Aussie in Indonesia

2011-03-16T15:21:00.002+07:00

After so long away, it was with some surprise that I took a look and saw that the content of this blog is still hanging around in cyberspace. It's been near three years since I last wrote for this blog. Three years is a long time. Obviously.

Just as obviously, things change, people change, life itself changes. Not such a bad thing by the way. Would rather take tremulous steps forward than sideways or, indeed, backwards.

Not that the idea of stepping back (if one could call it that) has not been without some favour in the recent past. Notions of moving back to Australia has been high on the list. Working overseas no longer has the strong appeal it once had as far as financials go, with the US dollar on par with the Aussie, salaries in international schools are now, in most cases, below that of what one would earn back home as an experienced teacher. Sure you get free accommodation, and yes, flights home every year, and free medical... but thats about it. No pension, no super. Plus side: easy access to most places, experience of living in a foreign country, expatriate lifestyle.

So, one really needs to consider carefully what one does as contracts come to a close and decisions need to be made.

We've been near 3 years here in Dubai. I probably should have kept a blog while here but, honestly? there just wasn't much to write about. Here one lives a fairly normal suburban life, long hours at work, time with family, some with friends, a few small trips here and there, but thats about it. I guess the flavours of life one experiences in Indonesia do not appear as readily here. I know that others will find this assertion astonishing, claiming Dubai is the best thing since sliced bread. For many expats, this is indeed true. High salaries, maids, good roads, stable government, low crime, reasonable infrastructure, Friday brunches, all year round sunshine etc. I've certainly enjoyed my time here as its been easy. But, as they say, time for a change.

Come August we take a step further away from Australia, and yet this step seems to be the right one. South East Asia, the Middle East, and now Europe. Should be interesting, hopefully lifestyle, experiences etc will be worth it. I'll let you know.

2008-08-10T19:46:00.006+07:00

Good Bye

Well, our time here in Indonesia is now drawing to a close. We leave on Thursday, thus ending a 5 year stay here which has been full of highs and lows, fun and laughter, friendships and adventures. We have lived in two cities, Jakarta and then Surabaya. If you were to ask me which was my favourite I couldn’t say. Both have their merits. Jakarta is hugely fun to live in, with cafes, restaurants, odd shopping complexes, strange little areas you could get lost in all day, and there were times when I did. To see Jakarta you have to do it by foot, and there was many a time when I did just that. I would go in to a part of the city then set off. The sights you would see are the ones you miss from behind a car window, and everywhere you go, there is a new and interesting thing to see and think about.

Surabaya has its own attractions. It’s smaller, less traffic, and yet also has those pockets of interest that demand to be seen. It is well laid out, easy to get to places, and while not as vibrant as Jakarta has its own charm.

I am going to miss Indonesia, it will always remain as a second home. I’ve loved our time here, and having spent such a long time here have gotten to know its culture and people fairly well. I think Indonesia is a great place to live; it has everything you could want and then some. Its chaotic, difficult to understand at times, bureaucracy is maddening, traffic laws non existent, little organisation, terrible pollution issues, corrupt like you wouldn’t believe, and yet.

And yet, it has a vitality about it, a love of life, its gentle and welcoming, friendly and humorous, caring and thoughtful. The people, the food, the culture, the environment outside the cities are just brilliant. And in the cities it’s vital, hectic, and fun.

Our children have spent the best part of their lives here, with Lil C arriving here as a 3 year old and now leaving as a beautiful, vivacious and confident 8 year old. Lil D was brought here at the tender age of 3 months and has spent his four years here. They have become well rounded, inquisitive, well travelled little people, and they are a delight to be around. Not often you will see a 4 and 8 year old wandering through an airport with the practised ease of seasoned travellers, able to meet and greet people from any nation with confidence and courtesy, able to meet up and play with children they have only just met as if they had known them for years, and able to fit in where ever they go.

Lil C has more years than Lil D, so she has had the greater benefit of living overseas. I’m sure that her time here will not be a passing thought but rather an indelible series of experiences that have set her up well for her future life. For Lil D, his time here has been one of a multitude of experiences others will not have in a lifetime. He has grown up in a privileged state with maids and nannies and yet he has been taught that respect for others is paramount. They have both learnt that life is not always easy, that in a country like Indonesia they do stand out, sometimes to their detriment, yet they taken all this in their stride and then some. They have both grown, developed and become 3^rd culture kids in so far that the values and attitudes of C’s and my respective countries are lived on a daily basis yet tempered by the influences of the environment around them.

And as for us? We have learnt a lot as well. Too much to try and describe here yet suffice to say that wherever we go from here, Indonesia will always remain a significant part of our lives and hearts.

My heart felt thanks to all those wonderful people we have met in our time here, the friendships extended, the generosity, care and thoughtfulness which has made our stay here so memorable. We have loved it here, and this is mainly due to the people we met during our stay.

I'm not sure whether I'm going to continue this blog in our new home, Dubai, but check back every now and then. You never know!

Until next time.

2008-08-10T19:39:00.000+07:00

Mum at Besakih, learning the history of the oldest temple in Bali, and in Sanur, enjoying lunch by the beach.

2008-08-10T19:13:00.003+07:00

Mum

My mother came out to Bali from a small country town outside Brisbane called Boonah, also known as the Scenic Rim. This was only her first second visit to Indonesia since we left in ’79, and she had a great time. She relaxed, got to see the markets, malls, sights, beaches, countryside etc. She went back last Friday and it was hard to see her go as we are not sure when we will be back in Australia again. It had been 3 years since she had seen the kids and they loved seeing their Oma. It was a good bonding time for them and for us.

You don’t realise how important family is until you sit down with someone like Mum and she begins to fill you in on all the doings. You miss a lot living overseas, family get-togethers, parties, dinners, birthdays and so on. You always email but it isn’t the same. So Mum comes along and has all the information at her finger tips, is able to give you all the background info, the little anecdotes, the humour and the difficulties, it’s like you have rejoined the family again.

In my family, connections have always been important. There are six kids, Pa died some years ago, the veritable patriarch of the family, leaving Mum to pick up the reins and ensure we don’t get so involved in our own lives that we forget each other. And to her great credit, we haven’t. She ensures that emails are sent along, forwards the important stuff, visits all my siblings and their families when she can, and still maintains her hectic life as a carer for old folk at a respite centre, speech making, choir singing, book club, bowls, Tai Chi, radio station volunteer, ticket selling, art gallery volunteer and so on. And most of these are on every week. Not bad for a 73 year old! So while we were a tad anxious at her travelling alone to a foreign country, Mum made it through with flying colours. I should know by now not to under estimate her.

So anyways, Mum brought us up on all the doings, and we spent ages rehashing old and new history, putting things into order in our own minds and learning what has been going on back home. For those expats who don’t get home very often, the service a relo like Mum provides is invaluable. Strongly recommend it!

We all had a lot of fun and it seemed like a fitting end to our own stay here in Indonesia, to see out the remaining days with someone from home, thus giving us a chance to see things with a fresh perspective and enjoy all that Bali has to offer all over again.

Thanks Mum!

2008-08-10T18:49:00.001+07:00

Kota Kinabalu

One of the things about Indonesian visa’s is that they are set to a strict time limit, i.e 30 days. So when you arrive at the airport, dash for the queue, pay your US$25.00 per head, then queue again for immigration, you already know that there will come a time when you will have to do this all over again. Such a time came for us on the 20^th July when we flew to Kota KInabalu, sampled its delights for one night and day, then flew back to Bali. You see, to get an extension on your visa, the only way that I know of, though I’m sure there are other ways requiring white envelopes and discreet smiles, is to get out of the country then fly back in again. Some time go I had booked through Air Asia our seats to Kota Kinabalu, arriving in the mid afternoon, then flying back mid afternoon the following day. This was not to be. A week or two before intended departure I get an SMS from Air Asia telling us that our flight would not get in until 5.30pm, and would leave the following day at 6pm. Not good as this meant we had to either extend our time (after checkout) at the hotel or wander around for a few hours with tired kids. No contest. Pay the hotel.

So we took our leave from C’s sisters and flew out to Kinabalu. Once there we were pleasantly surprised. The airport is only a few kilometres away from the city centre and it only took a short taxi ride to a hotel I had already picked out on the web. This time I thought we would wing it a bit and check out the price at the door rather than pre-book. This turned out to be a good move. Got a suite for cheaper than the net. Recommend the hotel; it is called the Promenade Hotel. Thought it was a great option, had everything you need, was busy and very friendly.

While we only spent one night here, it was very nice to walk along the waterfront, visit the night market, have dinner along the boardwalk, and enjoy the evening.

Now I had all sorts of ideas of what the place would look like. I knew it was a port town and thought it would be the same as most port towns, crowded, rundown, teeming with people etc. Was I wrong! Kinabalu is a well laid out small city, wide streets, footpaths, clean, no litter, clear blue skies (now when I had last seen that?!), orderly traffic and so on. Just to give an example, the water off the boardwalk was so clear we could look down for a few meters and actually see schools of fish. Show me another fishing port that could say the same. It was hugely reminiscent of Darwin. Same sort of city. I loved it. It was a pleasure to be there and the fact that it was such an easy town to get around in made it enjoyable to wander its streets. I’d go back, and next time I would make tracks for the surrounding mountains etc. Apparently there are same great tracks to go on, and much more to do besides. I heard there is an orang utan rehab park, and there is always the fishing!

That night we wandered to the night markets which were set up in a huge car park right next to the water, with fishing trawlers parked a bit further along. What amazed me was how clean everything was. The market sold everything from fruit to vegies and further back, along the waterside, table after table of fresh fish, prawns etc. C mentioned that she couldn’t get over how clean everything was, the fish stalls were spotless. Not sure what prices the fish etc were going for, but they had a good variety.

Towards the street side all the food stalls were set up and they were doing a roaring trade. People everywhere congregating for a feed with friends. The food looked good but caution prevailed and we had dinner along the boardwalk at an Irish pub. Well, the kids did. Right next door to the Irish pub was an aussie one so I ordered a steak. Prices were okay, but more along tourist prices than local. The Guinness though from the Irish pub was lovely! Sitting on the boardwalk was very pleasant. It was a balmy night, with just a hint of a breeze, perfect for outdoor dining.

The following day we wandered some more on foot through town, ending up back at the boardwalk for lunch.

A short sleep for the kids at the hotel, then back to the airport for a fuss free trip back to Bali on Air Asia. All in all, a good trip, though far too short.

2008-07-27T10:43:00.000+07:00

Our neighbours cows wander along the beachside, Lil C finds a puppy, horseriding, and a rooster finds himself on the wrong sid of the fence...

2008-07-27T10:29:00.000+07:00

The local warung...

2008-07-26T20:31:00.005+07:00

Bali Update

You would think that this extended holiday would have us starting get bored, but thus far this hasn’t been the case. We’ve had two sets of visitors, are kept busy by the children, and find the evenings lovely to just sit back, read, watch a film or generally kick back. Plus, my mother is braving the trip and coming out from Brisbane for 8 days. She arrives next week and this will be her first trip back to Indonesia since we lived in Jakarta in the 70’s. I’m sure she will enjoy it but also think it’ll be a vast difference from what she remembers. Then again, not planning on going to Jakarta, so she may find Bali not so different as in some ways it hasn’t moved on as much. For instance, one of the houses we lived in was on Jl Fatmawati, and surrounding us were a few shops and rice fields. Nowadays it’s a choked highway of cars and motorbikes and the entire area is built up. Be interesting to get her take on it.

We had a great time with C’s sisters. You could not find easier houseguests. Every day they did something different, and most evenings we went out to dinner and tried the places around Seminyak. It was a bit hit and miss as far as restaurants go, and in the end, everyone noted that the best place for a good feed was none other than the small warung at the top of the drive near the villa. Go figure. The warung looks out over the beach, the service is friendly, and dishes while simple, very tasty and cheap. For the six of us the other night, 9 very nice mains which we all shared, plus desert, all came to about US$25.00. Good value! Now compare this to the famous “Ku De Ta”. We had a drink each, and the bill came to just over US$50.00. That’s for 6 drinks.

The warung is situated in the middle of nowhere (you have to drive across the beach along the front of the Grand Balisani Hotel then a bumpy pebble road to get to it) but since they opened a few months ago, word is starting to get around and every night they are doing good business. Since we’ve been here we have noted more and more are dropping by both for lunch and dinner, ppl are even getting taxi’s out to it!

The sisters went to “Ku De Ta” for lunch on Sunday while we were in Kota Kinabalu (another story) and said the food was good, but price wise was not worth it (cost about US$100.00 for 4). The place is nice, smooth service, lots of beautiful people and wannabes, but also very pretentious, way over priced for what they give you, and in my books, all a bit silly. Then again, it could be that I’m just not a ‘with it’ type of guy and can’t appreciate the subtleties of the place.

“Pauls Place” was another we tried; you sit on the rooftop overlooking Seminyak. The service was very slow, food mediocre at best, and we were the only ones there. Not a great place for the hum of people around you, a lively evening and good food.

“Best Ribs” on Jl Petitenget offered a reasonable selection of dishes, but again, the food was very mediocre, served half cold and with little imagination. I did try the ribs which were served warmish yet nothing of note.

“Venue of The Moon” was better value, fairly good food, and efficient service. I could go on but you get the picture. I think some of these places really need to re-evaluate what they are doing and try to establish a return customer. As it stands at the moment, none of them have done that. We should have tried some of the more famous restaurants such as “Mykonos” and we will when Mum gets here next week.

The sisters did quite a bit of sightseeing while here, going to Kintamani, Ubud, Besakih and so on. They enjoyed it all. We hired a very comfortable Mazda E2000 van for Rp200, 000 per day (12 hours) which could sit 7 comfortably and used the villa driver. They do offer a driver as well for another 100,000 rupiahs.

They left yesterday for the next part of their trip, to none other than my favourite city in Australia, Perth. I could be biased in that I have a house there but it is a beautiful place. They have a cousin there so will be staying with him down in Mandurah.

Where we are staying the beaches are big, wide, grey sand, yet the surf is rough and not safe for swimming in except in front of Balisani hotel where they occasionally have life guards and the obligatory yellow flags. There are signs posted along indicating rips and strong currents and you can well believe it when you see the waves coming in at odd angles, lapping over each other and hitting the shore line in ragged formation. At night you hear it crashing against the shore in a thunderous roar and you’d think it had some beef with the beach. When we do go for a paddle, we only let the children up to their knees in the water and only if we are standing next to them. It’s just too rough to allow them to go in on their own. I guess this is why this part of the coastline has not seen the development other parts have. However, right next door a hotel complex of over a hundred villas is going up and on the other side next to the Balisani another smaller complex of 12 villas (to be sold at US$700,000 each!) is being built. I suppose you can’t put a price on a piece of paradise but it does seems like an extraordinary sum.

The beach up from where we are staying is the famous ‘gay’ beach though you would not really know it when walking along except for the odd male couple and a few rent boys hanging around in the late afternoon. We haven’t seen any sort of behaviour that would cause us to cover the kids eyes, in fact its very tame when compared to some of the beaches back home. However, there are bushes at the back of the beach that seem to have a few blokes wandering in and out of which would cause you to suspect that there is more going on there than meets the eye . You do get quite a few older western fellas hanging about there as opposed to a young gay crowd while the rent boys are almost all in their twenties I would guess. It is somewhat incongruous to see, as we did this afternoon, a bloke in his 60’s walking along arm in arm with a young Indonesian male. Then again, each to their own. It’s only when walking alone that I feel slightly uncomfortable as eyes follow you, the occasional wave from some bloke sitting amongst the bushes and you get the feeling you are intruding a bit.

