A video

Check this out to see Indonesia! It is a great look at Jakarta and Indonesia. Thanks to my colleague, Annie for sharing this.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_gZFwjviSw

Street scenes

I pass thesescenes everyday in the few blocks between home and school.

This is recycling Jakarta style. The man at the top is collecting
plastic bottles in the large bag. The man below, (you can just see his
feet sticking out) recycles and lives in his cart. This was taken in
the early morning and he was still sleeping. He is often in the same spot,
still napping in the late afternoon.

Many Muslim women wear the head scarf and conservative clothes.
The woman and child on the right hope to make money by hitching
a ride with someone who is in a car alone, so as to follow the 3 in1
rule for traffic on the main streets.She will jump into to someone's
car and travel to the end of the restricted area then hope to do the
same thing back.

The food vendors move their carts into position early in the morning
and are there until late at night.

This man is at the entrance to the Kampung (means village but has become synonymous for slum)
everyday. Some cars and lots of motorcycles take a shortcut through the Kampung and he helps
stop traffic to make it possible to turn. He then collects a few cents in his bucket from the drivers.

Thinking about what I will miss...

1. The great people that I have met from all over the world.

2. The beautiful  pool outside my door.

3. Having 3 teachers and 14 kids in my class.

4. Our Monday night foot massage for $8.

5. The cream hair bath at the spa by the pool for $6.

6. Flights to Bali for $100.

7.The chatty walk to school each morning with Kathy.

A Last Get Away to Bandung

Bandung is a city in the mountains, a 3 hour train ride from Jakarta. It is very pretty once you are up above the city in the cool air of the hills. This last trip we did nothing but enjoy the beautiful views and relax by the pool. The temperature was in the mid 20's and there was a lovely breeze, like a beautiful summer day at home. Just one month to go and it was a nice way to think about our time here before leaving.

The view from our room with the jungle overtaking the stairway.

The infinity pool and jungle hillside beyond.

The view from the restaurant.

Erica and Tara and below, Kathy and I in the beautiful lobby that looks across the valley.

A Tropical Island Getaway

A few weeks ago, Kathy and I spent the weekend on Tiger Island, a tiny island with an eco resort, which is part of The 1000 Islands Group. We were picked up at 8:00 am Saturday at the port in Jakarta for what was supposed to be a 2 hour trip. We weren't long on the boat before it got really rough and brought back memories of our trip to Krakatoa. The good thing was that this was a bigger speed boat. We were speeding over the waves and crashing down into the troughs so hard that we came off the seat. The young American beside me, who was a sailor, said they were 10 foot swells. He thought he was amusing when he whistled the tune from Gilligan's Island! The boat stopped after we had been travelling for about half an hour. We had read that this was common as sometimes things get caught in the propeller. We got going again after a few minutes then stopped again for a longer time. Eventually, we stopped for a third time at an island and waited there for another boat to come and pick us up. I guess it was more than propeller problems. So our 2 hour trip turned into 4 hours but it was all worth it when we got to Tiger Island. We had a beach hut built with a deck out over the water. It had no walls, just bamboo shades that could be rolled up and down and mosquito netting around the beds. There was great snorkeling and an even tinier, uninhabited island that you could walk or swim across to which really made you feel like Robinson Crusoe.
It was a fun get away and the best part? The ride home was smooth as glass!

Funny Things About Indonesia

There are many things that strike me as funny about Indonesia and one of them is the fact that the number 4 is considered unlucky. In my apartment building there is no 4th floor, or 14, 24, 34 etc. In the huge malls nearby, they go to great effort to avoid the number 4, but still have malls with many levels. There is a Basement level, then Ground followed by Upper Ground, 1, 2, 3, 3A, so a 7 level mall without ever getting to 4!


Another thing is that it is uncommon to have hot water in the kitchen, except for in the fancier homes. In my apartment the only hot water is in the shower. The kitchen and bathroom sinks have only cold. The good thing is that the "cold" is actually tepid. No cold showers here!


Another rare thing, at least in apartments, are ovens. Most apartments come only with a stove top. I think that may be because most Indonesians seem to eat out rather than cook. There are small cafes and food carts everywhere. Speaking of eating out, some more funny things; water is always served at room temperature unless you specifically ask for cold (mostly foreigners), you could sit all day and they would never bring you the bill until you ask for it but once they bring it they stand by the table waiting while everyone sorts out the money.


The movie theatres are amazing. There are the regular theatres which are spacious with comfortable seats and are really cheap, ($3 for newly released movies) and then there are the more expensive theatres. For a few dollars more, you sit in a comfy reclining seat (like a lazy boy), configured in twos with a table in between to hold drinks and snacks which you order from a waiter. In the drawer of the table are freshly cleaned blankets to cuddle up with while you watch the latest release and wait for your drink and snacks to be delivered.

Some men here have only one name.


One last thing - you don't go to  "pick up a dozen eggs" because the cartons here hold 10!

A Crazy School Day

Yesterday will go down as one of the craziest school days I've had here. It is common for parents to ask if they can come in with a birthday cake on their child's birthday. They usually contact me a few days ahead and we find a time that works. We sing happy birthday in three languages and all have a piece of cake. Yesterday was William's birthday. He is from one of the families labeled VVIP which usually indicates they are related to the owner of the school and are afforded special privileges.  The mother's personal assistant came to the classroom door partway through the morning with a gigantic cake box in her arms. When I looked surprised, she said that she was here for the birthday party. I told her that the class was busy and that I hadn't been expecting her. By this time, William was aware of the cake and super excited. I told the PA to wait while we cleaned up and we could have the cake then. A few minutes later when I opened the door for her, an entourage followed; there were several siblings and cousins from various other classes and their nannies, a couple of aunts and uncles,William's private Chinese tutor, and best of all, their professional photographer! I asked the PA to light the candles so we could get started and she said, "Oh no, the mommy isn't here yet!" "Where is the mommy?" I asked. "Stuck in traffic," was the answer (of course). We played a couple of games, with the photographer snapping photos the whole time, while I was privately seething at the whole interruption to our day. I was just about to send everyone away when mom and dad arrived with a couple of extra relations. On with the party! We sang, had more photos, and passed out cake. That's when the  personal assistant mentioned that the lunch was late. "What lunch?" I asked.  A few minutes later boxes of pizza, burgers and fries arrived. By this time, I realized the morning was shot and decided to go with the flow. But, I guess they picked up on some of my frustration because this morning there was an apology in my inbox... not from the mom and day but from their personal assistant!