Telling Story

How do you get to work?

In Australia, just like in Indonesia, many people travel to work in the city from the suburbs. So how do they get there? Many drive cars and that means there are rush hour traffic jams in all Aussie cities! Many people also use public transport. Catching a bus in Australia is quite different to Indonesia. Buses, trains and trams run on a schedule. The most popular routes may have buses every 10 minutes. Other services might run every couple of hours. Bus drivers only pick up and drop off passengers at bus stops. It is quite common for people to have to walk 15 or 20 minutes to their closest bus stop. You pay the driver as you get on. To save money and time many passengers buy pre-paid stored value cards. They can be used on all types of public transport. People over 65 can get reduced rates on public transport by applying for a travel card. Passengers are not allowed to eat or drink on public transport. No musicians are allowed! During rush hour public transport is very crowded and you may not get a seat. You are not allowed to ride on the roof!

Pedestrians are respected

I enjoy using public transport in Adelaide city because it is on time and convenient. I love walking around the city too because the traffic is not really crowded and it is managed very well. I think it is amazing to see the city scenery which is very clean. If you walk through the city you would not find any rubbish on the street. Australian drivers respect people who walk on the street. They are pleased to wait allowing people cross the road. The most surprising thing I saw was when I woke up in the early morning at 5am. I saw a car stopped waiting for the green traffic light, even though it was the only one car on the road. I was so surprised because it never happens in Indonesia. Maybe in the future? This is my first experience going to Australia and also my first time abroad. I am almost three weeks in Kangaroo continent but until now I have not seen such creature yet.

Rubber time

Many people say that jam karet - time rubber/elastic - is part of Indonesian culture. Do you agree? It seems that rubber time is an accepted part of Indonesian life. Indonesians have become accustomed to the flexibility of time. For special occasions like weddings and conferences, people do not mind waiting to show respect or to be polite. They often regard it as a chance to socialise. People do not mind if the event starts late. If people are late for an appointment they often claim rubber time. There are always a zillion reasons for being late of course - flat tyres, floods, traffic jams, being tired, travel delays and motorbikes breaking down. Rubber time is NOT a part of Australian culture!

 Street Vendors

When Indonesians are overseas and they are asked what they miss most about Indonesia they often say the street vendors! Street vendors sell a wide variety of things including fruit and vegetables, meat and poultry, cigarettes and telephone cards, clothes, kitchen utensils, electronics and even furniture. Food vendors are very popular as ‘tempat nongkrong’ for people of all ages. The food is cheap and not too formal although we cannot always be sure of the standard of hygiene. The unique thing about food vendors across Indonesia is they create new names for dishes all the time. Customers are generally very keen to try out these new items. Example :

ES JERMAN (es jeruk manis) - sweet orange juice-
STMJ (susu telur madu jahe) - milk, egg, honey, ginger.
INTERNET (Indomie, telur, kornet) - instant noodles with egg and corned beef                                                          BATAGOR (bakso tahu goreng) - deep fried meatball and tofu.
SIGOBING (nasi goreng kambing) - fried rice with goat meat
GANAS (gado-gado nasi) - gado-gado with rice
GALON (gado-gado lontong) - gado-gado with rice cake.
BURNAS (bubur panas) - hot porridge.
PISCOK (pisang coklat) - banana and chocolate.

Happy, Enjoy life.

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