Being a foreigner in a foreign country, all alone, can be fun and challenging.
And the challenges can be good is so many ways, and also bad in some ways, particularly if the foreigner is a woman.
Jiah, who runs the YouTube channel called JIAH 지아, is a content creator from South Korea. She managed to captivate her Indonesian audience, by speaking in Bahasa Indonesia, which she learned from her studies at a university in South Korea.
And in one of her videos, she is seen visiting Manado, the capital city of the Indonesian province of North Sulawesi, and at one point creates a food review content.
Then the unexpectedly happened.
In her video, she is seen ordering food at a local restaurant, located near the hostel she was staying.
She expresses her love in iced Brenebon, which is shaved ice with kidney beans and flavoring, like condensed milk, put on top. She said that it reminds her of Pat-Bingsu, a milk-based Korean shaved ice dessert with sweet toppings. She also likes the corn fritter she was eating.
Then suddenly, two men approached her, and started a conversation.
The men then asked for permission to sit by her at the table, and asked whether she was live, in which she responded that she was only recording.
They are then introduce themselves, where Jiah said that she is not a local Manado, and is a South Korean national, a solo traveler.
When she said that she is alone and open for new friends, the first man, a bald man, reached out his hand to introduce himself.
"I'm the new friend," he said, introducing his name as "Albert."
The other man introduced himself as Alex.
Things were quite awkward, before it became very uncomfortable for the young woman.
At one point, Albert even asked to have a scoop at her Brenebon, with his own spoon, Jiah gave him permission. But later, when Albert tried to feed her, she declined.
In the conversation, Jiah tries to be friendly, and asked the two men, whether they were there for business, and for how long they were staying.
Albert then playfully said that he was departing the next day, and asked Jiah to come to his hotel.
Jiah who couldn't believe what she heard, made Albert to repeat what he said, in which he did.
Albert invited Jiah to his hotel, in less than 2 minutes after knowing each others' names.
The man has said that he stayed at Swiss-Belhotel.
Jiah politely declined the man's advances, saying that she has to board a ferry to Bunaken at 2 p.m. that day.
When Albert offered to pay for her lunch, Jiah insisted to keep splitting the bill.
When Jiah uploaded the video to her YouTube account, and showed how awkward the moment was for her through captions, the video quickly went viral on platforms like Twitter and TikTok.
"I'm sure not all Indonesians are like this, which I find very rude, I'm really shocked. Someone I just met asking to come to a hotel," said Jiah.
Jiah’s YouTube channel features a number of videos, and quite a handful of subscribers.
She often explores Indonesia, visiting places like Pulau Seribu, Bogor, Bandung, and Sukabumi. Her content resonates with viewers due to her unique perspective as a South Korean YouTuber in Indonesia.
While she isn't fluent in Bahasa Indonesia, her bilingual skill is a unique attraction to Indonesians.
Jiah’s unexpected encounter with the bald gentleman added an intriguing twist to her Indonesian adventure.
She first became a YouTube content creator in 2021, after leaving her steady job at Incheon Airport in South Korea. She left her work, even when her excellent performance led her to a promotion, when she realized the regulations prohibited staff from having side jobs, as the airport is government-owned.
"Jiah, I, as an Indonesian representing my country, apologize. These 'uncles' are not good and have ill intentions towards you. It's not appropriate for random people to invite you to activities at a hotel," expressed a netizen.
"Jiah, I want to comment again, if this person has your contact or social media, block them immediately. We don't want anything bad happening to you here," wrote another in a comment.
It's then realized that "Albert" is not the man he said his name was.
His real name is Asri Damuna, and he is a government official at the Indonesian Ministry of Transportation.
When the video went viral, and that netizens found out who he really is, Asri clarified the meaning behind inviting Jiah to the hotel.
He said that it was her who first asked where he was staying, and it was only after that, that Asri invited Jiah to drop by.
Asri mentioned that the video regarding her invitation to the hotel has undergone extensive editing and lacks complete context.
"After we ate, she asked where I was staying. I said I was staying at the hotel across from Swiss-Bel, and if she wanted to drop by, she could. But the essence is that these circulating videos have been heavily edited and are fragmented," said Asri as quoted from local media TVOne.
Asri also admits to having no intention of flirting. He was simply being friendly in inviting the YouTuber.
It's then said that Albert aka. Asri, had to report because doing what he did is not a behavior a government official should portray.
"It's clear (there's an investigation from the office). Today, this afternoon, I'm heading to the office to go to Jakarta, to clarify the actual events. It's a trial, because upon examination, looking at the initial videos, there were no negative actions," said Asri.
"That's why I'm overly afraid because I feel there were no negative actions from my side. I can't accept it because it's already affecting my family and my job," she concluded.
Later, reports suggest that Asri is relieved from his post as the Head of the Unit Management Office at Sangia Nibandera Airport in Kolaka, Southeast Sulawesi.
