Not a Good Start

Feeling exhausted and sluggish this morning, and snoozing for as long as I possibly could in order to still have time to shower before work, it already wasn’t the best start to the day. Looking at the clock, I didn’t have much time before I needed to leave. I ordered a Go-Jek, but instead of the normal message saying someone would arrive in 1-2 minutes, I was met with a 10-minute wait. Noooo! I’m probably gonna be late now!

Grumbling to myself, I decided I might as well wait in the living room, since waiting outside in the humid stickiness that comes with living on the equator leaves me sweaty and makes my glasses fog up. As I aimlessly looked out the windows to the lush greenery, I did a double-take. What in the… No way!

One of my windows was completely shattered! And due to the wind outside, a large hole had begun to form near the top, as shards of glass had fallen down on the floor. Bewildered and wondering how this could have happened, I felt my heart beating faster, going into a bit of a panic. Right about this time, a light rain started. Fearing that another downpour would kick up any minute like it did yesterday (and the day before), I worried about my house getting water damage, as undoubtedly the hole would continue to get bigger, as the wind and rain pushed its way in.

I immediately called my boss, telling him I would be late, and cancelled my Go-Jek. I then called and called the property manager, but he didn’t pick up. Ringing security was an adventure in miscommunication, as I was passed from person to person, before someone said they would come. My level of Bahasa Indonesia does not include vocabulary such as broken, window, glass, shattered, or emergency. So heaven only knows what they thought was wrong with me or my house!

Once the security guard arrived and assessed the situation, he smiled and let out what I felt like was a laugh. In my not-so-nice voice, I told him that I don’t appreciate him laughing nor do I think this is a funny situation. This only made him do it more! Calling Veronica, my friend and neighbor who is Indonesian, I asked her to speak with him and ask him why he was laughing. She explained that it was more of a nervous laughter due to his inability to communicate in English and that all of the security guards basically drew straws to see who would have to come and deal with the bule who doesn’t speak Bahasa Indonesia. Calming down a bit, I understood his situation, having dealt with similar ones in China before. However, it infuriates me when someone laughs at me when I’m upset and dealing with an unpleasant situation, and I have a hard time understanding this cultural behavior. But I’m trying to accept it.

A few minutes later, a few more people were called in to assist. Soon my house looked like a tornado had hit it, as furniture was shoved to the other side of the room, carpets were rolled up, and the area was cleared to make way for the plastic sheeting that was laid on the floor. Conscious of the time and my 8:40 lesson observation, I called another Go-Jek. Although it was a bit unsettling to leave not knowing what was going to happen and what I would find when I came home tonight, and the fact that I had to leave my house unlocked with several strangers in it, I finally left for school.

For reference, this is what my living room normally looks like:

I received a message later this afternoon from the property manager with a photo of the wood that replaced the broken window. Apparently the glass takes about a week to come in, so for the time being, my lovely view is obstructed by this beautiful plywood. It was definitely not a good start to the day, but luckily it got better as it went on.