Living in a cheap apartment an inspiring experience

Joko E.H. Anwar Contributor The Jakarta Post

Just like people on high incomes, many in the middle- to lower-income bracket seek the same advantages from living in an apartment.

I was among those who wished to avoid the inconvenience of living in a house. However, while some can afford to rent an apartment at thousands of dollars a month, I had to find one at a rental I could afford.

Fortunately, there are several cheap apartments available in the capital that have been built by the city government.

After browsing around, with simple considerations such as accessibility and distance between the apartment and places I frequently visited (including the gym), I chose one of 700 units in Benhil II apartments at Jl. Perjernihan Raya, Central Jakarta.

The building was erected in 1997 and originally intended as rehousing for victims of a fire that had destroyed their homes that year. Although there is a big sign in front of the building saying that the ownership of flats is not transferable, most of the original occupants have sold their units on to new tenants.

Every unit is the same size -- six meters by five meters -- including a small kitchen and tiny bathroom. Rent depends on the condition of the units.

Units in their original state, with unplastered brick walls and concrete floors, can usually be leased at about Rp 350,000 (about US$37) per month.

Modified units with tiled floors and plastered walls, including furniture and home appliances, such as refrigerator, telephone and air conditioner, are rented at Rp 500,000 to Rp 800,000.

As my employment income was reasonable, I rented one of the most expensive units, furnished with a sofa-bed and a nice- looking coffee table, on the ninth floor, at Rp 800,000 per month.

Fifteen months of living in such a dynamic place gave me unlimited inspiration for my work as a columnist and scriptwriter.

I could not help but find the turbulence and novelty of living in the place poetic. As I stepped into the compound, I quickly recalled Wim Wender's film Million Dollar Hotel about life in a cheap apartment.

The apartment I inhibited even surpassed the place depicted in the movie, which was cowritten by Bono of U2, in terms of colorful characters.

There are many among the thousands who live in the apartments who work in offices as engineers, marketing staff, or others.

However, there are also many who make their living from working in the more "informal" sector. During my first night, I was awaken by a number of men who came through the walkways, making a unique sound by shaking small shoe polish cream cans that were half-filled with sand.

Later I found out that they were massage boys who could release the tension in your muscles for about Rp 15,000 per hour. I was also puzzled by an old man who never entered his apartment and always slept on a plastic mat in front of his unit every day. I was later told that the man had vowed never to enter his unit, which was given by the developer as compensation for his house that was destroyed by fire on the land on which the apartment was later built.

His family, who lived in the apartment, would serve him food and drink.

On Saturday nights, many transvestites can be observed leaving their apartments, heading to their "work" areas throughout the capital. The same thing also happens with many escort girls who also live there.

I enjoyed eating at the small restaurants in the apartment where these characters usually ate, as I would be able to listen to the unusual, yet amusing, banter about their funny experiences.

Many openly gay males can also be easily spotted here chatting in groups.

Recently, many refugees from Afghanistan came to live in the apartments. With all of these characters eating and chatting together in their groups, it sounded like an orchestra of colorful accents and gestures. I found that a very inspiring picture.

Living in the building one felt pretty secure, as robbers or other criminals would have had little chance to rob you because there were always people around.

The only major theft was when a monkey escaped from its cage in the garden of the apartment late last year and ended up breaking into many flats and stealing food.

The monkey also shocked many women when they emerged from the elevator as it would greet them in its own mischievous way.

Sadly, after a number of television sets were broken and other catastrophes were caused by the monkey, the animal was shot dead after the failure of several attempts to capture it alive.

In a cheap apartment, you can have an easy life, too, as there are people, usually the building's original tenants, who will do your laundry and clean your room for only about Rp 100,000 a month.

There are also many ojek (motorcycle taxis) waiting for you 24 hours a day inside the compound that can take you wherever you want to go. The only thing you have to worry about is when the elevator is nonoperational.

The elevator operates from 6.30 a.m. to 9.30 p.m., with several hours' break during the period. This is due to the fact that the elevator is operator-attended because the management does not want children to play or paint graffiti in it.

As I often returned home after 9.30 p.m., I often had to climb flights of stairs, which was, after all, good for my heart.

You can find almost everything you need at the apartment complex. There are several phone kiosks, a cellular phone shop, barber shops, beauty saloons, tailors, PlayStation rental, Internet kiosks, even video rentals where porn VCDs are available.

If you are religious Muslim, there are also some Koran-reading groups in the apartment.

The apartment seems to be a melting pot between complex urban lives and more traditional customs. Amazingly, the combination has produced a high level of tolerance and understanding between the tenants, who come from many different backgrounds and live many different lifestyles.