Website helps expats get the inside track<\/p>\n
By David White<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Information is one of the most valuable aids
\nwhen you move to a new place, especially a foreign country. But
\nfinding the needed information is not always easy, and one can
\nget frustrated trying to no avail to get it.<\/p>\n
That information is now at your fingertips, thanks to three
\nvolunteer-oriented women who recently set up the website Living
\nin Indonesia: A Site for Expats (www.expat.id.co).<\/p>\n
This is a comprehensive and interactive guide for foreigners
\nplanning to live, or already living, in Indonesia. The site is
\nthe brainchild of Lisa Kumaradjaja, an American who, after
\narriving in Jakarta in January this year, found herself in a
\nsituation that confronts many newcomers -- she didn't know where
\nto turn to get basic information on her new hometown.<\/p>\n
In time, she made a few friends who showed her the ropes. She
\nrealized every new arrival has to go through the same thing, and
\nstarted thinking of ways she could help other newcomers
\nassimilate more quickly into the Jakarta lifestyle.<\/p>\n
\"It's hard to get information here,\" says Lisa, \"and I
\nthought, 'Wouldn't it be nice if you could get all the
\ninformation you needed before you arrived? Wouldn't that make the
\ntransition much easier?'\"<\/p>\n
The answer came in the form of an Australian and New Zealand
\nAssociation (ANZA) newsletter, where she came across an article
\nby David Yeo who was in the process of launching an expatriate-
\nbased job site. The two started talking, and decided to work on
\nthe website together.<\/p>\n
As Lisa has been in the information technology field for many
\nyears, starting the webpage was a natural progression. Soon after
\nthey began working on the site, David was transferred out of the
\ncountry, leaving the project in Lisa's lap.<\/p>\n
She enlisted the aid of two friends, fellow American Danielle
\nSurkatty, a book editor and management consultant, and Canadian
\nGene Sugandy, an accomplished graphic designer. All three women
\nare married to Indonesians, and combined have lived in Indonesia
\nfor over 22 years.<\/p>\n
\"We have just the right components for doing this project,\"
\nsays Lisa. \"I think that is why we've been able to put together a
\npolished and professional website.\"<\/p>\n
Indeed, after only four months of existence, the site has
\nalready garnered two awards for excellence in webpage design and
\ncontent. The first recognition came in the form of a Culture
\nChoice Award (http:\/\/www.worldculture.com), and the second was
\nthe coveted GAR Award (http:\/\/web-linker.com) out of Italy, a
\nsite that specializes in international culture.<\/p>\n
Living in Indonesia: A Site for Expats provides a central
\nmeeting ground for acquiring and sharing information with other
\nexpatriates who have gone through, or are going through, a
\nsimilar adjustment period.<\/p>\n
The concept of expatriates helping expatriates to grasp the
\nintricacies of life in Jakarta is not new. Up to now, however,
\nthere had not been a central location that newcomers could access
\nto obtain data relevant to their unique situation. The
\ninformation available on www.expat.co.id provides advice on
\neveryday concerns, a listing of community events, suggestions on
\nhow to deal with the frustrations of adjusting to a new life in
\nIndonesia, plus a whole lot more.<\/p>\n
\"Our site is interactive,\" says Lisa. \"We provide information,
\nbut we can also answer questions. We understand the other side.
\nWe're foreigners, so we've gone through the foreign experience,
\nand we've gone through the transition already.\"<\/p>\n
\"We try to point people to organizations that can help them,\"
\nsays Danielle. \"And, we can often get answers to questions that
\neven we may not know the answers to through our many
\nconnections.\"<\/p>\n
All work done on the site is on a volunteer basis. The Expat
\nWebsite Association, namely the three founding members, doesn't
\nplan for the site to become commercial. \"We see it more as a
\ncommunity service,\" says Danielle. \"We haven't put a money-making
\nlink into it at all.\"<\/p>\n
Indonet is currently the sole sponsor of the site. Under the
\nwatchful eye of Indonet's owner, Sanjaya, the Internet service
\nprovider has offered the group free space on its server,
\ntechnical assistance and positive reinforcement.<\/p>\n
The site has generated a lot of interest, both locally and
\nworldwide.<\/p>\n
\"We were surprised at the excitement the site generated,\" says
\nLisa.<\/p>\n
When officially opened in September this year, the site was
\nexperiencing 100 hits -- the number of times the site is accessed
\n-- per day. That number has tapered off to around 50 a day, but
\nthat figure is expected to grow as the site adds new and updated
\ninformation.<\/p>\n
Browsing through the Guest Book, one will find visitors from
\naround the globe of Canada, the U.S., Australia, Singapore, the
\nNetherlands, France, Korea, Chile and Moscow, to name just a few.<\/p>\n
First to access the site was a young couple from Melbourne,
\nAustralia, which surprised the founders as the site had yet to be
\nplaced on any search engines. The couple has since moved to
\nJakarta and is avid supporters of the webpage.<\/p>\n
On their most recent entry in the guest book, the couple
\nwrites, \"Well, we finally got here! I well remember sitting in my
\ndarkened living room in cold, cold Melbourne peering at this
\ninternet site and trying very hard to imagine what it might be
\nlike living here. My fantasies were well fueled and shaped by
\nthis amazing site. And now we're here! Great job and thank
\nyou.\"<\/p>\n
Clive Gardiner, a consultant for BMG Music, who moved from
\nHong Kong to Jakarta earlier this year, said the site was useful.<\/p>\n
\"The hardest thing when you move to a new place is finding
\ninformation,\" he said. \"It's hard in Indonesia to find the
\ninformation you need, and the site was quite useful in
\nestablishing contacts. The site gave me a very valuable head
\nstart.\"<\/p>\n
One of the most exciting aspects of the webpage is that it is
\ncompletely free for Internet users, and for those organizations
\nlisted on the site. As the site is always being added to and
\namended, new societies, groups and services that come into being
\nwill have instant access to the free listing. To register a
\ngroup, or for further information, email the site's Webmaster at
\nwebmaster@expat.or.id.<\/p>\n
As the Internet continues to gain popularity across the globe,
\nmore and more people are using the web as their primary source of
\ninformation. Indonesia is following the trend and already has
\nestablished a few quality servers. Just as the net grows, so does
\nthe city of Jakarta. Hand in hand with this progress is the
\ndynamic team of three women and a computer.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/website-helps-expats-get-the-inside-track-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}