Is the grass really greener on the other side for RI expats?<\/p>\n
Maggie Tiojakin, Contributor, Boston, U.S.<\/p>\n
Every year, hundreds of thousands of immigrants make their way
\nacross U.S. borders with the hope of finding a better life.<\/p>\n
Some cut through barbed wire, some travel on small boats for
\ndays, and there are others who would rather do it conveniently --
\nby plane.<\/p>\n
Then, there is the problem of not wanting to leave.<\/p>\n
From the Green Card lottery, to marrying a total stranger for
\nthe sake of residency status, to a costly sponsorship --
\nimmigrants have been fighting tooth and nail to continue their
\nstay in the U.S.<\/p>\n
The conventional image of the United States as a country whose
\nstreets are paved with gold seems never to really go away. From
\nthe gold-rush period, to the moment Roosevelt led the nation's
\neconomy to a booming prosperity -- America remains to be the
\nplace where people would risk almost anything to cash in its
\npromises.<\/p>\n
However, with the INS (U.S Immigration and Naturalization
\nServices) making bold attempts to be rid of unwanted aliens, a
\nlarge number of these immigrants are being deported to their
\nnative countries -- usually because their stay is long overdue.<\/p>\n
Yet, each year, without fail, the number of both legal and
\nillegal immigrants in the U.S. continues to grow rapidly.<\/p>\n
Indonesians are no exception.<\/p>\n
In the Greater Boston area alone, more than 5,000 Indonesian
\nstudents, professionals, and undocumented workers are spread
\naround the region -- a rough estimate made by the Indonesian
\nConsulate in New York.<\/p>\n
But what is it about the U.S. that makes it so desirable --
\nand often -- unleavable?<\/p>\n
\"Established law, clean air, and convenient living,\" said
\nWerdiningtyas Taufik, 24, who had spent seven years residing in
\nthe U.S. before she returned to Indonesia in 2003 due at her
\nparents' request. \"If I could do so, I would choose to live
\nthere,\" she added.<\/p>\n
For Deasy Pangestu, also 24, who moved to the U.S. in 2001,
\nthere were various aspects to draw from which then propelled her
\nto make the decision to leave Indonesia.\"I feel like people
\nrespect me more [in the U.S.],\" she said through a phone
\ninterview, \"and your safety, as a citizen, is taken seriously.\"<\/p>\n
She went on to explain that the financial reward of earning a
\nliving in the U.S. also gives a lot of people a good reason to
\nstay. The reality of living in the U.S., she said, was different
\nfrom what people think it is. \"But you have to try and live here
\nto see the difference,\" she chuckled.<\/p>\n
Asked whether she would ever return to Indonesia, Deasy said
\non one condition: \"Only for a visit.\"<\/p>\n
Currently engaged to a U.S. military official, Deasy plans on
\nstarting her own family here, instead of back in Indonesia. A
\ngraduate of the London School of Public Relations in Jakarta, she
\nnow works 12-hour shifts at a laundromat in Cumming, Georgia, for
\na minimum hourly pay.<\/p>\n
\"I don't mind [the work],\" Deasy admitted, denying the idea
\nthat a low-paying job equals low living standards. \"On the
\ncontrary,\" she said, \"in the U.S., it's not about what you do,
\nbut the hours you put into what you do. My living standard is
\nabout the same as someone who works in an office.\"<\/p>\n
Like many other immigrants, Deasy had come to the U.S. with
\nthe dream of an ideal life, and finding herself pampered by a
\nconvenient lifestyle, she realized it would be extremely
\ndifficult for her to readjust to the culture she was born into.<\/p>\n
\"For me, the hardest thing will be to adjust to the
\nprofessional environment back home,\" said Denok Istarto, 23, who
\nhas been living in the U.S. since 1999. Working as a travel
\nconsultant in Boston, she plans on settling back in Indonesia
\nsometime in June for more career opportunities.<\/p>\n
She does not stand alone.<\/p>\n
Yulieta Syamsu, 29, who spent three years in the U.S. getting
\nher master's degree in business management, agreed with Denok.<\/p>\n
After she returned to Indonesia in 2003, Yulieta managed to
\nset up her own consulting business in Jakarta, which would have
\nbeen well-nigh impossible to do if she had stayed in the U.S.<\/p>\n
Nonetheless, two years later, Yulieta is still struggling to
\nadjust to Indonesian work ethics.<\/p>\n
\"I become impatient,\" said Yulieta, who spent one year working
\nfor Boston-based Sovereign Bank. \"I'm used to a dynamic working
\nrhythm, and Indonesians tend to be more ... laid-back.\"<\/p>\n
Even so, she contested the notion that the U.S. is unleavable.
\nRegardless of its much-desired convention, there is something
\nabout living in somebody else's country that triggers one's love
\nfor one's own country.\"My experience [in the U.S.] has taught me
\nabout the value of survival, leadership, and achieving what you
\nwant,\" said Denok, \"but it was also here that I have felt the
\nmost respect and love toward my own culture and country.\"<\/p>\n
According to Werdiningtyas, who now works as a marketing
\nconsultant at Jones Lang Lassalle in Jakarta, Indonesia still has
\na lot of catching up to do, especially in its effort to overcome
\npoverty, pollution, and corruption. In the end, she believes the
\ncountry \"has great assets it can cultivate in the future\", such
\nas diversity, natural resources, and travels.<\/p>\n
Deasy begged to differ. Indonesia, apparently, lacks an
\nimportant element. \"The mentality has got to change,\" she said,
\nreferring to the level of tolerance among its people.<\/p>\n
She argues the way Indonesians operate today will not advance
\nits reputation in the international world.<\/p>\n
Yulieta, on the other hand, insisted that Indonesia is
\nentirely capable of competing against other nations without
\nlosing its tradition, or integrity.<\/p>\n
But she does agree that Indonesians should try to alter their
\nperceptions; to be more open-minded toward other cultures.<\/p>\n
And the hope of living an ideal life in the U.S.?<\/p>\n
\"No matter how good other countries may seem, I much prefer to
\nlive in my own,\" she noted.<\/p>\n
After all, despite everything else, there is no place like
\nhome.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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