It no longer seems weird to see a steering wheel on the right-hand side of a car. In fact, it seems weird to think of the wheel being on the left. I can barely imagine it.
It doesn’t feel uncomfortable anymore to drive my motorcycle on the left side of the road. It’s almost second-nature now. It will be strange to drive on the right side when we return.
American dollars seem foreign to me. They make me think of Monopoly money. So strange that they’re all one color.
I see bats every night from our balcony. I weave in and out of cars every day on my way to work. There are ants on my walls and my floors.
I don’t blink twice when surrounded by dozens of teens chattering in Indonesian, while I munch a Big Mac by myself. I’m not surprised when a half-dozen people call out my name when I take a ten minute walk down our street. It doesn’t make me uncomfortable anymore when the staff insists on racking the balls after every game at the local pool hall.
I’ve been adjusting for a long time now. I’ve felt well-adjusted for many months, in fact. But it’s happening on a bigger scale now. Life has become normal, and I’m being absorbed. The US seems strange, unusual. It will be quite an experience when we visit in May.
7 responses so far ↓
1 Miggs // Jan 9, 2008 at 12:01 pm
No it doesn’t. ..What will be unusual is when we win the Superbowl and you’re not around to enjoy it:( Cmon’ did you forget about your Samsung, and video games already? How about crazy drunk Friday-city nights hopping about town, and laughing our asses off? The freedom to do, say, and be wherever you want at any time? Beautiful city, mountains, camping, and the 4th of July? No crazy bugs, clean crisp air, and the best cookies in the western hemisphere… Man I hope you don’t forget were your real home is… I’ll for sure be waiting for you come May.
2 Billy // Jan 10, 2008 at 5:50 am
Oh man, don’t get me wrong. I still miss Seattle and all the wonderful things about that city. I remember all the fun times we’ve had, and I look forward to having a lot of fun in May. Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten my friends or where I came from. I just meant to say that all the “unusual” things about Bandung aren’t so unusual to me anymore. And sometimes the US just seems so far away.
3 Andy // Jan 10, 2008 at 2:44 pm
Hey Billy,
To spice it up a bit over there, you should swap out for an Asian style toilet, and then start eating street food more often, ride your motorcycle without a helmet, sleep with a crack in the mosquito net, and leave the doors unlocked. Oh yeah, chum the yard to bait rats, which will in turn bait cats, and that’s some entertainment!
4 Billy // Jan 10, 2008 at 8:22 pm
Haha!! Great idea! I could also leave the porch lights on to attract bugs, and sprinkle sugar everywhere to bring on the ants! I’ve also been thinking about taunting the police when I ride by them.
5 Dad // Jan 11, 2008 at 2:31 pm
I think the adjustments you and Denise have made in only one year are truly amazing! The hallmark of a truy bi-cultural person is to make where they are, truly their “home.”
6 panji // Jan 12, 2008 at 10:31 am
Oooh, the same feeling. I’ve been in Germany for 4 years without visiting Indonesia in between. I forget already how much I should pay for “bus kota” ride when I arrive in 3 months. :-)))
7 Billy // Jan 12, 2008 at 4:06 pm
That’s cool, the same feeling but from the opposite perspective. In Bandung the angkot costs dua ribu if you ride the whole way.
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