Hello, again
Sorry it's been a little while, but there is always so much to be done... I was in Yogyakarta last week with some of the other bules, learning Bahasa Indonesia. Now I'm back in Jakarta. Then I'm back to Yogya again next week!
Yogya was cooler than Jakarta and the bloody mosquitos didn't seem nearly as bad. It has a large university, so things are laid back and hip. We rented a house a few blocks from the language school, Wisma Bahasa. Our classes were the first and last of the day. The course was well-run, and I learned far more than I knew previously. Hooray for numbers! Jen and I were entirely new to Bahasa, with Jen & Rob having spent several weeks in Indonesia last year. We wished there were an Indonesian version of Sesame Street we could practice with. Especially since Jen's and my Spanish skills kept wanting to fill in the blanks when we didn't know something.
I had lots of yummy food in Yogya - hot noodle soup off the street, an amazing goat soup curbside, fresh grilled fish, kebabs, and great coffee - and shopped for batik fabric to have shirts and skirts made from. We mastered the art of taking a becak, or three-wheeled 2-seater bike taksi, around Yogya. My feet were worn from walking, too. Conveniently, there was a spa just down the block from the school, where I had a much-needed pedicure.
With our free time and holiday (Aug 18th was Indonesia's Independence Day), we went to the sultan's palace at Kraton - the walled city within Yogya, a ballet performance of the Ramayana in front of the Prambanan temple, and also to Borobodour, a very large and beautiful Buddhist temple outside Yogya. Kraton was interesting and remains an important center of traditional Javanese performing arts and music. The traditional orchestra is called a gamelan (gemalan? sp?). The ballet depicts the classic text of the Ramayana to gamelan music. Morals of the story - guy gets girl and don't give monkey gods fire to play with. The ballet was very well done and I enjoyed the whole thing. Definitely something to see if you get the chance. I shot a little video and will try to post it on YouTube - stay tuned.
We spent several hours at Borobodour. It was amazing. The temple is solid and has 10 levels corresponding to the 10 levels of desire and spiritual enlightenment. There was a "technical error" (yeah, right) when the temple was restored and friezes at the first level - earthly desires (read: sex) - were covered up. At the 4th(?) (sorry, can't remember exactly) level the friezes going around clockwise depict the last Buddha's life and progression to enlightenment, as well as his previous lives. We spent the most time at this level, with our fantastic guide, Jean. The carvings are truly beautiful. The top 3 levels represent heaven with all sorts of interesting symbolism. It was really crowded at the top with all the holiday traffic, so I was actually glad to leave heaven and head back to earth...
I like Yogya and won't mind being back there next week. Our project is validating a new rapid, onsite test for influenza A (including HPAI H5N1) for use in Indonesia with the PDS/R program. [Stock tip here: buy into Synbiotics] I will be there next week to assist in transferring the samples to the government lab for confirmatory testing. No more trips to Borobodour, but I know where the good coffee is! And I won't have to deal with Eric's driving - becak, car, or otherwise. Next time I ride with him remind me to bring my ojek helmet.
New photos posted for Yogya and some of its sights!
Hugs to all, E
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Monday, August 13, 2007
Bahasa Indonesia
Greetings from Yogyakarta!
I am here with the other Field Program Facilitators (FPFs: Jen, Stacie, Ali, and myself), as well as Eric, our boss, and Stacie's husband, enrolled in an intensive language training course for Bahasa Indonesia - literally "the language of Indonesia" - taught at Wisma Bahasa. We arrived Sunday night from Jakarta on my first domestic flight in Indonesia, on Garuda Air. While flying Garuda, unlike other domestic airlines, we get to fly out of the more posh international terminal at Jakarta's airport. Together with Stacie's husband, we are all renting a house near the language school.
Last night we took becaks - 3-wheeled bicycle taxis that hold 2 people - to dinner and shopping for household provisions. Much slower than ojeks and maybe a little safer, but barely getting through a busy intersection before the light changes, while facing impatient cars and motorcycles, doesn't make me feel much safer. But it puts life in a different perspective to travel at the slower pace.
