In Reply to: people and places i met in my 2 months posted by inmyblood on Wednesday, 12. July 2006 at 21:56 Bali Time:
Well, i could say so much about this, and give so many examples.. it is annoying sometimes that they think all white people "bule" are rich.. and you know what..i call myself the bule miskin .. the "poor bule" because here even though i work and do get paid about 4 times more then they do a month... it usually all dissapears on living expenses..for one, i dont smoke, i dont drink so its not dissapearing there... its for transport, food, accomodation costs etc.. however i must say that Jakarta is way more expensive than bali..
I have had people who i think are friends, as me for money, and i have never lent it. I have had people who i should say are future family ask me for money, and one just last night of about 5million rupiah, i didnt lend it.. i dont care if they say i'll be a bad sister in law either ( marrying into indonesian familys are a whole other story..) Im not going to put up with it. Lend it once, and they'll keep asking for more is my opinion. I hate the fact I might seem like a bit**y bule ...but i dont care.. its my right..
But then again, I have my best friend ever in the whole world who i have known in Jakarta since about 1990...Never ask me for money...and still to this day has never asked...her and her family are what i call true true friends... im like their daughter, and they are like my second family.
We have helped them before, she got married, we gave them 10million as a gift, because they have been so good to us. When my parents left indonesia, we gave them a fridge etc, because theirs was about to die... gave them my bicycle in 1995, which i say to this day they still have...along with the fridge n other things... We gave them money when their youngest daughter passed away at 18 in 1998 due to dengue fever... i still dont believe she's realy gone... its people like these I will give money too....
They think im crazy because i eat at the warung next door to the office, it only costs about 6000rupiah for a full meal with a drink.. why should i waste money to spend about 50000 for a meal from KFC for one just because im a bule????
You might see on the local tv in Indonesia reality shows, where someone from a really poor family will get a gift of 10million, and they have to spend it in 30mins, ok, these people break down and cry or maybe even faint...they go out all happy buy food suplies, maybe a fridge or tv etc.. because they cant usually afford it. But after all this 10million is gone (if there's any change they have to give it back) who is going to pay the electricity bill???
so in the end they'll probably have to sell everything again... sometimes it nearly does bring tears to my eyes, so see them happy etc..wishing i could do the same to help them if i could throw that kind of money around.. but i just cant afford it..
Another show, is where, they might have a debt owing to a hospital, and these two women or men come to someone's house, demanding they pay the bill right now.. and they do a really really good job of abusing and degrading the people in the process, where u can clearly see the people have nothing... but these two debt "collectors" force them to sell everything in the house, old fan, clothes, stove, whatever they can find, just to get a set amount..maybe even just 300 thousand rupiah.. so after this is all done... and the debt collectors leave..a lady visits the house wearing all white.. "an angel" .. she brings only a suitcase, with a letter saying their "debt" has been paid by the tv station... and one million rupiah... and thats the end of the show..
ok their debt has been paid off to the hospital or whatever, now what happens? they dont have a tv anymore..or a fan or lounge chair etc? one million isnt going to cover it to buy a new one... and the show never shows what happens afterwards..do they get their things back? i doubt it. I really hate this show, and i think it should be banned..they make a sob story out of some poor person...before giving them their reward...its really really disgusting and degrading... I did write to the show once...funny i never got a reply ..
:o)