Day 33: On the left side

My blog may seem overly focused on food and transportation, which may seem a little bit odd. However, if you have ever visited Indonesia, you would understand why these aspects of daily life are a central focus. People in Jakarta spend a lot of time in gridlock, or "macet." It makes doing business rather difficult, especially when face-to-face meetings are required. It means that much of my work is done on a handheld device in the back of the car, which has some serious limitations. It means that you really enjoy food when you are out of the car finally.

Here is my car time in a run-down today:

35 min. (4.6 km=2.9 miles) home to work
20 min. (2.4 km=1.5 miles) my office to the embassy
15 min. (2.4 km=1.5 miles) embassy to my office
30 min. (3 km=1.9 miles) embassy to partner meeting
25 min. (4.1 km=2.5 miles) partner meeting to Fulbright office
45 min. (7.4 km=4.6 miles) back to the office
120 min. (8.8 km=5.5 miles) office to dinner party at 5pm, during rush hour
30 min. (7.9 km=4.9 miles) dinner party to home

Almost six hours in a car in a small radius of the most central parts of this city!

So, the congestion here is no joke, and, apparently, it only worsens during the rainy season.  There are simply too many cars on the road. While I am thankful that I do not have to drive myself through the chaotic traffic of bikes and cars, I do have a lot of time to ponder (and marvel) at city planning and transportation systems and urbanization.

Weaving in and out of traffic is made more interesting because Indonesians drive on the left side of the road. Intuitively, the turns are al wrong for me, and I imagine that if I were in the driver's seat I would make blunders turning us directly into oncoming traffic. The metaphor of driving on the left side is a good one though for being in a new culture and a new place. Much of what is around you is the same but yet different, just a little bit. Just at a moment when you think you should swing wide for a left turn, you find out you need to keep close and hug the curb. Watching this amazing city and its gracious inhabitants from the backseat of a car has forced me to slow down and reflect on my interactions here. The constant surprise of being on the left side is a physical reminder that all is not as similar as it might seem -- the same... but different.