Once past this patch of beach you reach the car park; on one side is our favourite blue cafe, on the other side La Lucciola, which, I’m embarrassed to say, we haven’t tried yet. As sunset approaches, this whole area in front of the car park starts to fill with people, hawkers, food stalls, soccer games and the like. Lots of families and young couples sitting around eating and watching the oncoming sunset. Almost all are local Balinese. The other afternoon we witnessed a man and woman immaculately dressed in traditional clothing making an offering. This involved various baskets, incense and quiet prayer. It was a gentle display of spirituality that seemed to make sense in those surroundings.

The other common sight is people walking their dogs. Bali is known for its dogs which roam at will everywhere, yet I’ve never seen a vicious one. On the beach, particularly in the late afternoon you’ll meet up with people wandering along while their dogs gambol about. The dogs are everything from local mongrels to beautiful shepherds, rottweilers and so on. Met up with one fellow walking three daschunds who told us he was a journalist who came visiting to Bali and has not left except on assignment. A woman walking a mongrel told us she lived and worked here and was perfectly happy. Not hard to understand why when as we chatted the sun was setting on the horizon, the waves were rolling in and the sand felt cool between the toes.

I could get used to this life.

2008-07-19T11:30:00.000+07:00

4 sisters..(C is second from left)
and one more..

2008-07-19T11:19:00.000+07:00

Birthday boy, 4 years old.

2008-07-19T11:03:00.000+07:00

On the beach...

2008-07-17T20:27:00.000+07:00

Sunset offering...

2008-07-17T20:11:00.000+07:00

Sunset in Seminyak...

2008-07-17T19:33:00.000+07:00

Children at Kuta beach, The Beach Cafe in Sanur...

2008-07-16T10:32:00.001+07:00

Bali

So here we are, happily ensconced in our villa in Bali, Seminyak to be precise. Its lovely here, the place has a large garden, pool, guesthouse for the visitors who have been dropping by, a beach a couple of minutes walk away and a warung overlooking the beach and sea perfectly positioned to watch the young ones play about on the sand or watch the sunset in all its glory while we enjoy a cold ale.

The kids are having great fun, spending hours on the beach running up and down, building sand castles, hunting for shells, dashing about in the surf and generally having a kids great time of it. I’m rediscovering the joys of playing with them, something that you do in short periods while at home and after work, but here, there is all the time in the world. We are up early every morning, a lazy breakfast, followed by a walk along the beach, back for morning tea, swim in the pool and play, lunch, rest, then down to the beach again for a few hours of activities. The kids finish up the day tired, happy and ready for bed by 7pm.

We have C’s sisters visiting at the moment from Ireland, 4 of them, first time to SE Asia, and enjoying themselves immensely. It’s great fun to see them all together and C is loving every moment of it. They all get along very well, and the sisters are taking great delight in the children. It’s amusing to watch how C is dropping back into her Irish so quickly. After just three days C’s Irish accent is coming back in force, and to hear them all rolling about in laughter, you’d think you were back in county Cavan!

They arrived on Sunday afternoon, so later on we took a walk along the beach and came across crowds of people outside a beachfront cafe/bar. There were people everywhere, sunning, drinking, swimming and so on. We hadn’t walked that far down the beach before, about 20 minutes walk, but soon realised that we had stumbled across the fabled “Ku De Ta” bar. I had known it was popular but this was extraordinary. As sunset approached the crowds grew more and it looked as if a party was going to develop at any moment. The kids met some other kids, played happily in the sand, I met their father who coincidentally, was from Perth, and we spent some time comparing notes. Turns out he works for the family business “Ross Auctions” in Perth, which I recognised with fond memories. C and I used to go every now and then to find the odd gem of furniture or household item and we had some good times there. Small world. When I mentioned we were thinking of buying an investment property in a particular suburb in Perth, the coincidence went further. My wife is a real estate agent based in that suburb and deals in investment properties! he told me. Very small world.

On Monday night took them to one of the premier restaurants in Bali called Gado-Gado located at the end of Jl Dhyana Pura. This is not the restaurant for the fainthearted price wise, charging by Indo standards astronomical prices for food, but the service is second to none as is the food. We got a table on the deck overlooking the beach and watched the waves come in while sipping wine and eating truly delicious dishes. At one stage without noticing my napkin had slid from my lap the ground and it was only when very discreetly a waitress laid out a new one on me that I realised. A murmured ‘enjoy your meal’, a lovely smile and she left just as discreetly. Having been in the restaurant business for some years before coming to teaching, I was impressed by the standard all round. Everything was handled quickly, efficiently but with a friendly and caring attitude. The menu itself is not huge, perhaps 14 or so dishes from each section to choose from, yet the presentation and quality of food was excellent. Highly recommend it if you ever feel like splashing out for a special evening.

Yesterday took them to Sukawati, a market place for clothing and art/handicrafts etc. Wandered about and they got into the spirit of bargaining with gusto and had fun. I rediscovered the joys of bargaining with two very streetwise shop girls who would not let me get away with 2 sarongs one of the sisters asked me to get for much less than what they were asking for. I had huge fun with them as they haggled away with humour and sharp wit. The starting price was way higher than normal but once they realised I could speak Indonesian, the price dropped dramatically and it was over the final 10,000 rupiahs that we really started in on the bargaining with earnest. After the toing and froing, I realised they were not going to budge and so I finally agreed on their price. They were delighted, and as for me, the fact that we had just spent ten minutes discussing the merits of the cloth, the weave, the pattern, the costs of production and transportation coupled with sly references to my buying it for a foreigner who can afford it(they had seen the sister eyeing it), the extra amount was worth it for the sheer fun value alone . They handed the sarongs over big smiles and laughter; I’m going to miss the wonderful humour of the Indonesian people and their gentle nature.

After the markets it was back in the car and down to Sanur for a late lunch at one of our favourite places “The Beach Cafe”, located, you guessed it, on the beach. It’s next to Mango’s, still does the big platters of food and lovely food it was. A walk along the promenade to help digestion then back to the villa for snacks and an early night. I did notice a new addition to the beach, a huge very inviting beachside pool and restaurant part of the Segara Village complex. It’s near the markets, and looks lovely. I think we’ll give it a go next time we hit Sanur.

Today we have all been lazy, the sisters have been sunning themselves by the pool, a welcome diversion they tell me after 7 weeks of rain in Ireland, Lil C and Lil D got their new present out, a face painting kit, transforming themselves into a lion and crocodile respectively, and soon the sisters are going to head off to Ubud for lunch. I’ll stay back with the children and take them to the beach later.

Another day under blue skies with a gentle breeze. This is Bali at its best.

2008-06-25T19:12:00.004+07:00

KL Adventures

The flight to KL was uneventful and even on time, a pleasant surprise given some of the stories you hear about Air Asia. Speaking of which, flights that is, Air Asia isn’t so bad. Yes, it’s a bit of a cattle call when the flight is boarding with no allocated seating but on a previous flight I had discovered the secret of flying with them. For some reason, people always try to sit up front, resulting in everyone packed in like sardines yet leaving the back rows empty. This endearing trait was repeated on this flight and we leisurely made our way onto the plane and proceeded to take up 3 seats on either side making it a comfortable flight.

We had already booked an apartment called “Seri Cempaka Suites” and I would recommend them to anyone but specifically for families. Booking over the net we got a 2 bedroom 2 bathroom large living area and kitchen apartment for 280MYR (roughly US$87.50) This was a real bargain and the fact that it was close to the city even better. From our living room window on the 20^th floor we could look out on KL city in all its night time glory with the famous Petronas Towers in the distance. The main bedroom was even better with floor to ceiling glass along one entire wall and windows all along the other giving sweeping views. Brilliant stuff. Breakfast was good with a wide spread and enough for anyones tastes. In the same complex across from the apartment block is a few shops and restaurants, a Starbucks, a 711 supermarket, a food hall, and a brilliantly laid out enormous park that the kids had huge fun in. Speaking of restaurants, just down from the Starbucks is an Italian restaurant which served the best pizza and Italian dishes I’ve ever had (so good I asked for a second order of the meatball swimming in a tomato sauce and dripped with cheese dish). Quite simply delicious.

Taxis into the city centre did require a bit of a wait until you flagged one down. In fact, this was the case everywhere we went with the exception of the KLCC where they milled about. Another interesting thing about the cabs is just how old they all are, these boxy things on wheels that look as if they were relics from the 60’s. I reckon Bluebird in Indonesia would give these guys a serious run for their money with good cars (Toyota Vios) and fast and efficient service (not to mention that they are everywhere and you never have to wait for one).

One note about taxis though is just how annoying they were compared to Indonesia. Just about every taxi you stop the driver would lean over and ask where you were going, then set a price which was usually ludicrously over the top. For instance, we regularly were asked for 20-25 MYR to the city when the trip on the meter would cost about 6 MYR. At Petronas Towers we actually got into the cab then the driver started to bargain, we got out again. Next cab was a premium cab and I thought okay, this guy must be on the up and up but sadly wasn’t. Even though the sticker on the dashboard said if the meter was not used the trip was free, the guy asked for 25 MYR. I refused and told him to use the meter. He agreed a bit too quickly and I knew we were about to get the round about tour which he tried until C piped up from the back seat that this was not the way to our hotel. He did a quick turnabout and headed in the right direction. I wasn’t going to say anything and just pay him what I thought the value was but C knew I was seething a bit after the days experiences with cabs and sorted the fellow out first! Honestly, the cabs there are sharks. Compared to Indonesia where I have never been asked to negotiate a price (though C reckons she has a couple of times in Jakarta) and the taxis are plentiful and everywhere, Malaysian taxis are a shameless (and shameful) lot.

However, to be fair, on our second last cab ride the driver put the meter on without asking and when he overheard C saying we needed to organise a cab to the airport the following morning, offered his services and showed me a docket for a set price to the airport. He was on time the following morning, courteous and efficient with a clean cab, so, I shouldn’t generalise, sorry Pak Mustafa! (and he was a good bloke too – Lil D started to throw up just as we entered the airport, luckily caught by his quick thinking Mum, and Pak Mustafa didn’t raise an eyebrow but took the whole episode in his stride).

Which brings me to the next point of KL. The airport. Now a word of warning. The airport for Air Asia is 55 minutes from the city. Buses are plentiful and cheap, we got on a luxury coach that deposited us at KL Sentral but then we had to contend with the cab drivers while dragging bags and tired kids. Paid an exorbitant sum (25 MYR) to the apartment cos we were tired and he knew it... Not sure how to do it differently if your hotel doesn’t offer an airport pickup but believe me, its no fun being deposited at KL Sentral with suitcases and kids late at night and having to negotiate a cab fare...

The international airport does not service Air Asia, and while I dont know how far the Air Asia airport is from the international airport, the int airport is, get this, 50 kilometres from the city. Quite a drive, though the freeway there and back is huge, well laid out and very efficient. On the way you get to see the new government headquarters, cybercity, well laid out housing, schools etc, all the brain child of the previous prime minister, Mahathir. Quite the visionary I think, as he has made KL into a very clean well laid out and green city. I was impressed by it all. I reckon the only thing they need is a fast rail service from airport to city.

As far as city attractions go, we did the National Museum, then walked across the flyover to the KL lake gardens and walked till we got to the bird park. The kids loved the bird park, and had a great time. The following day we went to Petronas towers tho didn’t go up. Instead we wandered around then walked to the Aquaria, an indoor aquarium complete with underwater tunnel. Again, the kids loved it.

Our final day was spent at Berjaya Times Square where they have a big indoor funpark. The children adored it, spending over two hours on all the rides etc and emerged flushed and excited. A walk through the mall, late lunch at one of the bakeries, then back to the apartments and more fun at the nearby park. I’ll put some pics up later of the park

All in all, it was a good visit, and we all enjoyed it. The flight back to Indonesia, Bali to be precise, was almost on time and uneventful. The only gripe is that the seats were configured differently with noticeably smaller knee space. The poor guy in front of me tried to put his seat back but there was just not enough room. A big German fella seated nearby was noticeably hunched up and spent the flight in misery. Also, it was a lunch flight but all they had were instant noodles (open tub and pour in hot water). They told us no rice dishes or sandwiches. Hmmm. Still, we got our 3 seats for each pair as true to form people filled up the front again!

Arrived in Bali to be met by our villas handyman and driver Kadek who took us to Carrefour for some quick shopping then onto the villa. It’s as lovely as the last time we went, a glorious tropical delight hidden away in Seminyak and just a short 2 minute walk to the beach. This will be our home for the next 7 weeks and we have settled in quickly, the place is lovely with its own pool, guesthouse for our visitors later in July, two maids who do everything from cooking to laundry (and we might as well enjoy it as Dubai will be maidless!), a car and driver on call, what more could you want?!

So here we are, I’m sitting in the open living area, under the cool breeze of the overhead fan, listening to the noises of the night while typing this, C is watching TV and the children are asleep in their bedroom.

Life is good.

2008-06-25T17:14:00.003+07:00

The End of Life in Surabaya

It’s been a very busy few weeks with the lead up to end of school, the subsequent farewells and then finally the packing and our departure.

We had a few good nights with friends and colleagues as we all gathered for the final goodbyes before end of term, and for us, a final goodbye to Surabaya. It was with mixed feelings that we took our leave from the community and friendships we had built up over the last 3 years. The expat community in Surabaya is a good one, and we had thoroughly enjoyed our time spent in Surabaya. However, once we knew we were going it seemed like the right thing to do. We had a great time and the children had grown up beautifully while there but after 5 years in Indonesia there comes a place and moment when you ask yourself "is this it?" and if the answer is less than satisfactory, then new places beckon.

But as all good things must do, it came to an end with the big final farewell at what was called quite aptly I thought, the last super. Tailors were brought in to sew up a variety of last supper clothes modelled closely on Da Vincis famous painting of the same name, and we all turned up at a friends place for a dinner. A good night was had by all!

Another night saw all the expat teachers at a local restaurant, speeches and gift giving, and food and wine in some quantities. That we had to be at school the following day could be excused as we only had report giving to do so it was a quiet day of cleaning out desks and tidying up staffrooms etc. One can do this sort of thing while in a fragile state and this foreknowledge allowed a rather late night.

The weekend before leaving I made a quick trip to Jakarta and caught up with friends. A few nights spent hashing over memories at a bar called, strangely enough, “Memories” in our favourite haunt, ye olde Jalan Jaksa. I like Jalan Jaksa though this trip around saw less of the local expats and backpackers and more Nigerian types dressed in flashy clothes and jewellery and always talking into their hand phones. Not sure what it’s all about but there are now, sadly enough, a few bars that are no go places due to their presence. Seems the locals and regulars alike have learnt through bitter experience to stay clear. A generalised view to be sure but one held by many. Also noticed more fellas lounging about, and an atmosphere not as friendly as it used to be. Still, I enjoyed catching up and wandering the streets of Jakarta taking in all its robust chaotic life.

The following week saw C and I going about the house sorting everything out, what was to be packed for shipping to Dubai, what was going to Bali and what we were going to take to KL (we were going there for 4 days). In the end, by the Wednesday morning when the packers arrived, I thought we had made excellent progress and everything was ready to be packed. This was an interesting exercise in itself. We utilised the services of Santé Fe as we knew the person in charge there and figured better to use someone we know.

