Hello everybody.

[Kelapa kepala]

Hello to everyone here. My name is Rick and I'm new to this forum.

Thank you for letting me post here. I'm not an ex-pat but I may very well be soon.

I'm married to a lovely Indonesian lady and while working to get a visa for her to come to the States, my heart continues begging me to move to her.

I was in Citayam (near Depok) last May and I loved it there! Compared to my life in a typical American suburb it was like leaving the Earth.

I returned wiser I think and much less arrogant than when I left home.

Hope to meet some Americans and others who have made the leap.

Peace,

[atlantis]

Hi Kepala Kelapa (nice nic by the way :))
Welcome to the forum and to our community. I hope that you will find a suitable way to make the move and listen to your heart. It sounds much more difficult that it really is to my opinion. The secret of a successfull expatriation lies mainly in its preparation, your personal attitude toward the country and its people (but having read your two posts so far, I don't doubt that you are on the good way;)) and the network that you will be able to build.

About Americans, I think that there are quite a few posting here.

I hope to be able to help you if in need. Anyway, if you have specific questions on any topics or if you just want to share a joke/opinion...etc, threads are all yours.:cool:

[Kelapa kepala]

Thank you for your warm welcome Atlantis. I hope to participate occasionally when an opening appears in my self-inflicted schedule. Having not yet mastered the science of multi-slacking, in conjunction with the fact that I find myself working many extra hours at my job plus studying bahasa, I find myself lacking in free time these days.

In fact I love the people there. Spending time living member of my Wife's family helped me see life from another perspective. They would be considered impoverished using the US standard of living as a gauge for comparison, yet they were always quick to toss what little extra money they had into charity collections in the streets. I was amazed! Where the Indo people lack in material gain they make up for it in other things like manners, kindness, love and honesty. The neighbors in my Wife's village all know each other; ten houses in each direction.

Funny note:

My wife and I agreed to break with Indonesian tradition and have a small privet wedding. There were only about 600 people there.:D

[izamarina]

Thank you for your warm welcome Atlantis. I hope to participate occasionally when an opening appears in my self-inflicted schedule. Having not yet mastered the science of multi-slacking, in conjunction with the fact that I find myself working many extra hours at my job plus studying bahasa, I find myself lacking in free time these days.

In fact I love the people there. Spending time living member of my Wife's family helped me see life from another perspective. They would be considered impoverished using the US standard of living as a gauge for comparison, yet they were always quick to toss what little extra money they had into charity collections in the streets. I was amazed! Where the Indo people lack in material gain they make up for it in other things like manners, kindness, love and honesty. The neighbors in my Wife's village all know each other; ten houses in each direction.

Funny note:

My wife and I agreed to break with Indonesian tradition and have a small privet wedding. There were only about 600 people there.:D

Dear Coconut Head :p

Aren't Indonesian an absolute pleasure!! You are very lucky to have wife and wife's families, plus friends and neighbours like those you mentioned. Good luck with learning the language! and enjoy life in Indonesia.