Halo Zev, saya hanya ingin memberikan info mengenai website yang saya temukan tentang expat yang tinggal di Indonesia dan pengalaman mereka selama tinggal di Indonesia websitenya adalah: www.expat.or.id, baca bagian stories about expat living in Indonesia, seperti halnya kita yang di luar negeri memiliki "Kolom Zeverina" untuk berbagi pengalaman mereka juga memiliki website sendiri.

Terkadang kalau kita membaca pengalaman saudara-saudara kita di luar negeri bagaimana suka dukanya mereka. Begitu pula halnya dengan saya sendiri yang sekarang ini menetap di Auckland, New Zealand. Tetapi dimanapun kita tinggal selalu ada manis dan pahitnya, tergantung dari kita sendiri bagaimana menyikapi.

Tapi pernah kebayang tidak bagaimana para foreigners atau para expatriate yang tinggal di Indonesia. Kemarin malam saya iseng-iseng menemukan situs yang menceritakan pengalaman mereka selama tinggal di Indonesia. Begitu lucu-lucunya pengalaman mereka sampai-sampai saya sendiri tertawa terbahak-bahak, seperti salah satu dari mereka bilang... O well Tha’t Indonesia! don’t you just love it here? (tanpa maksud merendahkan).

Bahkan ada yang terkagum-kagum dengan keseimbangan tubuh saudara-saudara kita contohnya waktu pertama kali melihat seorang penumpang wanita yang di boncengi sepeda motor dengan posisi duduk menyamping pada sadelnya, tanpa helm dan mengantuk pula sampai-sampai tuh foreigner mengatakan "I swear to God, I saw her fall asleep".

Mereka juga terkagum dengan anak-anak muda yang berdiri di genteng atau pohon untuk menyaksikan pertandingan olah raga. Ada juga yang membuat list seperti You know you’ve been in Indonesia too long if: You can kill cockroaches with your bare feet, the footprints on the toilet seat are your own, you answers the telephone with hello more than 2 times, You look left, right, backwards, forwards, up and down before crossing a one way street dan seterusnya...ada juga yang merasa terlalu spoilt (manja) dikarenakan segala keperluan domestik mereka dilakukan oleh pembantu, baby sitter dan supir sehingga bagi mereka yang pulang ke kampungnya masing-masing merindukan kehidupannya selama tinggal di Indonesia seperti halnya kita yang tinggal di luar negeri.

Secara inti mari kita ambil positifnya, para foreigners yang tinggal di Indonesia paling tidak mereka tahu seperti apa pribadi masyarakat Indonesia, banyak dari mereka yang terkesan dan mengatakan, where else in the world you can find the friendliest people except in Indonesia! Ada juga yang mengatakan, you can find many beautiful women in every square metre compare any other places in the world!

Selengkapnya silakan baca berikut ini:

You might be Indonesian if:

   1. Your stomach growls when you don't eat rice for a day.
   2. You believe kecap ABC could turn bad cooking to gourmet food.
   3. You know more than 10 acronyms/abbreviations.
   4. You talk during a movie.
   5. You use a dipper instead of toilet paper in the bathroom.
   6. You eat fried rice in the morning.
   7. You prefer Versace or Moschino jeans over Gap or Levi's.
   8. You don't think Jim Carrey is funny.
  10. You think Rhoma Irama is kampungan.
  11. You carry a 16 oz. jar of sambal to where ever you travel.
  12. Driving a car that is cheaper than $15,000 embarrasses you.
  13. You think dangdut is stupid, but listen to it anyway, because you are homesick.
  14. You are willing to travel 25 miles to buy tahu and tempe.
  15. You are "Dreaming of a WARM Christmas".
  16. You are very good at avoiding potholes and other road hazards.
  17. Your local McDonald's serves rice and sambal.

  18. You think Super Mie is a staple food.
  19. You have ever tried passing a Rp 50 coin as a quarter in a US vending machine or pay phone.
  20. You have ever successfully bribed a police officer.
  21. You have ever successfully bribed a customs officer.
  22. When watching TV you regularly find that all the channels broadcast the same thing.
  23. You do your shopping in Singapore.
  24. Your drivers license claims you are 5 years older then you really are.
  25. You have ever legally bought pirated software or VCDs.
  26. You have ever been forced to memorize UUD'45.
  27. You have bought something from a barefooted street peddler.
  28. You know exactly how many islands Indonesia has.
  29. You have ever eaten something sold off a cart on wheels.
  30. You realized that money is everything before you were six.
  31. The first thing that comes to mind when hearing the word "Jakarta" is "macet".
  32. Someone you know has ever ridden on top of a train.
  33. Your daily commute includes thinking up new ways to ride the city bus for free.
  34. You don't mind people being late.
  35. You think standing in line is a waste of time.
  36. You have tried every Monday of your youth trying to avoid upacara bendera.
  37. You have used a mosquito repellent that looks like a coil and is lit on one end.
  38. You use the terms "Ni yee", "cai-lah" and "Ih, jijay" on daily basis.
  39. You know what Pancasila is, what it means and know it by heart.
  40. You complain that movies in America don't have sub-titles.
  41. Your daily conversation may include enactments of TV commercials.
  42. You have ever consulted a dukun.
  43. Your whole class has ever cheated on a test, and gotten away with it.
  44. You have ever spent the night before an exam looking for someone who sells the questions.
  45. You like the smell of terasi.

