I’m 33 years old, going to be 34 in three months, but I have only really lived my life the past three years.
I am, well rather was (emphasize on the past tense), a pure Jakartan. During my childhood, we lived in East Jakarta, in the nicest area of East Jakarta, but nonetheless East. Jakarta is divided into give boroughs; East, West, North, South and Central. Before the mid 90s, those living in Central Jakarta are posh. Suharto and his clan lived there. But after the great Jakartan flood (all throughout the 90s) Central Jakarta just became icky to live in, and the posh invaded South Jakarta, hence the beginning of the ’South Jakartans’ era.
Our family moved a lot. After living abroad and in a city in Borneo, we moved back to Jakarta, this time South Jakarta. I became a South Jakartan since college, adopted their mentality and blended. My brothers are true South Jakartans as they have lived there since they were in junior highschool. My parents aren’t Jakartan at all, they moved to the Big Durian not by choice but by circumstance.
We South Jakartans (especially the middle-upper class) are usually somewhat arrogant, well-dressed, well spoken, able to speak (at least) English very well, well educated and traveled and we have a penchant for expensive things – whether food, hang out places, clothes or accessories, plus we LOVE to shop. We also have a rather large following of non South Jakartans and Indonesians from other cities and even *gasps!* villages who aspire to be like us (looks bitchily down to the floor while waving hand to dismiss a servant a la Miss Mariah Carey the diva) and will go to great length to do so (will not elaborate on what those great length are but I suspect some people might already know what I’m talking about. (And by some people I mean you, Therry!)
Now our love for shopping transcends time and space, and more often than not, it denies common sense and logic.
I say this because most times all we look for in a place is a shopping center. Take for example a group of South Jakartan (or South Jakartan wannabee) ibu ibus on a trip to Prague. The average South Jakartan would go hunt cheap crystal in Prague rather than marvel at the beautiful architecture of he old buildings there. When in New York, most of us get all wet and excited from the thought of going to factory outlet centers even if they are one or two hours away or even in JERSEY!
The same thing goes when we are on a trip to Paris/London/Los Angeles/insert your favorite city to be visited here. All we want is to find the best shopping venues, better if it has a discount, best if it’s an outlet selling high end stuff for a fraction of the original price so that we can go back home and act as if the Dior clutch we are carrying is a cheap plastic bag while in fact we make love to it every night and get orgasms from the reaction people have on their faces when they see us carrying it. (and by people I mean our not-so-close friends and acquaintances we like to prove we””””re better than)
Gossip time: I actually know a betch who claimed to have been to XXX so many times that it is a drag that she has to there again to take her family from Indonesia who”””’’s never been there. We (Mr. Husband, my brother, our friend Melissa and I) were planning to go to XXX at around the same time as them, and when ran into her and her family we then enthusiastically asked them if they went to castle such and such and bridge such and such because those places are just so breathtaking. Sure enough they haven””””t been there cos she didn’t know where these points of interests were. I mean, OMG! (Oh My God, not Oh Mai Jod) For someone who’s been there so many times…….. *speechless*
(In the next paragraph or two, try to read between the lines because I will be going to start writing in such a unique way that if you are smart and careful, you will get something else instead. Kinda like those 3D pics that were hits in the 90s)
Now, if I had the money, I would probably still be this way (Hell no, I’d rather die than to stay an pompous idiot!). I mean, I’m not judging these people because everybody has the right to do and be whatever they want (OF COURSE I’m judging these brainless people who can only carry a conversation when it’s about shops and where to get A, B, C at the best prices), and I still like the finer things in life and worldly goods (So pretentious it makes me barf) but I’d rather have the experience and memories of all the things I’ve seen and done than to have a series of branded bags/shoes/clothes/ass (prancing around looking like Burberry or Louis Vuitton just threw up on you just shows that you have nothing else to show but. The sad thing is that I know people who looks like they had Burberry and LV throw up not only on them and their kids but, wait for it……….., their APARTMENT! And I KNOW FOR A FACT that their LV tissue holders are fakes).
I think I’ve let myself be surrounded by people who’ve given me bad influence for too long, and who definitely aren’t real friends. During the “Fun” times (which meant when we had more than enough to spend) they would always linger around, we’d go shopping together ALL THE TIME, and we’d be showing off our stuff to other people together, discreetly of course – after all, I’m a South Jakartan, it would be crass to show off our things the obvious way. Only the wannabees do that… *rolls eyes*
2008 onwards was tough for both Mr. Husband and me. Let’s say that we didn’t have as much to spend and we had to adapt a more creative way of living which included learning to enjoy the simpler things of life and making the best out of the worst. While we succeeded doing that, we also found out that those people we thought were friends actually weren’t at all! We also realised that there was so much more to life than shopping centers (and being brand whores).
