I was born and raised in Jakarta, Indonesia, a city I've always had a very strong love-hate relationship with. Jakarta is a strange paradox of a place; we have luxury malls right next to kampungs, small villages or clusters of makeshift houses lived in by people in poverty. When I arrived in the U.S. for college, I had no trouble adjusting to the culture but rather found myself exhilaratingly overwhelmed by all the wonderful things you guys have here that we don't have back home. My American friends might be surprised but I'm sure all my fellow Jakartians can relate.
1. Netflix
Nope, we don't have Netflix. We're supposed to by now, but it's been blocked by Indonesia's largest Internet service provider, Telekom, on the basis that Netflix has violence and adult content that has to be censored. Since we can't stream movies and shows on a flat monthly rate, we've resorted to getting our TV fix, ehm, illegally. Whole floors of some malls in Jakarta are dedicated to small stalls selling pirated CDs and DVDs, and any teenager living in the city who has a taste for Western television is an expert at figuring out how/where to illegally stream movies online.
2. Amazon Prime
Amazon Prime is literally the best thing in the world. I buy everything from makeup to kitchenware on Amazon and it arrives as promised! Within 72 hours! It's beautiful.
3. Any form of overseas shipping
I would sometimes buy clothes online because of the limited selection at local stores. One time, my order from NastyGal took a month to arrive, and I got taxed about $100 for reasons I'm quite sure the mail office clerk made up to earn some extra pocket money. Pfffft.
4. A full Sephora store
Sephora arrived in Indonesia sometime during my senior year of high school. I was ecstatic, only to discover that they didn't carry Kat Von D or Urban Decay. I was like, well what's the point?!
5. Decent Internet speed
This is something I've come to take for granted now, too. Want to open a page and not have to switch tabs while waiting for it to load? If you live in Jakarta, you can't. Scrolling through Instagram when you're not connected to Wi-Fi is a nightmare.
6. Clean, breathable air
Picnics aren't a thing in Jakarta. Clean patches of grass or any form of greenery are a rare sight, and even if you could find one you'd most likely be serenaded by the incessant zooming and roaring of passing vehicles. There's also the smell of exhaust fumes and open sewers.
7. Being able to walk or go for a jog outside without male company
Once, I went for a jog around my housing complex by myself dressed in full leggings and a modest shirt even though we live pretty much at the Equator and humidity is through the roof. As I was running by a construction site, I'm greeted by the always welcome sound of catcalls and dirty jokes. One of them even yelled "Ceweeeeeee!" in my direction, which is Bahasa Indonesia for "girl." Did he want a medal for spotting that I'm a female?
8. Being able to choose from all the Starbucks drinks
At a Starbucks in Jakarta, they don't have sugar-free syrups, almond milk and, sometimes, not even soy milk. As an avid lover of soy chai lattes, this was devastating.
9. Organic/healthy food
The health trend has somewhat pervaded Jakarta; there are people selling fresh almond milk in bottles out of their homes. However, you'd be hard pressed to find even the most basic ingredients at an average supermarket. We have all manner of spices and fried snacks, but cream of tartar? Nope.
10. A working public transportation system
Jakarta doesn't have a subway system. We have buses, but given the constant severity of the traffic, scheduled stops are useless. You're also very likely to get mugged on a bus. When getting from one place to another, you don't have much choice except to get in your car and pray you get there on the same day.
11. A working sewage system
Once a year during the monsoon season, Jakarta experiences intense flooding. Water levels can reach chest height and are able to destroy the homes of those living in kampungs. One year, I think a few people drowned in the basement of a parking lot. When I was 8, the floodwater caused trees to fall over and block certain roads, and I didn't get home until 8 p.m. even though I left school at 3.
When asked if I miss home, I can't give a straight answer. I miss the people and the food, but other than that, living in the States is so much more comfortable and convenient. I also feel that Jakarta's backwardness puts a heavy cap on its potential. I hope that things change soon, and by soon I mean before I have to come home after I run out of degrees to pursue here in the States.
