Surviving Idul Fitri without your servants<\/p>\n
By Prapti Widinugraheni<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Idul Fitri is just around the corner. For most
\npeople who will be staying at home during the holiday, it is the
\ntime of the year when they must roll up their sleeves and get
\nhousehold chores done without the help of their faithful
\npembantu.<\/p>\n
But is surviving a few days, or weeks, without a house keeper,
\nmaid, or pembantu really that tough?<\/p>\n
Rae Sita Supit, a businesswoman, celebrity, and mother of
\nfour, says the days when her family must do things for themselves
\nare never seen as a burden.<\/p>\n
"Actually it's quite fun and we look forward to it," says Rae
\nSita.<\/p>\n
Her 10-year-old son who is now the only one living at home --
\nthe others are away studying -- is perhaps the most eager to
\nwelcome these days. "It is an opportunity for him to experiment
\nwith his cooking," she explains.<\/p>\n
Other than that, the family relies on catered food, ordered
\nfrom a good friend "whose hobby is cooking our favorite Manado
\ndishes", while family members take turns with house cleaning and
\nwashing.<\/p>\n
But Rae Sita's household is never really without a pembantu
\nbecause her three maids return to their hometowns at different
\ntimes. Two of them, who live near Jakarta, leave before Idul
\nFitri and return a couple of days after the holiday, while the
\nother, who lives in East Java, goes home several days after Idul
\nFitri, which this year falls on Feb. 9 and Feb. 10.<\/p>\n
Even if her pembantu stay in Jakarta during Idul Fitri, Rae
\nSita claims it is practically a holiday for them, "because they
\nare only responsible for keeping the bathrooms clean".<\/p>\n
"I tell them to go out and see more of Jakarta on those days,"
\nshe says.<\/p>\n
It may be a bit more difficult for astronomer and researcher
\nKarlina Leksono, who not only has no pembantu, but must also
\ntravel with her family during the two days of Idul Fitri. At
\nKarlina's own suggestion, her servants take a three-week leave of
\nabsence.<\/p>\n
"All travel plans, both for the family and for the pembantu,
\nmust be made far ahead of schedule," she says.<\/p>\n
On the first day of Idul Fitri, the family drives south to
\nBandung to meet Karlina's parents and on the second day, they fly
\neast to Semarang to meet her in-laws.<\/p>\n
During these days, she says, the family relies on their
\ndriver, who lives in the same neighborhood, to take care of the
\nhouse when they are out of town.<\/p>\n
When it comes to household chores, Karlina says she is lucky
\nthat her kids "suddenly become more hardworking and responsible
\nwhen the pembantu are away".<\/p>\n
The kids take turns washing and cleaning, Karlina herself does
\nthe cooking and her husband does the shopping.<\/p>\n
And to make doing the laundry easier she reminds her kids not
\nto change too often or do activities which are "too sweaty".<\/p>\n
But some families may choose to do it the easy way and opt for
\nthe hassle-free, practical solution of spending a few days at a
\nhotel.<\/p>\n
For families like these, Le Meridien is offering special room
\nrates from Feb. 7 to Feb. 16. According to Ira, a public
\nrelations staff member, the hotel is offering delux rooms for
\nUS$100 per night, with the choice of being upgraded to a suite
\nfor an extra $60.<\/p>\n
The Shangri-La is also offering special room rates from Feb. 7
\nto Feb. 10. Here, standard rooms are priced at $139 and an
\nadditional night costs $110.<\/p>\n
The Regent Hotel, according to public relations manager Hana
\nHoed, is offering guests, who come with their family members, an
\nadditional children's room plus breakfast at $195 during Feb. 1
\nto Feb. 16. For couples, the hotel has rooms specially rated at
\n$120.<\/p>\n
Sri Sekartadji of the Sahid Jaya Hotel says that during the
\nRamadhan month, starting Jan. 10 until Feb. 8, the hotel is
\noffering rooms specially rated at Rp 235,000 (around $100). For
\nFeb. 9 and Feb. 10, both single and double-occupancy rooms are
\npriced at Rp 250,000 a night.<\/p>\n
The Grand Hyatt's Lebaran package, offered only to Indonesian
\nresidents and KIMS cardholders during Jan. 31 to Feb. 16,
\nconsists of single and double rooms and breakfast priced at $169.
\nKIMS are documents issued by the immigration office for
\nexpatriates who work and stay temporarily in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Hilton is offering rooms in its main tower at the
\nspecial price of $145 and in its lagoon and garden towers at $160
\na night. The prices also include breakfast and dinner for two.<\/p>\n
But the most attractive and, presumably, most unusual package
\ncomes from the Dai-Ichi Hotel.<\/p>\n
Public relations manager Lira Dahlan says that apart from
\nrooms specially rated at $70 to $80 during Feb. 7 to Feb. 15, the
\nhotel is offering an additional "security guarantee" for the
\nhomes of hotel guests living in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
"For an additional $30 a day, we will provide a satpam, or
\nsecurity guard, for our guests' homes while they stay in our
\nhotel," she said.<\/p>\n
She quickly adds, however, that the offer is limited to the
\nfirst 100 guests who request the service, "because we have a
\nlimited number of satpam to offer". The price for the satpam, she
\nsays, is inclusive of fire and burglary insurance.<\/p>\n
If staying in a hotel is not quite your thing but you feel you
\ncan't cope without your pembantu, there is always the option of
\ngetting a temporary pembantu and babysitter, if you need one,
\nfrom several agencies in town.<\/p>\n
The Bhakti Mitra Ibu foundation receives orders until Feb. 4
\nfor those in need of maids and babysitters. The foundation's
\naddress is Kompleks Taman Asri Blok E4\/7, Gg. Caplin, Jl. Ciledug
\nRaya, Kebayoran Lama (phone: 731-1604).<\/p>\n
The Bulan Purnama foundation said it may still have
\nbabysitters available for the holiday. Its address is Jl.
\nKelurahan Lama No. 19, Cililitan, East Jakarta (phone: 801-5278).<\/p>\n
The Dharma Asih foundation is accepting orders for babysitters
\nuntil Feb. 7. The foundation is located at Jl. Kramat Bunder Raya
\nNo. 7A, Central Jakarta (phone: 391-2830).<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/surviving-idul-fitri-without-your-servants-1447893297",
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