Learning Bahasa

Hi Miree,

Was reading your blog, very interesting and good work.

I'm new to Jakarta joined a mining company wanted to learn Bahasa and also network with people involved in Mining in Jakarta / Indonesia.

Would be great if you could give me any pointers.

Regards,

Yogesh

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Dear Yogesh,

Thanks you for contacting us. You can contact Vic Lang as per Cc'ed for learing Bahasa and upcoming find business events by visit www.whatsnewjakarta.com

Goodluck!

Miree

New to Jakarta

(Adriana) Hello Miree,

Your email was forwarded to me by Peter Wharton who suggested I contacted you for advice on living in Jakarta. My family and are moving this October 5th and I'm a bit concearned about health and safety systems there. I have a healthy 2 year old son however am very concearned about cleanliness, pollution in the city, etc. Also, if you know of any babysitting companies that you'd recommend I'd greatly appreciate it!

As I'd mentioned to Peter, I'm interested in knowing what is like living in Jakarta as a Westerner, is the health system considerably OK? How is the international schooling system for young international kids, are there any business associations? (I'm a Marketing Communications/PR professional), support groups for foreigners besides de Embassy related groups, what are the things to watch out for regarding climate, food, pollution, environment in general, people, safety (meaning civil and health).

My husband and I lived in Beijing for 3 years (from '05-'08) and loved it except the traffic and pollution. We thereafter moved to Buenos Aires and have been here for 1 1/2 years and now are getting ready to move again!

Any advice you can provide we would greatly appreciate it!

Regards

(Miree) Hi Adriana, It is only natural to be anxious when you are moving to a new Country with a young child. Like Beijing, Jakarta has pollution and the traffic is unmentionable, but the international schooling from preschool up is of a high standard. In regards to medical providers the two that are recommended are International SOS & Global Doctors. I will send you a separate e-mail with further information and some attachments to assist you, as there is quite a lot to cover. Regards, Miree.

Rangon Feliz New Address, Jakarta

(Jodi) Hi – I have been a customer of Rangon Feliz for quite a while. My phone died

and I lost all my phone numbers and addresses! Can you please send me the

current address of Rangon Feliz? The shop moved last spring. It isn’t on

Jl. Gahru any more. They’re now located somewhere behind CiToS. Can you

help? Thanks

(WNJ) Dear Jody,

I found a hits, hopefully it was the right one with what you looking for. we also updating the info on our WNJ website now.

Feliz Boutique Salon & Day Spa (changed name from Ranggon Feliz and moved to a new location January 2010)

Great one-stop shop for pampering the whole family. Felicia, the salon owner, speaks fluent English and Bahasa Indonesia. The staff are friendly and experienced and offer a full range of treatments for adults and children, from hair cuts to manicures and pedicures. Children receive a 40% discount on treatments. Speak to Felicia to organise a manicure party as an idea for your children’s birthday party.

Jl Cilandak Tengah 3 No.3, Cilandak, South Jakarta (close to CITOS)

Tel: 765 6525

• 09:00-18.00 Tues-Sat (hair salon)

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Cheers,

WNJ Team

pr@whatsnewjakarta.com

Debt collection

( Paul) Hi Miree, can you tell me if there is a debt collection agency here in Jakarta that will follow up on outstanding debts.

Having been scammed and ripped off by an unscrupulous Australian woman by the name of xxxx (also previously involved in real estate in Bali), I would like to warn other people against getting involved with her or attempting to do business with her. Regards.

( Miree ) Dear Paul, the only expatriate managed company that offers debt collection we could find is -

Mr. James D. Filgo MA

Consolidated Services International, Inc.

Tel: +62 (21) 791-90015

Email: jdf@consolsvcs.com

Website: http://www.consolsvcs.com

I hope this info helps. Regards, Miree

Appropriate gifts for Idul Fitri

(Sally) Hi Miree, This is our first Idul Fitri in Jakarta and I am wondering what would be an appropriate gift to give to our staff - We have an older housemaid, a young nanny and our driver has young children to whom I would also like to give a gift. Regards, Sally.

Hi Sally, for every year your staff work for you, under Manpower regulations you are required to give them an extra months salary and any additional like a food parcel, clothing or train tickets etc... is entirely up to the individual employer. If they have worked for you for less than a year you can choose to do it on a pro rata basis. For example if they have worked for you for one or two months, you may choose to give them each a five kg bag of rice or a parcel made up of oil, noodles, sugar, tea, Kapal Api (local coffee) etc.. or Rp100,000. One thing you do need to remember is that anything additional to money you give will be expected each year for Idul Fitri. If you decide to go down the food parcel route Lotte Mart (ex MAKRO) or Carrefour have very reasonably priced ready made food parcels available and also clothing and toys. All the best, Miree.

