Scott Hanna: Father, Volunteer, Gym Rat
If you’ve ever participated in a creative fundraiser in Jakarta, the chances are you’ve run into Scott Hanna. We meet...
Hush Petersen
Herry the Rujak Man
Rujak (fruit salad with a spicy sauce) may have been born in East Indonesia, but it makes its home in...
Erdin the Pemulung
It’s midday in Jakarta, and an unforgivingly hot sun is beating down on the pavement. The city’s voice is roaring. Cement trucks...
Mbak Noor and the Love of Her Life
Noor is married to her job. Every morning she sets up shop on her curb, behind the Ministry of Education...
Edy and Rachmat, the 3-in-1 Coffee Guys
For Edy and his son Rachmat, coffee is a family affair. This father and son duo have been brewing coffee,...
Lutfi the Law Clerk: Finding Peace at Ramadhan
Sahur, the pre-dawn meal Muslims take before the first call to prayer during Ramadhan is tricky. Most Indonesians wake...
Parman the Tissue and Face Mask Seller
The idea of being an entrepreneur is quickly trivializing itself, and rightfully so. Over the past five years Indonesia—and the...
Birth Certificates
When Fanta, a four-year-old girl living with her family under the toll road in West Jakarta was molested, Jakarta Police...
Inaro the Kerokan Healer
A conversation about world of healing would be incomplete without mentioning the wonderful world of kerokan. Kerokan, synonymous with masuk...
Abdul the Kopaja Driver
It’s a lazy Sunday afternoon along Jalan Sudirman, and Abdul Kodir is taking his time. Abdul is sitting in the...
Trisno the Mobile Coffee Seller
Trisno was far from surprised when Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle chairwoman, Megawati Sukarnoputri gave Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo the...
Laiman the Cigarette-Loving Restaurant Manager
The ash on Laiman’s cigarette curls and turns grey like a witch’s fingernail. It finally falls on his pants. He...
Dede the Ojek Payung
For as long as there have been umbrellas, there have been ojek payung. Every time the skies open over the...
Fizal the Jalan Surabaya Shop Apprentice
For the best deals, it?s a good idea to peek back behind the first row of shops and along the...
Nathan the Snake Rescuer
For people like Nathan Rusli, who picked up his first cobra at the ripe old age of six, handling snakes...
Peter The Driver Sporting a Movember Moustache
Every morning for the past few weeks, as Peter Sembiring is on his way out the door, leaving to go...
The Delicacy that May Turn Your Stomach
Eating a tambelo is a lot like swallowing 30 centimetres of your own mucus. Foodies brave enough to take the...
“Iman”: the Exotic Pet Trader
Although Jalan Barito renowned for its access to some of Indonesia?s most exotic pets, Iman dismisses the rumour that eager...
Faces of Jakarta: Citra, the National Library Librarian
For the last six years, Citra, who boards a train and a bajaj every day, wakes up well before the...
Keribo, Danu and Agay: The Buskers
Keribo and his friends Danu and Agay take pride in entertaining bus passengers - they ride anywhere between 40 and...
Pak Kumis and Ibu Aseh the Warung Owners
It may not look like much from the road, but just under the awning, Pak Kumis and his wife of...