We – me in particular – are truly blessed to have experienced a roller coaster ride we call life that has really taught us so much, especially to be grateful for what we have. I think being without life’s luxury and having MUCH LESS resources to spend have made us smarter, more inventive and resourceful when it comes to how to be happy. I’m still a South Jakartan inside, but now it’s just geography. I’m now much more content and happier than ever before and as much as I enjoy shopping I now only buy the things I need, regardless of the brand. Another thing that has changed is that I care very little of what people think of my personal belongings but more of what people think of my character, the way I think and the REAL me.
I know probably some of my friends think I may very well be on my way to becoming a delusional hippie, but life is so much fun when you get to see all the beautiful scenery the world has to offer than the stiff concrete walls covering those factory/boutique outlets. I mean, how many shops can you go through before you get nauseated anyway, right??
It has been a while since I comment in your blog posts but it doesn”t mean I enjoy them less. For me, a Medanese girl, I have always been a small town girl compared to those Jakartan girls. Whenever we get together, they have never failed to let me know that they are “better” with their shops and restaurants and fancy slangs. My cousins who are working in Jakarta can”t help themselves giving me the “look” that says “you have seen nothing” and I just can”t see what’’s the big deal whether or not you are from Jakarta or any other cities in Indonesia. We might not have the fancy shops, but we do read magazines and watch tv and travel aboard. So don”t be that cocky. Just a different perspective, Rima. Great post, as always
You go mbak!
when u describe those south jakartans somehow I remember some of my families with some of their lies too 
anw, juz like what u’ve concluded, inner is more important than the outer. cHeerz, EKA
“heheheh… there are so many out there who are like that..”
I still enjoy reading your thoughts … - thank you for sharing 
!
“Always a pleasure!”
So I was trying to read between the lines and I was all: am I getting it right? Am I getting it right?
Coba sediakan kertas jawaban apakah gerangan maksud tersirat dari paragraf2 tersebut. He..he..
“ah..there’s nothing between the lines, everything is laid there open. or are they? mwahahahaha *evil laughs*”
So…………………… when are you coming back home, you grown up Jakartan you?
I’m a true Bekasi girl at heart, and I’m not embarassed to say I’ve never been to this mall or that mall. Since when does having been to such and such malls is considered to be the “gaul” standard for everyone? Anyway, all malls are the same – I really don’t know why people bother having the necessity to go to each malls in Jakarta just to know what they look like.Besides, the reason why I’d ever go to malls is because of the bookstores 
Branded people scare me because they give me the impression that underneath all those things surrounding them, there really is nothing else to offer from them. Take all those things off and these people are just the same as any other people.
“hehehe.. true dat..;)”
Interesting. A while a go I wrote about “Orang Jakarta” from different perspectives, i.e. how some people find the Jakartan accent is cool and try hard to follow. Or how Jakartans who work in a different city emphasise that “this is how things are done, Jakartan way”. Seriously the all hoo-ha doesn”t make any sense for me. But again, it happens everywhere else in the world, like people in London naturally think they”re cooler than the rest of UK and it is true, as everybody looks up to what they wear or the new slang they utter or the new “it” drink they create. To me personally, I never judge people by what they wear or the labels stuck on their bodies (I DO judge them by their brains, characters and attitudes!). Probably because of my work environment that gave me the opportunity to hang out with people from different “castes”, from labours to CEOs. I never feel less (or more) if I carry a branded bag or not because others couldn”t care less and only see me as what I do or say to them. I could sit down for lunch with my labours at a warung, then meet a CEO for drinks at a posh lounge. And again, it’’s not about what I wear that make them listen to me or want to sit down next to me. I do, however, like fine things in life like trendy restaurants or nice shoes (who doesn”t?). But I wouldn”t die if I don”t have it, and would never force myself to have it if I can”t, as those things don”t define me, or others. What I am trying to see is what you see is not always what you “see”. I”ve met some pretentious people who, even though don”t wear label, refuse to share a table with others who are from a “less caste”. I”ve met people who wear expensive items and are very down to earth, welcome and treat others so warmly and equally. I”ve met an ambassador wife who wears her clothes like an old secretary but behaved rudely. I”ve met people who are not South Jakartans but as pretentious as
Rima’’s description, who look down others who wear less than them, even though they can”t pronounce Yves St Laurent correctly. I”ve met South Jakartans who shop at Matahari (gasp!), prefer normal coffee than Starbucks, haven”t been to new malls yet and don”t feel like to, even though they make money at least 10 times than I do.Just like Rima said, “I care very little of what people think of my personal belongings but
more of what people think of my character, the way I think and the REAL
me”, the most important thing is not what stuck in our bodies but qualities we posses. Because after 30-second glare, what matters more, and what people remember about us, is what we say and how we carry ourselves in this world.
