The list of complaints about living in Jakarta seems endless, with traffic and pollution easily taking the top spots. There are also others who criticize the capital for its lack of community-based evening activities.
The people who complain about the latter have probably never set foot in the Jakarta International Community Center, a meeting point for expats and locals, and a bustling center that offers a wide range of courses and activities for both children and adults.
The people who complain about the latter have probably never set foot in the Jakarta International Community Center, a meeting point for expats and locals, and a bustling center that offers a wide range of courses and activities for both children and adults.
Founded in 2001 by two Indian women, Molina Hazuria and Veena Singh, JICC’s original aim was to disseminate information to new expats in Jakarta.
In fact, the center’s aim of helping new arrivals get settled in the capital has been incorporated into its mission statement, which states that “Living in a foreign land requires more than curiosity and a sense of adventure, it demands knowledge, the proper attitude and skills to be able to adapt to a new culture.”
“They also wanted to give people who had just arrived from overseas a place where they could feel at home,” said Nova Farida Lestari, program manager at JICC.
“They wanted to build a place that bridges the gap between the local community and expats.”
Located along a quiet street in the popular Kemang district in South Jakarta, everyone is welcome at the JICC.
The cozy sofas in the main room provide the perfect setting for both guests and members to have a refreshing drink and chat.
Bookworms can pick out a book from a stack of novels, while music lovers can sit down at the piano and entertain others.
In the garden of the house, a swimming pool and some wooden sun lounges make for a pleasant afternoon.
However, helping expats make the transition in Jakarta only represents part of JICC’s current projects.
The center also holds regular classes and courses for both its members and visitors.
“We have a lot of different activities on our schedule,” Nova said, “from cooking classes to health classes and also courses in the field of arts and culture, like painting and dancing.”
And JICC’s program for the next three months reveal the community’s effort to make Jakartans’ life more colorful.
According to Nova, the most popular classes for children are taekwondo and the little chef cooking class. “Normally, these two classes fill up really fast,” she said.
By joining JICC’s taekwondo classes, the little ones not only have fun, but also learn valuable life skills.
While the classes help children improve their physical fitness, they also teach them basic life skills, such as teamwork, following instructions and respecting others.
The little chef cooking classes have been popular because the kids enjoy showing off their creations to family members.
“When they are done, they can take home the cupcakes, cookies and donuts they have made during the class and show it to their parents,” Nova said.
The center’s classes for adults have also been a hit, with language courses attracting the most participants. “We offer Bahasa Indonesia classes for adults,” Nova said.
“People who will stay in Indonesia for a while want to understand the language, of course, so they can easily interact with the locals.”
The cooking classes are also popular among the women, Nova said. And it is not only Indonesian cuisine that is being offered on the menu.
Culinary lessons range from how to make sushi to whipping up delicious Italian pasta.
While JICC finds most of the teachers for its classes externally, sometimes they don’t even have to look beyond the community’s walls.
“We encourage our members to teach the classes themselves,” she said.
“Whenever we see that someone has a special skill or talent, we try to convince them to share it with the others. For example, one of our members from Mexico is offering a cooking class on how to make fajitas and tortillas.”
Today, JICC has over 800 members of various nationalities. But even if the majority are from abroad, JICC also encourages Indonesians to join their community.
“Our basic idea is that this community should be open to all nationalities,” Nova said. “So of course, Indonesians are also most welcome. Right now, I would say, it is 80 percent foreigners and 20 percent locals.”
Other highlights on the center’s program include yoga and tai chi, silk and oil painting, gamelan and Javanese dancing, as well as day trips to various interesting sites in Jakarta.
The community even offers English courses for domestic helpers of expat families to help ease the communication gap.
Nova said that she enjoys being a part of the big JICC family. “It’s great to meet people from different nationalities on a daily basis,” she said.
“There’s always something new to learn and to explore for me here.”
Jakarta International Community Center, Jl. Kemang Dalam X, No. E6A, South Jakarta. Tel: 021 7179 281
For JICC’s full program from Oct. to Dec., log on to www.jicconline.com.
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/lifestyle/bringing-the-world-to-jakarta/398918
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