Masala dosa and a mango lassi

Passing time in a foreign capital isn’t so bad when it is paid for, you can speak the language and it turns out to be a vibrant place with lots of Indian food.  Kuala Lumpur actually reminds me of America because of its sheer diversity.  I came here with the curiosity of finding out more about Malays and how they compare to Indonesians, instead I quickly found out that the many religions and ethnicities comprising the capital’s population, have created quite a melting pot and true Malays have been difficult to pick out in my few days here.  A well appreciated result of this diversity is the wide range of cuisines available that I can only dream about in Jambi.  And who could dislike a city where the Discovery Channel is played in English at almost every little whole in the wall restaurant?

As to the purpose of my visit to KL, acquiring a new Social Budaya Visa that will allow me to stay another six months in Jambi and complete my year at PKBI, that has been an equally surprising but less pleasant experience.  With my arrival last Saturday night and a surprise public holiday that kept the Indonesian Embassy closed through Monday, I could not submit my visa application until Tuesday, and only then after waiting for four hours clutching the paper slip number 8051 that would eventually beckon me to the promising glass window.  As if trying to create an Indonesian atmosphere even around the embassy and beckon me back to Sumatra, there was a Bakso restaurant next door serving the endemic noodle soup with grey processed fish balls that have been sitting out in the heat all day… yum, local Indonesian cuisine at last.

The next day I went to pick up my visa only to find out that the bureaucratic and legally inconsistent tendencies of Indonesian immigration officials have also migrated to Indonesian embassies.  The official from West Sumatra who had been so friendly just the day before informed me that I would only be given a 30 day visa, even after I reminded him that the visa I was applying for is a two month visa, at least according to the government website.  When I asked why they were not giving me the full amount of time, his reason was that I had already renewed my previous visa many times.  I asked if at least I will be able to renew this visa up the total six months that is stipulated online.  He replied, that depends on the Jambi immigration office; different immigration offices have different rules.  What?!  I thought there was a reason for government’s to have consistent immigration policies, but I guess the freedom for officials in Indonesia to make up policies depending on how they feel that day allows for a little extra padding in the wallet.

Finished with the adventure and with a new visa in hand I fly back to Jambi tomorrow.  While a trip to KL will always beat a trip down to Jambi’s immigration office, I really miss the “city” and my office now.  It will really nice to reconnect with my goofy coworkers and sleep in my own bed, its just a mattress on the floor but with old ibu and bapak it is almost like home these days.