Jakarta, Indonesia I

Good morning, Jakarta!

I am currently visiting in Indonesia. This trip will last only a week. I was imagining Indonesia to be a country like India, but not at all. This country is a developed country to me. Everybody has a house. There are no people who are sleeping on the street.
I think Indonesians look like Japanese. There are some people that if they say they are Japanese, I probably wouldn’t have known that they are actually Indonesians. Maybe their clothing is a bit different. Most of the people here are wearing something that was in fashion about 25 years ago in Japan.

The population in Jakarta is 8million out of total Indonesians, 220million people. It is about 4% of the population.

From what I heard, the minimum wage here is a monthly amount, 75 US dollars. For example, drivers usually earn about 80 US dollars. There are many drivers here hired by a company. Their over time (after 5pm) is 50cents an hour. Their lunch is also paid for 1 dollar a day. I don’t know the average income here, but to rent an apartment in downtown is about 300 USD. And the person I work with here says that she cannot afford the apartment, so she lives with her husband’s parents 2 hours from the city. I hope you have a rough idea of the economy in Jakarta.

Jakarta is an energetic city like Deli. From 5 in the morning, I can hear the cars from outside even though I’m on the 6th floor. Sometimes, I cannot even stay in bed. It’s pretty noisy. There are so many bikes maybe as many as cars. The quality of cars here is very good, so I asked my colleague how people can afford a car. Then he says the people who can afford a car is rich, probably with a driver. Standard people take their bikes to work. There are many bikes that two people ride together with big helmets and masks. When I saw a mother riding a bike with her baby in her hand, I was very impressed.


This is a view form out side of the city. I keep imagining that probably Japan was like this before the war. Because I am currently reading a book that describes the before and after the World War II, I can’t avoid thinking about the Japan at that time. It seems in Indonesia, everything is back in business, and the economy is coming back. As you can see, there are houses but you can see the high rises in the back. It is amazing to see the contrast. I guess this is something you always would see in a developing country.

Just like India, the only culture that I cannot adopt is the toilet. There is no paper! In hotel, they have the “standard” toilet culture, but in an office, there is no paper, but a small shower coming out of the wall. So, after the “job”, I think people “wash” it not “wipe” it. But after washing part, if you have no paper, then it’s still wet. I have no idea how people do it. Because of this shower, the floor is all wet. Of course, the seat is wet as well.

When I came back to my hotel, there was Japanese newspaper on my desk. I was wondering how they knew that I was Japanese. And then I realized that they got a copy of my passport when I checked in! But in this hotel, I see many Japanese people. Even for breakfast buffet, I can have Japanese breakfast!

Dutch

I started learning Dutch.

It is every Tuesday night starting at seven for three hours for ten weeks. I have a group of seven students; 19 year-old very cute girl from Germany, the-same-age-as-me guy from Ireland, looks-very-serious guy from Greece, always-sweating-but-wearing-a-sweater boy from Brazil, somehow-i-feel-close-to-him-beause-he-is-American guy from San Francisco and just-graduated-from-college boy from Switzerland. As you can imagine I am the only Asian, so everyone remembers my face and name easily but not the other way around.

I like to have a group of people in class, because we get to practice a lot in speaking the language. Because I have to skip classes for coming a few weeks, I had private lessons. My regular class is for three hours, but this private lessons were only for one hour. It was too much information all at once, but barely any practices. Because of my job, a private lesson suite better for my schedule, but I rather continue with a group session.

Dutch is very close to English, but not the pronunciations. There are some alphabets that I had difficulty with in English, like “V”. It does not exist in Japanese, so Japanese people tend to pronounce it as “B”. Even though I got the “V” sound in English, now I have to pronounce it as “F” in Dutch. That being said, it is pretty difficult to read in Dutch for me. For example, my brain is trained to concentrate on the letter “V” to pronounce it in a right way, but now, I have to switch it to pronounce it as “F”. Besides “F”, there are more letters that I have to be careful with in Dutch. “W” is pronounced as “V”. “J” is pronounced as “Y”. What’s worse, “G” is pronounced as “Hrrr”. My brain is going…Ahhhhhhhh!

