Departure Stage, Living In Jakarta

Stage Of Jakarta Life: Departure Stage

This is the period leading to final departure from Jakarta. This stage merges with the Consolidation Stage for some time with the overlapping period apparently varying with the length of time in Jakarta. It ends with a rush for pack up!

Anticipation:

This is a time of heightened anticipation of return to the familiar and a return to real or imagined greater material and physical comfort. Of interest is the list of things missed -usually just trivia rather than items of substance. Increased food choice is commonly mentioned. It is important to realise this high expectation should be tempered with the reality and difficulties of reintegration at home but that is another story.

Stresses:
This Departure Stage is a curious mixture of good and bad. Many people experience increased agitation with future job concerns paramount. Increased criticism of policies, institutions and personnel or Indonesian culture is frequent with occasional overt expressions of verbal hostility. Expressed irritability and annoyance with perceived trivia or "we have seen all of that before here" is common.

Groups:
During this time differences in the cultural background and personality requirements of the various social and professional groups may no longer be repressed and produce more incompatibility among work associates.
Arguments are still rare: Members know hostility may have temporary cathartic value but they still have to work with the same people tomorrow. The reverse also applies where there has been good rapport. Tolerance continues or increases as "I'll be gone soon anyhow" and the relationship is preserved for possible future contact. Commonly some members withdraw further into their group and show considerable disinterest in meeting and associating with new arrivals.

The Farewell Speech:
Much suppressed hostility is transferred to frequent compositions of your Farewell Speech: You will really tell all and sundry what you think about the place and them. Rarely does that eventuate which is good. Unmasking your true feelings about institutions and people is usually unhelpful and it is just possible that your unkind or harsh opinions will be well and truly reciprocated.

More commonly farewell speeches reflect the basic goodness and humility common to most Jakarta expatriates. You are genuinely sorry to be leaving despite your protestations to the contrary. Friends and colleagues are genuinely sorry to see you go. You will leave a gap.

Spare a thought for your Section Head. He may be very sorry to be losing you! Equally he may well seem more hassled and distant than usual. It is a time of frustration and unrest for those responsible for replacing staff and planning ahead.

Staff busily winding down at work with future plans uppermost in their minds do not make it any easier to run a department especially when the Section Head has his own work, personal and family objectives to meet. A positive side to this stage is that the prospect of departure does spur some to complete unfinished projects.

Generally the Departure Stage is a busy time, happy and sad, full of preparations, packing and farewells. There are the regrets of leaving and the premature mourning for the anticipated loss of friends and the good times. It is the end of another era in your life.

Read More..

Consolidation Stage, Living In Jakarta, Part 3

Stage Of Jakarta Life: Consolidation Stage

Consolidation Stage Part 3

Loyalty:

For a happy community it is essential to give loyalty to your group, your family and to yourself. Experienced the same personal tensions and inadequacies as you have so help ease their load by your support.

Introspection:

The Consolidation Stage is often a time of useful contemplation and introspection while you are sitting under a coconut tree quietly having your mid life crisis. If you are not happy in Jakarta by now then the root cause may well be dissatisfaction with your profession or your responsibilities.

Now is a useful time to plan a career change or weigh up the pros and cons of a change. If the cause of your unhappiness in Jakarta is a relationship problem with your partner a posting to Jakarta will almost certainly aggravate that problem. It is then time to consider your options.

If you still feel desperately unhappy after a few months you should seriously decide whether Jakarta is really for you. Perhaps you should return to your home country before your contract expires. Not liking Jakarta does not mean you are a failure. Far from it. You may be somebody who functions extremely well socially and professionally in a smaller embassy or in a European country or in a post with problems more in keeping with your cultural preferences or your professional skills. Being able to recognise that and admit it is in itself a real achievement.

If you were lonely or dissatisfied before coming to Jakarta then you are likely to experience the same in Jakarta. A complicated Jakarta lifestyle does not provide immunity from emotional disturbance or unhappiness.

Read More..