Yogya is a former royal capital of Indonesia, and we hope to go to the historic, walled part of the city (Kraton) during our mid-day break tomorrow. So far it has seemed cooler and more comfortable here than in Jakarta. Today we went shopping for batik fabrics and bed sheets. We will have a tailor make shirts, skirts, and pillowcases of the fabric. I finally ate at a roadside cart vendor, and it was delicious! We had steaming noodle soup with chicken and vegetables. I declined the iced tea and so far am feeling no ill effects... Knock on wood! Friday is Indonesia's Independence Day, and we hope to go to Borobodour, a famous Buddhist temple nearby. Maybe a play on Thursday night, also, since Yogya is known for its arts community.
In terms of the project, I still don't have paperwork to travel, so I am stuck editing reports for the office. Good chance to work on boards questions, lecture material, and editing my Nepal paper. The first human death from HPAI on Bali was confirmed today. That will likely bring a lot of attention to the situation here, since Bali is so well-known and touristy. Because Bali is a small island, especially in relationship to Java, it is theoretically possible to eradicate HPAI from Bali. However, boat and ferry traffic bringing birds and bird products to Bali would have to be stopped and searched. It will be interesting to see how the Indonesian government and the international aid community respond to this first human case there.
Take care, and have a great week!
Selamat malam!
E
I am here with the other Field Program Facilitators (FPFs: Jen, Stacie, Ali, and myself), as well as Eric, our boss, and Stacie's husband, enrolled in an intensive language training course for Bahasa Indonesia - literally "the language of Indonesia" - taught at Wisma Bahasa. We arrived Sunday night from Jakarta on my first domestic flight in Indonesia, on Garuda Air. While flying Garuda, unlike other domestic airlines, we get to fly out of the more posh international terminal at Jakarta's airport. Together with Stacie's husband, we are all renting a house near the language school.
Last night we took becaks - 3-wheeled bicycle taxis that hold 2 people - to dinner and shopping for household provisions. Much slower than ojeks and maybe a little safer, but barely getting through a busy intersection before the light changes, while facing impatient cars and motorcycles, doesn't make me feel much safer. But it puts life in a different perspective to travel at the slower pace.
Yogya is a former royal capital of Indonesia, and we hope to go to the historic, walled part of the city (Kraton) during our mid-day break tomorrow. So far it has seemed cooler and more comfortable here than in Jakarta. Today we went shopping for batik fabrics and bed sheets. We will have a tailor make shirts, skirts, and pillowcases of the fabric. I finally ate at a roadside cart vendor, and it was delicious! We had steaming noodle soup with chicken and vegetables. I declined the iced tea and so far am feeling no ill effects... Knock on wood! Friday is Indonesia's Independence Day, and we hope to go to Borobodour, a famous Buddhist temple nearby. Maybe a play on Thursday night, also, since Yogya is known for its arts community.
In terms of the project, I still don't have paperwork to travel, so I am stuck editing reports for the office. Good chance to work on boards questions, lecture material, and editing my Nepal paper. The first human death from HPAI on Bali was confirmed today. That will likely bring a lot of attention to the situation here, since Bali is so well-known and touristy. Because Bali is a small island, especially in relationship to Java, it is theoretically possible to eradicate HPAI from Bali. However, boat and ferry traffic bringing birds and bird products to Bali would have to be stopped and searched. It will be interesting to see how the Indonesian government and the international aid community respond to this first human case there.
Take care, and have a great week!
Selamat malam!
E
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
photo site
I finally got a few photos posted of the house in the Pejaten neighborhood of Jakarta! I will continue to post photos at this site as I get them:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jetsetvet/
Finally got email running outside the office from my laptop. Yea! Now I can keep up more with everyone... Next will be Skype. Get out those headsets!
E
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jetsetvet/
Finally got email running outside the office from my laptop. Yea! Now I can keep up more with everyone... Next will be Skype. Get out those headsets!
E
Monday, August 6, 2007
groundhog day
Greetings from Jakarta, land of the FAO merry-go-round.
I make a loop from Eric & Dale's house to the project office, with an occasional trip to the main FAO office. Like a carousel going around and around, the scenery never changes. It is starting to make me sick. No government clearance to actually work or travel outside Jakarta. The present reason may change, but the outcome never seems to. Minimum one hour to go anywhere, stuck in Jakarta traffic and its associated noxious fumes. Not to mention Rozy's obnoxious cassette of 80's and 90's pop that he plays endlessly in the car. No internet outside the Deptan office, even though I now have a satellite modem, because it doesn't seem to be working with my clunky personal laptop. No email from my Blackberry because the woman at Thamrin who programs them is often on holiday. No official laptop for at least another week and a half. Slow connection at Deptan occasionally punctuated by some ill-explained busywork that is apparently quite urgent. Texts and emails to the boss about how to transfer large sums of money via Paypal (for a year's worth of rent) ignored, leaving me to seriously consider a cash advance through AmEx, with an associated large fee.