Two fellas turned up and began around 9 in the morning. I was impressed by Sante Fe. The guys were efficient and the packing done to a high standard. Remains to be seen what happens when the shipment gets to Dubai but so far they have given us some confidence. By nightfall the house looked like a warehouse of boxes, and sundries were still scattered about. The truck arrived, they loaded it all on with some creative packing to ensure it fitted within our budget of a set number of cubic metres and finally C and I collapsed with a bottle of champers a friend kindly brought over. The maids had great fun as there was quite a bit of stuff we had decided to leave behind and they were busy wrapping things up to take home. Not sure how they were going to do it but I got a glimpse when a friend turned up on a motorcycle and one maid got on holding a large floor fan in one arm while balancing a big box on her lap which made her seating somewhat precarious to say the least. I had offered the use of the car and driver but was declined. I think they were a bit shy about using them so I let it go.

The next day was more packing, dropping things off to friends and generally sorting the house out. By Friday morning all was done and that afternoon we hopped onto a flight to KL thinking all in all, it had been a reasonable exercise. Though as usual, something had to go slightly wrong and while it was not earth shattering it did give us some nervous laughs. We had thought the flight was at 4pm, and as we were wandering around the house checking everything and pottering, C checks the tickets and it was a 3pm flight. Oops. A dash for the car, things thrown in and we were off for the airport. Made it with time to spare. No time to say a proper farewell to the house or area but what was lovely was that all the maids from the households around us that we had gotten to know all lined up at our house to shake our hand and say goodbye. It was touching that they made the effort.

So, we left Surabaya for that last time, and indeed our normal lives and bravely set off into the unknown once again. Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating somewhat given that that we were only heading to Bali (which will be our home for 7 weeks) after a brief stop in KL! And Bali is not exactly unknown. Still, it was sad to go knowing that it would most probably be the last time we would see Surabaya and the people we knew. Then again, just about everyone will be in Bali for the triathlon at end of June so we will probably have to do the farewells and so on all over again. Anything for a good night!

2008-05-30T17:58:00.001+07:00

May1998

There was a date that I had not blogged on but today, while wandering through blogs by Indonesians, I came across this one written by a young Chinese Indonesian girl.

It has been 10 yrs now from the Chinese massacre in May 1998. Precisely 10 yrs. May 13th, 1998.
Last night, we were hanging out in my sister's room when she brought this up. She took the time, while applying her night cream, to share how her current boyfriend surpassed death only by sheer luck.
He was only 14 at the time. His family lived amongside the Indonesians in the community. They formed quite a good relationship, good neighbours you can say. On the eve of May 13th 1998, everything turned upside down. The mob took over his house, luckily they had the time to smuggle the mom to one of the neighbor's house. It wasnt safe for women that days. They promised to leave them, the father and 3 boys, untouched, if only they would surrender everything they own.
He saw the crowd stripped his family from everything that they own, unable to do anything. Anything at all.
Luckily his father was quick; he told my sister's boyfriend and his older brother to quickly save some of their precious bonds and bank books by fleeing from the house. On their way, they were caught in the middle of an angry mob. Everyone was carrying wooden sticks and torches, he saw face to face the murderous faces with no mercy, chanting "Chinese! Chinese!".
They didnt know what to do.
As the mob grew closer, death was certain to them. It was so impeccably surprising that all of the sudden, police came in between and pushed the crowd. If they had not, or even came late by minutes, I wouldnt hear this story now.
My recounts of that night was limited. I was only 8 then. Too little to even understand what was happening. All I remember is that we were put together in one room by our servant, and my dad was on the phone talking to my oldest sister. Or my servant. I dont know.
My parents were in Singapore that night, my dad was having his tumor removed. It was then hen he heard that the crowd has reached the mouth of our block, and called to make sure we were alright. He then made arrangements, and we were fetched that night to spend a couple of days at his friend's house until things cooled down.
We were lucky enough to survive it.

I do have links somewhere in this blog of accounts by people who saw what had happened. Until this day, no one has been prosecuted for any of the atrocities, rapes, deaths, and so on that occurred. Estimates of the deaths/rapes and so on vary widely, but it is accepted that they did occur.

Interestingly, till this day the debate rages on about May 1998, such as the ensuing comments after an article was posted here: http://www.indonesiamatters.com/1788/jakarta-riots/

Yet what most seem to forget in this and other debates (which seem to develop into a discussion of semantics and linguistics- however, within the comments you will find some interesting observations), that no matter what light is shined on it, the facts are simple. I.e. the riots occurred, atrocities occurred, and yet in the end, not one person has been held accountable for any single act. It is impossible to ignore the horrors that occurred. If one were to do a quick search on wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jakarta_Riots_of_May_1998 the associated links are not for the fainthearted. The photographs bear witness to what happened and serve to remind us that May 1998 was the blackest period in Indonesian history since 1965.

It’s been 10 years since the riots of 1998 and much has changed in Indonesia. Could they happen again? Impossible to call it but the recent food price hikes coupled with fuel hikes and growing unrest over situations such as Lapindo, Aceh and Papua suggest that it will be awhile before the pundits can lay their fears to rest.

2008-05-25T18:59:00.000+07:00

Swimming Carnival

We had the school swimming carnival this week. Now, Indonesian kids are not too enthusiastic about swimming, except those whose parents have actively brought them up to appreciate the finer things of water. So to prepare, we had 4 weeks of swimming lesson etc delivered via the PE department earlier this term to all classes.

The day before, home groups were gathered into respective groups to divvy up who will be swimming what. Great enthusiasm ensued as the students made up lists of participating students. So you would think that the actual day would go er…swimmingly.

In some ways it did. After 3 periods in the morning, there was a rotation of the school buses and a number of private cars to take them down the road to the local university pool which is a good Olympic size.

Interestingly enough, when we arrived, my driver had pulled the car up in front of the foyer as my car was loaded down with speakers, flags, buckets and other assorted swimming requirements. I hopped out and started to unload. Behind us, a car pulled up filled with a group of year 9 female students. They then proceeded to sit in their car for about five minutes until mine had moved on so that their car could pull up in front of the entrance. If they had gotten out, it would have been a mere two metres walk. Go figure.

The students all arrived safely, though it soon became apparent by the sheer number who were still wearing their school uniforms that many had decided not to participate. Excuses ran from sore foot to the blast proof mother of all excuses, the dreaded period. Amazing how many girls were having their period today. Must be something in the air that sets their biological watches to such faultless synchronicity.

Anyways, those that did join in made a good effort of it and the day went fairly smoothly. Only one kid with a cramp, the rest sheltered under the tents as the midday sun blazed down with typical Surabaya ferocity. This was not a day to be faint hearted in the face of such blinding heat. So, we teachers armed with hats and sunnies bravely spent the better part of the day out in the sun cajoling, pleading, asking and organising the kids into the various events.

The girls without exception dressed very modestly for the pool. No highcuts or bikinis or even one pieces. Most were covered from neck to knee, pointing to an interesting conservatism that seems out of line to their casual apparel when they go to the mall where the mini shorts reign supreme. The boys for the most part wore knee length shorts in a variety of interesting hues. Given that Billabong has a store in the local mall, I guess the big pictures of bronzed models surfing amongst towering waves has some influence on the boys.

Teachers were all on deck though again, it does take some patience to deal with their very apparent lack of interest in the proceedings (and yes, I know I’m being very general here, as there were some who did actively take part and do their jobs). Again, I can only put this down to the general Indonesian sheer disinterest in all things water sports. Plus, there is also the aversion to standing in the sun.

Indonesians, particularly females, have the belief that white skin is preferable to dark skin, thus getting a tan, or a further darkening of the skin is viewed with horror and loathing. In fact, some of our female students were not allowed to come as their mothers worried that their white skin might be marred. These girls are Chinese Indonesian and it would appear that the whiter their skin the better. Thus, the white skin scenario not only holds true for the Indonesians but also the Chinese Indonesians. If you ever tell an Indonesian that Australians will sit out in the sun to get a tan they think you are pulling their leg. They just can’t understand why anyone would want to be anything but as white as the driven snow. Television is full of advertisements selling skin whitening creams. And if they can’t afford it, the next best thing is utilised. Baby powder. Go through a village and you see the faces of women and children all dusted with powder. I think this phenomenon is worthy of further critical analysis and discussion but I’ll leave it for another time.

Overall it was a good day with lots of cheering and yodelling (mostly from the expat teachers and few groups of students jazzed up on soft drinks) and we finally called it quits around 3 in the afternoon. The car park at the pool was packed as we had told the students to be picked up; I think no one had really thought of the consequences of having 450 odd students leaving at the same time with each kid hopping into their own car. My trusty driver managed to squeeze us through and we finally got on the road not too much later.

As I ducked under the shower once home, my thoughts were few. Sheer pleasure to be cooling down and anticipation of that first cold beer.

Life’s simple pleasures.

2008-05-12T15:12:00.005+07:00

Shopping - The Sequel
Speaking of which (shopping that is), have you ever tried to buy shoes in Indonesia? Do you have a size that is at odds with the wee little things laughingly called feet here in indo? Have to say, for a bloke with size 11 feet (around size 46 in indo), trying to get a pair of shoes is near nigh impossible. I have been to just about every store in the city and there is always the shake of the head (accompanied by the incredulous look) when asked if they have any in size 46. Usually, the biggest they will have is a 43, sometimes, at a stretch, 44. But 46? Forget about it…

I did have a win some weeks ago when I found a Josef Siebel store that sold up to size 45. Bought a pair and while a bit tight, they are leather and I figured given time they will stretch. My feet feel like they are in a straight jacket but I live in hope. I reckon this time next year they will be worn in nicely. Strangely, the same situation in Hong Kong. Found some great shoes but nothing in my size.

And what about shirts, they are all tiny yet I know there are big Indonesian males out there, I’ve seen them! At the absolute stretch, you may be lucky to find a 17.5 shirt, though it seems 18 (my preferred size), is almost impossible. Usually they are around 16-16.5. Good luck if you find something you like then try to get the right size. The sales girls will look at you somewhat mystified and wonder why you don’t want to get a body hugging, seam splitting, show every ripple of body, tight tube of cotton, shirt. Go figure.

And don’t get me started on jeans. Have you ever tried to find normal denim jeans? The jeans shops have racks and racks of jeans, all made of material that bears no resemblance to denim, all usually stone washed (brings to mind a river, some boulders and a bunch of people whacking the jeans around with gay abandon) with trendy logos plastered all over them. Some have lots of jangly bits hanging off them reminiscent of a B&D party, others artfully torn at knee and thigh to daringly show that hint of flesh, while others have those atrocious wide ends that flare out every which way, to all intents and purposes a reincarnation of Abba gone mad.

Whatever happened to normal blue denim jeans? I kid you not, they are almost impossible to find. I did find a pair at the Levis store last week but not in my size. The salesgirl seemed bemused that I wasn’t more interested in some sort of stretch plastic type material jeans (and I use the word ‘jeans’ loosely). It will take 2-3 weeks for a pair in my size (and no, I’m not size 56, a modest 36 let me tell you) to be delivered. This seems to indicate just how popular true blue denim jeans are. Not much. Sometimes I wonder where this world is going.

Finally, and you may sigh with relief now, as I am on my final point, (lest some other idea strikes me right now) it is by far one of the most pleasant experiences. Shopping that is. You wander around the aisles where a multitude of sale girls are waiting to attend to your every question with a smile and helpful advice. My friend who recently visited from Perth couldn’t get over the sheer number of sales girls in any store. He also couldn’t get over the idea of being followed every step as you wander the aisles. I airily told him that one gets used to it and you do. Sort of.

The sales girls usually call me “bapak” and while on the one hand it makes one feel old, on the other hand, it also makes one feel a sense of belonging even if a foreigner. That I speak Indonesian fairly fluently helps I guess, and as soon as they realize this, their attitude changes, there seems to an increased willingness to help, though I do wonder if the recognition of the few grey hairs I have may have something to do with it.

Indonesians are taught from birth to respect their elders and this is one of the few societies in which this really does happen. Elders are held in esteem, even if they are complete twats. Little wonder that corruption is so big here as the younger person would find it almost impossible to criticize or stop an older colleague. Just won’t happen. But this respect for elders does have its payoffs as well. Instead of regretting the onset of grey hair and wrinkles, in some ways it’s welcomed as you find the people around you actually listening to what you have to say, a new experience for me…

So you enter into discussion on the merits of a particular article of clothing, and usually end up faced with some gentle coercion from her to purchase something you hadn’t really intended to buy. You refuse gracefully, and she just as gracefully accepts defeat. For the moment. As soon as you think its over, she pops up with another thing for you to see and try, even if it looks god awful the last thing you want to do is offend, so again, you enter into discussion, examine it critically and then with great regret pass on it.

There is gentle banter, smiles and more articles brought out to show you. It takes a person of great strength of character, sharp wit and exceptional conversational skills to walk away without purchasing something to assuage the salesgirls feelings.

I usually just buy something.

Yes, shopping in Indonesia is an experience not to be missed.

2008-05-11T21:51:00.000+07:00

Shopping. Now usually I don’t have much time for it, both literally and figuratively, but yesterday I braved the Saturday traffic and made my way to Pasar Atum. Atum is an experience in itself. It’s a blend of decrepit old buildings grey with the accumulated grime of centuries, a middle mall, that is much brighter and cleaner, then the new attached mall all sparkling new but few shops yet. One goes to Atum for three reasons only, DVD’s, clothes and fabric.

It is a melting pot of kerbside stalls, shops, and the flashier joints that wouldn’t look out of place in a David Jones complex. Ah, the choice!

So, I wend my way through the crowds, heading for the top floor of the middle plaza to get some movies but find that they too, just like at the mall close to home, have stopped selling DVD’s. Seems there is an ‘operation’ at the moment, as they call it, and all shops have removed their stock and are innocently displaying store copies of older movies. They aren’t fooling anyone. As soon as the coast is clear, the shelves will be restocked and it’ll be business as usual. One week, an old man tells me in a hushed voice. Come back and we should be on again, he says, looking furtively around to make sure no cop is in ear shot.

Again, I find al this subterfuge somewhat amusing. Next week he’ll probably be selling the local copper a few flicks or maybe giving him a few for the sake of friendship.

The whisper is that the cops are actually in charge of production and distribution of the DVD’s but every now and then they have to be seen to be tough so they swoop down on a mall and hit the shops. Though of course, before they do so, word gets to the shops so they all clean out before the dreaded “razia”. The cops turn up, look around and announce that DVD’s are no longer sold in Surabaya. The poli’s are able to sleep better at night and the masses grind their teeth and turn wearily to the 50 odd sitcoms currently showing on Indonesian TV.

Another rumour puts the manufacture and distribution of the DVD’s squarely on the army’s doorstep. Now it’s well known that the cops and the army do not get long, never have, never will. So, whenever there is a rise in tension between the two forces, the cops retaliate by hitting the army where it hurts, i.e their hip pocket, by conducting raids on DVD shops. That they don’t usually do so is due to being paid sums to look the other way. Until pride gets in the way. When ‘face’ is in force, nothing will turn aside retaliation, least of all money.

The third rumour is that with the arrival of Bill Gates in Indonesia this week, there was a move to clean things up so that he wouldn’t see any copied films or software should he happen to drop in to a mall. Now, the likelihood of Bill Gates dropping into Pasar Atum is about as possible as the Queen allowing Keating another grope. You get my meaning I trust.