Moving to Jakarta

(David) Hi Miree, My name is David, I currently live in New Zealand, and I am looking at

relocating to Jakarta in the near future. I am currently working as a

Premium Service Japanese Interpreter flight attendant. I also hold a

Diploma in Hotel/Motel Management, with prior experience in

Sales/Marketing. Do you have any advice on what sort of job I can

expect. Also how I would go about applying for a job. I am heading to

Jakarta for ten days on the 9th of September. Do you know any

recruitment contacts I would be able to contact?

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Thanks, and regards,

(Miree) Hi David, it's not often I get to assist a fellow country man. This

might sound obvious, but many agencies do a little bit of everything,

and you really need to find a recruitment firm that's an expert in your

field/s as in your case. I have listed three recommended recruitment

companies below for you to contact.

Jakarta Consulting Group - Tel. (+6221) 572-7515

www.jakartaconsulting.com /

Monroe Consulting Group -Tel: (+62-21) 719 0770

www.monroeconsulting.com &

Verity HR - Tel. (+62-21) 719-9210 www.recruitment-indonesia.com

Good luck with the search. Regards, Miree.

Spanish Speaking Women Association Contact Details

( Maureen) Hi Miree, I'm an Indonesian who's lived abroad for too long, so I'm glad I found your site! I found an information on What's New Jakarta about Spanish Speaking Women Association. I've tried to email them and call Jakarta Int'l Community Ctr where they hold their meetings, but the person whom I talked to didn't know any information about the association. May I have the association's contact person's number? Thanks a lot! Cheers!

( Miree) Dear Maureen,

You can contact the Pesident of Spanish Speaking Women Association in here :

Angela Naar-Bejarano

President

Spanish Speaking Women Association

Jl Kemang Dalam X No. E6A

Kemang - Jakarta Selatan

e-mail:abejarano@yahoo.com

Mobile: 081410018024

Goodluck!

Miree

Personal Training

(Drew) Dear Miree - i've read your posts with great interest, very helpful to us newcomers! Thanks a lot. I am moving to JKT in the next few weeks, will be living in the city center.

I would like to find a persinal trainer to help me get back in shape, but looking for more reasonable rates than the big gyms are offering (i.e. 800,000/hour at Gold's...) do you have any suggestions for where i can look? I have not been able to find much with google searches.

Any advice much appreciated.

(Miree) Hi Drew, you could contact

Indah Pratiwi

Marketing Communication

Jl. Benda IV no. 6

Jakarta 12140

P : (62 21) 72787274 / (62 21) 7394288

F : (62 21) 72787153

M : 0812 88140588

i_pratiwi@yahoo.com

www.mybodygym.co.id

She will arrange it or you.

BR, Miree

Art Lover

Dear Miree

I'm a fan of your blog. Terrific work!

Do you know where I can go to get affordable artworks (paintings, scuptures) by young budding Indonesian arttists? I've been asking some locals if there are special exhibitions by universities/small galleries but no one seems to know.

Appreciate it if you can point the way. Many thanks.

Art Lover

(Miree) Dear Art Lover, as does not seem to be openly publicized, my suggestion would be to visit Galeri 678 in Jl Kemang Raya No.125A. They are open Mon-Sunfrom 10.00 – 18.00hrs, ph:7179-9648, and are known to hold exhibitions of Indonesian Artists. They may be able to shed some light on where you could find artworks by young budding Indonesian artists if they don’t have any on display in the shop. Happy searching, Miree.

Hiking Gear in Jakarta

( Simone) Hi Miree, I have a question for you.

Would you know where to buy hiking gear in Jakarta, I'm mainly looking for hiking boots? Thanks

(Miree) Dear Simone, I didn't know exactly where to get the hiking gears in Jakarta but I guess you could contact these Hiking clubs:

Source: www.WhatsNewJakarta.com

Hiking

Java Lava

Membership Membership is open to men and women of all nationalities. Current number of members : 200+. There is no cost for membership fees. Most activities are held in English. Activities Climbing and camping on Indonesian volcanos. Usually we hold one trip a month in the dry season from February through November.

E-mail: jenny_d2001@yahoo.com

Self-guided treks in the Puncak foothills

Location: Puncak Bogor

Puncak Trek. For a low-cost, easy-going weekend getaway, try self-guided treks in the Puncak foothills. Now is the best time to start walking in the foothills. The rainy season is over, lots of greenery, and not much dust yet on the trails! Trek at your own pace. Enjoy your time in nature while sharpening navigational skills. There are 16 circle routes, 4 on each map, in the series of 4 Puncak Trek maps and guidebooks. Info about the maps and guides is found at www.puncaktrek.com. The website tells where to buy the maps and also contains updates on the circle routes, guide service, and links to other sites with info on the circle routes. See also a blog, puncaktrek.blogspot.com, about recent treks in the foothills. There is an open invitation for others to participate in the process of updating the trail info.

Website: www.puncaktrek.com

E-mail: alexkorns@yahoo.com

I hope this help. Cheers, Miree