22 Minutes of Fame (+ commercials)

House Hunters is an American reality series that currently airs episodes on the cable television network HGTV. It premiered in 1999 and has now expanded to the world with its House Hunters International series. The program follows individuals, couples, or families searching for a new home with the assistance of a realtor. Each broadcast features three properties, one of which is selected by the prospective buyer or renter. In the final moments of the show, the new owner provides a tour of the house, revealing what their new life is like in the new home.

                  A few months ago I woke up to a surprise in my inbox: it was an email from a TV show Associate Producer. The woman told me she had seen my blog online and thought I'd be a great fit for their House Hunters International Jakarta episode. I immediately jumped on the offer and thought what better way to document my life here than having a professional crew shoot it!  

After all, aren't 22 minutes of moving images worth a thousand words in a blog?

            Jakarta has a very distinct real estate market. To start: there are 2 categories of expats: the ones that can easily afford a 2000 USD + rent per month and the ones that can't. Being a teacher I fall into the second category which also means that my choices in terms of housing options are quite.... limited to say the least. The city has in fact a lot of both extremes: very rich and very poor... but very few of "in-betweens". 

So for us teachers finding a house in Jakarta is all word of mouth... although one might use the help of a broker if he's lucky to find one.  Other interesting facts about the real estate include: 

• one or two year rent to pay upfront
• included staff service (maid, gardener, guards) 
• and yearly arduous rent negotiation. 

We were blessed with an amazing crew!

         The 3 day movie shooting was a lot of fun! We tried to cover as much material as possible and got great shots of  my classroom at the French International school, the Mahakam animal market, the Kemang neighborhood,  the notorious heavy Jakarta traffic ... and much more. I'm very anxious to see how this will all translates on camera. Dates for the backstory shooting have been set and I cannot wait to be back in front of the camera. :)

Classroom scenes

Love C-