Anyways, I have a brainwave and ask the old fella about music. All shops that sell movies will also sell compilation discs that usually have between 10 and 20 albums of assorted bands etc. He takes another look at me, checking me for hidden microphones I suspect, and then slowly pulls a bundle of cd’s from under the counter. The selection is shocking; obviously music has been bundled into the sin zone along with movies. I buy a couple (Rp8000 each) as a thank you for his cooperation and then start the real mission of the day.

I’m going to buy some material for shirts. I’ve never had a shirt made for me and I must admit I don’t really know why. Possibly just the hassle of it all. But this time I figured I’d take advantage of the fact that we are leaving soon and had decided to make some before we go. I had a vague idea that the cost factor was around Rp70, 000 for the tailor but didn’t know what the fabric would cost. I was soon to find out.

Passing one low end stall displaying swatches of cloth, they drew me in. I hadn’t really intended to buy fabric for trousers but the stuff was just so nice. Everything was prepacked in a packet, 1.25 metres by 1.5 metres, enough for trousers I’m assured, so I had great fun going through the swatches and impulsively bought 8 packs. Lovely stuff, I can already see myself draped in Armani style pants as I stride confidently around my new school. The packets cost RP50,000 each, a bargain as far as I was concerned. We are talking Italian wool, or so they said, and various other types of material that I had no idea what they were but looked and felt classy. Good enough for me.

I happened to mention to the woman that I was really looking for material for shirts and she brightened even more (she was already very cheery given the business she was getting from me) and told me she actually worked for a fabric shop and would get her assistant to take me there. I figured why not and followed the young chap through the mall, out onto the side street then into a large, brightly lit and spotlessly clean fabric shop, a true Aladdin’s cave this place, piled high with every conceivable fabric you could want.

The salesman there seemed a bit unsure as to me buying the stuff but he soon got into the spirit of things after I had said yes to about 3 different materials and soon I was being presented with bolt after bolt of cloth to handle, touch, rub and generally do all those things I guessed one should do when buying material.

He was delighted as the bolts of cloth started to climb up beside him as we agreed on them, and in the end, he started getting out the really good stuff. These were spectacular to my untrained eye and in the end I had bought enough material for 24 shirts. Somewhat giddy from the experience of buying without thinking of the cost, I pushed financial thoughts aside and focussed on the collection being sized up and cut before me.

Have to admit, it was fun. And the cost? Just over a million rupiahs, about US$120.

With the shirts costing another Rp70, 000 each at a tailor some friends use, I worked out in the end each shirt would cost me around US$15.00 each. Absolute bargain as far as I’m concerned.

Then they offered me the services of their tailor and quoted me a price of Rp50,000 per shirt so I said I would come back the following week (the tailor had already gone home) and get him to make one to see his quality.

They also offered complete suits for US$100.00 including material (and the stuff they showed me was excellent) made to my specs and again I couldn’t fault the cost.

Had a good chat to the store owner who came over to see what all the fuss was about (at one stage I had four people measuring and cutting the cloth for me) and made himself known. Nice old chap, has a daughter who had gone to uni in Melbourne and has her PR (permanent residency- highly prized) he proudly told me. Still owns an apartment a stones throw from crown casino but rents it out these days. We got to talking and he told me he travelled a lot, Thailand, China, Malaysia, Dubai and so on, anywhere to buy material which he buys in bulk then ships back to Indonesia. He must be doing well as he has two shops and is going for a vacation this year to New Zealand. Good on him.

I headed home, quite pleased with myself. Next week the mission is to choose style and tailor. The fella friends use has a good name, designed to provide confidence in their customers. We shall see.

His name? Fit Tailor. Let’s hope he lives up to it.

2008-05-09T19:48:00.002+07:00

Some pictures taken recently. A house in my area, big thing that looks like it belongs in "Gone with the Wind", TP- one of the oldest and biggest malls in Surabaya, a street shot and two men getting ready at their roadside food stall for the evening.

2008-05-09T19:40:00.001+07:00

A couple of weekends ago we had an early morning fun run starting at my school, invited parents and the community to join in. All for a good cause. It was a good run, everyone enjoyed it!

2008-05-09T19:32:00.000+07:00

The lil ones...

2008-05-09T19:21:00.000+07:00

This is the Majapahit Hotel, an old Dutch building that has been lovingly restored.

2008-05-05T19:24:00.001+07:00

Moving

One wonders where the days and weeks are going. Every now and then I guiltily look at this blog and think, yep, tomorrow I’ll get onto it but instead something takes me away. Anyways, life here in good ol Boyo as the locals call it (no, not good ol’ but they do regard it affectionately as Boyo) has been hectic but fine.

We had a lovely visit from old friends who live in Perth, Lil C’s godfather and his partner and it was wonderful to be able show them around and catch up.

Dinners, parties, quiz nights, sports days, and more dinners have been happening with increasing intensity over the past couple of months and we have enjoyed it all.

Work is charging along and we are now in the final phase of our first group of Diploma students sitting their exams which started today. Regulations must be followed, paperwork done and then an eerie silence falls upon the section of the school where the students are sequestered for the daily attack on papers that arrive in the distinctive blue envelopes.

So, it’s almost over. I’ve seen and taught this group of students since year ten, watched them become mature young adults, followed their progress as their eyes turn out to the world and they start to talk about life in LA or Sydney or London as their plans start to crystallise for next year.

They are a charming and earnest lot, friendly and gracious to a fault, keen to just get on with it and do what they have to do to get through the exams and emerge blinking in the sunshine of a finished school life and ready to encounter the world. I’m going to miss them, and I know I always say this every year when my year twelves finish and head off into the wide blue yonder.

I sometimes wonder where they have gone, what they are doing, and if I’m lucky, sometimes they will drop in and say ‘Hey Mr D, how are you?’ And I know that they have forgiven me for being a hard task master in their studies, hitting them with assessment sheets with the dreaded words “essay” at the top, chasing them for homework and assignments, sitting them down to chat about a perceived lack of attention to their work and so on. Yes, they are a forgiving lot and its when they come back and visit, secure in their newly found adulthood, yet still tentative in their approach to life, that I know the job has been well done. They will sit down and tell me about their studies at uni, their lives in some foreign city, and in some cases they appear almost wistful for the now seemingly uncomplicated school lives they have left far behind.

There is nothing as rewarding as being a teacher, both personally and professionally. You get to participate in their development, watch them grow, take on new ideas and values, and yet you are spared most of the agonies parents suffer through.

So, soon this lot will move on, and I wish I could say that next year I’ll have my year 11’s to see through, another group that I have watched and cared for over the past 3 years but this is not to be. It’s time to move on.

We have been in Indonesia for 5 years now, 2 in Jakarta and 3 in Surabaya. And as with all good things, there comes a point when you know that while it’s all good, there is more out there.

In January I attended the Sydney Search Associates job fair, an interesting experience for those uninitiated in its mysteries. Basically, you have a large group of schools represented usually by the principal, and you have on the other side a large group of teachers looking for their next overseas job or in lot of cases at this fair, first overseas postings. It’s a rush to meet and greet, pass along resumes, hit the interview trail and basically find that perfect job. I was lucky. I had a list of school I was interested in, not many but enough to give us a selection of countries. At the end of 3 days, I thought I had found the next job, and within a month or so after the fair, this was confirmed.

We are off to lands distant in some ways, yet similar in others. It’s an Islamic country, developing a fast rate with the biggest and best of everything. The tallest building, the largest amusement park, manmade islands and so on. Yep, it’s Dubai. Now, I haven’t been to Dubai as yet, just passed though the airport so I have little base knowledge to go on. Thus, I think its going to be interesting. New place, new experiences and a new suburb to call home.

Some may wonder at this need of ours to keep moving when we have a lovely house back in Perth, and it’s certainly easy enough to get jobs given the current climate but moving country is not that difficult. If you think of moving as merely a shift from one suburb to another, albeit with differences inherent in the new suburb, you’re half way home. It’s fairly easy to get settled and begin to appreciate the differences of a new life. All it takes is some patience, a liberal dose of acceptance for things done differently, and a place to call home.

C will be teaching as well, in the primary school as a newly qualified teacher, while I’m up the road a bit at the high school. She is looking forward to it, though obviously with some trepidation at taking on a new career fulltime, but I know she will cope and do well. The children will be in the same school as her and so will have an easier time of it knowing Mum is around in case they get a bit lost amongst the new setting.

I have few expectations of what life will be like in Dubai, and instead am looking forward to experiencing it. We know it will be different from Boyo, yet we also know that there are similarities which will make the transition easier than if we were to land in a totally foreign country.

So, what am I looking forward to? The challenges of a new job, new people to meet, new things to do, and I expect life will sort its self out as we go along.

In the meantime, I still have 5 weeks of school left, another 2 weeks in Boyo, then we are off to KL for a quick holiday before heading back to Bali for a lengthy holiday in a friends villa. We plan on relaxing, enjoying the time spent with children, and organising whatever we need to organise for the new jobs. We don’t have to be in Dubai until mid August, so we have plenty of time to unwind after what I expect will be a mad dash over the coming weeks.

Not that we should complain. One of the mothers to a student of mine is moving house to a new country in two weeks time so organising packers and movers, dealing with her daughter who is currently sitting the Diploma exams and waves goodbye to her husband on Wednesday who is headed to Iraq for 3 months. Now that is tough, we have it much easier by comparison!

Life is a wonderful thing, all it takes is a step off the cliff and then sails open and you are able to go where the wind takes you. I’ll keep you informed as to how the landing goes!

2008-03-12T18:06:00.003+07:00

Hong Kong and Airports

Once again I find that it’s been awhile since I last put finger to keyboard.

It’s been a busy time of it.

Last weekend I went to Hong Kong for a 3day workshop for the IB and while this was my second time there, this time I was bunked down in the heart of Kowloon thus saw and did more than last time. It’s a fascinating city but I guess you either like it or just visit it. I found it to be a place to visit, look around, do some sightseeing, sample a few pubs then hop back on a plane. I know some love it, as evidenced by the teachers I spoke to who live there but it didn’t grow on me. Maybe you have to live there to really appreciate it.

It is well organised, people stand in queues, trains are on time, and everything moves with an order that is missing from Indonesia. The city is clean, despite the heavy smog that curls and wraps itself around the mountains and buildings that reach into the grey air.

The shops are full of all the good stuff, but most of what I saw and priced could be had here for about or less than the same price. It seemed that for all its reputation as a place to shop, I thought one could do just as well here. Go figure.

It’s a very alive place, a vast heaving metropolis that never quite slows down, crowds everywhere. As you walk along you have to constantly dodge people, yet the sheer fact that you could walk around for miles, and walk on comfortable footpaths at that, made it a good place to wander and view.

Seems everything is very efficient there, again a vast difference from Indonesia, and one did find oneself wondering if a city like Jakarta or Surabaya could ever hope to emulate this. I think not. The sheer cost factor of getting everything built to ensure such efficiency, and the organisation required, would be beyond the capabilities of local or federal government.

Then again, I guess if they did re-build jkt or sby to resemble Hong Kong, the cities would lose that certain flavour which makes them such interesting places to visit or live.

The other thing that struck me was the huge yet dynamic public transport system. You could get anywhere by train or bus, thus cars were not so much in evidence on the roads. Far more buses, taxis and only a few cars. Motorbikes even less so. I didn’t see one traffic jam while I was there, though maybe I wasn’t in the right place!

After the meticulous efficiency of the Hong Kong airport and baggage handling etc, it was business as usual when I landed back in Jakarta. Immigration queues stretched for miles, and all moved at a snail pace. The line I was in was taking twice as long as the line next to me. I noted that the line processed an average of 3 people to my lines 1. When I got closer I soon realised why. The immigration chap was very methodical, taking his time and also had this great interest in everything that was going on about him. He would start processing someone, then stop, take a good look around, chat to someone nearby, wave, smile, all very friendly, then slowly get on with the job.

The queue to my other side was for diplomats and ‘special people’. One fellow fully dressed in Arab national dress, three children and what I presume to be his wife who was covered head to toe in a black shapeless ‘abaya’ with a tiny almost unseen slit for her eyes, stood patiently at the yellow line waiting for the people in front to be processed. No such luck that it would be quick and I could see he was getting a bit agitated. Then, just as he was about to step up to the counter with a sigh of relief, a young female airport worker wandered in front of him with a few passports in hand and jumped the queue. I could see his face and it wasn’t pretty. A bit of arm waving and a senior official wandered over and ushered his wife and children through to wait on the other side. However, he still had to wait for the young woman to finish getting her passports done. Poor fella.

The next Arab behind him (must have been a flight in from those parts) was luckier and got through with little waiting, his wife also dressed head to toe in black but the opening across her eyes much wider, revealing beautiful almond eyes and meticulously curved eyelashes. She looked a lot younger than he and it did make you wonder what their story was.

The couple straight after them were also Arab but both dressed as westerners. An official glanced at her passport and then waved them away, obviously saying that they weren’t dignitaries. She responded with a wave of her ticket and I heard her say, “But we flew first class!” At this logic, the official gave way and they both went through the special desk quickly. Remind me next time to try that trick.

Watching people certainly helps pass the time!

Once through, it was around the corner to the conveyor and a 30 minute wait until the baggage grudgingly came through.

Have to admit though; the airport in jkt really does need a makeover. As one trundles off the plane and then into the immigration hall, you are met by dark grey cement walls and flouro lighting that makes it seem as if you are in Eastern Europe in the 50’s. All a bit forbidding. The stretch to the immigration hall is reasonable but rustic, then again, it does have its own unique charm.

Wandered off after collecting my suitcase to find my connecting flight, following signs that petered out after awhile so had to ask and be given directions. Had to go through customs to get out and then back in but when I showed him my 'nothing to declare' form he waved me through. I made to lift my bag onto the x-ray machine but he told me that it wasn't necessary. I must be getting that look of respectability in my old age. Sheesh.

Once in again, it didn’t take long to check in though again the lack of info as to what you have to do was missing when you get to the check in counter. The fellow gives me a boarding pass then directs me to a place to get my bag neutralised. That is, a bright yellow strap is wrapped around its middle, presumably to ensure that baggage handlers aren’t tempted to have a squiz inside. I go back to him with a neatly encircled bag, he takes it and I’m free to wander off to wait for my flight.

Now at this stage you might think all would be well. Not quite. I get to the F3 room as instructed but notice that my flight is not showing on the monitor outside its entrance. Notice another monitor outside F4 has a hand written word taped to its bottom with a message: “Surabaya”, so wander into that waiting room.

No, says the fellow, you are in F3 not F4. I shrug and go back, then realise I’ve still got a bit of time before boarding so head to a bar instead for a thirst quenching beer.

Time up, I go back to the F3 waiting room to find a new handwritten note taped to it directing me to go to the F4 waiting room where I had ventured earlier. Ah well, I think, hoisting my bag and go into F4, half expecting to be told that I would have to go back to F3. But no, this time the mysterious handwriter had done his/.her job well and despite no notification on the monitors, my plane does indeed board at this gate. I wait and board, to doze as we rock across Java, experiencing the usual turbulence.

One thing I sleepily realised as we bounced up and down was that to travel here one has to be patient and accepting. No need to get all het up, doesn’t serve any purpose, so you go with the flow and hope for the best.