Then, when a whole day of that is over, we go home to let out the dog and be eaten by mosquitos inside the house. It is dead silent at the house, except when the bloody dog is barking or whining. I'll take Dale's new rooster crowing over Sheena any day. After an early dinner of rice, fried chicken, tempeh, and maybe some vegetables, everyone falls silent into his or her book, laptop, or room. And that is it for the night. Repeat for the full day on weekends, with an occasional shopping trip or dip in the pool. I have finished 4 books, a dozen crosswords, the daily paper, 2 magazines, and many games of solitaire since I left the U.S.
Sorry to be so depressing. But, well, it is depressingly frustrating. Tomorrow is election day for the governor of Jakarta and a work-from-home kind of day. Traffic is expected to be horrible, and crowds may not be safe. I think would scream if I had to sit all day at the silent house with no access to the larger world. I will find a cafe or bookstore, even if I don't actually have any work to do, and go there. For the whole day. Next week we are to go to Yogjakara for intensive language training. Normally I would be excited, but today I'm finding it hard to be excited about much. It has to be better than my current situation. Yogja is supposed to be nice. I hope we get to see more of it than the inside of a classroom and the house we are renting for the week.
On a brighter note, Dale and I visited the orchid market this weekend. If I can figure out how to make the payment, I will get my micro-penthouse apartment hopefully by this weekend. It has been suggested that I wait to move my stuff in once we are back from language training so it isn't sitting there for a week, available to be stolen while I am gone. Great!
It was nice to talk to the family over the past few days, and congrats to Mark & Heather on their engagement! Stay in touch...
I make a loop from Eric & Dale's house to the project office, with an occasional trip to the main FAO office. Like a carousel going around and around, the scenery never changes. It is starting to make me sick. No government clearance to actually work or travel outside Jakarta. The present reason may change, but the outcome never seems to. Minimum one hour to go anywhere, stuck in Jakarta traffic and its associated noxious fumes. Not to mention Rozy's obnoxious cassette of 80's and 90's pop that he plays endlessly in the car. No internet outside the Deptan office, even though I now have a satellite modem, because it doesn't seem to be working with my clunky personal laptop. No email from my Blackberry because the woman at Thamrin who programs them is often on holiday. No official laptop for at least another week and a half. Slow connection at Deptan occasionally punctuated by some ill-explained busywork that is apparently quite urgent. Texts and emails to the boss about how to transfer large sums of money via Paypal (for a year's worth of rent) ignored, leaving me to seriously consider a cash advance through AmEx, with an associated large fee.
Then, when a whole day of that is over, we go home to let out the dog and be eaten by mosquitos inside the house. It is dead silent at the house, except when the bloody dog is barking or whining. I'll take Dale's new rooster crowing over Sheena any day. After an early dinner of rice, fried chicken, tempeh, and maybe some vegetables, everyone falls silent into his or her book, laptop, or room. And that is it for the night. Repeat for the full day on weekends, with an occasional shopping trip or dip in the pool. I have finished 4 books, a dozen crosswords, the daily paper, 2 magazines, and many games of solitaire since I left the U.S.
Sorry to be so depressing. But, well, it is depressingly frustrating. Tomorrow is election day for the governor of Jakarta and a work-from-home kind of day. Traffic is expected to be horrible, and crowds may not be safe. I think would scream if I had to sit all day at the silent house with no access to the larger world. I will find a cafe or bookstore, even if I don't actually have any work to do, and go there. For the whole day. Next week we are to go to Yogjakara for intensive language training. Normally I would be excited, but today I'm finding it hard to be excited about much. It has to be better than my current situation. Yogja is supposed to be nice. I hope we get to see more of it than the inside of a classroom and the house we are renting for the week.
On a brighter note, Dale and I visited the orchid market this weekend. If I can figure out how to make the payment, I will get my micro-penthouse apartment hopefully by this weekend. It has been suggested that I wait to move my stuff in once we are back from language training so it isn't sitting there for a week, available to be stolen while I am gone. Great!
It was nice to talk to the family over the past few days, and congrats to Mark & Heather on their engagement! Stay in touch...
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