Consolidation Stage, Living In Jakarta Part 2

Stage Of Jakarta Life:

Consolidation Stage Part 2

Tension Release:

The release of tension built up during this Consolidation Stage is by some or all of the following:

Gossip:

The greatest obstacle to a happy and well adjusted group is the difference in cultural and intellectual levels of its members. Some would say an even more significant obstacle is intolerance to those differences. Of necessity group conversation centres around topics that can be discussed by all. These topics are so often other community members. Popular also are Office, the parents at school, the teachers and then back to Office. According to popular Jakarta urban philosophy if your section is not being talked about then you must be doing a good job.

We all like to have an occasional grumble in response to some vague sense of dissatisfaction about things generally. It is a simple and usually safe way of letting off steam but gossip can be hurtful, damaging, grossly inaccurate and a blow to morale.

It is far better for dissatisfaction to be deflected to a vague impersonal distant organization which cannot fight back anyway rather than to a community member. Gossip damages relationships, destroys trust and brings misery to those unable to see it for what it is. With gossip you should remember you may not be in possession of all of the facts when criticising a decision or policy. It is just possible that you are wrong.
To help reduce gossip levels ensure you are involved in a spread of activities with a range of people to help create other talking points. Get involved in an executive capacity in one of the clubs in place Jakarta.
Be tolerant of minor imperfections or upsets in the system. Keep in mind there are special difficulties with supplies, communications and organization in Jakarta.
Do it yourself rather than repeat "wouldn't you think someone. would.....".

Food Needs
Food is often a gratification for tension expression and a psychological compensation for other deprivations in Jakarta. Weight gain is common in Jakarta –often a 10kg post. Adequate and appropriate food choice is essential for emotional gratification hence the role of and common discussion of the restaurants, supermarkets and domestic cooks in Jakarta is important.
Residents with particular food interests or uncommon dietary preferences may be particularly irritated by the reasonable but restricted food choice.

Alcohol
Alcohol can be a great tension reliever. Its consumption is a social oil. Alcohol can be one of the pleasures of a civilized society. It is an important source of weight gain. The consumption of alcohol in Jakarta is quite significant. 

The opportunity, availability and temptation to drink alcohol is very high and more so in those who attend many embassy functions. If you have an alcohol problem then Jakarta may not be the place for you.

Read More..

Consolidation Stage, Living In Jakarta, Part 1

Stage Of Jakarta Life:

Consolidation Stage Part 1

After a variable time of perhaps seven to twelve months in Jakarta you will become much more settled. By this time your social needs and the mutual interdependence among your group members for esteem and affection have largely been met. The group dynamics have reached equilibrium. You will be more settled, probably quite content and optimistically looking forward to the challenges ahead.

Your Work

You will probably produce your best work professionally and socially during the Consolidation Stage. Work in its broadest context of paid and unpaid work will assume special significance as some familiar past roles such as Apex Club member, Church member, School Council member have been eliminated.

Your committed work input will be very important to you and to the community as the effectiveness and accomplishment of your section depends on the input of its individual members. It is very important for your self esteem to know that your section or any other department is perceived by the larger Jakarta community to be an efficient progressive group. That can only happen with your work input and commitment.
 

Intellectual Inertia:
Surprisingly a general lack of interest in the outside world usually develops during the Consolidation Stage. Some people sense this loss of interest developing during the Let-Down Stage. There may well be extra curricular intellectual inertia also: Those plans to learn the Indonesian language, to learn to play a musical instrument, intentions to complete your degree and so on all come to very little.

Often your reading is even of a lower order than usual. Note this inertia will be in contrast to your job performance. Intellectual inertia outside your professional duties may be related to exposure to the prolonged "sameness" of faces, of personalities, a limited social milieu and a relatively simple routine of life. Part of the reason in Jakarta for this intellectual inertia is undoubtedly the frantic social pace.

Perspective
There may be some loss of sense of proportion and perspective shown by a tendency to become unduly preoccupied by trifles, prone to petty annoyances, loss of relativity, inappropriate perception of advertent or inadvertent slights, an increased penchant for contention, mildly overt anti-authoritarianism, undue sensitivity about rights and privileges and the need to take immediate aggressive action in response to grievances either real, imagined or both.