Swedish is pretty close to Dutch as well I think. Several years ago when I was not used to hear Swedish yet, my Swedish boss at the time said “Yump”. I had to ask him what he was saying three times. Finally, he said, “Shima, don’t you know yump? YUMP!” and started hopping on the floor. I was like “ahhh, jump!” He looked like a bit confused. It seemed he could not hear the difference; yump and jump. Just like Japanese have difficulty hearing the difference between “L” and “R”, the same thing happens with Swedes for “J” and “Y”. So I suppose I would have the similar experiences with Dutch.

	Another challenging thing in Dutch is counting numbers. If the number is one digit or teens, I'm fine, but everything else. For example, the direct translation of “32” in Dutch is “2 and 30”. Somebody, help me!
	When starting to learn a new language, besides numbers, clocks always appear in a text book. This is something you don’t even think about in an every day life. You see a clock and you know what time it is. But if you try to do that in a different language, it is a big deal. When learning a new language, I feel like I turned to a 2-year-old. As a matter of fact, when I was on a train, I heard a baby-boy practicing to count numbers with his mom. Actually, he was better than me.
	Mijn werkboek. (My workbook)

Sunflower

My favorite flower, Sunflower.

Grandma's bike

I bought a bike. Or it’s more like I happened to buy a bike.
On the way to the market, I stopped by a bike shop someone recommended me to check out. I just wanted to know what my options were. I had no intention of buying one at all… but I got trapped in the end. I was almost forced to go for a test ride. I was not in love with the bike, but once I went for a ride, I was saying out loud, "Check me out!" I was feeling so good about myself riding a bike in Amsterdam. I think I said it like 5 times during a 2min ride.

This bike has a nick name, “grandma’s bike.” Because I am short, typical Dutch bikes are not for me. As a matter of fact, I cannot reach the ground even with this grandma’s bike. When I stop at a red light, I have to jump off my bike. Otherwise, only my toes are touching the ground. I asked the shop girl if this bike was made for kids. She says, “It’s for about 10 to 16 years old.” I do not know if she was joking or what, but I believe (or am trying to believe) that it is made for adults.

The most difficulty I have with this bike is a brake. As you can see, there is no grip for brakes on the handle. I thought this bike does not have brakes. Of course, there is, just in a different way; back-pedaling. What it is is that when you brake, you pedal backwards, then you slow down or stop completely. Okay, I am certainly not used to that. The problem with this is that when I am about to stop, I have to keep my feet on the pedals to brake until a complete stop, but I have to jump off when I am about to stop. This is very difficult to do. It’s like Indian drivers who drive stick-shift car when they are constantly honking and sipping coffee at the same time.

Another problem with back-pedaling is that with a Japanese bike, when I’m waiting for a light, I used to turn the pedals backwards in order to set them to be at the right position (right pedal being higher than the left one) so that I can easily accelerate when I start biking again. With my new bike, I cannot set the pedals to the right position (because of the back-pedaling brake) unless I physically move the bike back or forth. I can’t believe I still have to practice how to bike at this age. It’s been ten years since I rode on a bike. It’s just like when I just started riding a bike in my childhood. Because I barely touch the ground with my toes, I try not to stop. Because I don’t want to stop, I bike very slowly, especially near the lights. Slopes are just nightmares.

I used to think that I would not need a bike in Amsterdam because I can walk everywhere. But once I get on a bike, I can’t believe I used to walk that far in distance though riding a bike is also equally tiring. I realized myself breathing hard on the bike.

Besides a bike, there is another item to buy when getting a bike in Amsterdam; a thick strong lock. As you can see in the picture, I bought a chain-lock. There are many different kinds. The one I bought was about 50$! It is really heavy and strong. The bike shop girl taught me how to hook the lock around the bike. Unlike the back wheel, the front one is very easy to come off. So, I need to put the chain through the front wheel, and put it around the bike itself and connect to a pole. It’s not an easy job… or am I just being lazy?

Albert Cuyp Market

Albert Cuyp Market; it is the market I went to two days in row last weekend, and both times, it was closed. I am smarter this time. I went there on Saturday. Because of the World Cup, everything is orange in the Netherlands, and of course, at this market, everything is orange including wigs and lingerie. I think most of clothes here are junkies, but they have great seafood, flowers and such. Of course, my targets are those, but I always end up getting something extra. This time, my “extras” are plants and shampoos.

This is one of the two I bought. I haven’t seen something like this before, and with one glance, I decided to go for it. It is very small and cute. It’s about the size of my palm, probably about 8cm (3inches) in diameter. It was 1.25EUR (about 1.50USD).

