Selamat Datang – Welcome to Indonesia!
- Shradha Singh
- May 12
- 4 min read
Well, it’s been an interesting few weeks here in the metropolis of Jakarta, Indonesia, and I’ve been meaning to get into this whole writing thing.
I think I’ll call this series Jakarta from my eyes!
Okay, let me start from the very beginning. After our group of almost 50 young people from various parts of the South Pacific touched down—following a 10-hour flight to Singapore and a 2-hour connecting flight to Jakarta—we were jet-lagged and tired. But we were so grateful for the safe passage into this foreign land that will be home for the next year. We took a few days to adjust ourselves to the time difference, as Fiji is almost 5 hours ahead of Indonesia.
First Impressions
A few things I noticed right from the get-go were the reduction in air quality, the traffic, and the surprising number of people who smoke. I had prepared myself mentally for this a little, but experiencing the overwhelming sounds of a foreign language, bright lights, and heavy traffic was such a stark contrast to our usual lifestyle in the Pacific.
But despite so much going on, the people are so kind, respectful, and considerate. It’s truly amazing.
Allow me to rant a little more about the traffic situation. Imagine 11.6 million people living in one city! There are so many vehicles—cars and motorcycles—that I get dizzy just looking at the traffic. And it’s amazing how people navigate through all the “calm chaos.” I call it that because even though so much is happening on the road, there’s almost a rhythm to it—crazy, right? It’s completely normal for commuters not to stick to their lanes. Motorcycles come from anywhere. If they fit—they go! And you’ll see mothers, babies, and children on motorcycles—and there are no seatbelts. I’m losing my mind, but everybody else is pretty chill—like it’s a normal Tuesday afternoon. It’s pretty unnerving!
How I'm feeling about all this…
Well, apart from feeling initially overwhelmed, I’d say we’re doing pretty good. Everyone’s helpful attitude toward us is genuinely encouraging. Indonesians are sincere and kind people. It’s something you can see in their eyes. They smile warmly, and they have an interesting and respectful way of greeting people. It’s like a normal handshake, but after that, they usually touch their heart. This simple gesture means, “I greet you from my heart with all sincerity.” It’s so beautiful and heartwarming. Usually, younger people will greet elders by touching the elders’ hands to their foreheads as a sign of respect.
So overall, it’s a jostling city, but interestingly enough...people are easy-going. I also tend to see cats everywhere.
The Similarities…
The words! They’re surprisingly similar to some of the Fiji Hindi I speak.
I’ve been surprised to find several words in Bahasa that sound and mean the same—likely due to shared roots in Sanskrit and centuries of cultural exchange across South and Southeast Asia. Here are a few:
Sabun – Soap
Angoor – Grape
Kursi – Chair
Raja – King
So that’s pretty cool!
The Differences
They have an interesting variety of fruits here. I’ve grown a liking to lychee.
The food is pretty diverse too, and people love their rice. Imagine KFC selling fried chicken with rice. Yup—that’s how big rice is here!
Here’s a picture of a snack called Alpukat Kelapa (Avocado Coconut Ice), which contains avocado, young coconut flesh, shaved ice, and sometimes jelly.
Can I also mention that if there is anything that can be fried - it will be fried. From cookies to bananas, all for the crunch!
Our Family Away from Home
My friend and I have been in touch with this lovely Pastor and his family.
Interesting fact- the family does not have locks on their gates because of the relationship they have built with their neighbors. The Pastors wife- Dani, is proverbial woman. She says that "our gate is our plate" highlighting their security comes from the trust they have built with their neighbors and I think this is such a beautiful thing. She also gave another wise piece of advice on not allowing negativity get to us. It goes along the lines of" I have two ears and two hands. I cannot shut everyone's mouths but I can close my ears". Now that's some solid advice. She is quite a chatty lady. I admire her spirit of determination to help others.
The Challenges!
Well, if I had to choose—the biggest challenges are definitely the currency and the language barrier. But these are challenges we’re learning to overcome on a daily basis!
To give a picture on the currency, 10 Fijian dollars is about 100,000 rupiah… 😅, yea takes me a while to wrap my head around that one but we are getting there bestie.
But please continue to pray for us as we cross cultures and make a positive impact for these beautiful people. we are learning so much each day!
Until next time – Sampai Jumpa!
P.s. Did I mention that we also met the PM of Fiji on his visit to Indonesia? One of the coolest nights ever!
So cool!