Try to retain some balance. If you find you are still getting upset try to remind yourself that in reality the stakes for you in Jakarta are so small.

Read More..

Let Down Stage Part 3, Living In Jakarta

Stage Of Jakarta Life: The Let-Down Stage

The Let-Down Stage Part3

The Causes of the Problems Part 2:

The difficulties and challenges you will experience during this Let-Down Stage are due to:

Monotony of the Social and Cultural Jakarta Milieu

You may well experience the Gaol Sentence Syndrome : Everything is all new and exciting for the first few weeks but with  a jolt you realise today is exactly the same as yesterday. Suddenly you feel extremely bored and alone, you wonder about the future. You may then quietly take out your calendar and count up the exact number of days until you leave Jakarta. Again be reassured this feeling will pass.
Lack of employment opportunities for partners justifiably becomes a common complaint at his stage. Sitting under a coconut tree all day or playing golf everyday slowly loses its attraction, becomes monotonous and the brain demands to be used. This simply emphasises the need for mental stimulation.

Absence of Accustomed Sources of Emotional Gratification
Normally we are surrounded by an atmosphere of known things in which we live and work. Beyond that stretches the unknown and its consequent primitive fears and superstitions. Suddenly the comfort and reassurance of your family and friends, your own home, your tennis club or the lots of Club is not there.

Jakarta is largely but certainly not totally a classless society. Any privileges or recognition normally received in normal urban life in your home country should not be expected in Jakarta. That affects everybody's ego. The Jones you may have had to keep up with have been left far behind. The new people you meet will probably be completely unaware of your past achievements and if they are they may in all innocence not rank them as highly as in your home country.
People in Jakarta are judged more by their job proficiency and social contribution than by past successes or status.

Isolation:
The sense of isolation is increased by a number of deprivations such as lack of female or male company for singles, lack of some comforts and luxuries, lack of food variety and lack of daily contact with a wide range of different people and especially the lack of family and friends when you feel down. The lack of home country news, lack of news relevant to your particular sporting interest or local interest exacerbates isolation effects. Week old newspapers are not quite the same.

Isolation is most troublesome when you are sick or when there has been some problem back home which seemingly would best be resolved if you were actually there.
Night time is the worst time for worrying but as the sun rises in the morning you will realise the situation is not so bad after all: That brain tumour you suspected you had last night has suddenly got better! You will cope with isolation but be patient.

Group Acceptance Problems
Work similarities and the importance of peer group comparisons for performance evaluation bring people together. Do not be surprised if you are not totally accepted socially into an employment group different from your own. If you are not accepted remember a dogmatic, hostile and argumentative person rapidly becomes the focus of disagreement within and between groups. Nobody wants that person in their group.

Alternately you may voluntarily withdraw from a group if you decide your values and aspirations are not compatible with the group: The members of a group might be heavy drinkers but you are not so you wisely withdraw. Consequently you may suddenly feel very lonely and wonder what is wrong with you. Differences in value systems always occur and Jakarta is no exception. This is a good time to recall that self esteem and social esteem in Jakarta largely depends on doing a good job.

Despite your feelings you are not going mad. Psychiatric breakdown usually occurs in the first few weeks in isolated communities! The Let-Down Stage is the worst time in Jakarta. Be strongly reassured it does run its course. Try to use it is a period of useful learning experiences for future postings. It does lead to better times. You will leave this phase behind to enjoy the rapidly diminishing time you have left in Jakarta.

Read More..

Let Down Stage Part 2, Living In Jakarta

Stage Of Jakarta Life: The Let-Down Stage

The Let-Down Stage Part 2

The Causes of the Problems: The difficulties and challenges you will experience during this Let-Down Stage are due to:

The Need for You to Adjust to the place Jakarta Expat Community

This makes serious demands on your adaptive resources. You face the task of developing new attachments in the community as well as mourning the loss of the old. You find there are so many new people to identify and to locate in their place in this new world of Jakarta. You will meet many people from different European, American and Asian backgrounds all with different professional and private hopes and aspirations as well as strong political, cultural and ethical differences from your own. You will be untried in Jakarta and so under scrutiny. Will you match up?. 

