Adapting to the pace of life in Indonesia

Sunlight/Night is roughly 12/12, and a lot of Indonesians are not more than a couple of steps away from village life.

When I lived in a village I got used to going to bed at 8 and getting up at 4am. That's handy now I'm working again as I get a very easy start to my day.

There's a phrase in Indonesian - Tidak apa apa.

It's more than just "It doesn't matter", it's more like a way of life for non-professional Indonesians, and more than a few who work in government offices.

See you at 5 can mean 5, 6, 7, or when it stops raining.

Shopping centres open at 10 am.

That doesn't mean all the shops will be open, but the place will be.

Many convenience stores open at 7, but there are 24 hour ones all over the place.

Supermarkets are usually 7 or 8 am opening.

Diet - The country is full of amazing foods.

Get wild and try as many as possible.

Hi Cheryl.

Well I've lived in five different countries in Asia spanning the past 38 years. Moving to Indonesia has provided me with the most relaxed lifestyle so far. It's also the cheapest place I have lived. We do not have fixed daily schedules in our life here in Indonesia. For example, this morning we had breakfast at a nearby cafe, then I did a little gardening. After that we went out and bought some sacks of soil/compost, went to a shopping mall to let my daughter buy some things a it was recently her birthday, had lunch at the mall, then on the way home bought some takeaway food from a restaurant. It's pretty much like that most days, taking it easy, sometimes staying in and sometimes going out.

I don't sleep as long as I used to in other countries, but I quite often have an afternoon nap for an hour or two most days. I also work out with weights about 5 days a week and generally try to limit my eating to more healthy foods but I still eat many of the delicious foods to be found here.

Compared to all the other Asian countries that I have lived in, Indonesia is definitely the most relaxed.