Indonesian shopping

Like many aspects of Indonesian life, shopping is one place you can go over the top expensive or bargain your way down to paying just a few dollars (or even cents). Jakarta is the capital and (and I think its safe to say) shopping center of Indonesia. I have never seen so many malls in such a small area of land. Malls in Jakarta often have valet parking, taxi queues, movie theaters, and four or more stories. They often resemble airports from the outside by their sheer size and volume of customers.

I have spend many weekends (and dollars) shopping at these malls and just admiring them. In Indonesia it is more common to meet up with friends at the mall than in Wisconsin because there is just more to do. In the mood to see a movie? Get a haircut? Get a massage? Work out? Sing karaoke? Ice skate? Pray? You've got it all in one place.

Lately my Indonesian language skills and my independence have both been increasing so I have been able to explore more malls with my friends, both Indonesian and American. I've managed to take taxis alone in Jakarta (a city of 8 million people) to meet friends at the mall which in itself feels like a big accomplishment.  

courtesy of google but you get the idea

my YES Abroad ladies shopping(L-R: Ellen, Mallory, and I)

You can sometimes forget you're in Indonesia at the mall due to the array of Western food options and Christmas/Halloween/other holidays not celebrated by the majority of Indonesians' decorations.

I found a christmas tree at a department store!

first root beer in 3 months

However the malls can be very western, if you want a traditional Indonesian experience you'll head to the pasar (lit. market). There are both pasar malam  and pasar pagi, (night market and morning market) but I have only yet been to the latter. At the pasar, hundreds of sellers are packed into a maze of shops filled with food, batik, and anything else you might want. I have not been able to witness the pasars too many times, but it is a very interesting experience. My friend guided me around  through the array of batik while bargaining prices until we could achieve the best deal or we would just keep going. I really hope to be able to explore the pasars more and eventually be able to bargain my way into non-bule prices (which may take awhile).

pasars remind me a lot of Farmers Markets in Madison, just more palm trees

If you have any suggestions or any topics you want me to write about, please comment or email me! The more I adjust the harder it becomes to write since Indonesia is starting to feel like a regular life.

Also, tomorrow marks three months since I left home. Time works in crazy ways right?