The Spoiled Expat

This week I promised to let you all know the secret to finding so much time to enjoy so many trips and activities. I’ve been putting off this post a little because I realize I am beyond spoiled rotten. I was hoping to write at least one post about the trials and tribulations of being an expat first. Unfortunately, or fortunately, I guess, I haven’t faced any difficulties worth writing about! So here is the amazing reality of my life right now:

In the morning, I text my driver and let him know when to pick me up. I have some coffee and head downstairs to the gym and meet with my personal trainer or take an exercise class.

When I am showered and ready, I take our private elevator down to the lobby where the concierge and doorman greet me with a smile and a “Salamat Pagi, Ibu!” (Good Morning, Madam!) I step outside and my driver, Ruri, is waiting with an open door. The traffic is the only thing that could possibly make me sigh. 😔 However, there are interesting street vendors, entire families on motorbikes or even birds for sale from the back of motorbikes! Ruri is also helping me to learn Indonesian, so I am always entertained.

Ruri loves to drive and doesn’t mind the traffic at all. Unlike the US, no one ever yells or gets frustrated with other drivers. Ruri just smiles and waves other cars in front of him. My patience is getting better with him as a role model! Ruri has two children with another on the way. Michael works long hours and he is always happy with the overtime as he hopes that his children will be able to go to college one day. Every day he rides his motorcycle 30 minutes to our apartment at 7am and he usually doesn’t get home until about 8 pm. On the weekends, if we are home, we try to limit leaving the apartment until the evening, so he at least can spend weekend days with his family. He goes running with his son every car free Sunday!

Ruri is not the only one here who makes my life easier. I also have a “helper.” Her name is Yati. When you have a helper in Jakarta, you spend your day with friends and when you come home all the beds are made; the clothes are all washed, ironed and organized; the packages and dry cleaning have been picked up from the lobby; the refrigerator has been cleaned; all fruits and vegetables are washed and cut up; and dinner is waiting on the stove! She picks up fresh fruits, vegetables and flowers from the local market on her way to work and she can make anything taste good. Yati is an amazing cook and her previous expat employees have sent her to various cooking schools so she can cook many different international foods.

Yati was recommended to us by another expat who was being relocated. A catering company called Upper Crust runs a classified mailing list for expats and any expats who are leaving town give recommendations for all of their household staff . It is a great way to find wonderful help. Expats in houses hire maids, gardeners, security staff and nannies. All houses and apartments come equipped with staff quarters and the Indonesian economy relies on expats to employ staff. Many of my expat friends have said that when they  moved to Jakarta their homes were rented with the existing staff!

Getting back to my wonderful helper….Yati has two girls and she works six days a week, 9 hour days (3 days with me and 3 days with another family) to put her girls through college. One is currently in college and the other is just starting high school. Every morning her husband drops her off on his way to work and picks her up on his way home. She likes to stay busy, so I am always happily discovering junk drawers and closets that have been expertly organized! When I had the sniffles she whipped up various soups and jamus. Jamu is a traditional medicine from Indonesia It is an herbal medicine made from natural materials, such as roots, bark, flowers, seeds, leaves and fruits. I don’t know what was in Yati’s, but my cold got better quick! Right now, I have a sprained ankle that I got while playing tennis and she is constantly reminding me to ice and elevate! I love Yati!! ❤️

There obviously isn’t much for me to do before dinner, so I usually go downstairs to the spa and get a massage or go hang out at the pool. After dinner, Michael and I sometimes hit the gym to play squash or tennis. Even playing tennis here is easy. Ball boys are always on the courts, because god forbid we would have to run after our own bad shots! If you don’t have a partner they are always willing to play with you and give you lots of advice, I will definitely improve my game after this ankle gets better! 🙄

When we need clothing made or altered a tailor comes to our apartment to take measurements and show us fabrics. The next week the clothing is delivered right to our door. I think this might be Michael’s favorite part of living in Indonesia!

The city of Jakarta has a population of over 10 million people. Most of these people live in what Americans would consider abject poverty. Education is not made a priority and the drinking water is not considered safe. There is a stark difference between the lives of the expats and those that we employ. The average salary is less than $250 a month! Yet, everywhere you look you will see people smiling, laughing and taking care of each other. They love children and they treat their elders with respect and admiration. They take pride in their jobs and are so happy to have them. I am well aware of how lucky we are and we are doing our best to improve their lives as much as they are improving ours!