Indonesia. For all its foibles, it really does have a charm all of its own.

2008-02-14T07:51:00.002+07:00

Australian Government Apology

Unless you were way out in the outback, sitting amongst the scrubby bushes waiting for the days heat to die down while contemplating the shimmer in the horizon, you would have heard about it. 'It' being the Australian Governments apology to the indigenous people of Australia who suffered so greatly under past (and present) policies.

I was reading The Age and found this article and thought it said more than I could say, so here is an extract from it:

Tony Wright
February 14, 2008

NEVER, perhaps, has a deeper silence descended upon a prime ministerial speech in the House of Representatives.

In the crowded galleries above the gathered representatives, a handkerchief fluttered here, a hand moved to brush away a tear there. An old woman laid a comforting arm around the shoulders of — who knows, her daughter? Eyes were drawn to each of these small stirrings because all else was still, as if the whole place was holding its breath.

"For the pain, suffering and hurt of these stolen generations, their descendants and for their families left behind, we say sorry.

"To the mothers and fathers, the brothers and sisters, for the breaking up of families and communities, we say sorry."

Here was the word, used twice in two quick sentences by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, that everyone in those ranked, packed galleries had come to hear. There was, quite audibly, the exhalation of breath.

That same release — the hope of an expulsion, really, of a national burden — could be felt across the country, in public gatherings before giant screens in places such as Melbourne's Federation Square and Sydney's Martin Place, to clubs and parks in small towns and school classrooms everywhere.

Twenty-five minutes later, when Rudd had finished with what he declared was the need to deal with "this unfinished business of the nation, to remove a great stain from the nation's soul and, in a true spirit of reconciliation, to open a new chapter in the history of this great land, Australia", the silence in the House of Representatives was replaced by an eruption of whistles, cheers, foot stamping and handclapping, an outburst of emotion echoing across the land.

And so, as thousands of Australians filed away down the hill from parliament house to share the stories of their lives, a lot of them enough to make the strong weep, and their fellow Australians from coast to coast took stock of an event rare enough to file away and tell their grandchildren, the new start Rudd had promised his nation had begun, albeit shakily, like most brave quests.

The House of Representatives, its shades of grey-green designed to recall a eucalypt forest, a peculiarly Australian place of deep silences and raging storms, may never experience the likes of it again.

Paul Kelly, Editor at Large for The Australian, penned this:

Thursday February 14, 08

KEVIN Rudd has enshrined the national apology as a “new beginning” and seeks a bipartisan compact for indigenous policy in Australia.

The apology, written by Rudd, is about the future and the past. It is an essential act of contrition and a uniquely confessional event for Australia’s soul.

But the words of this unqualified apology, accepted by Opposition Leader Brendan Nelson, formally pledge the nation to “close the gap” between indigenous and non-indigenous living standards.

Understand what this means: the apology imposes obligations on today’s Australians.

Its spirit is dishonoured if the current generation cannot devise new and better policies to lift the conditions of indigenous peoples.

The mood yesterday was mostly hopeful, uplifting and harmonious.

But the expectations Rudd has created for his prime ministership are huge. The truth is that the real meaning of the apology is elusive - it hovers between another descent into past grievance and an opportunity to generate fresh momentum.

Rudd recruits the spirit of forgiveness and an honest admission of contemporary failure to demand new directions.

His message is that symbolism without substance becomes hollow sentimentality.

In a moving display of bipartisanship, Rudd and Nelson united to say “sorry” just after 9am yesterday. It was a special and emotional moment in the nation’s history. This event conducted before Stolen Generations members ends the divisive decade-long debate over the national apology.

It should be a liberation. In the lobbies, former Howard government ministers said it should have happened long ago. Nelson has moved the Coalition parties a long distance in recent weeks.

Rudd defined a series of benchmarks in literacy, employment, health, education and infant mortality where he wants to close thegap. He offered, and Nelson accepted, “a kind of war cabinet” - a joint policy commission they co-chair to deliver a housing strategy as a prelude to bipartisan constitutional recognition of the first Australians.

The power of Rudd’s speech lay in its humanity. Welcomed like a rock star by the public galleries, he addressed the elemental human tragedy of the removals and the “terribly primal” quality of the stories.

Rudd, offering an unqualified apology, said: “The Stolen Generations are not intellectual curiosities - they are human beings, human beings who have been damaged deeply by the decisions of governments and parliament.”

The apology, Rudd said, was not an affirmation of the black armband view of history. His speech was conspicuous for coupling the ideas of mutual respect and mutual responsibility with the apology. It is a critical step.

Nelson’s speech captured the complex nature of the apology. He was more contentious than Rudd. The essence of Nelson’s position needs to be grasped, not ridiculed, because it is shared by a majority of Australians.

Nelson offered a double apology: for the past and for the present. He said “sorry” to the Stolen Generations and he offered a warning to the Australian population of today, declaring that it had “over 35 years overseen a system of welfare, alcohol delivery, administration of programs, episodic preoccupation with symbolism and excusing the inexcusable in the name of cultural sensitivity to create what we now see in remote Aboriginal Australia” - and that this present world of misery warranted its own apology.

As today’s generation apologises, it must be humble enough to concede the nature of its own dishonourable failure.

Both writers have captured the essence of the meaning behind yesterdays events. Wright captures the emotion of the moment, while Kelly reminds us that while an apology is important, there is much to be done.

A large number criticized Nelson's (Leader of the Opposition) speech and while it did at times seem to be a defensive, he did try to put past policies in context. Whether it was the right moment to do so is arguable, yet the essence of his speech demonstrated a critique of Australian history that encapsulates the thinking of the time.

Based on the various Government reports on the Stolen Generation and the current conditions in the Aboriginal communities, one has to realise that future policies and actions will demonstrate the Australian peoples resolve to bring about significant change.

2008-02-10T21:09:00.000+07:00

Sustainable Development

On Friday, the day after the Chinese New year, the students took the day off and the school asked all staff to come in for a day on sustainable development. A lecture was given on what other countries and schools were doing, then the teachers and all workers of the school including gardeners and canteen staff, drivers and cleaners, took part in a series of workshops to examine the impact they as an individual and as a group make on the environment. It was a day of learning, discussion, and laughter, yet you could see that a number of people went away thoughtful at the end of the day.

The school is setting about to adopt best practice in achieving a balance between economic, social and environmental concerns. As an IB school, it is critical that we educate our students on being world citizens and that we walk the talk.

As such, the two schools went away in the afternoon (primary and high school) to discuss in their respective groups what could be done now to reduce the environmental impact we have on our community. Then we all got together again and presentations were made by both groups. The ideas were far ranging and practical.

More composting, the need to cut down on paper, reducing photocopying, ensuring the buses and cars are better tuned to cut down on emissions, carpooling, double toilet flushes, timed bathroom water taps, less lighting used, less airconditioning, cut out selling of plastic bottles in the canteen, school activities planned more carefully towards zero use of unrecyclable products, waste recycling and so on. All ideas could be put into practice immediately which was the aim with clear set notions of who was responsible, how it could be done, a pro and con list based on the 3 aspects of sustainable development, i.e social, economic and environmental, and the timeline involved.

It was a good start and the amount of background knowledge the staff already had was impressive. But like all things, unless the group acts as a whole and is empowered to reach decisions and then take responsibility for those decisions, little comes about. Thus, in one day the staff as a whole were given the opportunity to take control of their surroundings and asked what they wanted to do.

Remains to be seen how the school goes as it embarks on this pathway to awareness and action, but the day gave us all hope.

2008-02-10T21:07:00.000+07:00

The Literacy of Littering

Today we went to the water park. A very popular place as evidenced by the very large number of families about. Lovely day, sun shining, kids running about, music playing and all seemingly orderly yet there did occur a discordant note that made me reflect on life in Indonesia.

A large family was settled in tables and chairs to our front and side, while a smaller family had taken over the tables directly in front us. I noticed the family to one side ranging in ages from small children to grandmothers had finished their lunch. You could tell because they had dropped everything made of plastic onto the ground. Cups, plates, napkins and other detritus littered the ground around them. The group in front of us did the same, allowing their napkins to blow gently across the cement and into the tots pool, while leaving the larger pieces of rubbish strewn about, despite the fact that there was a bin directly behind them no more than arms reach away.

They are not schooled in the art of rubbish disposal. No wonder though that Indonesia has a serious litter problem. Children from a young age are shown that it’s okay to leave it to someone else. There is little in the Indonesian consciousness on littering, it just doesn’t make any impact on their sense of right and wrong. Everywhere you go in the city, rubbish litters the roads, the rivers, the pavements and so on.

So how is it that environmental responsibility of ones own and communities actions are all but ignored? It’s not a labour issue; there are plenty of people out of work. It could be a financial issue in that there might not be any funds to pay the people to keep everything orderly. It could also be that environmental awareness is just unimportant in day to day survival. However, be that as it may, this does not excuse the rampant disregard for the environment. Rivers are choked by rubbish, the city is weighed down with it, the streets piled with it, and few people realise the strain they are placing on their habitat.

It comes down to just one thing. Education.

Educate the children as they go to school, run grass root campaigns to raise awareness of what is happening in their part of the world. Provide the simple utilities to help contain, recycle and compost rubbish. Show people what they can do and why. Develop a literacy of littering, that is, a knowledge base and competency in action and consequences. Consequences both in results and in inaction.

Results could be highlighted by focussing on the economic, social and environmental benefits from a clean and healthy environment. Sustainable development which incorporates these three aspects has at its base the notion that by thinking of the issues before an action takes place, the action is thus mediated towards a more responsible effect. Using the framework of BDA (Before, During, After), the group or individual undertakes a quick three step of what they need to do before they take an action, what they do during it, and what they would do after it. While simple, it does take some thought.

A community could setup a committee whose main task is to analyse each and every decision that may affect the community. That is, an analysis of the best outcomes based on the 3 aspects of sustainable development for any activities undertaken in the community. A wedding is to be held. An analysis of the social, economic and environmental impact both positive and negative acts as a catalyst for further discussion and hopefully, better informed decisions. How would the community benefit from the wedding and what are the best options available to ensure that the pros far outweigh the cons.? If organisers were instructed in what could and could not be done in order to make the smallest environmental impact, the community benefits.

Another example is the food sellers in a community. Take the regular nasi goreng ‘kaki lima’ who wraps the fried rice in waxed paper. Educate him/her to stop using wax paper and instead use banana leaves. Or provide him/her with plates to use. Provide communal sinks and running water for washing. Grey water is then distributed or recycled. Provide a recycling bin. Make it a condition of operating that all food waste is composted in a central area.

The community committee could organise for an NGO to participate in an educational drive throughout the area. By highlighting the issues that impact on that area from a social, economic and environmental viewpoint gives both autonomy and empowerment. Once armed with information and strategies, the communities can take on responsibility for their own area.

Consequences need to be addressed as well. What if a member of the community acts in an irresponsible manner? The community as a whole decides on what sanctions should be put in place. Community service, a fine, a restriction, attendance at a local course in environmental responsibility could all act to provide barriers to wrongdoing. With guidelines and community education in place, the community is provided with the means to act as a cohesive whole.

This obviously is taken a further step in the greater community. The citizens of a city are educated through mass campaigns such as TV advertisements on littering and sustainable development. Fines and restrictions are put in place and enforced. People are made aware of the consequences of their actions both from an individual and a global perspective.

At an individual level, again a BDA analysis is required. Once used, each time becomes simpler, a tacked on thought process that allows responsible actions to take place. The use of water and electricity, rubbish disposal etc all incorporates a decision making process that uses at its foundation what could be done to minimise impact. It is not the big things make a difference, it’s the small stuff.

And it could all start with that one family instead of sitting amongst the rubbish they had strewn about their table, to reach behind them and dump it all in a bin, showing their children the right thing to do.

One small step on the pathway to a literacy of littering.

2008-02-10T20:46:00.000+07:00

Thoughts Outside the Box

I've known Jakartass for quite some time now, albeit only through blogging, and he has always impressed me as being of those rare individuals who is both intensely interested in what goes on in Indonesia as well as being a prolific writer of entertaining and thought provoking articles from an intellectual perspective coupled with a wry humour.

It is rare that a day goes by that I don't log on (as many others do if you look at his visitor count!) to see what he has to say about matters of the world with a specific focus on Indonesia.

Some time ago he contacted me and asked to be part of a project called "Thoughts Outside the Box".

This is what he has to say on it:
It is hoped that these essays will spur new approaches to solving some of the myriad problems faced in this country, one which, whatever our ethnicity, we call home. As Jakartass I may not agree with the opinions given, but as a pluralist I welcome them, as must we all. Therefore comments and debate will be welcomed, although clichés, personal abuse and spam will not. I would also welcome more contributions, so please email me if you haven't already made a commitment to join in.

Have a look, the articles so far are wide ranging and interesting. I encourage any readers here to contact him and submit your ideas, this might become a blog that reaches across boundaries and politics to bring about change, or, at the very least, provoke further discussion. Indonesia is at a significant cross roads at the moment. It is a developing nation with a rising middle class who are becoming more aware of the issues surrounding them. With the passing of former president Suharto, there is a certain new hope that the struggle to free itself of its past shackles will come about.

I've just finished revamping a blog entry for inclusion on the website, calling it "The Literacy of Littering". As I told Jakartass, its a bit simplistic in its ideas but you get the general idea.

I'll also post it above.

2008-01-27T20:38:00.001+07:00

Pics of the Waterpark. Just to give you an idea!

2008-01-27T20:29:00.000+07:00

A Day Out

It always surprises me when we go out and I see Indonesian families in action. Just when you think you have a handle on the family unit, something pops up and you go oh! And think about it for a moment then move on. Sometimes the ‘oh!’ is a mere mild expression of interest or bemusement, other times it’s along the lines of ‘oh! Would you look at that’, and the most rare of all beasts is the ‘oh my (insert applicable diety)’. Today was a mixture of all three interestingly enough. Not that this necessarily a bad thing, otherwise why live here? If one can’t find items of interest or import amongst the daily happenings of life here in Indonesia, or indeed wherever you live as an expat, then why bother?!

I think that’s what makes it all worthwhile, the sudden pause as you go about your thing only to experience something that resonates amongst one or more of the five senses. Tolerance is all well and good, and indeed one has to go one further and note such occurrences with acceptance stemming from the vagaries of difference, and heck, we could all say ‘viva la difference!’ and leave it at that. But that’s not much fun either.

Case in point was today. Up latish due to a very latish night out celebrating Australia day with a mixture of Australians, Kiwi’s, and folk of other countries thrown in for good measure. To digress for a moment, it was a good night. We hit the local Australian restaurant which we hadn’t been to for some time to discover it had been revamped and was packed to the gills with diners. Luckily one of the group had the foresight to book a private dining room, doubtless in the knowledge that singing Waltzing Matilda or Khe San in a room packed with Indonesians might lead to a few raised eyebrows. And thus we went bravely into the room to be confronted by our esteemed leader waiting with an Australian quiz, an instrument of diabolical proportions given that there were a number of questions, more than a few in fact, that had me scratching my head. For instance, name all Chief Ministers, or, who nailed a pewter plate to a tree (ok, that might be easy for the older generation), and where and what is the Tank Stream (runs under Sydney city would you believe). Or, name song and singer for “Words are easy, words are cheap” (and indeed in my profession words are easy though in the long run never quite cheap). After we had submitted ourselves to the test, we were then lead into song and must admit, we did raise the rafters with Matilda and Khe San amongst others. Dinner was good, then it was into the cars to head up to a couples house who had kindly donated their back lawn for more singing and the odd imbibing (not that yours truly imbibed, just the occasional discreet sip of wine) before heading home in the wee hours of the morning. Bless the nanny, kids were safely asleep and we tottered off to bed only to be woken a few hours later to be reminded that we had promised to take them to the water park.

