Expats want to relax for holidays
Expats want to relax for holidays
Fadli, The Jakarta Post, Batam
Christmas and the New Year are nearing but expatriates working in
Batam are taking a low-key approach to the holidays, in keeping
with the lack of overall fuss in the city.
Julia, a 40-year-old South Korean, said she would stay at home
and spend Christmas Eve with friends and family.
"It will be no different from normal days. We will sit down
together, drink, watch television and make a toast at night.
Nothing more than that," said Julia, who has lived and worked in
Batam for seven years.
Julia, who runs a Korean restaurant in the city, said most of
the other expatriates she knew would be doing the same thing on
Christmas Eve.
A Singaporean expatriate, Grant Gammell, 51, who spent several
years in Batam, said that in stark contrast to his home country,
Christmas and the New Year passed largely unmarked and
uncelebrated in Batam.
"In Singapore, Christmas and New Year's decorations are
everywhere as the holidays approach. But it is different in
Batam. It seems people in the city do not care about the
festivities, as seen from the lack of Christmas and New Year's
decorations on the streets and on public buildings," said
Gammell, who worked as the general manager of a four-star hotel
in Batam and is now the sales and marketing director at the
Borobudur Hotel in Jakarta.
Gammell first arrived in Batam in 1985 and although he now
lives in Jakarta, he still goes back to visit friends.
"Batam has few natural tourist attractions so the expats
choose either to stay at home during the holidays or leave Batam
for Singapore," he said.
Despite the large number of expats living in Batam, at least
3,000 live and work here, the local administration has done
little to entice them to celebrate the holidays, and spend their
money, in the city.
Batam is home to numerous factories producing everything from
electronic goods to garments. With its proximity to Singapore,
Batam is an industrial hub that attracts companies from around
the world.