Expats want to relax for holidays<\/p>\n
Fadli, The Jakarta Post, Batam<\/p>\n
Christmas and the New Year are nearing but expatriates working in
\nBatam are taking a low-key approach to the holidays, in keeping
\nwith the lack of overall fuss in the city.<\/p>\n
Julia, a 40-year-old South Korean, said she would stay at home
\nand spend Christmas Eve with friends and family.<\/p>\n
\"It will be no different from normal days. We will sit down
\ntogether, drink, watch television and make a toast at night.
\nNothing more than that,\" said Julia, who has lived and worked in
\nBatam for seven years.<\/p>\n
Julia, who runs a Korean restaurant in the city, said most of
\nthe other expatriates she knew would be doing the same thing on
\nChristmas Eve.<\/p>\n
A Singaporean expatriate, Grant Gammell, 51, who spent several
\nyears in Batam, said that in stark contrast to his home country,
\nChristmas and the New Year passed largely unmarked and
\nuncelebrated in Batam.<\/p>\n
\"In Singapore, Christmas and New Year's decorations are
\neverywhere as the holidays approach. But it is different in
\nBatam. It seems people in the city do not care about the
\nfestivities, as seen from the lack of Christmas and New Year's
\ndecorations on the streets and on public buildings,\" said
\nGammell, who worked as the general manager of a four-star hotel
\nin Batam and is now the sales and marketing director at the
\nBorobudur Hotel in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Gammell first arrived in Batam in 1985 and although he now
\nlives in Jakarta, he still goes back to visit friends.<\/p>\n
\"Batam has few natural tourist attractions so the expats
\nchoose either to stay at home during the holidays or leave Batam
\nfor Singapore,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Despite the large number of expats living in Batam, at least
\n3,000 live and work here, the local administration has done
\nlittle to entice them to celebrate the holidays, and spend their
\nmoney, in the city.<\/p>\n
Batam is home to numerous factories producing everything from
\nelectronic goods to garments. With its proximity to Singapore,
\nBatam is an industrial hub that attracts companies from around
\nthe world.<\/p>",
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