross Java from Yogyakarta to Jakarta. Having paid for the privilege of A/C and on-board food service, the 8 hour journey passed quickly. I was uber-excited to be returning back 'home' to Jakarta after 13 years. Between 1982 and 1997, my family spent 11 years in Java, mostly in Jakarta. If Bali/Yogya was in-part for Alkesh to experience the culture, then Jakarta was truly all about me!



Upon arrival at the train station we were warmly greeted by Aparna Aunty and Suresh Uncle - dear family friends from when we used to live here. Expatriate life in Jakarta, especially for the Indian community, commonly revolves around frequent dinner parties - of course made easier with the help of servants! From my childhood, I remember frequently attending these with my parents, hanging out with kids my age and having a good time all round. So it was strange but very welcoming to attend a dinner party in our honour (as grown ups!) on the Sunday evening at the Grovers' house.




It was lovely to see old family friends - those who had stayed on in Jakarta after we left in July 1997. Everyone was friendly and interested to hear about our travels and of course news from Mummy, Pappa and Mona.



Since we had left Jakarta, we have thrown ourselves in to life in England, rarely stopping to reminisce - after all culturally and geographically, Indonesia always feels so far away when we were in Honey Croft, Brighton! And yet, as I mingled with the Aunties and ate great home-cooked Indian food (yum!), I remembered fond memories of our time with friends in Jakarta. For some of the 'kids', they have grown up and returned to this part of the world to live and work. For them, the expatriate life is still very much going strong. A part of me is very envious of this.



Aparna Aunty spoilt us with all the comforts of being at home - something Alkesh and I didn't expect to get at any point on these travels! Fed with paranthas (as was to be the case for ever morning we stayed at Aunty's house), Alkesh and I headed off for a trip down 'memory lane'! First up, the driver took us on a brief tour around the upper class neighbourhood Menteng and Kuningan. Here we saw many of the embassies, as well as fancy gated mansions where the elite resided.



Next we were heading to Bintaro, the location of my old school. Being an international school, the pupils were treated to fantastic facilities such as an olympic-sized swimming pool and state-of-the-art drama theatre. In spite of 13 years absence, I was surprised to be greeted by admin staff who remembered me and 3 teachers who were still there from my days!



One of the teachers, Mr Ball (Maths), took Alkesh and I around the new parts of the campus that had been developed since I was there. It was wonderful to see the school and of course memories came flooding back! How cool we thought we were at the tender age of 16!





Next up, we travelled across town to Permata Hijau, where we lived for 7 years. After a few wrong turns, we found our old house: Jalan Alexandri III, Blok J1, number 30. Alas, much to my disappointment, nothing remained of our old house. In it's place now stood a large modern 2-story house, bearing no resemblance to any visions I remembered.



Our final stop to reminisce was at Blok M's Pasaraya. One of the older department stores in Jakarta, it's top floor was well known amongst tourists as a destination for handicraft shopping. It was here Alkesh and I enjoyed viewing beautiful wood carvings, intricate wayang golek (wooden puppets), hand-made batik prints and detailed silver work. I wished we had the money and large family house to justify buying some of the amazing art and craft in the shop!



There was one last place I had to visit - Pondak Indah Mall. It was here that I spent many a weekend with friends, watching a movie and eating at Wendys. All the familiar shops were still there (Sogo, Gunung Agung, Matahari, Heros), together with a whole host of new Indonesian and international famous brands.



It was really good to stay in a home environment with Aunty, taking advantage of a comfortable night's sleep and obviously delicious food! We spent time chatting about the good old days and what Jakarta life was now like. One evening, Sahil (Ayna's younger brother) came over to dinner. It was great to meet him and see how well he'd matured - a far cry from the young boy who used to annoy us when we wanted to watch MTV at Ayna's house!

This one's for you Mona!


Our time in Indonesia was coming to an end, and I was sad to leave. Who knows, when I would next come back, if at all? I am very grateful for Aunty's hospitality, which allowed me to show Alkesh just what expatriate life was like for us when we lived in Jakarta all those years ago. Even though I've tried to explain it all to Alkesh before, I think it really had to be seen to be understood. Coming back to Indonesia has definitely stirred up strong memories and attachment to this wonderful country, as well as re-igniting my international past.



To Mummy, Pappa and Mona: I missed you all dearly on this part of the trip and hope that you all make plans to come back and visit Indonesia for yourselves. I realise how it is only us 4 who will ever really truly understand the life we had as expatriates, and what we gave up and miss in the wonderful but different life we now have in England. I think you will really enjoy it when you return - lets not forget all the great times we had in this country!

[ALKESH]: As with Bali, it was great to see another side of Navi, 1 that I would never have seen had we not come to Indonesia. For that, I am very grateful. I can see how living as an expat is very appealing in a country like this, and how the people that you meet become core to your life. May be someday in our future, we will be fortunate enough to experience living like this with our own family!