Ok, so get this. In Indonesia, if a person is driving down the road, obeying every law, they can still go to jail or get sued for everything you are worth – even if they did nothing wrong.

Why is this possible? Because, in typical fashion, there’s a law that makes no sense to an expat. If I’m driving down the street, minding my own business, and a guy walks out in front of me, drives his motorcycle into me, or pulls out in front of me, and we collide – I’d be at fault – even if he did it on purpose. That means that there is the very real chance that a guy with no cash could look to make 5 years salary by running out in front of my car. It happens here.

Tonight on the way home from the gym, it almost happened. I was cruising along, at like 30 mph, and some jackass on a motorcycle pulls right out in front of me. Luckily I avoided him, but nonetheless, it got me thinking. I’ve heard horror stories of how if you kill a man (even if he ran out in front of you), you are responsible for paying his family for the potential income that he would have provided for the rest of his life. (50 years salary?). Seems fair huh?

I know I tend to bitch about some issues like this, but man, at times, it just finally gets to me. I know there’s nothing the average Indonesian can do to mend the situation, and 99% of people here are not manipulative, but the fact remains that it is a reality. Someone has to voice their opinion about it.

There are tons of laws in America that don’t make sense, and some that are absolutely retarded. I love hearing foreigner’s opinions of Americans, and generally don’t take offense. I know that Americans can at times be rude, insensitive to other cultures, and downright oblivious to life outside of the States. Americans are often shielded from the reality of the world, and our only glimpse at hardship comes from our big screen televisions tuned into CNN. We have equally disturbing problems, and are far from an ideal culture.

At times it’s important to hear other opinions and to reflect upon the truth. I would hope that my writing does not convey only the negative aspects of living in Indonesia. That was never my intention for starting java jive. I do, however, feel that there’s way too much bullshit writing out there that reads like a travel guide, never touching on the “true” Indonesia. My opinion varies day to day, and often I’m simply more compelled to write if something bothers me. 4 out of 5 days, things are fine here, and I love experiencing life in such a wonderful place – but often it’s that one day that I actually sit down to vent about my frustrations – and that ends up on here.

I appreciate the recent feedback written by Indonesians living either here or abroad. Generally I think they also feel as though, even if they don’t agree with what I say, they respect my thoughts. I thank you guys for being patient, and trying to understand how a ‘bule’ feels at times. I will try to make some future posts touch upon those other 4 day on a more positive note.