Challenges of working abroad

We are all products of our environment and our experiences. I often wonder which has the greater impact on behavior – past or present experiences. I would argue that with people we know, we tend to weight the past more heavily than the present, overlooking minor slights, or major improvements, if past history reflects a different reality. With the unknown, however, I think primacy is the overriding factor. If we recently had a death in the family, we’re more likely to say we believe in ghosts, or the afterlife.

In medicine, and science as a whole, they follow a principle known as Occam’s Razor. Simply put, the simplest explanation is the most plausible and likely explanation. More colorfully put, when presented with symptoms, think horses, not zebras. Last week, at our mine site, we received another frantic call from a driver who was part of a caravan of vehicles in the jungle. While driving down one of the more remote roads, he heard a loud pop, and the windshield cracked.

He hit the brakes and dropped to the floor, grabbing at his radio to make the frantic call. Police, security, and military personnel converged on the scene to investigate. Their findings? A rock from the leading vehicle had flown through the air and hit the windshield. Occam’s Razor. Experiential inference, however, whispered: “Gunshot!”

I understand how the driver feels. Having experienced two earthquakes, and witnessed a city in distress – almost in a panic – after the hotel bombings, I, too, am more jittery than usual. Case in point – air conditioning. In our building, it is loud. When the compressor kicks on, and the vents open, I hear the deep “boom” and feel the change in air pressure. It’s exactly what I imagine a bomb blast would feel like, and what an earthquake does feel like, and I jump every time. Speaking with other expats, I’ve learned I’m not alone. Anyone who was in the building when a bomb exploded outside the Australian Embassy some years ago talk of being scared of moving vans, delivery trucks, and, yes, air conditioning for months, some until today.

A severe case of the jitters is not the only oddity one can enjoy working in Indonesia, especially at our mine site. We have a particular individual who stopped showing up for work over two weeks ago. Per our policy, we accept a three-day, unexcused absence as a voluntary resignation. One would think after two weeks we could post the position as open and fill it with a new person. Not so. Because this individual is a native to the island, we must obtain approval from the local tribal representatives. Technically, per policy, this is not a requirement. The labor agreement we have with them does not require it, either. The board that approves posting positions, however, will not allow us to fill it until the conversation happens.

Another example is when a local resigns or changes positions in the company. As soon as the local tribal representatives learn of a position vacated by a local – even if that local voluntarily transferred to a new position – they call to verify our intentions are to fill the vacancy with yet another local. Mayhem ensues if we do not.

Our annual report to the various national and local labor boards include itemizing the percentage of expats, percentage of Indonesians, and the percentage of Papuans. We have specific targets we must maintain of each classification. This should sound familiar to anyone who has ever heard of Affirmative Action.

Finally, and I have to be cautious how I word this for feel of being sent to jail, the application of the electronic defamation laws in Indonesia are interesting to observe. Back in June, I posted about a woman who went to jail for complaining about her hospital visit. Now, a TV host turned soap opera star used twitter to complain about entertainment journalists and has been reported to the police for defamation.

What an interesting world we live in.