“A lot of team building and team work”–those were the words used by Marsha Nadila, a 25 year old executive, to describe her flatsharing experience. I had a great time listening to her unique and fun stories. Time to share it with you guys!
How long did you live in a shared apartment?
For about a year
What type of an apartment is it?
A two-bedroom apartment at the Green Palace apartment, South Jakarta.
How did you decide to live in an apartment?
I wanted to find a place that is more comfortable than a “kost-kostan”, so I decided to look for an apartment. The reason that I choose Green Palace is because it’s pretty close from where I work, plus the rent is still affordable, compared to other areas in Jakarta.
How did you first found your flatmate?
They were my co-workers at and we once worked on the same project as well, so we decided to share an apartment together because we thought it would be easier to coordinate. Plus, we knew we wanted to share because living costs here in Jakarta is pretty high and sharing is a way to ease our burden.
What made you decide you wanted to move in with two guys?
Well, they’re really nice guys and I know them really well. So I was alright with it. Plus, we’re best friends, the three of us are goofballs and are so used to each other at work as well so I didn’t mind it.
What’s so fun about having your co-workers as flatmates?
You can try and resolve work problems together, even when you’re not at the office, and of course there’s the benefit of sharing the rent, you’ve established an understanding right from the start, so nobody would pay late or anything like that. Plus, I feel like my monthly expenses got significantly reduced compared to when I was living alone in a “kost-kostan”.
What’s the downside?
Not everyone has the same level or the same standard of tidiness or cleanliness. Plus, I was living with two guys, so for sure, I ended up being the one who does most of the cleaning, almost every time. Just like cinderella but with two older brothers. haha.
So what do you think about the flatsharing trend?
I think here in Indonesia, you’re starting to see a lot of it, especially among young professionals, although it’s still not their first choice. Unless they are workers who came from out-of-town who really have no choice but to bunk together to cut costs. It also has something to do with the custom here, where people usually stay with their parents, especially those who aren’t married. It is also considered taboo to live with strangers, so I think a lot of people are still scared to the idea of flatsharing.
Now that you’ve experienced flatsharing, what are your thoughts about it? Would it be something that you’d recommend?
Oh yeah. It might not be for everybody but it can be a great experience if you share it with the right people. Plus you can’t really deny the benefits, especially cutting your living cost in half.
So what are your thoughts about a Serumah.com?
I do think there will be quite a lot of people who would use Serumah.com. Because right now, there are very limited information you can get about places to share or people who are looking to share a place with. So it’s a very useful site.