Patience: an
ability or willingness to suppress restlessness or annoyance when confronted
with delay. Patience
is much more than a virtue in Jakarta, it is a requirement. The traffic being
the biggest challenge that you encounter. In a week I've been in a ceaseless
traffic jam. Highways, main drives, side streets, parking lots... Everywhere is
backed up in Jakarta. You may move in a minute or ten and it may be as
minuscule as five feet. Whether you wish it or not, you will be stuck in
traffic. A route that takes you twenty minutes one afternoon may take two hours the next.
Imagine entering
a cab, your first thought dwelling on how
long will this ride last? You just hope that your next cab ride doesn't become
one of the many traffic horror stories that are rampant in this city. The roads
themselves weave back and forth so that you may have been helplessly waiting in
your taxi for an hour, but infuriatingly still manage to see your apartment
complex within walking distance. You often wonder, how is this possible!?!? Until
you come to the realization that this is just another part of the culture in
Jakarta. Something you must accept and learn that bringing a book, tablet, or
laptop with you wherever you go is the best policy. If anything, this
experience has taught me to NEVER complain about traffic in the United States
ever again. In fact, I wrote this entire post while sitting in traffic... Tidak!!! (No!!!)
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