Ah, the water park. Now this is an edifice that is hard to describe in one sentence or indeed a few. Picture a huge area devoted to water. Current pools, slides, fountains and spouts, tubes and pools, wave pool and paddling areas, climbing ropes and structures and you sort of get the idea. Throw in the theme of a world filled with larger than life animals and pirates, ship wrecks and towering Arabian turrets and you might even further get the idea. Add teeming masses of Indonesian families, women in jibabs, youngsters dressed in swimming costumes from head to toe (amongst the more liberal families there were some dressed somewhat more revealingly - I’m sure I saw a knee at one stage), constant Indonesian pop music piped through cunningly concealed speakers all over the park, and just to add some fun to the mix, a band playing dangdut style music in the main eating area. The cacophony of noise can be overwhelming at first, especially when one had been up to the wee hours singing and doing all those things that one expects of an Australian at such a gathering, so it was with some trepidation that we drove to the park, disembarked and headed to the ticket office.

Now, the procedure to get in has its own charms. First stop, line up to see two fellows standing behind a desk who open your bags as no food or drink is allowed in. Then stand in line to buy a ticket. There were three people in front of me and I thought no problem, but I had forgotten that ticket counters here are more than just a place to purchase a ticket, they also act as a social centre, a place to lean up against and chat while the attendant slowly organises the tickets, checks they are indeed the right number, they have the right date on them, checks the price again, counts the ticket again, has a chat to the fellow beside him and finally after politely asking the customer about her health, her family and her plans for the rest of the day, the tickets are then handed over. Now it’s the customers turn. Handbag is searched slowly all the while telling the interested attendant about her gall bladder, the state of the country, the price of rice and so on. A wallet is found and money is counted out slowly, checked and re checked. The attendant then gathers the money, counts it, recounts it, and then hands over the final piece de resistance, the plastic purchasing card. Akin to an atm card, you fill it up at designated areas and then use it to purchase food wherever you go. A mini cashless society, you could also be excused for thinking that would make things easier inside. It doesn’t. The wait while the card is scanned when you purchase something can take as long as it does for the ice to melt in your drink, the food go cold and feet go numb. He then instructs the woman how to use the card, what she can buy with it, the joys and pleasures that await her and her family when they finally get in, and finally she departs.

Two more people in front of me.

After getting tickets and card, show them to a chap who stands just nearby and had probably watched you purchase the tickets but you still have to hand them to him which he then reads carefully, before allowing you through a rickety turnstile. Once inside, it opens out into an enormous expanse of concrete and stairs leading down to the various play areas. We were there at 10 am but it was busy. Very busy. No seats or tables to be had so the next stop was the counter where you can hire a cabana, a locker or a towel. Cabana secured (not bad actually, Rp100,000 for the day) we made our way there to find a family already happily ensconced within, not minding the plastic chain draped across its front held together with a large padlock to which I had the key. I show them the key, point to the number on it, point to the cabana number, politely ask them to move and they ungraciously vacate.

Another large family was settled in tables and chairs to our front and side, while a smaller family had taken over the tables directly in front of the cabana, using its shade cloth as shelter from the fierce sun. Couldn’t blame them, it was hot. So we unpacked, got the kids out and hit the water. The next three hours was spent taking the kids around all the pools (Lil C got sick in the wave pool), to the tubes, both Lil C and Lil D had a great time sliding down (note to self, don’t wear the same swimmers again, they possess high friction thus slowing down my descent to a crawl), to the current pool where we all jollied around, and back to the cabana for fries and drinks.

While relaxing I noticed the family to one side ranging in ages from a small child to grandmothers had finished their lunch. You could tell because they had dropped everything made of plastic onto the ground. Cups, plates, napkins and other detritus littered the ground around them. The group in front of us did the same, allowing their napkins to blow gently across the cement and into the tots pool, while leaving the larger pieces of rubbish strewn about, despite the fact that there was a bin directly behind them no more than arms reach away.

Okay, so they are not schooled in the art of rubbish disposal, move on I say to myself, lurching around pointing at their rubbish and the bin would only cause a scene and leave them convinced of the madness of foreigners. No wonder though that Indonesia has a serious litter problem. Children from a young age are shown that it’s okay to leave it to someone else. Funnily enough, the guy who empties the bin did come round not long after. Aha! I thought. Now he‘ll say something or at the very least make a point of picking everything up around their table. This was not to be. A plastic cup was in his way and he kicked it a bit further before emptying the bins into a large one on wheels, ignored the other stuff on the ground and moved on.

Does leave one wondering who does actually pick everything up.

Reminds me of a school camp I went on last year. We had taken the students up for a hike into the hills, and stopped for a rest. One of the teachers, a senior motherly type lady well respected amongst the kids, sat down for a rest, pulled out a bottle of insect repellent wrapped in paper, and dropped the paper on the ground, not really taking note that she had done so. It was a casual gesture devoid of concern. A few metres to her right, the park ranger was giving the kids a talk about the environment and how important it was to keep everything clean etc. She listened with interest while the paper rolled gently down the hill.

There is little in the Indonesian consciousness on littering, it just doesn’t make any impact on their sense of right and wrong. Then again, it could be more a western thing, as the aesthetics of a place or area are not that important either to the average Indonesian. Everywhere you go in the city, things are left alone. Shops are faded and crumbling but no one bothers to patch them up or give a paint job, broken pavement out front and the shop keeper ignores it, allowing his customers to pick their way through the rubble. Office buildings slowly sagging in the tropical sun, signs missing letters, paint peeling and brown walls that were once white. The list goes on.

So what is it that makes them this way? How can they ignore the aesthetics of their surrounds? Is it a peculiarly western ideal to have everything neat and tidy? Are we just a tad too anal about it all? I was in Sydney in December and could not get over how picture perfect the neighbourhoods were, well, at least the ones I was visiting. Manicured gardens, tended houses and shops, carefully constructed walk ways, leafy streets and so on. I mentioned this to my sister, that it was all just a bit surreal, and I'm sure she thought I had been out in the tropical sun too long.

So how is it that the exact opposite occurs in Indonesia? It’s not a labour issue; there are plenty of people out of work. It could be a financial issue in that there might not be any funds to pay the people to keep everything orderly. It could also be that these things are just unimportant in the day to day race for survival. There is no social security system, no welfare net to catch you should you stumble, instead it’s every person for themselves. The lack of personal financial security must be an enormous weight to bear. The sheer battle to stay on top and climb out of the social group you are born into can only be imagined. Yesterday in the paper there were 500 people, 500 mind you, sitting a test to sit on an electoral commission. The number of places available? 5.

500 people dreaming of raising their living standards, 500 people aiming to win one of those 5 seats. Little wonder they don’t have time to worry about how nice something looks.

However, be that as it may, this just does not excuse the rampant disregard for the environment. Rivers are choked by rubbish, the city is weighed down with it, the streets piled with it, and few people realise the strain they are placing on their world.

It comes down to just one thing. Simple really. Education.

Educate the kids as they go to school, run grass root campaigns to raise awareness of what is happening in their part of the world. Provide the simple utilities to help contain rubbish. Show people what they can do and why. And it could all start with that one family instead of sitting amongst the rubbish they had strewn about their table, making the small effort to reach behind them and dump it all in a bin.

One small step.

2008-01-10T12:48:00.000+07:00

First day back

First day back at school and even before classes had started the bad news was spreading rapidly throughout the school. I was found by one fellow staff member who shook me by the hand, wished me a happy New Year then asked that question. The question that starts the heart racing slightly,(depending on the questioners tone), the question that acts as a rhetorical device from which the questioner will then launch into what would probably be by then a well practiced spiel.

“Have you heard?” Just that. And with that question, as I looked at his face, I knew this would not be the usual run of the mill gossip.

I answer in the negative and he tells me that one of our elementary teachers had died the night before. The information came in clipped bullet notes. Tragic accident. Car crash. Two small children hurt. He died in hospital. 35 years old. Wife not in the car. Well liked teacher. Possible he did not see in the dark the parked truck in the left lane. At considerable speed he hit it. The car is not recognizable as a car.

While there is some distance in relationships between the elementary school and the secondary school as is usually the case in a big school divided by land and buildings, Sonny was a well liked member of staff and as a PE teacher, had taught just about every child in the school. Thus, he had also had contact with just about every teacher in the school.

So, that afternoon we gathered in the gymnasium and I was privileged to witness a most moving ceremony. We all sat down on the floor, all 180 teachers. One teacher, a respected older man who teaches religion in the primary school for the Moslem students came forward. He then proceeded to call out a number of male teachers from both secondary and elementary who joined him up front. With a brief yet gentle introduction, he explained he was asking these teachers to join him in prayer. He asked us no matter what our beliefs to mourn the passing of Sonny and pray for him.

They sat down cross legged facing us, and with microphone in hand, the leader began to read from his prayer book. At first it was just that, a reading, but as he warmed up the tones became modulated and within a few more minutes he began to sing the prayer. The men with him accompanied in the background, their voices blending to provide a wall of support for the higher notes of the leader.

It was in Arabic so I had no idea what was being said yet the way in which it was said was as powerful as any words. It was clearly a call for Allah to watch out over Sonny, and, I imagined, a prayer requesting forgiveness for his transgressions. The sung prayer rose and fell in the still afternoon air and I found myself moved by the emotions that were indelibly imprinted into it.

Time slowed, the mournful voice of the teacher wrapped itself around and through the room and no longer did one find the floor hard to sit on. I looked around and all were bent forward lost in their prayers and thoughts. The women, eyes closed and heads bowed, held their cupped upturned hands in front of them. Everyone was silent, though as we drifted along the ebb and flow of the prayer, I did hear a few voices joining in the prayer from the back of the room.

The collective gathering of grief yet also of hope was a powerful one and when he finished, with little ceremony we all stood and left, feeling somewhat lighter.

2008-01-09T20:22:00.000+07:00

Bali & Christmas 2007

It’s been awhile, once again, so I’ll bring you up to date on what we have been doing.

December was a big month, school finishing for the term, reports to be done but we all sighed in relief that all went well, and school broke up on the 14^th. On the 16^th we all headed off to Bali for a well earned break. 3 days in Kuta was planned, then 3 days in Sanur.

As usual, in Kuta we stayed at Kuta Townhouses, even got the same apartment we had last time! The new owners had remodelled a bit and had even supplied the apartment with another fridge; a large glass fronted one, good for cold drinks! It was as clean and comfortable as ever, thus our stay there was just as we had expected except for one thing. The only slight distraction was the building right next door of phase 2 of the complex. Out of the 43 new apartments being built, at the time of visiting only 9 were left to be sold, and at the prices they were asking, I was a bit surprised that so many had been sold. Prices ranged from 90,000 to 140,000 US.

The constant noise of construction was alleviated somewhat by the wet weather which stopped the workmen thus allowing us a fair amount of peace and quiet and once inside the apartment you couldn’t hear them so it wasn’t too bad. However, I would advise that if you were planning to stay there, hold off until the complex is finished. Still, they made us very welcome and we spent 3 days on Kuta beach relaxing and going for long walks. The children loved it, running up and down and diving in and out of the surf.

The waves were quite strong at times so it meant we had to keep a close eye on them but they had a great time all the same.

Kuta was fairly busy, I guess with school holidays etc people were starting to come out to enjoy the scenery etc. The weather was as expected, a bit of rain each day but you could usually rely on it to clear up by the afternoon and in the morning it was usually sunny.

After Kuta we headed to Sanur for a stay at the Peneeda View hotel. We had booked two beach fronting villas as a bit of a treat, thinking it would be nice to have our room and not be disturbed by the kids climbing into our bed during the night. It worked. They happily stayed in their villa each night under the watchful eye of Ari, the nanny, and we were able to go for long walks in the evening and enjoy the restaurants along the promenade. As usual, our favourite was the Beach Café and as usual, it didn’t disappoint! Great food.

Sanur beach up around Peneeda was calm and allowed for great splashing about by the children without having to be worried about being dumped by waves. They found all sorts of sea creatures as they hunted around in the shallow water and were delighted by the sand crabs they were able to catch and place in sand castles.

Peneeda itself is a nice little hotel. The rooms were large and comfortable, though the restaurant was quite expensive so we didn’t make much use of it. However, it is a bit of a walk down to where all the good beach restaurants are so next time we will probably go back to the Gazebo.

All in all, it was a lovely break for us all and we came back on the 22^nd to prepare for Christmas day.

It was a rush to get ready for Christmas day. Last minute shopping for presents and food. We had invited two other couples to our place plus assorted children. The first couple to arrive came bearing a great big box of food, and we set to the kitchen to cook up a storm. All in all, it was a great day. The kids had a great time as did we.

2007-12-15T06:58:00.000+07:00

Creativity, Action and Service (CAS) is an integral part of my present school. In particular, Service is an important aspect where students from year 7 onwards are required to do something in the local community. For the past four years, students have been visiting local schools, usually on a Saturday and helping in the classrooms, teaching English, helping with other subjects and generally trying to brighten up the children's lives.

It's been a wonderful project, our students have thrown themselves into it with enthusiasm. The students come from protected backgrounds, and as such, are rarely if ever, given the opportunity to engage with the local villagers etc. It has given them the opportunity to rethink who they are in relation to their community, and see first hand the difficulties experienced by the poorer classes.

Some might be skeptical and think students from privileged backgrounds like ours would be reluctant, or condescending, but this couldn't be further from the truth. Instead, they have engaged with the local children and demonstrated through their actions the values of the student attitudes and student learner profile in abundance.

Attitudes such as respect, integrity, tolerance, creativity and cooperation are all in evidence as the students help and play with the children. The students learner profile expects students to be principled, risk takers, inquirers, caring, communicators and so on. Again, these attributes are developed and demonstrated.

CAS becomes a part of a students life through real and proactive action. They are expected to organise, act then reflect. Over the years you get to see the differences in the students. Whereas once they might be seen as self involved and living within a narrow paradigm, they begin to branch out and see the world about them.

Our senior classes this year have started a project in the inner city for street kids, cooking up meals at school, packaging them, then delivering the food to a kids drop in centre. While still in its early phase, already ideas are being floated about something more substantial such an independent soup kitchen run by locals with the help of the students on a daily basis, a community library, educational classes to entice the kids back to school and so on.

If you are reading this and wondering if CAS is a good thing for your school, all I can say is go for it. The students will need support for the first year or two until it becomes part of the school culture, then as they get older it is possible to let the students takeover and design their own programs.

The sky is the limit!

2007-12-15T05:05:00.000+07:00

Some pictures I took this morning. It was a lovely start to the day, cool and fresh.
I liked the green one as it has a certain clarity about it that captured, for me at least, the essence of the morning. The rose had only recently unfurled, and its delicate shades of colour are lovely.
Click the pics to get a better view.

2007-12-01T22:27:00.000+07:00

The weekend

Saturday and we are getting ourselves sorted for the day. The children will be going to swimming lessons soon, while I have to venture into town and do some banking and so on. Good thing about banks here, they are open on a Saturday till 1pm, which makes life that bit easier. Then have to go pay for the airfare to Sydney, it’ll be good to see family again and then it’s the job fair for a hopefully interesting (read successful!), experience.

