Moving to Indonesia

in life •  7 years ago  (edited)

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I haven't been posting on Steemit for many days simply because we all had fever. This time it was a nasty one that lasted 6-7 days. It started with our two kids who had high temperature of 40 degrees, vomiting and the next day I got fever too. I lost 3 kilos within 6 days because I couldn't see or smell any food.

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Anyways, me and my husband were thinking for a while to move to Indonesia. It's not fixed, it is still an idea because we have to think about many things and consider many things. We love Holland and we have it very good here but there are also a lot of other things Indonesia has to offer.

1. Family

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I have family in Indonesia and my family is quite large. I remember when I was young and lived there for a few years (1996-2000)that I saw countless family members that apparently know who I was but I didn't know them at all. I have so many aunts, uncles and they have so many kids too. It's always fun to gather with my family because you see them cooking, helping each other and babysit each others kids. If we would live in Indonesia I would not need to worry who is going to watch over my kids if I have an appointed. I can just leave them with any of my family members. Even neighbours would do it for free. Indonesians love kids, most of them. If I would like to go out with my husband, I don't need to call for a babysitter my kids would love to be with their cousins and nephews and play with them.

2. Wedding parties

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I love wedding parties in Indonesia and there is always somebody who gets married in our family. I always got excited (when I was still living there) when we received an invitation because we all dress up, we all go to the hair salon and wear our best outfits. No one comes on a wedding party in their jeans, casual clothes or boring hair. If you do, people will ask hahaha. The wedding parties are usually in a fancy hotel with red carpet. You will see a large buffet on one side and the other side a band playing music with a singer that they hired.

3. Food

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Indonesian food is known for being very delicious. Even here in Holland you have many Indonesian restaurant but they do however fail to give the food an authentic taste. In Indonesia if you want to taste Indonesian's best food, you shouldn't go to shopping malls but to simple small restaurants on the side of the roads.

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If we would live in Indonesia I wouldn't need to cook anymore! There is food everywhere. People selling food on the streets. Selling chicken sate using a wagon and stops in front of every ones house. Can you imagine, you open the front door and a man is ready to make fresh chicken sate for you?

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Or what about Bubur ayam chicken porridge) as breakfast? You just wake up in the morning, open the door and ask the man to prepare bubur ayam for you. This is freedom for me. I don't have to look at the time and rush cooking anymore. Here in Holland, if I have my days that I am lazy to cook, I still need to go out of the house to buy food like fries at the closest snackbar. That's kind of boring, to have to choose between cooking or fries from the snackbar. Most Indonesian people don't cook because in Indonesia, you are surrounded by many small restaurants or people selling food in front of your house.

4. Weather

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It's always sunny(ok, you also have rain seasons) and you don't need so many layers of clothes and accessories like here in Holland when it's cold. You wear flip flops every day and your laundry will not be so much because you don't wear winter clothes like here and winter clothes makes the washing machine fuller. You also can leave the door quicker without grabbing a coat, shawl, hat and winter hand gloves.

5. Many places to explore

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Indonesia is BIG! I haven't explored Indonesia enough. It's sad because I am Indonesian. Most tourist when they go to Indonesia, they go to Bali. Its a pity, because if you really want to explore Indonesia and it's culture, you should try visit other places like Raja Ampat. Not that I ever been there, but I would like to. Indonesia is also close to Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, so we could travel to these countries every now and then.

6. Busy streets in the evenings

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Here in Holland the streets are very quite and shops close 6 pm. Only supermarkets are open till 9 or 10 pm and Thursdays the shops open till 9 pm. Sunday many shops are closed. In Indonesia the streets are still busy in the evenings. You see people sitting together at restaurants, or they shop at the shopping malls. Friends, family, neighbours who will visit you any moment just to have a chat or giving each other a massage.

7. Affordable maid

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We would be able to afford an Indonesian maid who cleans our house and again, I don't have to clean my house anymore :-D. My maid will do everything for me, of course she would get paid by us. I just relax and have fun with he kids. I don't have to fight with my husband anymore when he is going to vacuum the stairs, or dusting everything ( I hate dusting).
So much time left to do other things because I don't need to cook and clean anymore. I would still take care about the kids myself. But I would be able to post more often on Steemit.

8. Many craft shops

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Compared to Holland, Indonesia has many craft shops and fabric shops. There are also much cheaper so I would sew more clothes with nicer fabrics. They also have many bead shops and you pay by weight instead of per piece like here. I could go wild there making many clothes and jewellery because I can afford them. If you want you can even design your own outfit, or show a picture of a dress from a magazine and a tailor will make it for you. They don't ask much.

Well, Why don't you move already to Indonesia???

I have mentioned so many positive things about Indonesia but of course there are also cons living in Indonesia. Moving to Indonesia takes a lot of consideration.

1. Paper work

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If you want to move to another country like Indonesia, it takes a lot of paperwork. So many forms that need to be filled and I hate paperwork or filling forms. It also takes ages because Indonesians are slow. When they say it will be fixed next week it's not even certain, it can be fixed in three or four weeks. There are times that when you think they will fix it for you within a certain timeframe, they don't even fix it at all.

