Alexandra Murcia

Alexandra Murcia was born and bred in Colombia’s capital, Bogota. Fresh out of a German-based internship and keen to put her MBA to work, at the age of 25 she accepted an expatriate position with an international pharmaceutical marketing company in Jakarta. At the time, she spoke Spanish, German and English but says she didn’t know where Indonesia was.

I knew it was in Asia – but I had no idea exactly where. I did the interview for the job at the airport at Frankfurt and came here February 28, 2005. I started working the next day.

I had been to Bogota to see my family before arriving in Jakarta. The trip was 38 hours. I was exhausted, with one big bag and a small one, looking for my boss and his wife at the airport.

I was surprised when I saw the city. It was already in the evening and there was a traffic jam on the toll road. I remember thinking there were so many skyscrapers – we don’t have so many in Bogota.

I was expecting something different. I knew that Indonesia was a Muslim country – but I don’t know why – I just thought I would see many Chinese houses.

And the lights along the roads – I wondered if they were from Christmas. I realized later they were there permanently for decoration.

I was not so shocked during my first month. But it was my first job in English. My first big job. I work with 48 Indonesians and my boss, who is German. It’s not always easy. At the beginning, I was told what to expect, but I had to experience it myself.

My first night I was too scared to go outside. In Colombia if you go out like this with people calling at you, “Mister, Mister”, you would be terrified. But here I now know the people on the street would not do anything at all. They are probably more scared of me.

I still get very mad in taxis. There is always macet. The first time the taxi took a different street back at night to my hotel, down a small street to avoid the traffic, I was so scared I wanted to jump out of the moving car. I was yelling at the driver. I was terrified. Then I saw the hotel.

Almost all taxi drivers ask the same questions. It’s like a recording. “Where are you from, how long have you been here.” I learned in Bahasa to say the months and to count from answering questions in taxis. I’ve been here for two-and-a-half years now, so I can count quite well (giggles).

I’ll go home in October, but now I’m thinking I will miss my friends, like Jacky, and I’m already so used to living here. Yes, I still get angry with the taxis and there’s always macet and there’s the pollution and I always complain, but in some ways I’m already used to it.

It was a challenge for me to come here. I wanted to prove to myself I could do it – and I have. My advice is to know it’s not easy to be here by yourself. I’ve tried to find many people to be with and I’ve made many friends. But I’m ready to go home.

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