Had a good time last night. Went to a local sushi place with a group of friends and tried a mixed bag of fusion rolls etc, then across to the ‘pool bar’ an outdoor venue for coffees (named for being situated outside the local public swimming pool), before ending up at a local pool hall for a few games.

Gwalk, a street not far from our house, is an amazing road filled with restaurants and food stalls. At night it comes alive and the street is packed with cars and pedestrians wandering around looking at all on offer.

Alongside the road the sidewalk has been extended a number of metres so that food stalls can setup outside their respective restaurants or indeed just setup as stand alones. Most people here love to eat outside, and the explosion in customer numbers means that more and more places are opening up further down the street. So much so that parking is becoming a bit of a problem. I think the town planners really didn’t expect it to take off as much as it has. Talk to most people in Surabaya and Gwalk is listed as a favourite place to dine out.

The restaurants have become increasingly modern, with an eclectic mix of menus on offer ranging from the humble noodle dishes to the more exotic dishes such as roasted quail, ‘drunken duck’ and so on. Where once it was difficult to get a beer or a glass of wine, most of the modern joints will offer alcohol while the more traditional places have the traditional beverages such as “es cendol” etc listed.

So, you wander along, dodging cars and motorbikes that are trying to squeeze down the congested street, looking at all the setups and try to pick something different. Wherever there is a large group of people always seems a safe bet, and you are usually not disappointed. It’s quite a sight at night with lights festooned across and along the street, the hum of people, the loud barps of motorbikes whizzing past the crawling cars, and crowds everywhere. Waiters and waitresses stand outside each stall and as you walk past they try to catch your eye and gesture you inside their pavilion for a feed, accompanied by a polite “selamat malam , makanannya …” and then they quickly reel off the main dishes. Have to hand it to them, it must get a bit tiring trying to get people in, but they do it with a smile and easy nod if you pass them by.

Sights and smells are wonderful. Here there will be a huge wok over an enormous flame, a sweating man throwing noodles or rice around with practised ease, there a satay seller with the delicious scent of roasting beef and chicken wafting past. Further along a chicken specialist will be turning out fried bits and pieces, further along again a clash of pots and pans producing what looks like exotic Chinese dishes.

Last night we had already chosen the resto ‘hachi hachi’ before we went out, it’s been some time since we had tried it and thought it deserved a revisit. The food was great, the beer cold, and the service quick and easy. They serve both inside and outside, with a large decking built out onto the sidewalk. The chairs are clustered around small tables and there is the constant movement of people wandering in and out.

Prices are incredibly cheap. Last night for a group of 8 eating their fill, plus the drinks etc, the bill came to about US6.00 per head. Obviously you can eat for a lot cheaper than this if you go to the setups that cook outside. A plate of delicious fried noodles with chicken etc will set you back about US1.50.

It was getting late but some of the group spied a pool hall downaways and decided to give it a shot. Inside we found a few tables and a small group of people playing. They soon made us very welcome, and we hit the balls around a few times before calling it a night.

Tomorrow is the Surabaya triathlon, which should make for a good turn out of expats in the area. I’m not competing, should be I suppose, but haven’t spent nearly enough time on the bike, in the pool or running to make a good go of it. Have been hitting the gym instead! So Sunday will be spent cheering the contestants on and helping out. Not sure at this stage how many people are competing but most of the mob that went in the Bali triathlon will be there, so it should be a good day.

Next week is the highlight of the year, the annual xmas ball, held at the Shangrila. Have to get the suit dusted off and pull out the dancing shoes! This is always a good night where the whole expat community in sby turns out for a great shindig. You meet people who you’ve never seen before, renew acquaintances and get together with friends. It’s a big thing here in sby. Everyone who is anyone turns up, dressed to the nines, lots of cheek pressing etc. An auction to raise money for charity, choir, and then a band or two. Our school usually supplies the student string section for light music for the early part of the evening before the bigger headline acts come on. The kids are great, they play beautifully, and facing such a large crowd they don’t seem to suffer any nerves.

Hard to believe that Christmas is just around the corner, the year has gone so fast.

2007-11-23T17:59:00.000+07:00

Celebration!

It’s been a busy week. C had her last exam today for her Dip Ed and all went well. After 11 months of hard work and study it would seem she has made it through with flying colours. I think both of us are equally glad it’s all over. The past 11 months have been spent hitting the books till the late hours for C. I would also try to read up on what she was doing so that we could discuss whatever she was doing. It’s hard studying when you don’t have someone to bounce ideas off so it made sense for me to get back into the theory as well. Tell the truth, I enjoyed it. It is not often we teachers get the chance to go back through all the work we did at uni and look at it with from the perspective of someone who has been teaching for a number of years.

C is now making a good impact in the PYP where she was offered a few months work to cover for an expat who is on maternity leave. I think this is an excellent way to start off. She has done her pracs in PYP, and has been under the guidance of an outstanding principal who is not only a PYP trainer but also is an IB evaluator, going out to schools across Indonesia who are seeking either accreditation or are in the process of application. Under her, C has been able to get first hand experience of what PYP is really about and this has been a huge opportunity for her. The next few months working in PYP will do her good as she will be able to put all that study into practice.

Tonight we are going out celebrating; I believe all the expat teachers will be turning up to toast the newest addition to their ranks! Should be a good night.

The year tens have just finished their personal projects (being an IB school, the MYP students have to put together a Personal project which involves research and production of something that they have thought up) , and they are equally relieved. Wandering the hallways its fantastic to see the various projects on display.

It’s a huge business, involving a lot of work from the students and careful supervision from the teachers to ensure students are meeting the criteria. It’s also a great opportunity for them to really branch out and do something different. One student wrote a song and performed it for the whole school with a power point of images behind her of the poor in Indonesia. Another created a menu for a local restaurant, after spending hours there consulting with staff and patrons on what they like etc. The project just isn’t the final product but also entails the writing of a report which in itself is an exhaustive process. Most have done well, though I did notice some madly typing away in the LRC on their laptops! The students I was supervising have done well. One did a guide on using moviemaker in the form of an E-book, while the other created a health and nutrition campaign for the local villages.

The year 12 Diploma students were under an equal amount of pressure as they have just finished their Extended Essay, a research paper on a topic of their choice totalling around 4000 words. This has been an extensive project for them, but overall, I think they have done well. I’m responsible for the coordination of their EE’s, so it’s been a process of educating both the teachers and the students as to what they can and can’t do etc. Hopefully, we will end up with good results.

I’ve also been working on giving teachers guidelines for SEN students (special educational needs) for years 9 and 10, plus I’m putting together a whole high school staff literacy program (I did the Stepping Out trainer program a few years back, great stuff) for implementation early next year. I did a presentation for the PYP staff (100 plus staff!) using the Freebody & Luke model, which is very accessible for staff, a couple of weeks ago and they are now starting to put a proper literacy plan in place.

So, this term has been very busy, and with reports coming up etc, it’s going to keep busy until break.

I’m heading off to Sydney in late December to go to the Search job fair there. This will be a first for me and so it’s going to be an interesting trip. Will also be good to catch up with family in Sydney and might also try to get to Brisbane to drop into sisters and mum.

Life is never boring!

2007-11-11T12:31:00.000+07:00

Maids

Thinking about concubines and such, I decided to take a brief look at the use of maids in times past. We still use them today, most countries in SE Asia do, as does the UAE, Africa and many other countries. If one were to look at the use of maids in the early part of the 20th century in Indonesia, it's possible to see a common thread that still exists today.

The use of maids in Indonesia articulates both a cultural and historical position. Cultural in the sense that it is an accepted factor in the running of households amongst the middle class, formerly that of the priyayi. Historical in that the Dutch embraced the use of servants themselves; however, for them it was of a different course than that of the Indonesians. In the early part of the 16th century, the Dutch trade in slaves was prevalent in both the West Indies and Africa. They brought their trade to Indonesia and during the years of colonization, ruthlessly used the peasants of Indonesia to further their own ends. The VOC, or Dutch East India Company had an enormous impact on the wealth and development of Asia from 15th century through to the early 19th century. The Netherlands East Indies took over where the VOC left off after corruption and bad management bankrupted the VOC.

However, the period of VOC rule in Indonesia was so influential it is still referred to in colloquial speech as jaman kompeni (era of the company). The wealth generated by the use of slave labour was intrinsic to the power and wealth of the VOC. With the downfall of the VOC, the Netherlands East Indies took over their stranglehold of Indonesia and continued where the VOC had left off. Kingdoms were used mercilessly to further their own ends, farmers were forced to pay exorbitant taxes, peasants were indentured for pittances, and the slave trade grew. Even after the slave trade was eventually outlawed in 1853, the tradition of help around the estate never relinquished its grip.

To take a snapshot of what life may have been like, it is interesting to read Paula Gomes in “Let it Be” where she remembers the use of servants around the house. In it she recounts vividly an incident with her closest friend, her nanny who slept on the floor at the end of her bed. Paula remembers inviting the nanny to sit on her bed and share a book she had been reading but the nanny laughed and refuses. Paula remembers laughing as well, knowing the impossibility of having a servant sit on her bed. The complicity of knowledge shared between Paula and the nanny highlight the unspoken but known lines of correct behavior upheld by both parties. Paula does state that she cannot remember why she did not further question this inequality of status but puts it down to the ‘will of the gods’:

“The fact was there was a ruling class, and I belonged to it. No one doubted that the gods had willed it so. No one could have imagined otherwise than that the gods would allow this situation to continue for a long, long timer- not forever, perhaps, but so long that no one, from one generation to another, knew any better”.

Paula uses this language of justification time and again within her text. It could be construed from such that she is aware of the impositions and injustices suffered by the servants yet she is also still under the romanticism of a nostalgia whereby the servants are friendly and polite playmates from whom a pleasant life was derived. Her text reflects such nostalgia in that her memories usually seek the good rather than the bad excepting for her experiences during the war. She remembers the servants of her childhood fondly; their own lives never questioned nor asked for. However, she does say that as a child during the celebration of Lebaran they would take her back to their kampongs:

“We wore our best clothes and everyone was celebrating. The fasting month was over. The white paper tablecloth was strewn with flowers. We drank pink syrup and ate cakes, while a gramophone on a small cabinet played music and the neighbours watched in the doorway”.

A number of interesting elements become known within this short paragraph. She remembers white paper tablecloths strewn with flowers, hardly the usual decoration found within a kampong home of the thirties. That a gramophone played music in the house again brings some notion of difference from the norm. Finally, it is the offhand remark about the neighbours that answers the puzzle. In a kampong, it is regarded as normal for one and all to drop into everyone’s house during the festive season. For the neighbours not to come into the house in which she is indicates a distinct reserve on their part.

The gaiety and closeness of Paula with her friends the servants is no longer that of equality but instead of mistress and underlings. It is possible that the neighbours would not enter knowing that a young Nona was in the house thus precluding them from entering for fear of upsetting her. Also, that the house was able to provide the white paper table cloth and gramophone indicates a far from normal Indonesian kampong household. The house might not have been the servants house at all, but the house of the kampong elder given the presence of the gramophone which would indicate status and wealth. Thus, while Paula’s memories of her servants are fond and nostalgic, there remain inconsistencies that further the accepted cultural historicity of class relations between the ruling class and the others.

Life would have been difficult for servants in the early part of the 20th century. That is, as the underlings with little power except that of refusal to fully comply with the Dutch state. However, one could understand that for people who were raised in such a time/place, to regard what they did as wrong is overstating the case. Instead, one could argue, as I do, that the perceived notions of the time acted both ways. That is, the servants were behaving in the manner in which they were accustomed to, and the rulers in the way they were accustomed to. I do not seek to make apologies for the injustices suffered, rather an attempt to explore a time from which now we look back and wonder how it could have been possible. yet in many ways when I look around me I see history repeating itself. The Dutch are gone, but not the remnants of the servant class nor the culturally embedded attitudes towards them.

Salaries are still very low, conditions are hard, I remember asking my students what sort of hours their maids work and was astounded when they told me that it could be anywhere from 12 t0 18 hours per day. Pay is usually between Rp400,000 to Rp 900,000 a month depending on how long the maid has worked for the family. After six or so years, the average was around Rp800,000. Yet for my students, this is normal. After all, they argued, we feed them, give them a bed, and take care of them. However, there is no pension plan, no union, no guarantee of continued employment. The maids lives and jobs depend on the whims of their employers.

The maid is an essential member of the household, witness what happens during Idul Fitri when all houseworkers are given the week off. Families depart for hotels, Bali, and so on. The Jakarta Post runs articles asking how they are coping and print the varied responses with the common refrain of how difficult life is without the hired help. People bemoan the hardship of having to clean their own homes, cook meals etc, and can't wait till the maid/s return. Yet when they do, to the relief of the employer, little changes.

Two weeks ago we hired a new live in maid after the leaving it for a few months. We were just not ready to have a new person in the house after Patsy (see my posting about Patsy - August 7). So, we decided to take a break from having a live in and instead employed the cook only. She helped out around the house, did the essentials but it was nice to be looking after ourselves again. The only downside was that it was difficult to go out as we didn't have a babysitter for the children. So, two weeks ago, we started to ask around and after a few days a young girl of 25 turned up. Shy, quiet but with a pleasant personality, lovely smile and attitude. We liked her on the spot and she moved in two days later.

Now, she told us that she had worked for a family in Singapore and we thought good enough, she's got experience. However, we were unprepared for what she obviously was used to doing in her old job. The first morning we rose to find the house cleaned, garden watered, cat fed and everything in its place. When asked, she told us she had started at 4.30am. A bit staggered, we told her that it wasn't necessary, and to get up when we do. She smiled, agreed, but after two weeks, we are still finding everything done by the time we get up.

Ari insists on speaking English with us, though at times we do have communication problems thus I resort to Indonesian but even so, she will answer in English. She is keen, a hard worker and happy. It is interesting to note though the cultural mindset she has in being a maid. One afternoon I asked her to keep an eye on the children while they watched TV as we were both busy. I came in some time later to find her sitting on the floor. When I told her that the chair was more comfortable, she was hesitant and every time I walked into the room she would leap up from the chair as if scalded.

It's going to take some time to get Ari to live among us as an equal, in fact, I wonder if she ever will. Sometimes cultural attitudes and belief systems combined with the remnants of a colonial past are just too hard to dislodge.

2007-11-11T11:41:00.000+07:00

Dukuns and the cure for hiccups

Life in Indonesia was not simple for the ruling Dutch during the earlier 20th century, though according to the writings of many from those times, it did have its benefits.

It was fairly common for Dutchmen to take mistresses among the Indonesians, always careful to avoid potential problems by seeking the help of a local to approach the family of the girl. It was usually agreed that the family would benefit in some material way for their daughter’s fate. It was not uncommon for a mistress to live until her death in the household. As was the custom, a newer mistress might be taken, but the first one always had the absolute power over the household. Pramoedya Toer has written a stark expose of the life these concubines endured in his “Buru” quartet and “Girl from the Coast”.

In the early 1920’s, it was whispered that a certain relation of a prominent Dutch family in Surabaya took a mistress for himself when he grew tired of the single life. The mistress was a young girl, only 17 or so, though according to Javanese custom, older than usual to be unmarried. It was often that the girls would be promised and married off just after puberty.

