One Year Into a Lifetime

The question comes just about every week, as it does for other transcontinental transplants.

"How long are you planning to stay in Indonesia?" ask office colleagues, new acquaintances and old friends, all wondering if my residency is dependent on the length of my employment contract.

My answer is always the same.  "I have no plans to leave."

But as I pass the one-year mark in this strangely addicting country, the basis of that response is changing.  From "There is no place else I need to be," it's moved to "This is where I want to be."

And let me tell you why.

First, the reason for my being here at all.  The work I am doing at what I consider the country’s pioneering TV news channel continues to be a rewarding challenge.  And

that is important in any job, especially when you are past the mid-career point.  My mission remains the same -- helping establish a more international standard of journalism.

It hasn't always been easy.

Take the time we were launching a new program following weeks of preparation.  On the day of its debut, a key staff member simply didn't show up.

 "I thought it was my day off," he said inexplicably.

 But the positives have far outnumbered the negatives at the office.  I was thrilled when we were able to put out a show despite being flooded out of our studio during the terrible February rains.  Co-anchor Kania Sutisnawinata and I stood on a ledge alongside the flowing river that was actually the roadway fronting our building.

And I was surprised and touched when staff members presented me with my

first "baju koko" (Indonesian high-collared dress shirt) on my birthday.

The personal side of life made me smile as well.  There have been moments of simple satisfaction and genuine delight.

When it seemed like no one or group was taking the lead on bird flu prevention, I joined a national steering committee that put together a month-long public education campaign to begin the new year.  When an outbreak coincidentally occurred within days of the campaign's launch, our media messages couldn't have been more timely.  The battle is still far from being won, but at the time we felt like we were actually helping.

Attending the wedding reception of a colleague was a pleasurable introduction to cross-cultural Indonesia.  The Javanese costumes and ceremonies were as captivating as a formal kimono wedding in Japan.  And when Utomo got up to sing the American pop ballad You Make Me Feel Brand New for his bride Ika, I felt right at home, digging the moment of musical fusion.

And it's taken me nearly 30 years, but I'm back on the dance floor.  My first taste of formal lessons came during the "Saturday Night Fever" disco era when I convinced newsroom colleagues in Hawaii to hustle over to a nearby studio.  Now, it's salsa, and my initial class in the STC Senayan was more than fun.  It sure makes you feel so smo-o-o-oth. 

In this wild, frustrating, enchanting and motivating place, there is so much more to learn and do.  In my second year and beyond, I want to become more a part of the local landscape.  I will appreciate any help I get along the way, hoping for and pledging the following:

I will learn at least a conversational level of Bahasa Indonesia.  I've known too many expats in other Asian capitals who never took the time to truly respect and better communicate with their native friends.

Indonesia converts its numerical punctuation to the accepted international form.  I thought everyone had become fabulously wealthy when I first saw the rupiah at "9.400" to the dollar.

An invitation for a home-cooked meal will come sooner rather than later. Though I enjoy the cool comfort, I'm fast tiring of mall cuisine.  And I love the Grand Hyatt buffet, but I can only stomach it so many more times.

Someone will actually acknowledge that they're driving on the wrong side of the road with a "Thank you, I'm sorry" handwave.

President Yudhoyono gets over his reticence for sit-down interviews and answers questions like "Why is it taking so long to help the people devastated by the Sidoarjo mudflow?"

All of the above, to further plant me in the place I'm happy to call home.

Hawaii native Dalton Tanonaka is the co-anchor of Metro TV’s Indonesia Now program, seen on Saturday mornings at 7 a.m. and Sundays at 5:30 p.m.  He can be reached at dalton@metrotvnews.com.

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