Japanese journalist Nozomi Matsukawa is 25 and has been coming to Indonesia since 2003.
She first fell in love with Surabaya, where she studied Bahasa Indonesia, around working as a volunteer with street children. A gritty determination to come and live in the archipelago saw her do everything in her power to find her niche and today she reports for The Daily Jakarta Shimbun.
My story is different. I saw a picture of Bali when I was little and I thought I would like to go there. I didn't know it was Indonesia - but I wanted to come.
I studied international relations at university and while I was studying, 9/11 happened. I was really shocked because the world's journalists were so critical about Muslims and I wanted to know why.
I wanted to learn more about the culture here and I wanted to learn more about women and children. In 2003, I came to Semarang to help clean a river for one month - I stayed in a very small village, but even though I could not communicate properly, I used body language, and I mimed, and in this way I made friends.
In 2004, I went to Sumatra to work as a volunteer again. This time I could already speak some Bahasa. I also tried to go to Malaysia and Mongolia - but I never felt the same about those countries. So that's why I decided on Indonesia. I fit in here. I even look Indonesian, some people say.
Then I found The Jakarta Shimbun and I was very lucky to get a job.
I'm afraid at first I didn't like Jakarta. This is a big city - it's complicated and messed up. Every day I have to write two or three articles - I don't have enough time to find my own focus. I want to write about street children.
I will stay until 2009 - then after the elections I will go back to Japan. I have learned to love it here though. It is a very great experience.
Japanese people don't want to come to Indonesia now. They are afraid. They are afraid of the bombs, of the tsunami, of bird flu. Many have gone back to Japan and now they don't want to come back.
But I recommend to come to Jakarta - it is such a big city, there are so many stories.
Of course I will miss it when I go back in 2009. But I will come back to Indonesia.
