Get to Work

Having my car put in the body repair shop, I need to get creative to get to work. I live in South Tangerang, which is in the outskirts of Jakarta. And though there are many kinds of transportation means available, getting myself to work and back can be quite tricky :)

During this past 2 weeks I've tried riding in a motorcycle with my hubby, I've tried the bus, train, taxi, omprengan, and ojek. 
Omprengan is a regular car (usually a mini van and it's not a legal transportation mean actually), but many people are using it because it's fast and a lot cheaper than getting yourself in a taxi. The people who use the omprengan gathered around at this meeting point, and there are several omprengans with different routes, so you just take the one that brought you closer to where you live. After the omprengan is full with passengers, then off we go! :) 
Ojek is another mean of transportation which uses a motorcycle. You just tell the driver the address of your destination and hop on, the driver of the ojek will get you there.

In 2 weeks of my "adventure" in using public transportation, I had many bitter-sweet experiences that are priceless. One day I met this senior lady in the bus stop where she politely asked me about my family etc., and she ended up asking me to join her network marketing business (I should've seen that coming!) :) The other day I felt like I almost wrecked my back when my hubby hit a bump on the road with his motorcycle. Another day I found after getting off the train that this shortcut alley to the bus shelter was blocked for construction, so I went round the block for like a half mile away more than I used to. And only yesterday I missed the omprengan so I shared a taxi with 4 other people who also missed the omprengan. All 5 of us were total strangers to each other. (See pic above right, I actually take a pic while I'm in the taxi)

The point of this post is anyways, that I'm so grateful for everything that happens in my life. I'm so proud that I can cope with many kinds of obstacles that came my way, and that we better not judge the people we meet. I mean, they said that Jakarta is a horrible place, where total strangers are best avoided, that there are crime everywhere. But my experience in the streets showed that it wasn't always like that. I met this young lady who gave her bottle of water to 2 thirsty children while waiting for the bus. Strangers showed you where you should stand while you wait for the train (see pic above left), and strangers actually shared taxi with you! So yeah, Jakarta people still have hearts, if you ask me :) Thank God for that!

Another point, is that I love my car and I'm so grateful for it more than ever before :) I hope it can be picked up anytime soon this week *fingers crossed*

Many blessings, peace and love,
-angel apprentice-