Expatriates come to Indonesia for many reasons; some are lured by a sizable pay packet, others are seeking the excitement of living in a new land or the opportunity to find themselves away from the ties that bind back home. Some find this country to their liking and stay on for the long haul, while others are content to return to their comfort zones once their contracts are finished.
I belong in the die-hard expatriate category; I have lived in Indonesia so long (first as a high school exchange student, then on university exchange programs and finally working here) that I feel out of my element when I return to the distant country that issues me a new passport every 10 years or so. A friend summed up the attraction of living in a land that every day brings something fresh and unexpected; it's not always positive, but at least it keeps you guessing about tomorrow will bring.
Jakarta's expats, from east and west, young and old, are the subject of our cover story this month. The late 1990s economic crisis led to an exodus of foreigners from Jakarta, but others have come to fill their place. It has created a new, more inclusive face of the expatriate here, with more Asians and young women changing the traditional image of the Western and Japanese career men.
From a pair of Australians who came here as volunteers to Korean entrepreneurs in South Jakarta, find out in this issue about what drew them to this country, and how they contribute to its unity in diversity.