“Very well said nit.
”
baru tau kl orang jakarta selatan kek gitu hehehe~ Tp mungkin memang image jakarta selatan kek gitu yah… BTW memang agak berat buat jadi anak gak gaul di daerah ini
*yg punya rumah-sekolah dr TK-SMP di JKT selatan*
“Gak semua kalee… tapi banyak juga yg gitu.. “
totally getting the ”between the lines” thing. loved the way you tried to appear as a snotty bitch, but i know you”re just trying to portray somebody else (or should i say most jakartans?)
“hahhahaha… you know me quite well now, don’t you?”
Hi Rima,Many Jakartans should really grow up.It is very important to accept who we really are and always grateful for what we have.
I”m a true South Jakartan. First of all, South Jakarta is different than the other part of Jakarta. It is cleaner, water is fresher, it is cooler. Living cost is more expensive. I lived in East Jakarta close to North at one point (Cempaka Putih), boy, what a place that was, even the air smelled rotten and you have to buy water because the water is disgusting. The only place I enjoyed there was Kelapa Gading, because of the cheap foot massage and various foods.I thought South Jakarta has been so cool because of the highschools; you know, those young film stars like Rano Karno and Yessy Gusman etc went to SMA 6 Bulungan. And Guruh Sukarnoputra and his Swara Mahardikka was centered in Jl. Galuh where most of the members were South Jakartans. But it actually goes back to my mother’’s era, where Bulungan has already been a hip school (whoever went to school there). I remember Garden Hall, Lintas Melawai, hanging out at Blok M was cool at those time. Other thing that I find is that there are more native Indonesians in South Jakarta than the other part, i.e. Chinese Indonesians. I wonder if that makes any differences. Anyways, when it comes to snobbishness (is this a word?), Indonesians are the best. They have to look good despite of the minimum salaries that they get, even if it means that they have to wear fake LVs. You know that Nokia Communicator, that only sells in Indonesia; the ”Blackberry Bold” where the battery runs out really fast and doesn”t look good, only sells a lot in Indonesia. Why? Because of status. Yeah when those ibu2s goes to Europe or America they concentrate on going to shopping centers so they can show off, but it is a shame if they don”t know the famous spots and landmarks, and also the history. Maybe different interests, but they sure bore me to hell.
“Yep, it’s sad when we have become a slave for the so-called ’social status’. It’s a silly thing too..”
I”m a simple girl from East Java, worked in Jakarta for a couple of years and boy, did Jakarta scare the bejeesus out of me. Back in my hometown I found the city to be stuck in the rut, going nowhere, I thought I was suffocating there for its lack of things. But Jakarta suffocated me more, and if I had tried to follow the lifestyle of my high-and-mighty Jakartan friends, I would surely have drowned. No amount of money would be enough if you keep on looking up trying to catch up with the ones above you in status. But this seemed quite normal in Jakarta right? Now I found my balance in Bali, where nobody cares if you”re wearing LV or tie-dye shirt from Pasar Kumbasari. There’’s a lot going on here, but not many people got stuck in status, priviliges and commercialism (at least people that I know of). Nowadays I go to South Jakarta and just drop my jaw looking at the people and all the glitz there, but I”m always very, very happy coming home to Bali.
“Jakarta is terribly suffocating, not only because of the mentality of the people, but also from the pollution. I love living here, people just don’t care that much about the things you’re wearing. So I’m much more relaxed and calm now.. it’s such a relief to be able to live life among such laissez-faire people..”
Those South Jakartans would probably enjoy more if they had been to Hard Offs in Japan. Or should I say they would certainly go there regularly coz U wont find any place in the world that sells high end goods at second hand price
“I know! I was all crazy there, mom.. hehehe”
Greetings from an east girl. Jakarta that is
where most the ‘burbs other Jakartans never heard of. one thing i’d like to add about south jakartan, although south has better way of living…. it only lacks.. social interaction. Do they even know their neighbours? i bet if someone died in that big mansions, no one would know. ha! extreme. but hey, interesting writing! will keep reading..cheers
“Yes, social interaction is one of the many things we lack of.. along with compassion, patience, and many times, kindness to the less fortunate. Thanks for visiting my blog!”
Hi Rima, a good writing as always..We, Jakartan tote or branded bag around, whether it’s real or fake, just show us for what we are, pretentious to the core…