So I've been wanting to post about this city I've been living in my whole life. Simply because I thought some people took it for granted, and because people often whine about it so much. However, throughout the days, things somehow changed. It became more understandable to me why people often complain about this city. And here in this post, I'm kinda torn apart, because in one side I want to show you people what we can actually learn from this city, but on the other hand, I just experienced something that makes me despise Jakarta. Nevertheless, I will still talk about this city though.
So I live in Jakarta, I was also born in this city. The first air that I breathed is Jakarta's air, and it's been going on for almost 22 years now. So I practically am used to living here, and to its lifestyle.
Here are three things about Jakarta that I want to talk and people often complain about:
1. Never-ending and overwhelming traffic jam
So, Jakarta has this crazy traffic. And when I say crazy, I really do mean crazy. And no, I am not over-reacting. Even to a person who loves driving so much, whose limit to endure traffic jam is better to any other people like me, Jakarta's traffic jam is overwhelming. It's kinda usual if it takes you 1-2 hours to get somewhere. It can even reach 3 hours if you are unlucky.
2. The public transportation is uncivilized
For those of you who might get sick of traffic jam in Jakarta, it may come up to your mind to use its public transportation. And is it good? Or at least, is it better? Well, it really depends, actually. Let's see.. You are reading a blog post whose writer is a Jakartan and has been using public transportation since she was only 7 years old. No, I am not telling you that I know and can memorize all the routes for Jakarta's bus or angkot, but trust me, my experience regarding Jakarta's public transportation is quite interesting.
Imagine me, a short and confused 8-year-old girl got thrown out of a metromini (a kind of Jakarta's bus). Well, not actually thrown out, but I did fall from a metromini because I needed to stop to get off the bus, and before both of my feet reached the ground, the bus had started to move. And all I knew was I tore my red skirt, and tried to hold the tears because it did hurt.
Another experience is when I was only 10 years old, I was trapped in a metromini who passed a riot scene between highschoolers. And what happened was that the window glass above me broke, and it fell to my head. It was a miracle that not a single drop of blood came from my head, because the next thing I knew was that the man who sat right beside me was bleeding on his shoulder.
And when I get older, I get used to it, to how the bus or angkot is always so fast and completely neglects all rules of driving. But then in university, I tried Deborah, also a kind of Jakarta's bus, the color of which is purple. It's unbelievable. Why, you may ask. It's because the bus's conductor will never care of how many people are already in the bus. He will keep putting people in until is packed up and people inside actually cannot move.
The worse thing happens in commuter line train. So, I'm currently hired as an intern in an office located in Thamrin. So, the most conventional way to get there is by train (because the parking fee is crazily expensive). Let me tell you one fact about me, I am terrified of being in a crowd. And for the past 2 weeks, I get so proud of myself because I can actually survive the mad crowd in train. I cried in the first time I took train to work, because I was so damn terrified. But as days go by, I am trying to get used to it. Then, this morning I took a train from my campus, and it was hell. I missed the first train because it was too packed up. And 3 other trains passed me because of the same reason. So I took the fourth train, and still it was madness. I had no idea where I stood and my feet were actually far from my body or head. They're all still attached to each other, of course, but it literally felt like I was trapped in a sea of people where no one could actually stand straight and all of us relied our weights on others' existence. So whenever the train stopped or started to move, the people inside it also moved with the force it caused. (Google it to get the picture of the situation)
3. Flood season
I went to a high school which always and easily struck by the flood. My high school, I can say, is one of the best school in this country. Yet, it's very pathetic to know that every time the flood comes to hit it, it has to stop its activity. However, my high school somehow can always manage to minimize the effect the flood brings. It even always has a place where the students can go to school during the flood. They have already prepared all the possibilities that the flood brings with it. And no, this is not only about my school, it's also about hundreds of families that have to relocate because flood strikes their houses. It's also about most Jakartan's activities that are disturbed by the flood.
Yes, those are top 3 problems about Jakarta, in my opinion.
However, since I have been living in this city my whole life, I can see how those problems become parts of my every-day life. Those things are bad, as we can see. But you should know, that those things mold the people.
You can never deny that Jakartans are one of the most well-prepared people. They prepare for the worst. Most of them are diligent, too! Here in Jakarta, everything seems to start very early. Our days start earlier than those in other cities. How, you may ask? In Jakarta, school starts at 6.30. Some schools are even not reluctant to send their students home if they are late, even if only 1 minute late. Working hours start at 8 am, perhaps it's not that early for you. But seriously, imagine you living in Jakarta with its crazy traffic. You will not want to be late and get trapped in a worse traffic than usual. You need to get up at least 3 hours before your working hours start. That's why it's no wonder I become quite a morning person, yes, because I leave home at 5.30 or 6 at the very latest from home. And I've been doing that since elementary school. This condition somehow also shapes us to be a quite fast person, because it feels like the morning always rushes us.
So we end up adjusting. For an instance, if we want to look good in the morning, then we have to get up earlier than we usually do.We cannot afford to be late, because you will never know what can happen in the way.
Traffic and those other things should never be an excuse of why you come late, because all other people in the city experience the same thing.
So Jakarta taught me things, and I am sure other Jakartans feel the same way. Yes some people may regret having their time wasted mainly on the street. But seriously? What can we do but to adjust? So while the leaders of this city try to find a way to solve those problems, we should just adjust.
Seriously, trying to wake up earlier, to do things faster, to be more well-prepared, to be responsive, and to always be wide-awake are good things, after all. And I guess it would be good for your life too because you will always be aware of things and ready for things that might happen. No, I am not telling you that I have reached and become that person, I am just trying to find a way to not only complain. Because I wanna live my life, and I cannot change the fact that my life happens here. Now, I have already begun to enjoy driving in a traffic jam. Why? Because it gives me time to think, to listen to the radio that I rarely have the opportunity to, to see the skylines, and observe how vibrant this city is, with its lights, its lives, and its complexities.
Yes, I was born and raised in Jakarta. And I have now loved this city so much.
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