2. Selling our House

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We would need to sell our house we just bought recently which also takes months and we would need to ship our belongings with a boat. Certain things I would love to bring with me but it's not possible. If you love your couch, I am not sure how much it would cost to let your couch shipped per boat to Indonesia.

3. Kids

My kids need to go to a different school where they speak a total different language. Unless they would go to an International school. They have to adapt and make new friends.

4. Corruption

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It's not something new that Indonesia is a corrupt country. Even the police on the streets ask you for money otherwise they give you a fine ( for no reason). When I spoke to my father about moving to Indonesia, he said: " Are you joking?! Indonesia is one of the most corrupt countries! You have a good life here in Holland, the system/government is good for us and you will always have a roof above your head. Think also about the health insurance you have here and cleaner hospitals and no crazy traffic jams. People throwing their garbage on the streets not taking care about their environment in Indonesia."

My father made very good points, so we are still not sure if we want to move to Indonesia, maybe we just visit Indonesia more often to meet our family their so the kids know their roots too.

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Hopefully next year you will also live in Indonesia, thank you...friend... this post is very good.....
@fathin-shihab

Amazing post! It is so informative and colorful! I will follow you for more!

Dear @fathin-shihab. So many positive things, the weather, no need to cook, someone to clean the house, great nightlife, lot of family... But on the other hand the paperwork, the schooling of the kids. I guess you and your husband are taking your time to thinki it over and take the right decision for your family. But as long as you take this decision together it's going to be fine for you, as long as you stick together.
Whatever your decision will be, we will notice it in your post. I wish you lot of wisdom to take the decision that is right for all of you!
Thanks for sharing.

Thank you @diamondinform. Yes, with kids the decision will not be that easy, they will also not receive any "kinderbijslag" anymore, and no health insurance. So I really have to think a lot.

Ow yes. Now I realize there is a lot to consider. Give yourselves some time to think about it.

Excellent description about Indonesia. I think its important details indeed for travelers who want to travel Indonesia.
Up-Voted!

hope you all are well and healthy now. take care... uprooting yourself and moving is a herculean task that requires a lot of thought and planning... taking time and discussing more should hopefully help you figure things out.

Thank you @jznsamuel. the kids are healthy now, I am still having a bit fever. Moving to an Asian country isn't something easy indeed. It takes months to think and I think we need to have a long holiday in Indonesia to experience how it is.

Wishing you a speedy recovery! It certainly is difficult making such a drastic move - but at the end you will need to prioritize what matters. Yes, a bit of a trial experience might help making the decision easier :)

Yes, a long holiday would be a good idea indeed @fathin-shihab.

@fathin-shihab, You were gives us excellent life stories of Indonesians. Most valuable to who's prefer to join Indonesian and waiting travelers. All contents indeed. Thanks for details.

i ve thoguht u already live there

hahaha, no, I still live in Holland :-)

@tarekadam does the dusting?! I will never read his posts the same way again...

my husband dusting? He never heard of dusting hahahaha!

Oh I misinterpreted. He does the vacuuming, you the dusting.

I don't have to fight with my husband anymore when he is going to vacuum the stairs, or dusting everything ( I hate dusting).

yeah, my English is poor :-D

  ·  7 years ago (edited)

Too late, this is my visual of @tarekadam now

hahaha, he only vacuums the stairs, and thats if I ask him multiple times.....

hahaha, he only vacuums the stairs, and thats if I ask him multiple times.....

lots of thing happening but first of all i really hope you are feeling better now and back in full energy dear :)

Thanks @blazing :-). I'm not there yet, but I am slowly getting better :-)

Really interesting post! I've never been in Indonesia, But it's always a pleasure, for me, to read about different countries in the world ^_^

Thank you @silviabeneforti :-). You should definitely visit Indonesia one day.

Indonesia seems to be a interesting place but lot of thing will be needed to done to permanently go there take care

Yes, thats true, I am not sure if we will do it.

Sorry to hear that you had a fever. Glad you're better though.
Looks like you have a tough decision on your hands. Moving is never easy. The country looks beautiful though and the food looks amazing. I've never been but it looks like a place that I should travel to one day.

Good luck in your decision!

Thank you @leaky20. There are some pro but also cons living in Indonesia. Financially we are good here in Holland and it's not going to happen that we would be sleeping on the streets in worst case. In Indonesia it all can happen.... Yes, you should visit Indonesia one day. Thank you!

Hope you get well soon !And yes Indonesia seems a pretty nice place to be.Your family do seems pretty great by the way ,lovely one !Glad to know many new things about Indonesia !

That picture isn't of my family, its from internet hahaha. Thank you!

My bad ;)

I find it quite interesting, that with the help of the Internet we are not as locked up as we used to be. Many jobs today basically just requires a laptop and internet connection. So why not move somewhere exotic with nice warm weather and good food ? It's a good question indeed

On the other hand traveling somewhere and living somewhere are two completely different things, I have experienced this myself.