Jakarta way of doing things will also be different from what you are used to.
You may well be told this is just the way it is in Jakarta. Most reasonable people experience strain from such a response.

Remember that psychological adjustment is related to and to personal characteristics. At the environment level problems occur due to separation from accustomed surroundings, the demands of small community living, dependence on groups and subordination to authority. This creates tensions and conflicts more difficult to avoid than in normal urban life.

Personal characteristics and behaviours are determined by heredity, character structure, previous experience, current pre-occupations and in a general way behavioural propensities based upon custom and habit.
Overall, being satisfied or dissatisfied in a new environment is more a product of state of mind than of the immediate external environment.

Adjusting to the Indonesian society
Initially you may have an intense desire to comprehend the differences in this new host culture. Slowly you will often begin to experience frustration at the way Indonesian people act or approach some task: They drive in a different style to many of us, they have few traffic rules, they are not as regimented as many western societies, they are rarely in  a hurry, they do not easily get upset by problems, they practise a very different religion and so on. It is of nil surprise that things are not done the same way as in your home country. That is a very large part of the positive experience of living in another country. You may even become more tolerant.

A very old civilisation such as Indonesia has slowly evolved socially to develop those norms of behaviour which best suit their people and which best avoid unnecessary social conflict. The easiest way to cope with these cultural frustrations is to remember the Indonesian way is not wrong, it is simply different. More likely the Indonesian way of doing things may very well be the best way.

Be patient. It may take a year or more to integrate and develop your own relevant coping mechanisms for the ambiguity, value conflicts and hidden clashes you find in this new society and culture. Those who find ways to communicate across cultural barriers rather than retreat into an enclave of like minded expats will make the most successful adaptation to life in Jakarta.

Read More..

The Let-Down Stage Part 1, Living In Jakarta:

The Difficulties:

After a few months in Jakarta most people will experience an increase in anxiety as the Excitement Stage merges into this new Let-Down Stage. Although your newness has largely worn off this is still a time of very rapid change and adaptation to new work and social pressures. Anyone entering a new phase in life will always be under some stress.

This is the most difficult stage in Jakarta characterised by homesickness, boredom, loneliness, confusion and transient mental or behavioural disturbances of minor significance.
The non stop and overt in your face security everywhere as well as Travel Advisories and other security warnings and advice may now be having their effect. Family and friends at home may be adding to that tension: Why do you bother being in Indonesia especially with your family they ask when it is so dangerous? You may ponder the same question.

The usual driver, domestic staff issues and minor household crises may really be bugging you by now and especially troubling your partner who faces that problem alone all day at home.

Health:
You may notice a deterioration in many things: In your job performance, relations with other work members and family, response to authority and emotional adjustment.
You will particularly notice an increase in health problems both real and imagined. Don't be surprised if you notice sleeping problems, headaches, vague abdominal pain, and an increased consumption of food and alcohol. 

You will begin to have doubts about your health.

You will worry about your health and start asking yourself the questions:
- What happens if I have an accident?
- What happens if the children are sick?
Be reassured any health problems experienced by you or family or friends visiting Jakarta will be taken care of easily and completely.

Read More..

The Excitement Stage, Living In Jakarta

Arrival:

This is the start of your personal reaction to change. You will inevitably experience Culture Shock which just means the adjustment process everybody goes through when they move to a new country, a new culture or just return to their home country. This Excitement Stage is similar to a Honeymoon Period.

While anxiously and excitedly preparing to move to Jakarta everybody has a preconceived mental objective of what they will achieve professionally and personally. Hopes and aspirations are often set unrealistically high but that is of no concern. Everybody also has another mental image of the exotic travel brochure Asian city possibly reinforced by your arrival flight over the countryside and city. The reality is different from the anticipation but the excitement of arrival allows you to ignore the crowded airport terminal, the long wait for luggage and those parts of the city obviously in need of a facelift.

