A week in Bogor

Things have become normal. By that, I mean, it seems like we now live here, and are going through the daily routine that binds humanity. I’ve always thought that the best part of big trips (this kind of seems like a big trip), is when you wake up one day and realize everything has become normal. Like, of course it’s 29 degrees in December. It’s always 29 degrees. And, of course, the gardener is pruning the palm trees out front, that’s his job.  And ya, our driver is on time to take us to the Canadian Ambassador’s residence in Jakarta, he’s always on time. Palm trees? Driver? Jakarta? All of that seemed so foreign not very long ago. Now, all part of the fun. Pass the beer nuts.

Sekolah Bogor Raya

Miss Amy going to school

So ya, a week in Bogor. The biggest piece of the puzzle is the fact that we both work full time, which like most people with full time jobs, pretty much defines the Monday to Friday routine. Weekends are a toss-up, again like most humans. Bike ride, climb a volcano, hit the coast? Long weekends are always fun obviously because it means we can actually go (fly) somewhere. But let’s deal with the mundane.

Amy’s day

After a leisurely coffee in bed, brought to her by her wonderful and ever-loving husband, Amy’s on her bike and 3.5 minutes later (we really could not live much closer) finds herself at Sekolah Bogor Raya, the school where she teaches. Classes start at 8 am, Amy’s there by 7:30. Amy’s the “Language Arts” teacher for grades 3 and 4. “Miss Amy” to the kids, she’s pretty much a rock star in their eyes.

The school is a private school, aimed primarily at well-off Indonesians who want their kids to receive an internationally accredited curriculum in English – all languages other than English are discouraged on campus (it’s a “campus”, complete with 2 pools and hydroponic rooftop garden). The good news is that Amy perfectly suits her role as the resident English-language expert. The bad news is that her Indonesian language skills have flat-lined at about 10 words. Pros and cons.

With 20+ contact hours a week, and 140 students, they keep her busy. Too busy for her liking. It seems to be the Indo way with expats. Since we’re relatively expensive (i.e., our salaries, normal by western standards, are considered a small fortune here), they like to squeeze every drop of effort out of us. So ya, she’s a busy beaver, and comes home exhausted at about 4 pm. Highlights of the day include a daily lunch prepared by a lovely Indonesian Ibu (literally means “mother”) for the outrageous price of $1.60.

The Office

Rob’s day

After making coffee for my lovely wife (Ok, I have some too), I too am on my bike heading for the office. It’s a 15-min ride through the streets of Bogor (check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZRRXAMGxzE). The first time I did it, I was shaking and thought I would never get back on the bike. Now I could do it with my eyes closed. Indo traffic chaos has become normal. What chaos?

My office is on the 3^rd floor of a 6-story building, in “downtown” Bogor. Downtown means we are across the street from the central botanical gardens that marks the dead center of Bogor. There really is no downtown Bogor. It’s just a bunch of buildings and houses as far as you can see. At 6 stories, our building is one of the tallest, if not the tallest in town.  The office is right out of The Office. Welcome to 1964. It’s a mass of desks meticulously arranged into rows of cubicles. Yes, it’s a call center. The kind you see on TV. I refer to it as the mosh pit, or just the mosh (but no one gets it). Being the senior bule, I have an actual office (i.e., walls and a door). While that sounds very colonial and elitist, which it is, I have no windows. So basically I work in a pale white box with florescent lighting, peeling paint and all. Imagine a customs officer in Uzbekistan. That’s me. Although, I do have my own air conditioner, with remote! Ah, the power I wield! Shall I set it at 20, 22, maybe 24! And the wind speed, mode, swing…endless options! Now I know what Donald Trump is feeling!

I usually work till about 4:30, and if I’m lucky, beat the afternoon rain on my bike ride back to base. If not, whatever, I get wet. Hey, it’s the tropics, no problaimo!

Rob's sweaty man gym

Amy's big shiny gym

Evenings are a toss-up. Like most Monday to Friday shifts, once you get home from work, you really don’t feel like leaving. The exception is our gym schedules. We usually hit the gym a couple times a week. Me, I go to my sweaty man gym down the street. Pretty classic: no ventilation, sweaty, smelly, and equipment that looks like it was rounded up at garage sales. At 15 bucks a month though, it’s basically free. Amy wouldn’t be caught dead in my gym, and frequents the infinitely posher “Celebrity Fitness” big shiny gym at the Mall, where she’s become addicted to the spin classes. You get what you pay for: 50 bucks a month! (rock star prices here)

Rice anyone?

'er, how much?

Of course there are the grocery store runs, and the beer runs (in this city of 1 million+ people, there are 2 places to buy beer). Our go-to for those survival items, and everything from toothpaste to super glue is a pseudo-Walmarty place called “Giant”. It’s pretty much your Indonesian version of Walmart. Sure, I suppose we could go to the traditional market and bargain with the ladies over the price of mangos, but you know, it’s just easy and seamless going to Giant. And here, keeping things easy is the priority. So ya, we’ll stick to the marked prices and one-stop-shopping, at least until we know enough Indonesian to negotiate that extra 50 cents they tack on for “bule tax” in the markets.   

Other mid-week diversions are trips into the big haze, AKA Jakarta, for evening networking events. The JKT Indonesia-Canada Chamber of Commerce is quite active and puts on monthly networking events for local expats, and specifically Canadians. Since it’s “work” it’s free (i.e., paid for), and along with a car and driver, it’s pretty much a free night out on the town for us. The huge bonus for us is the all-you-can-drink wine (and, believe it or not, often BC wines! Last time was Burrowing Owl!) and fantastic 5-star gourmet food. Rubbing shoulders with the likes of the Canadian Ambassador to Indonesia is pretty cool too. Ah yes, drivers, Canadian Ambassadors….the expat life, gotta love it.

The Salak crew

Friday brings the weekend, which means beer night at our local watering hole, the Salak Sunset Café (see previous post). Basically a backpacker bar, without the backpackers, cuz there are none in Bogor. The Salak crew is a younger expat crowd consisting of mostly Euros (lots of Dutch here!), the odd Aussie, an American or two, and we actually have a fellow Canadian in the crew (Margaret from Cape Breton). It’s always fun to have a real conversation about the important things in life, like cheap flights to Singapore, where you can buy cheese, and…Donald Trump?…WTF??!!

So, life in Bogor, can’t complain. If you ask Amy, the single best thing about Bogor: the weather. “I love the weather here!” is her mantra. Every day is summer. She may never readjust to sub 20-degree weather. Sub-20…hmmmm, that would pretty much be an ice-age here J