On (Why I Wanna Stay In) Indonesia

"It is a well known fact that we recognize our homeland the moment we are about to lose it."
- Albert Camus

Am in the middle of reading a very interesting book (Planet of Slums by Mike Davis), but well, I promised this article to a friend more than a month ago, so here goes...

Background: When I was in Australia, thinking about all the countries I've been to, I was compiling in my mind all the criterias of a country/ city I would like to live in. It then struck me that hey, Indonesia fulfills a lot of those criterias, but I've never ever before that considered going back to Indonesia to work, not even one bit. Well, I had a rethought, and here are all the reasons why Indonesia is now my no 1 candidate country for long-term stay:

1. Language
OK, I think most of my close friends know that I love the Indonesian language, even more than any other language, including French. There's something about Indonesian that allows one to be most poetic with the simplest sounds (unlike French which tends to be rather 'flowery'. Silly as it sounds, I can't live in a country where I don't like the language.. that's why I can't live in Vietnam though the country is so beautiful and the people so nice.. No offense to Vietnamese people, but well.. I can't imagine hearing it everyday, or having kids and have my kids learn Vietnamese.. Same with Singlish..

2. Size
I considered this when I was travelling in Europe, Australia, and then China, thinking how I would love to stay in a big country/ continent so on weekends I can go travelling to many places, without needing a passport hahaha.. I think this desperation to stay in a large country comes from living in Singapore for 8 years, worsened by the fact that so much of Singapore looks the same so you practically only entertain yourself with a very small proportion of area.. But yeah, Indonesia's size definitely guarantees that I won't be bored with the country.

3. Nature and its various manifestations
What I mean is, how in a country you can find everything from sea, mountain, desert, forest, large rivers, mudflats etc etc.. since I love going outdoors and trekking.. I realised just how cool it is to have a country with all these places in Australia, where you can be on the beach and in the forest on the same day. With some of the world's most pristine rainforests, Asia's largest rivers, most beautiful islands, scenic mountains and other things like rice terraces, Indonesia's clearly not lacking in this department.

4. Food
For Indonesians reading this.. Do I even have to elaborate..? The variety of food in Indonesia is simply amazing, and so flavorful! I mean, well Singapore has lots of food too, but mostly Malay, Indian, Western food etc assimilated into the culture. For originality and flavor.. go Indonesian. Plus, my number one most favorite food is very common in Indonesia but difficult to find outside Indonesia-Malaysia region: tempe. If you've never tried it.. Man, you're missing a lot..
Another factor, Indonesian street food is cheap and delicious *unlike Aussi and France where food, though really good, is also bloody expensive* . Well, ok, there's a risk of typhoid fever attached to it, but hey, that just means Indonesian food trains you to be stronger!

5. Friendliness of people
I don't really know how to explain this one, but trust me, Indonesians are among the friendliest people. Consider that when I travel I try as much as I can to interact with the local people and to date I've been to quite a lot of countries. Strangely enough, my Westerner friends who have travelled to Indonesia all agree with me that Indonesian people are really nice, while the Singaporeans are quite convinced Indonesians are out to cheat you =D

6. Education system
Right.. Somehow, a country's education system is an important indicator for me whether to stay there, and well, even if Indonesia's education system is not as cool as Sweden where they have forest kindergarten, or as liberal and humanistic as France, at least it leaves a lot of free time for kids to explore other hobbies.. Till now I'm really grateful that at least I spent my childhood in Indonesia. Though, I can't say anything regarding Indonesian universities.

7. Culture
I know that I can't stay in a place that's not beautiful, that lacks artistic/ creative people. Cities like Hanoi, Paris, Melbourne and Beijing with long history, beautiful buildings, and strong culture, I immediately fell in love with.. And yes, Indonesian cities, especially in Java, has very rich culture and history too. I especially love the depictions of wayang characters in batik art in Yogyakarta, but Indonesia has many other art forms including woodwork, silverware, exotic dances etc. Yeah, it's funny how when I grew up in Indonesia I never appreciate the diversity that we have, but now that I'm in Singapore and can only watch these things through youtube, I realize just how culturally rich my country is.

8. Ease to find a job, and cost of living
Well, several cities that I've visited so far fulfill most of the criterias above, the strongest contender being France and Australia, but what clinches the deal for Indonesia is that.. well.. if I go back, I'm technically not a foreigner, not an immigrant, so it will be way easier to find a job, compared to if I try to migrate to Paris or Melbourne..

So yeah, that's it. Oh and postscript, after coming back from China, though I fell in love again with Beijing, I know I'd love to stay in a tropical country for the long term, because I just love sun and rain.. and somewhat hates the fierce, biting winter I encountered in Beijing.