The small one on the right is the shampoo I bought at the market. The one on the left is from the states. I’m pretty impressed by the size difference. I think their list prices are about the same, but I bought it (the small one) for 5EUR for three bottles. If you look at it closely, there is some so-I-think Indian words on it. It could be imported from India. To me, if the inside is the same, I have no problem with it. The reason I bought this (even though I still have a few bottles left from the states) is because of its size. It will be very convenient when I travel. When I went to India last month, my full-filled shampoo bottle exploded in my bag during the trip. It was such a mess as you can imagine. My guess is that if the bottle is small, the damage would be small as well.

Updates:
It’s been a month since I moved to Amsterdam. When I think about when I arrived here, I feel like it’s been longer than a month. I’ve been very busy and lots of things have happened. My work is going well (or not enough time to catch up with everything). Also, I started being able to guess lots of Dutch words in supermarket, no speaking or listening though.

My new thoughts:
I started a new temporary life in the Netherlands a month ago, “temporary” meaning “not-forever”. That means, when buying some living stuff, I usually tell myself “I should buy it when I'm married and have my own house,” and I end up buying some cheap stuff or not buy it at all. It was the same in New York.
But lately, I started thinking that if I never get married or if I don't get married for another 10 or 20 years, then I probably would feel like I did not fully enjoy my life. Then, when I compare myself to someone who got married in a young age or someone who has a house, does that mean I’m losing something out of my life? … that’s what I started thinking about. If it is true, then I should enjoy my current life regardless of my future one. I should get a benefit of my single life or at least get what I want now, not later.
Having said that, before I didn’t buy flowers that often because in the back of my head, I used to think that they last only for a few days and I’ll be on the road soon. But now, I enjoy flowers in my apartment. I buy plants when I think they are cute or beautiful, of course, after talking to my wallet. Maybe you’ve experienced this before, too, but when I am to buy knives and forks, I usually get a cheap set of 4. But now, I can think of getting them individually as long as I like them.
Did I start thinking like this because I hit 30? Is that because I've lived almost a half of my life? Anyways, my point is, even though I am living in Amsterdam temporarily, I’d like to make my living environment as something I would feel comfortable to be in. Of course, I do not mean I am proudly announcing that I’ll be spending lots of money from now on. I still have a common sense of what’s right and what’s wrong. Do not worry.

Weekends

I often talk a walk in Amsterdam on weekends. Actually, I don’t mean to do so when I leave my apartment. I usually have a targeted place. It just turns out that stores or markets are closed on Sundays and Holidays which I don't realize until I get there. So, because it is gorgeous outside, I just start walking in new neighborhoods with a tour guide book in my hand. It is a summer–season now, so there are many tourists doing the same. Last weekend, when I was walking after finding out that the market was closed, a group of about five grandpas and grandmas came up to me and asked “Where is Albert Cuyp Market?” Well, so it is not only me not realizing the market is closed on holidays, I told them, “It seems it is closed today because of holiday.” From the expression those senior people have on their faces, I totally understand how they are feeling. Besides, I live in Amsterdam, so there are many chances to come and visit again for me, but these people may be planned to leave to their country tomorrow. Of course, I would love to introduce them some nice places to visit in the neighborhood, but I’m still new here. Sorry.

Photo: A very common view of Amsterdam Canals. There are many boat-houses, but I'm not sure how their addresses are set.

Strange statues in my neighborhood. They look like a thing to use for fishing (reel?). They are really big.

Besides taking strolls, I also cook a lot on weekends. When I do, I make enough amounts for a few meals, so I can feed myself well during the week. Because I don’t have bad eating habits like I used to in New York (Chinese take out etc), I lost weight since I moved here! Anyways, the most sophisticated thing I've made so far is croquettes. It is not like the Dutch ones, but more like Japanese style. It’s a mixture of lots of potatoes, ground beef and vegetables inside, and then Panko on the outside. Unfortunately, I have not found Panko here in Amsterdam; I had to use Dutch croquette stuff. They are basically the same thing; they both are made out of bread, but Panko is bigger pieces. I’m actually planning to visit Chinatown and see if I can find Panko there.

One weekend morning, I made Dutch pancakes (of course, out-of-box stuff). They are different from Japanese or American ones. They are thinner but not as thin as crepes. I love pancake syrup in general, but the one in the picture on the right is not my liking. After one bite, I knew I was not going to taste it again. I tried jam, too. The one on the left is mandarin jam. It is a bit bitterer than regular orange marmalade, but it is really good. You can taste mandarins. My best among those is definitely nutella! It is always the winner for me!

