Dear Readers,

As we bid farewell to the foreign athletes who took part in the highly successful and critically acclaimed 18th Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang, I would like to congratulate the Indonesian athletes who represented their country with such distinction. It is also with great respect and admiration that I note their generosity towards the victims of the recent earthquakes in Lombok. Many of the medal winners have pledged part of their bonus to the relief effort, and others have donated their jerseys, rackets and other equipment to be auctioned to raise funds. Our friends at Singapore National Academy are also doing their part to help and details of their appeal can be found in their regular column in this issue. Please help if you can. Inside you will also find help navigating some of the issues that face expats on a regular basis, including a clarification of the rules when working in Indonesia on a stay permit sponsored by a spouse, things to think about if you are expecting a child in the country and even how to bargain when shopping in Bali. All of this sits alongside our regular and popular Top 10 and Scams columns, and I am sure you will find something to educate or entertain you as you explore these pages. With this issue we also introduce the Expat Advertiser as an expansion of our regular classified ads section, and we introduce the Expat Privilege Club, which is free to join for all professional expats living and working in Jakarta and offers many and varied benefits to members. Look for Expat Privilege Club on Facebook or go to www.expatprivilegeclub.com to join. Details of benefits and privileges will follow shortly. Please let me know if there is anything you would like us to add to our offering or just please let us know what you think by email at letters@indonesiaexpat.biz.