RWYA

September, 2003

Oh expats can be so naive, and September always brings a fresh influx of them... Consider Indonesian hair - jet black and poker straight; Western hair - various colours, straight, curly or wavy. So is it really surprising that hairdressers in Balikpapan don't always get expat hair right? Call me harsh, but I don't have a lot of sympathy for the expat who had her hair highlighted (all be it in Balikpapan's finest hotel) on her first day in Balikpapan. She wasn't too happy with the straw texture and bleached blonde look....!

Saturday, 7th June 2003

Vacuum cleaners are in short supply amongst the Balikpapan Expats, such that they are often shared around the community. Today, I loaned my newly purchased, second-hand hoover to a friend so she could clean the carpets - for the first time in 4 years... which meant her kids had never seen a vacuum cleaner before!!!

Tuesday, 7th January 2003

Today, Alex has finally become a confirmed expat. Stuck in the office in Jakarta, the five minute walk to Starbucks has become a problem due to a sudden down-pour. What is a man to do? Simple - whenever it rains, a troop of kids with umbrellas materialise from nowhere. For a small fee, you can hire the kid's umbrella and go to your destination, whilst the kid follows behind you - getting soaked through. Now - can you ever imagine this happening in the UK?

Tuesday, 18th February 2002

As I only have a visa for a one month stay in Singapore, the woman from the Total Office called me to have it renewed. She also wanted to know whether I had brought my maid with me to Singapore (as she would need to process hers as well)..... For goodness sake - I am staying in a luxury serviced apartment, someone comes in everyday to clean, wash-up and make my bed, there is a launderette downstairs and a supermarket next door!!!

Sunday, 6th January 2002

Whilst driving through town, I pointed out the florist to Alex, given that he may have to buy some flowers for his Mother-in-law, and for me after the baby is born. Alex said to me "Can you point it out to Hasim (our driver) during the week, so I can send him to buy some?"

Summer, 2001

A wee story of what happens to the expat who has been away from the UK for too long.... Jean was back in Aberdeen, and rather than take the bus, took a taxi to her friend's house a few miles away. She arrived at her destination, got out of the cab and walked away... forgetting that whilst you do not need to pay your chauffeur in Indonesia, it really is a good idea to pay the taxi driver in the UK!

with many thanks to Jean Eggie

Summer, 2000

As you are probably aware by now, there are certain things you simply cannot buy in Balikpapan, and hoover bags are one of them. So, during the annual trip to the UK, a visit to John Lewis is called for. Unfortunately, when the assistant asks what type of hoover the bags are for, the expat has to admit that she doesn't know... the maid does all the hoovering!

with many thanks to Jean Eggie

Summer, 2000

Arriving at Balikpapan Airport, you are frequently besieged by porters, eager to help you carry your luggage... for a small fee of course. The same cannot be said of Heathrow Airport, as one expat rapidly remembered, after sticking her hand up in the air, attempting to call a porter over.....