Dear Readers,
Living here, it can’t have escaped your notice that Indonesia is built upon various traditions that have left myriad historical sites to explore, wherever you visit. As expats, we can tend to veer away from some of the more typical, touristy activities and places. However, those tourist jaunts are rich in old traditions, filled with tales that have been passed down through generations. Honouring the deceased and preserving some of the old and simple ways of life are traits Indonesians hold onto tightly even now, in spite of the oftentimes chaotic political situation affecting our daily lives.
In this issue, we ask you to stop relying on your devices and take you away from the city. We invite you to explore and immerse yourself into the old traditions deep inside Tasikmalaya. You can even escape for an evening stroll through several cemeteries in Java where Dutch and Indonesian civilians and military personnel lie at rest from the late 1940s.
It’s no surprise when expats fall in love with Indonesia. Gandhi Memorial Intercontinental School’s Principal, Ashok Pal Singh shares some of his 27 years of academic experience in Indonesia in Meet the Expat. We got the latest What’s Up story along with a readers’ favourite, Scams in the City, where we bring you a romance story gone awry, with love turning into financial and emotional turmoil. Meanwhile in the spirit of patriotism, Oakwood La Maison’s General Manager, Christian Jacob, wants to tell the younger generation of Indonesian hoteliers that there are no limits to achieving a goal of becoming general manager of a high-end, worldwide property.
Without honouring the past, we can’t move forward to a better, collective future. The newly revised bill (RKUHP) circulating through the international media is presented as merely about casual sex when, in reality, the chaos and road closures are being caused by university students across Indonesia as a way of expressing their freedom of speech. After all, this is a democratic country. It’s also important to pay heed to our personal health, and since October is International Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we implore ladies and gentlemen – yes, gentlemen you should know too – to learn the early signs and treatments for this sadly often fatal disease.
October is coming to an end but at least the rains have finally showered some dust away from Jakarta. We hope you enjoyed the many Oktoberfest nights in Jakarta. Halloween is around the corner, do you have your costume ready yet? Indonesia Expat’s mixer this month is back in Jakarta and will be at the Wyndham Hotel – there will be a Halloween party after the mixer so come dressed in your best costume!
Don’t forget to check out “Did You Know?” as well as the activities and deals in-store in our “Events” and “Classified” pages.
Have a wonderful end of the month and happy reading!
Edo Frese