VW

I got a car! In the Netherlands, if you need a car with your job, your company provides you a lease car. They also take care of gas and insurance. But because you can drive the car for your private use, it is considered as a part of your salary. That means you are eligible for paying tax for the car.

As you are aware, tax percentage is determined based on your salary. This is the chart for tax brackets in the Netherlands (the figures are for 2004).

EUR 0 to EUR 16,893　= 34.15 %
EUR 16,893 to EUR 30,357 = 41.45 %
EUR 30,357 to EUR 51,762 = 42 %
Above EUR 51,762 = 52 %

Let’s say your applicable tax ratio is 40% to make it simple. Then, the calculation on your lease car's tax is 25% of the car value times 40%. So, if the car value is 20,000EUR, then the calculation goes like this.

20,000EUR (car value) x 25% x 40% (your tax ratio) = 2,000EUR

Therefore, you end up paying roughly 850EUR extra per month.

I think it is depends on the company, but you can chose which car you want to lease. But of course, if you lease an expensive car, your applicable tax for the car goes up. So you need to be careful when choosing a car by considering your financial situation.
On the other hand, if you have your own car, and you want to use it for work, then you are provided some extra cash as “car allowance”. So you are supposed to take care of your car from that allowance. It is about 300 – 400 EUR per month. Certainly it is costing less to your company if you use your own car, so they are happy to give you cash.

Regarding leasing a car for me, there was a problem; a parking space. In Amsterdam, you cannot just park a car on the street. Everything costs you. Actually, Amsterdam residents can get a parking permit from the city which is free. However, because of the number of applicants, my neighbor got it after 5 years of waiting. That’s just crazy. A parking lot costs about 3-4EUR an hour. Overnight, it is more than 40EUR! So, I had a talk with my company, and we decided that my company would lease a car under its name, and I would use the car whenever I need to. The rest of the time, I leave the car at work, so anyone else can use it. That means, I do not need to pay tax! I got a car! I cut the tax! And what’s even better, I got a navigation system. The navigation is really cool because I can take it with me when I walk around the city. I’ll never get lost ever again!

So I was up and down with this win-win situation… until I saw my car. well, it is a great car, but it’s stick shift, not automatic! Okay, I have a license to drive stick-shift, but I haven’t driven one for 10 years! Plus, I certainly have not dealt with a right-hand-side stick-shift!! Oh-boy…

… so, I took test drive yesterday. It is a bit different from Japanese cars (my mom’s car?). “R” is top-left and then “1” is right next to it. With my mom’s car, “1” is top-left and “R” is right-bottom. Anyways, in order for me to start rolling the car, I needed to put the gear on “1”, the second top from the left. Ready? Go! … nothing. Not moving… Okay. I put the gear in natural and put it in the right position, and then go! … nothing. I started wondering if I’ve started the engine. Yes, I have. Okay, now, I started wondering if I was not stepping on the gas enough. So I step on it harder… I hear the engine making bad sounds… okay, that’s not it. I was so nervous and decided to call my colleague. Then, he puts the gear all the way to the top-left, and says I’m good to go. I said, “Wait a minute! That’s R!” That is when he told me that in order to put the gear to the "R" position, I have to push the gear down and then put it to the top-left. Alright. Nothing says that on the stick!! But when I think about it, without this technique, it is too dangerous to have “R” and “1” right next to each other… I still learn things every day, just like a 2-year-old. Anyways, that is when I realized that I was trying to start with “3”. Of course, my car wouldn’t roll… (Only stick-shift drivers can understand my failure…)

Anyhow, my car started rolling, and despite of me being sooo nervous, I got home safely with my left leg almost having cramps. The next morning, strangely, I was more relaxed and I was a great driver already with a cup of coffee in one had! (Okay, it was a lot busier because my cup holder couldn’t hold my cup, and I still had to change the gear very often in a traffic jam on the highway.) I guess I had a virtual reality practice in my dream without knowing. Well, I almost got into an accident in the end, and this guy just stopped right next to me and gave me a “look”. But I was like “hey! I had my flicker on. You knew I was coming!!” and gave back the “look”! If the rest of the drivers are aggressive, then so am I!

Note: Do you see a flag in the map? That's my apartment!