Apartments offer privacy, security and comfort

Apartments offer privacy, security and comfort

T. Sima Gunawan, Contributor, Jakarta

Seeing a young woman returning home at midnight or at dawn,
many people might frown upon her, wondering what she has been
doing. The idea that a good girl should not go out at night still
prevails in the country, even in a metropolitan city like
Jakarta.

That's why Tisa TS, 27, is happy to know that her neighbors do
not make a fuss about her activities late at night or in the wee
hours.

"Sometimes I have to work until 3 or 4 in the morning, editing
(films), previewing ..." said Tisa, a scriptwriter for the teen
TV series Di Sini Ada Setan/ (Satan is Here) and Kapan Kita
Pacaran Lagi (When We Date Again).

Privacy is one of the advantages that she enjoys living in the
Kedoya Elok Apartments in Kedoya, West Jakarta.

The other thing she took into consideration when she decided
to move to the apartments was its location next to Plaza Kedoya
Elok, where Sinemart, the production house that makes her series,
is located. Besides, it has good security.

Nani Budiman, president director of an IT company, and Eko
Utomo, a lawyer, had similar reasons for moving into apartments.

Nani used to live with her parents in Pulo Mas, East Jakarta,
and it took her some 45 minutes to get to her office on Jl.
Gondangdia, Central Jakarta.

"Now I need only 10 minutes and I don't have to deal with
traffic jams like before," said Nani Budiman, who lives at the
Imperium Apartments in Kuningan, South Jakarta.

She used to rent her apartment to an employee at a foreign
embassy. Last year, when the rental period was over and the
tenant returned to his home country, she decided to taste the
experience of living in an apartment.

"It turns out that living in the apartment is really
convenient. Besides the strategic location, it also has good
security measures. For the time being, I don't think I will rent
it out," she said.

She has no worries about strangers trying to break into her
place because she can see who is coming from the TV in her room.

Eko, who formerly lived in Jatibening in Bekasi, moved to
Rasuna Apartment in Kuningan, South Jakarta, in 1998. The
apartment is really close to his office, PT Freeport Indonesia,
and sometimes he would just walk home from work.

Living in an apartment is the choice of many Jakartans for
reasons of comfort and practicality. Many apartment buildings
went up in the city in the past decade and more and more
apartments are being constructed to meet demand. Some buy
apartments to invest their money and others buy because they
really want to live in the apartment, either temporarily or
permanently.

Despite the many benefits of living in an apartment, there can
also be some inconveniences. People who used to live in a big
house with a garden might find an apartment unit stuffy. It is
common for an Indonesian family to have several domestic helpers,
who are ready to serve the whole family from early in the morning
until late at night. Due to the limited space, most apartments
have only one servant room.

Eko, who is single, said a maid came two or three times a week
to do the household chores. Nani does not have a maid and does
all the chores herself.

Nani recalled that when she lived with her parents, she did
not have to think about meals because the food was always ready
on the table when she returned home from work. Now she does not
have time to cook and often eats out.

Another thing Nani, as well as Eko and Tisa, miss is a garden.
To bring a bit of nature to their apartments, they have some
potted plants.

But what Tisa really misses is her dogs.

"I love pets. I have four dogs but I can't bring them here.
Well, there is always a balance. Everything has advantages and
the disadvantages," Tisa said.

Nani also recalled how arduous it was when she moved into the
apartment because every time she wanted to bring in some
belongings, she had to ask for the management's permission and
fill in some forms. The management has tight regulations about
nuisances and allows work to be done only on weekdays from 9 a.m.
to 5 p.m.

"So on Saturday you can't put a nail in the wall because it
will disturb the neighbors," she said.

How about cooking salty fish or other food with a strong
smell?

"I don't think there is a problem; our apartment has good
circulation," she said.

Living in an apartment, one has to pay for maintenance,
depending on the size of the apartment unit. Eko pays about Rp
800,000 a month for the maintenance fee for the common area,
water and electricity, while Tisa spends between Rp 1 million and
Rp 2 million. Tisa's apartment unit measures 114 square meters,
which is much bigger than Eko's, which is only 58 square meters.
However, it is much smaller than her parents' house, which is
built on a 500-square-meter plot of land.

"If I had children, I might buy a house and live in apartment
only as 'transit,'" she said.