Sutrisno is 22, and has been married a little over 2 years, with a 1 year old baby. His wife, Eva (20) is a local girl.
2004 was a rough year, as she lost 5 family members, including both her mom & dad, to various illnesses (heart attacks, fever…)
She assumed ownership of her parents home when they died. They are fortunate, not having to pay rent; only the electric & water bill.
I asked them about their average monthly income,,, expecting something comparable to Eli’s situation (my pembantu) in Jakarta.
Indeed, as an Ojek driver, Sutrisno makes anywhere from $50-$60 a month on average.
That means, the $15/day I just paid him = half his monthly income. “Some months i get lucky & make up to $100.” Eva has her hands full raising their daughter ‘Audrey’ as a housewife.
Their 16 year old cousin was sitting next to me, and he works as an Ojek driver part time as well. School came up.
All 3 of them (Sutrisno, Eva, and their cousin) made it as far as 9th grade. No plans to go back. It’s too expensive, and many in their circumstances are looking to start their own families by 19-20.
Their home is full of kids,,, mostly cousins & neighbors who were curious & happy to see a westerner hanging around. Everything here is pretty much communal property (=
Their hospitality was great. I hung out with them for a few hours, showing a few pics on my laptop; then took a bucket shower from the well behind the kitchen (whooo,,, brisk!) & a nap for an hour (=
I didn’t need to think on it long,,, this was a deserving family for whom positive breaks came few & far between. So,, as I had 2 hours left before my train, I took everyone in the room (7 of us) on a quick shopping spree at the Ramayana department store.
I’m fairly certain this has never happened in their lives,, and probably never will again. It was worth it. Everyone got to pick 2 things. (=
‘Standing beside themselves’ doesn’t quite describe the excitement that jumped into their eyes when we all walked down the street together to the store… the girls looked like they had just vaulted into heaven… ha ha. Ojik (12 year old cousin) was much more patient & thoughtful about what he wanted… especially considering his true dream gift wasn’t in this store. Play Station 2 was on his mind, so I paid attention to about how much I was giving everyone else,, and gave him 200,000 Rp ($20), to get what he wanted.
Indeed, Audrey (1) was a bit too small for even the smallest of clothes here, so I gave mom 100,000 Rp ($10) to shop at the market tomorrow. Everything is cheaper at the market.
Mom (Eva) picked out 2 pairs of jeans, her cousin got 2 shirts, her daughter got shoes & an outfit,,, dad (Sutrisno) felt bad about asking for a $20 pair of shoes which he really wanted… by all means! It’s fair game.
All told, our little expedition came to about $150.
When thinking about using that same money to overpay some boat driver to Krakatau this morning,, or making a once in a lifetime opportunity happen for a friendly Indonesian family- well,,, you already know how I feel about that.
2004 was a rough year, as she lost 5 family members, including both her mom & dad, to various illnesses (heart attacks, fever…)
She assumed ownership of her parents home when they died. They are fortunate, not having to pay rent; only the electric & water bill.
I asked them about their average monthly income,,, expecting something comparable to Eli’s situation (my pembantu) in Jakarta.
Indeed, as an Ojek driver, Sutrisno makes anywhere from $50-$60 a month on average.
That means, the $15/day I just paid him = half his monthly income. “Some months i get lucky & make up to $100.” Eva has her hands full raising their daughter ‘Audrey’ as a housewife.
Their 16 year old cousin was sitting next to me, and he works as an Ojek driver part time as well. School came up.
All 3 of them (Sutrisno, Eva, and their cousin) made it as far as 9th grade. No plans to go back. It’s too expensive, and many in their circumstances are looking to start their own families by 19-20.
Their home is full of kids,,, mostly cousins & neighbors who were curious & happy to see a westerner hanging around. Everything here is pretty much communal property (=
Their hospitality was great. I hung out with them for a few hours, showing a few pics on my laptop; then took a bucket shower from the well behind the kitchen (whooo,,, brisk!) & a nap for an hour (=
I didn’t need to think on it long,,, this was a deserving family for whom positive breaks came few & far between. So,, as I had 2 hours left before my train, I took everyone in the room (7 of us) on a quick shopping spree at the Ramayana department store.
I’m fairly certain this has never happened in their lives,, and probably never will again. It was worth it. Everyone got to pick 2 things. (=
‘Standing beside themselves’ doesn’t quite describe the excitement that jumped into their eyes when we all walked down the street together to the store… the girls looked like they had just vaulted into heaven… ha ha. Ojik (12 year old cousin) was much more patient & thoughtful about what he wanted… especially considering his true dream gift wasn’t in this store. Play Station 2 was on his mind, so I paid attention to about how much I was giving everyone else,, and gave him 200,000 Rp ($20), to get what he wanted.
Indeed, Audrey (1) was a bit too small for even the smallest of clothes here, so I gave mom 100,000 Rp ($10) to shop at the market tomorrow. Everything is cheaper at the market.
Mom (Eva) picked out 2 pairs of jeans, her cousin got 2 shirts, her daughter got shoes & an outfit,,, dad (Sutrisno) felt bad about asking for a $20 pair of shoes which he really wanted… by all means! It’s fair game.
All told, our little expedition came to about $150.
When thinking about using that same money to overpay some boat driver to Krakatau this morning,, or making a once in a lifetime opportunity happen for a friendly Indonesian family- well,,, you already know how I feel about that.
posted by jonathan adventures at 8:51 AM
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