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How un-nervingly strange it feels to be "home" after living in Jakarta for almost ten years. I really find it very difficult to explain how hard a transition it is. Much harder than moving up to Jakarta I think. When I made the decision to move up there, I was kinda running away from a situation here in Perth.
It was a new beginning as I had a new job, a new home, a new and very different environment, and a completely new way of life.
Jakarta is in it's own way, a very unique and incredible city. It is rich in tradition, culture and a diverse collection of ethnic, eastern and western people.
Jakarta is an expat's dream place to live....especially if you're a westerner who is not used to having your own household staff. Jakarta is a place where you can live in houses like those only the wealthier people can live in back home. Big front gates with your own security guard post, beautiful manicured gardens with swimming pool that you dont have to take care of yourself. Cooking, cleaning, ironing and laundry is done by 3 or 4 people and there's the driver sitting around waiting to take you anywhere you want to go in a nice modern, bright shiny SUV. I didnt go for one those houses because I dont have a family and lived alone so I was happy with a "simpler" abode...lol.
(Here's a video clip I posted on youtube (one of many) about living in Jakarta....this is my house and my street.
https://youtu.be/D4arBw9D-Tg
Among other videos, I posted 15 short clips of a tour around my street and the local park I used to jog in every morning...all there on my youtube channel (rianovember) for anyone who wants to check out my neighborhood in Jakarta.)
You can get spoilt rotten living in Jakarta, the cost of living is so cheap....for those smokers who are complaining at the price of a pack of cigarettes these days.....$20.00 a pack in Australia.....it's less than $2.00 a pack. Fuel is less than $1.00 a liter...in Australia it is around $1.50 a liter ($6.00 a gallon) and staple food items like bread, milk, fruits and vegetables are about a quarter the price they are in Australia.
Rent is much, much cheaper too. I was renting a big two storey house with 4 bedrooms (2 of which had en-suite bathrooms) and basically two living areas..upstairs and downstairs and a huge 2 car garage and maid's quarters including bathroom for 70,000,000 Rupiahs for two years. That's around $7,000 US dollars for TWO years. That was the amount I would have had to pay if I renewed my rental agreement last month but I would have had to pay for a minimum of two years...preferably CASH...in advance.
The worst down-side of living in Jakarta was the traffic and the rainy season. Flooded roads were a nightmare especially during rush hour and you dont get to walk through your front door till almost midnight after work.
The upside, FOOD. The restaurants, the variety is incredible. The great big huge super Malls had excellent western and Asian cuisine restaurants that I would never find in Perth. In fact I would not find a mall here in Perth that would rival the super malls in Jakarta. But you had to be practically a millionaire to shop there of course....and a millionaire I definitely AM NOT....lol.
The very best up-side....it is only one hour and 20 minutes flight to my favorite place...Island of the Gods...Bali. You can fly down to Bali for around $50.00 US return. A favorite weekender activity for me.
So here I am, back in Perth but for some reason I cant seem to be able to "come home'"....I cant seem to settle down...it feels very strange and surreal and at times quite depressing and I dont understand it.
Oh well, like everything else I guess I will have to get used to it and move forward and decide what to do for the rest of my life. I wont complain so much because I feel very blessed and fortunate to have had the experiences (good and bad) I went through in the last ten years....something not everyone can experience in their life-time. I have learned so much and experienced so much that I am grateful for and hopefully new doors will open up for me here in Perth. Maybe even a new love-life, now wouldnt that be something to write about on blogster...hee hee hee.