If we could live from Steemit, it would be perfect. But I don't like the hospitals in Indonesia. Here in Holland you get treatment on time and they have professional health machines. The hospitals are also much cleaner here. The kids get money from the government. Moving to Indonesia means no more money anymore from the government. So I am not sure if I am willing to give that up :-). Internet must be also very slow. Maybe we should have a very long holiday, like 4 weeks in Indonesia, to feel how it is to live in Indonesia. Sometimes you enjoy your holiday that you think you can live there as well, but then you will face some barriers that you didn't think of...

I think traveling there for longer times is nice but having the base back home - that sounds like a perfect combination . Leaving Europe during the winter time will make it pass by a bit faster

Yeah, I think its the best just take long holidays but still live here in Holland. Are you planning to move to Sweden again? Or are you planning to stay in China?

Me And my wife will be moving to Sweden in the end of March. Speaking of paper work , the whole process of getting a residence permit took 1.5 years hehe

Thats very long! I guess I will stay in Holland then :-D

Might not be a bad idea haha Btw if you have time, could you please check out this competition I entered, if you like my design please give it an upvote cheers

https://steemit.com/steemsilverround/@phelimint/voting-is-now-live-for-the-2018-steem-silver-round-design

Just saying hi, i love your blog, I've loved some of your posts for some time now.

Just wanted to say, if that is your house, WOW, just wow. Don't know if its a random internet img.

My advice, (coming from one of the most corrupt countries in the world, Venezuela, dont go back). listen to dad on this one.

Wish you the best.

hahahah! thats not my house. All the images are from google :-D. I am happy you love some of my posts. I think I will listen to my father ;-). Thank you, and you too all the best!

You are welcome. I do know it's a hard desition. Sometimes what we need are "More choices" but we limit ourselves one way or another.

Sometimes what we need is a little twist in perspective.

For example, "if I were rich", or "if I had lots of free time", these kinds of twists may give us a hint what direction we wanna take.

Without being too invasive I truly wish you can find a "higher" answer.

Best wishes my friend.

Apa kabar @fathin-shihab? udah sehat wal afiat semua sekarang?

Ngga usah balik ke Indonesia lagi deh, nanti mengalami reverse culture shock, bisa stress nanti hehehe... di Belanda kan udah settled. Kalo kangen Indonesia, sering2 aja liburan ke sini :D

Alhamdulillah sudah sehat. :-) hahah, saya sudah pernah tinggal di indonesia, jadi tidak begitu shock. Iya, mungkin liburan saja ya.

syukurlah kalao semua udah sehat ya @fathin-shihab. jadi bisa beraktivitas seperti biasa. Hahaha, Fathin ngga akan shock, tapi anak2 mungkin akan terkaget2 hahaha.... dan indonesia sekarang bisa jadi berbeda dengan dulu. banyak hal aneh di sini sekarang hehehe

iya sih, dengarnya juga begitu, banyak yang berubah. Sayang ya. anak2 juga pernah ker Indonesia 3 tahun yg lalu. Mereka suka sih.

Wah saya senang kalau anak-anak suka momen2 saat di Indonesia, at least ada yang membuat mereka happy saat berada di Indonesia. Eh, tapi 3 tahun lalu itu berlibur kan ya? Kalau menurut saya, mengunjungi suatu tempat untuk berlibur itu beda rasanya dengan tinggal di tempat tersebut. Misalnya saja pengalaman saya. Setelah tinggal beberapa bulan di UK, ternyata tidak mudah. Tapi saya membayangkan kalau saya ke UK utk liburan pasti so much fun. Dan ternyata banyak orang juga yang merasakan hal yang sama. Liburan dan tinggal di suatu tempat itu beda banget rasanya hahaha...tapi ini pendapat subyektif sih. Anyway, apapun keputusan Fathin in the end, semoga yang terbaik untuk keluarga...

Mungkin beda, tapi saya juga pernah tinggal di Indonesia selama 4 tahun sih. Kita lihat saja dulu, liburan lama dulu biar tau rasanya gimana

Maaf saya telat tahu postingan ini. Oya, meskipun tinggal di Belanda tapi jangan pernah melupakan Indonesia. Buang sisi buruhnya dan ambil yang baik saja. Salam.

Iya, saya tidak pernah lupa Indonesia. Terima kasih.

Saya kangen padang. Pingin lagi kesana.. Tapi aceh sama padang jauh. Suatu saat kalau punya rezeki pasti kesana lagi

Wow dude that was pretty impressive and well done. I am loving the fact I keep finding better and better articles about Indonesia on Steemit. @drotto

I know the place, one of the padang. I've been there

Yes, thats Padang, I never been there. I wish one day

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thanks for describe about the culture of indonesia... i want to see everything new... carry on....

Excellent Indonesia travel guidance @fathin-shihab. Thanks for shared your Indonesian travel experience.

I love indonesia

Wonderful Indonesia. Damn I Love my nusantara paradise.