Depression is the last thing on your mind. You are met and made welcome. Your professional peer group is genuinely interested in a new face. You appreciate the boost to your ego as you graciously overlook the car and accommodation which may be different from your usual standards but which are clearly more than just adequate. Keep in mind that in the Antarctic it has been shown that psychological adjustment problems to isolation appear to increase with greater physical comfort. Nobody is suggesting you should live in a grass hut in Jakarta. You will be enthusiastically determined to do well, be successful, be tolerant and not be concerned with trivia such as cars and accommodation. You may realise that more effective pre departure planning would have been very useful to you and your family.

Be Yourself:
During this Excitement Stage it is important to display your usual personality. A change to more outgoing, attention seeking behaviour often associated with excessive alcohol consumption followed by a reversion to your normal personality unsettles the adoptive/acceptance mechanisms of your peers. Such behaviour often simply reflects natural exuberance and optimism. Equally it may reflect insecurity after realising the inherent isolation and geographical restrictions of Jakarta.

Maintain your own private identity as best you can while you wait for your personal effects to be delivered. Don't arrive in Jakarta just with suitcase in hand. Bring a few personal items and familiar possessions with you such as a favourite ornament or a photo of your dog. It is especially important for your children's security to have several familiar toys with them while they are settling in.
 

Social Groups:
Initial social attractions will generally arise from previous common work or social experience. During this time your closest social relationships are initially formed between those with similar duties eg. Teachers will associate with teachers. You may well find there is eventually over-identification with one another in these groups. The initial relationship may then weaken as minor perceived character imperfections change from minor blemishes to warts.

Climate:
The heat and high relative humidity may affect you adversely. You may be very tired and lethargic with any activity, particularly physical activity, being a real drain. Human beings are distressed by changes in climate: Initially they are inefficient but over time that improves. Part of this adaptation is behavioural and physiological but part is emotional or psychological as you become accustomed to your new environment. These climatic effects are worse in those who are new to these hot tropical conditions. Your body will slowly adapt. Be reassured your lethargy will fade.
Prolonged spells of wet weather adversely affect the whole community. The Wet Season can be a long grind for some people. Much Jakarta entertainment is indoors so communal depression lifts when the sun shines. A day of some outdoor physical activity is remarkably therapeutic.

End of the Excitement Stage
After about three to four months you will notice the fascination and excitement of your new surroundings is waning. The Excitement Stage or Honeymoon Period is gradually coming to an end.
You will have realised by the end of the Excitement Stage that to be an effective person in Jakarta you need three essential components: Job motivation, Emotional stability and Social compatibility.

During the Excitement Stage you will have enjoyed Jakarta and savoured its many delights. Your children will have settled in quickly. These weeks will have been spent enthusiastically exploring the city and taking multiple photos of the tourist sites. You may even have worked out how and where to buy household essentials. Most of all you will have thoroughly enjoyed this stage.

Read More..

Living in Jakarta it's like Heaven

Living in Jakarta:

is 80% Heaven and 20% Hell.

My concern and yours is with the 20%.

While in Jakarta if you have ever felt lonely, bored, frustrated, envious, rejected, inadequate, unwanted, cynical or depressed then welcome to the club: You are perfectly normal as everyone else who has lived in Jakarta has experienced some or all of those emotions. Such mood changes are temporary and of no consequence. Should the mood changes persist or become troublesome to you or to your family then seek professional help.

Inevitably there will be problems when a small group of people of varying interests and backgrounds is thrown together in close personal association and isolated from their mainstream home country society for a year or more.

The following information and personal assessment of Jakarta living is to give you an understanding of why life in Jakarta causes these difficulties and how to deal with those difficulties more effectively.

You will see on reflection that most of what follows is largely nothing new to you.
Most importantly remember we are only dealing with the 20%.

Read More..