46. You think the Thomas Cup is equal to the Super Bowl.
  47. You can name a manufacturer of shuttlecocks and badminton birdies.
  48. You have a 16' satellite dish hidden in your back yard.
  49. You have ever ridden in a motor vehicle with three wheels.
  50. You miss your maid on laundry day.
  51. Your clothing has brand names printed on it that are visible from 50' away.
  52. You attend weddings only until you are done eating.
  53. You have attended weddings that you are not invited to.
  54. You go to McDonald's to get your weekly supply of ketchup, salt, pepper and napkins.
  55. You know more than one music group that stole the tune of Cranberries' "Zombie".
  56. You have a can of Baygon on your kitchen table.
  57. You make major decisions based on gengsi.
  58. You take advantage of Wal-Mart's 30-day money-back guarantee to "borrow" home appliances.
  59. Someone in your family has extra pockets in his outfit to hide cookies from the all-you-can-eat bar.
  60. You have paid more then $1,000 to get your name on your license plate.
  61. You carry your hand phone always, even to a 'no service' area.
  62. You think bribery as a 'tip in advance'.
  63. You think of the road as a place to park.
  64. You fly Garuda just to get to know the stewardesses.
  65. You send your kids to US & Australia just so they can go to school.
  66. You go to a park and drink 'teh botol'.

  67. You travel to L.A or Sydney from Jakarta more than 3 times a year.
  68. You mix soccer and boxing at the same time.
  69. You consume more cloves in your cigarettes than in your food..
  70. You have more credit cards than your wallet can hold.
  71. You have a car with 20' wheel.
  72. You work for the government to get rich quick.
  73. Your friends in the US & Australia refer to you as their 'Indonesian connection.'
  74. You have been to a motel that can 'hide' your car.
  75. You give guests a roll of toilet paper or a box of facial tissues to wipe their hands after eating.
 

You Might Be An American Expat in Indonesia If...

   1. You think the lines painted on the roadways mean something.
   2. You think 5-6-97 is actually May 6th.
   3. Your Bahasa Indonesia vocabulary consists of four words, "Mas, mas! Satu lagi", which you learned in a bar at Blok M.
   4. Your two best Indonesian friends are your driver and your housemaid.
   5. You wonder if it is possible to boil the air.
   6. You think all the security guards in Jakarta work for the same company.
   7. You inquire about a tanning booth before your first trip to Bali.
   8. You make wise cracks about the pictures on the Rp 500 and Rp 50,000 bills.
   9. You tell the boss what you really think.
  10. At lunch you ask for a knife.
  11. Your favourite place to go for Indonesian food is Planet Hollywood.

  12. Your breast pocket contains a small yellow book.
  13. You think the small hose in the bathroom is for cleaning the floor.
  14. You tip waiters at restaurants.
  15. You wake up at 4:30 a.m. thinking you left the television on.
  16. You notice footprints on your toilet seat after your guests leave your home.
  17. You keep your shoes on when you are in the office.
  18. The translation you are given for hari nahas is 'a bad hair day'.
  19. In an emergency you go to dial 911 but you don't know the number.
  20. You show up for meetings on time.
  21. You tuck the tail of your batik shirt into your pants.
  22. You walk close to little old ladies when crossing Jl. Gatot Subroto.
  23. You go to a magazine store and ask for the latest copy of Playboy.
  24. Every time someone lights a cigarette you think of baked ham.
  25. At restaurants, you ask for catsup and get kecap.

  26. You enjoy going to China, especially Singapore.
  27. You wait for everyone to get off the elevator before getting on.
  28. You use the last name when looking up a friend's telephone number.

Dari semua ini paling tidak kita bisa menambah wawasan, bagaimana orang-orang luar negeri berfikir tentang negara kita. Mungkin saja ada dari kita ada yang merasa direndahkan, ada yang merasa rindu tanah air, atau mungkin ada yang merasa bangga, semua tergantung dari kaca mata kita masing-masing.

Kalau saya pribadi merasa bangga, paling tidak diantara semrawutnya ibu kota dan gembar-gembornya teroris serta sudut pandang foreigner yang ada di negaranya masing-masing dan dari mereka yang tinggal di Indonesia, semoga masih bisa memberikan kesan yang manis terhadap kita dan saudara-saudara kita di tanah air. Agar kita tidak salah menafsirkan kata-kata dan pengalaman orang lain ada baiknya kita berempati dan melihat dari sudut pandang mereka yang menulisnya.

Macetnya:

Here I sit within the macet.
Pelan-pelan no use to fret.
Cannot read, sakit perut,
Cannot watch, pusing kepala.

Kanan, kiri, terus, putar,
I steal a peek, haven't gone far.
Bajaj, sepeda, kaki, mobil,
Beam me up Scotty, this can't be real.

I try to relax and close my eyes,
I dream of places far and away,
And remember faces that brightened my way.
I think, life is good, yes very good.

Honk! Honk! Beep! Beep!
The moment rusak
Lest I forget to curse this macet.
 

Keep positive thinking to reach positive life and happiness. All the best for everyone!

From, Ellie - Auckland, New Zealand.



 

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Pembaca "KOLOM KITA" (KoKi) entah di Bontang, Inggris, Bali, Belanda, New Jersey, Kuwait, Australia, atau di Kediri, silakan berbagi peristiwa seputar kehidupan sehari-hari. Kirimkan artikel dan foto melalui form "Kirim Artikel", jika mengalami kesulitan kirimkan melalui email: temennyazev@gmail.com ; kokizeverina@gmail.com