Indonesia is not a nanny state like the countries I spent
the last 30 plus years in. If I buy a
hairdryer here there will not be a sticker advising me not to stand in the
shower and use it, I must use my own common sense to assess that running water
and electrical products don’t go together.
This country will not warn me that I should not drive with my new sun
shield in place, that my Windex window cleaner is not fit for human consumption
or that my microwave is not to be used for drying pets. In Indonesia they assume that I can probably
work these things out for myself and therefore keep myself safe. Well that is
what I thought prior to Sunday.
Safety standards here are very different to those in
Australia, New Zealand and generally anywhere in the western world. I have come to except it as normal that my
power points spark during an electrical storm, scared the hell out of me the
first time but I am used to it now. It
has taken a year and many destroyed electrical items but I have also grasped
the fact that turning something off at the power point does not mean that it is
off and that the only way to make sure the hair straightner will not remain on
until it over heats and dies is to unplug it at the wall. Apparently my house is not earthed, there is
no automatic blowing of fuses when something goes awry electrically and every time
I plug or unplug something I hope for the best.



Needless to say instructions have been given that the fan is
to remain OFF at all times and there will be an influx of smoke detectors
arriving at Batu Putih 4 as soon as I can arrange them. Perhaps safety tags are
not such a bad idea and may have come about from somebody actually doing
something as stupid as using the hair dryer in the shower. I now
believe that screw drivers in this county should carry a warning tag that
states “do not use on live electrical wiring” and that duct tape maybe needs a
tag saying “this product is not fire resistant”. I am hoping my fan stays attached to the
roof and that I no longer need my new found fire fighting skills but am not
counting on it.