Life is Easy

When I lived in South Korea, everything was so hard. I didn't know the language and hardly anyone spoke English, I didn't have many people to ask for help, and I felt very much on my own. It was scary and it was stressful. I expected to feel the same way when I arrived in Indonesia, but it has been, so far, remarkably smooth.

There are moments when I don't understand what's going on, but usually they happen when I'm with another foreigner. So, either the other person understands or we both don't. When it's the former, all is well. When it's the latter, we can make a decision together about what to do. Either way, it's not too stressful.

Making up for these occasional moments of confusion is the fact that everyone in Indonesia seems to want to take care of things for me. When I come out of a restaurant or the mall, there is always a taxi waiting. If I wait, an angkot will come along. When I walk into a store, I'm immediately approached by someone who wants to help me. My school pays people to make sure we have enough water at the house, to make sure our floors are cleaned and our dishes are washed, and to wash and iron our clothes. The security guards in my neighborhood remain concerned if I appear to be walking without an umbrella when clouds are rolling in. And, if and when there is a time when I am utterly lost and in desperate need of help, I know there will always be someone willing to help me, either for free or for a few thousand rupiah.

Sometimes, it makes me a little uncomfortable when I think about how little money all these people who are taking care of me earn. But it's a job, which is better than being unemployed. And we're not the only ones who are taken care of. In my wealthy neighborhood, nannies carrying sleeping four-year-olds, following mommies who are shopping and the mall actually employs someone to put your umbrella in a plastic bag if you walk in and it's dripping. It seems kind of silly until you realize that a) they are paying him and b) no one is slipping on wet floors.

Tomorrow morning, I leave for Pulau Seribu and a couple days on the water, motoring from one remote island to the next. We won't be staying in a hotel because the residents of the islands rent rooms in their houses to the tourists to make extra money. Wherever we end up staying, I'm sure we'll be well taken care of.