Female parking attendant fights against heavy odds

By Ida Indawati Khouw

JAKARTA (JP): Protecting herself from the rain with an umbrella, Nunung ran to collect the fee from an outgoing car at the parking lot of which she is the parking attendant. The driver stuck his arm out the car window, handed her the Rp 500 (US 20 cents) parking fee and sped away.

Nunung ran to take shelter when another car arrived. She ran to the arriving vehicle and marshaled it to a parking space.

"Go straight, go back, ya, stop!" she shouted. It was the same order she had given for 16 years, at the same place, during the same shift.

Nunung Nuraini, 45, started working as a parking attendant at the Indonesian-American Friendship Association (PPIA) English course on Jl. Pramuka, East Jakarta in 1980.

It is traditionally a male job, but for the grandmother of three, it has been a necessity since she decided to be a breadwinner besides her husband.

With eight children, including one undergoing long-term hospital treatment, her husband's income from trading scrap cloths was far from enough.

She views the attendant job as a tough challenge.

"This is my daily job, from 6 a.m. until 2 p.m.," Nunung said.

The hard-working mother said she faced no problems when she applied for the job. She said her employer was not particular about recruiting men.

"I don't think a parking attendant must be a male," she said.

Nevertheless, Nunung is ashamed.

"No one in my neighborhood knows what I'm doing ... Why does a woman do this job?," she said during intervals between regulating parking.

But she added her principle is that she does a rightful job, although it gives her little gratification.

"I've been scolded by many drivers whenever they parked at the wrong place," she said.

Nunung also voiced her sorrow over being picked on with insults such as "You worthless thing!" by stubborn drivers.

She said she always retorted back, "My life doesn't depend on you, man!"

Being told lies is also a daily experience. Several drivers also cheated her by saying they would not stay long, just to drop a passenger or wait awhile for someone. In fact, they did stay for a long time.

"I always chase after such drivers for the parking fee. I don't do that for myself, but for the PPIA," she said.

After moving to and fro, Nunung sat on the floor and continued her story. "The nice thing about the job? Maybe ... if someone gives me extra money," she said, after a long period.

She stretched out her legs, clearly displaying a pair of varicose veins.

"I've tried everything to cure it, but people said if I want to be totally cured, I must avoid standing up for a long time. It is impossible, my job forces me to be on my feet all the time."

Her feet become stiff, but she said she was too preoccupied with thinking about how to earn more money.

Nunung said she uses most of her monthly Rp 110,400 (US$46) from PPIA to finance her two children's education.

"They study in Sukabumi (West Java), my hometown," she said. Four out of her eight children are married. They gave her three grandchildren.

One son helps his father's business. Another has contracted leprosy and is being treated at the Sitanala Leprosarium in Tangerang, 20 kilometers west of here.

"I also have to pay for his treatment," she added. She didn't say how it happened, only that she entrusted everything to God Almighty.

"I've made every effort to alleviate his suffering, I have taken my son to a traditional healer, but to no avail."

How can one survive in Jakarta with Rp 100,000? For some, it may be impossible. But Nunung manages, though not without sacrifice. She skips lunch.

She said PPIA gives her a daily transport allowance of Rp 3,000, but it is barely enough. She lives in Cengkareng, not far from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.

"If I have lunch everyday, I'm afraid I can't afford to meet my children's needs," she said.

Nunung smiled and paused a while when asked about her dream before she began her job as a parking attendant and what she wished for in the future. "Maybe I just want my children to be successful," she said.

But Nunung envisions it would be nice to do what other women do, if she had the time. Maybe she also does not have the time to celebrate National Women's Day, which falls on Dec. 22.

"I wish I had time to join other women going to the mosque to hear religious lectures," she said, when asked what she really missed doing.