The Dutchman approached the family through an intermediary, settled on a payment to the family and took the girl back to his house. It is said that all went well for the first few years, but the Dutchman made the mistake of falling for another Indonesian girl he happened to meet while out purchasing supplies one day. Without telling his first mistress, an affair began with the implicit nod of the new girl’s family. Obviously, the first mistress would find out about it and that she did.

The first mistress approached a famous Dukun (Indonesian supernatural doctor). She asked for revenge on her wandering partner. If he had taken another with her permission, all might have been forgiven, but his actions had severely embarrassed the standing of the girl within the area. She had lost face and that was unforgivable.

The following day the Dutchman began to hiccup. At first, he thought nothing of it, but after a few hours and the usual remedies had not worked, he began to grow desperate. The following day he was still hiccuping. Frantic by now, he visited doctors in the area, but to no avail. A week passed then two. The hiccups continued. By now, he was a nervous wreck. Finally in desperation, he travelled for days to get to the capital city Jakarta in search of more specialist treatment. In Jakarta he visited many people but to no avail. His hiccups continued.

After nearly four weeks of unceasing torture, his mind almost broken, the Dutchman returned home to ready himself for death. There was no way out. His first mistress, seeing him this way, finally took pity on him and through a maid, sent him a message that he was to visit the Dukun and ask for a cure with her blessings. The Dutchman made the journey to the Dukun, an unusual step in itself, for they are normally summoned. The Dukun heard his story, listening with an impassive face, but every now and then breaking into the characteristic laughter of the Javanese amused by the foibles of others.

The Dutchman begged for relief and was duly given it. The cure itself was simple. He was given a glass of water, a knife was placed in it, blade out, and he was told to down the water without breathing, the knife resting against his forehead. The hiccups stopped. Needless to say, the Dutchman went back to his first mistress and, so the story goes, never strayed again.

Next time you have the hiccups, you may want to try this ‘cure’. It works.

2007-11-09T18:22:00.001+07:00

Scenes of the villages in the path of Mt Kelud, a temporary police information centre, and the volcano itself in the background.

2007-11-09T18:01:00.000+07:00

The Claytons Eruption.

Mt Kelud is now seen as to not having erupted but instead is undergoing a “slow eruption” which basically means that lava is climbing out, creating a dome said to be 70 metres high and 150 metres in diameter. However, the force isn’t there to actually cause it to do the big roar. So, scientists have now given the evacuated people permission to return home. All good so far until the front page of the Jakarta Post yesterday declares somewhat ominously that soothsayers are not so sure it’s all over.

Now, in Indonesia, soothsayers are taken very seriously. Most people have been to one or know of one or follow the advice of one and so on. So, for me at least, it did make sense that the JP decided to hit the seer trail and find out just what is going on.

According to the various mystics consulted, Mt Kelud will erupt in the next 7 days. One elder who regularly takes cups of coffee to the spirit guardians of the volcano said, “I still haven't received any sign from Den Bagus Kelud that the mountain will erupt. Previously, I have always received a sign -- an unseen spirit whispered it into my heart”. She goes on to say that Mt Kelud is playing a rather wicked game of hide and seek, daring the villagers to return and the police to wander off: "As long as the villagers still live in the shelters, as long as the police still guard the peak, then it won't erupt. It shall erupt the moment the villagers return to their homes and the police officers leave their posts," she said.

Another mystic reckons because there has not been any major calamity elsewhere, the volcano will wait. Apparently, in 1990 prior to its last big eruption, there was a series of deaths attributed to the “nationwide ‘mysterious shooters’ program, in which allegedly government-condoned death-squads targeted street thugs”. He supports his hypothesis by saying the time before was heralded by the 1965 failed coup in which many people died.

The JP finishes off its article by quoting the head of the Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center Surono, who apparently decided to throw away his instruments after the earlier embarrassment of calling an eruption when there wasn’t one, a claytons eruption if you will, by stating that “The mountain hasn't erupted yet because the girl of Mount Kelud is still refusing my marriage proposal. I have repeatedly tried to comprehend her wishes to no avail. She only smiles at me."

So there you have it. We have to wait till the villagers return, the police go away, a large number of deaths to occur and a girl who lives in the volcano accepts a marriage proposal.

I for one am hoping it’ll take pity on all the villagers and decide to go for marriage. While this sacred institution is seen by some as worse than boiling lava, I’m happy to share the secrets of a good marriage with the girl in the volcano. As long as she doesn’t decide to take offence at Australian humour. Wonder if she’ll get the mother-in-law jokes…

2007-11-09T11:48:00.000+07:00

Diversity of Cultures

Most private schools in Indonesia have a student population consisting largely of Chinese-Indonesians. There is a distinct cultural difference that exists between them and the pribumi (native) Indonesians. As a minority race in Indonesia, there exists a feeling of ‘us and them’. Mario Rustam writing on the discrimination of the Chinese Indonesians in the larger Indonesian community notes that “all the school lessons and books …completely whitewashed the Chinese from Indonesian history. It was like we had never been there”. He says that “it is as an ethnic group that we are being discriminated”. A recent editorial in the Jakarta Post echoes this sentiment by stating that “ethnic Chinese were victimized by the official New Order policy of suppressing their language and culture” This prevalent feeling of being a marginalised group has led to many Chinese Indonesians opting for private school educations rather than using the Indonesian state school system.

The private schools socio-cultural groups act as a microcosm of the broader Indonesian society. Cultural differences are real and established between the stakeholders. Yet Indonesia has as its core principal the motto ‘Unity in diversity’. Diversity is recognised, as is the importance of unity. It is the manner in which to achieve unity that is proving to be contentious.

National unity is the key goal of a government aware that with over 700 different racial groups within its borders, it is essential all inhabitants owe their primary loyalty to the state. The Indonesian language is viewed by educators and government alike as being one of the crucial unifying threads across the vast archipelago of Indonesia. Indonesian stemmed from the formal declaration in 1928 that it would be the one national language, as a means of creating the notion of one state, one language. To ensure a truly culturally inclusive education, The Jakarta Post argues for both recognition and explicit teaching of the Indonesian language by putting forward the proposition that it is through language that national identity is achieved. In short, the articles highlight the belief that cultural inclusiveness is significantly based on the use of one language. Further, The Jakarta Post notes that “Indonesians pride themselves on having a unifying language that we consented to almost 80 years ago”. However, the question must be asked, which Indonesians are The Jakarta Post referring to?

The recent articles in the Jakarta Post have highlighted a growing consternation among Indonesian educators and indeed the government on the perceived lack of importance of the Indonesian language within the educational system and the younger generation. In effect, the articles all seem to point towards the manner in which Indonesian as a culturally unifying force is being diluted due to the use of other languages, be it a regional slang or the mixture of languages as practiced by our students and teachers and the use of English within the growing number of private schools.

A recent editorial in the Jakarta Post notes that the use of Indonesian among the younger generation is perceived by them as being “ridiculous” and “for many young people, more accustomed to slangy speech, having to revert to formal Bahasa Indonesia can be a daunting task, if not altogether impossible”. Thus, the cultural unity sought by the 1928 declaration and indeed the government of today through the use of one language is in jeopardy. The editorial quotes Pius Pope, a former announcer at Radio Sonora, who said that “many students today were unable to speak Indonesian in a structured manner…and the use of slangy language would gradually damage the language skills of young people” The editorial concludes that if the loss of formal Indonesian continues, it will “influence the way youth think, argue and speak". This would appear to be a warning that a movement away from use of the primary language will bring about social change that might not be conducive to national unity.

Yet at most schools, the stakeholders all use different languages distinct from Indonesian to privately express themselves. The Chinese Indonesian students speak a language which is a mixture of Indonesian, Javanese and Mandarin. The Indonesian teachers use amongst themselves a language which is a mixture of Indonesian and Javanese. The expatriate teachers predominantly use English only. The schools usually require both students and teachers within the classroom to speak English.

The widespread use of English in private Indonesian schools reflects the firmly held belief of Chinese Indonesian parents that their child will only succeed if they are able to speak English. S. Wirawan (Letters to the Editor- The Jakarta Post), voices what many believe, that is, it is important “for people to master English and possibly other languages, to engage effectively in international trade”. Further, Wirawan argues that “Indonesia can never take full advantage of globalization as long as its people are linguistically handicapped”. Thus, the use of English as a means to gain access to the wider world is seen as critical to a child’s success.

This brings about some difficulties. On the one hand, educators are arguing that to preserve national unity and identity, the Indonesian language is the primary tool for bridging cultural differences across Indonesia. On the other, it is argued that English is an important tool for the success of the individual. To add further complexity to the situation, in the school setting neither Indonesian nor English is seen as the primary language of the stakeholders concerned. Given these complexities and given that most private schools require all students to use English; social inclusiveness in the broader social tapestry of Indonesia has to be promoted through aspects other than language. Thus, the student, parents and teachers must find other ways of achieving commonalities of cultural understanding. If language can no longer be seen to be the unifying force of cultural diversity, then other means need to be found and utilized.

How does one cross the broad divides of cultural diversity within a school with such three distinct cultural groups operating in cohesion yet also with their own understandings and ideologies? There have been numerous studies conducted on cultural diversity within schools and communities in general, yet most are culturally specific to particular regions and countries, all with their own cultural backdrops and understandings. In the case of the private schools, the diversity of cultures that co-exist do not necessarily promote multicultural education.

There exist within the schools a number of requirements seen as integral to their success. In short, communication and collaborative relationships with parents. The schools attempt to deliver an international education that in practice is far from the parents own experiences of education, thus necessitating clear and functioning systems of communication between the school and parents. In this setting the different cultural systems of ideologies at times clash, yet also need to work as a cohesive whole. There is a growing need for professionals to become aware of the sources of conflict between parents and themselves and in order to reduce the friction of such conflict, develop skills in identifying their own cultural biases and how to use these for a positive outcome. By doing so, it is possible that more collaborative relationships with families can be achieved.

Furthermore, the schools endeavour to offer a curriculum that is quite distinct from the teachers own experiences, beliefs and attitudes towards education, requiring explicit educational guidelines for appropriate professional conduct and the implementation of the student centred enquiry based curriculum. Teachers need to be reflective of their own cultural assumptions and be explicitly aware of the cultural knowledge of the various stakeholders. Further, cultural assumptions which may seem to be at odds with ones own, can, with the right set of attitudes, become an asset in the education of a child.

The diversity of culture within a school setting is complex yet can lend itself to be harnessed in a positive manner. The inclusion of educational policies which explicitly argues for the development of the whole child while respecting individual differences is an integral element in the development of all stakeholders. However, the belief that a child’s culture is important and should be included when delivering education, brings the associated issue of measuring just how successful in reality this takes place. This is an issue that needs to be highlighted by both educators and parents for future discussion.

Further, if teacher’s cultural background is different to the cultural background of the student, how successful will the teacher be in legitimizing the child’s culture while still valuing their own? Thus, do teachers distance themselves from providing real and dynamic cultural interactions, particularly if it is at odds with their own? Anita Lie worries about teachers who have come through the ranks of the Indonesian national school system and may not be “aware of the need to construct learning models that involve student participation and integrate students' existing cultural values”. She believes that the only way to solve the issue is to “recommit ourselves to delivering a higher quality of in-service training…to develop [teachers] teaching strategies, methods and media in ways that respect and promote cultural diversity”. We need to be cognizant of the necessity of “reminding and encouraging others to examine, talk about, and feel comfortable exploring and critiquing aspects of multiple world views” in order to promote an awareness of ones own cultural ideologies.

In seeking an awareness of cultural diversity there are a number of challenges. As teachers, we must be aware that the students own cultural identity, their acceptance of the ideologies of the educational system they are in and our interactions with the students will influence their academic success and social development. As such, teachers need to involve the students own background in their learning, drawing on their belief systems in order to value their cultural identities. This is based on the premise that teachers would set aside their own particular biases in order to become more involved with the students culture. We need to question our set of beliefs rather than taking them for granted. Lisa Jones believes that not only must we question ourselves but also view the student as cultural beings where we “embrace student diversity, and validate the cultural identity of students”. By doing so, the classroom will become a model of tolerance and an “appreciation of student differences will be created”.

However, Fazal Rivzi argues that seeking commonalities between cultures is critical to the success of education in that “multiculturalism must be concerned with the entire range of practices that involve the dynamics of intercultural relationships” rather than focussing on differences between cultures. To that end, Rivzi believes educational policies should not be just implemented but rather be lived, through exploration, negotiation, and “tested for meaning and significance in concrete circumstances”. Thus, if this were to be applied to a private school, one would seek to find the commonalities of experiences between all stakeholders and work from that perspective to further understanding of the differences that may exist. By doing so, all stakeholders gain a greater understanding of each other and are able to recognise the value of difference while finding comfort in the similar. Policies of inclusive education must be defined as not just a policy to be implemented but also seen as a real part of education, where teachers actively seek to ensure that their own practices reflect the wider context of cross cultural relationships.

While culture is a complex paradigm of attitudes and beliefs, Rivzi argues that culture is not static, it is dynamic and evolving; as such intercultural awareness cannot be based on a prescribed set of understandings but rather takes into account “the input of new ideas, the revision of old beliefs, the construction of new theories and the alteration of old practices”. This would lend itself to the principles of an international education by stressing that as a global citizen, one can view other cultures as evolving through the actions of the individual. In this, we seek to empower the student and by association, the teacher, in recognizing that the perceived constraints of their culture are only that, perceptions that may and can change. This in itself would be a liberating notion to instil within the teaching community and the students. That is, that though culture is an accepted set of values and attitudes, these do change, and furthermore, that across all cultures there exists commonalities within which we can find links. It is through these links that we move ourselves and our students forward to becoming global citizens.

So where does this leave the teachers, students and parents of the private school? If we were to try and find the commonalities, yet also pay attention to the cultural differences, a dual approach is needed. This would have a multiple effect. Parents attitudes are recognised and valued, students are seen as individuals with a rich background and teachers are able to find the bridges of understanding that would ensure cultural inclusiveness as well as supporting the notion of a national identity. It is critical that the students begin to view themselves as not being separate from mainstream Indonesia but instead are part of that society. While language may not be the unifying principle as hoped by educators and the Indonesian government, perhaps the seeking of other links will bring about greater understanding and reduce the divisions and barriers that currently exist.

2007-11-04T20:51:00.000+07:00

Mt Kelud

I hadn’t realized this, but Mt Kelud, a 1731 metre high volcanoe, is only 90 kilometres from Surabaya. It seems it has erupted after a few weeks of watching and waiting by the citizens who live in its surroundings.

"The first eruption was detected at 4:15 pm (0915 GMT)," Agus Budianto said, adding that this was based on seismic data that indicated continuous, escalating tremors that could not longer be measured on their instruments. He cautioned that no visual confirmation of an eruption of lava or ash was possible due to heavy cloud shrouding the pea.” The Jakarta Post.

According the JP, “about 130,000 people live within a 10-kilometre (six-mile) danger zone around Mount Kelut, according to the health ministry, but local officials told AFP they were focusing on evacuating about 60,000.”

We haven’t sighted any big clouds of smoke etc, possibly as the wet season started this week and we have been treated to glorious rain, wonderful stuff, falling intermittently for the past few days. This may be keeping it damped down, or it is possible that the huge lake of water located in the volcanoes crater (approx. 2.5 million cubic metres) is suppressing it for the moment.

Whatever the case, one has to feel sympathy for the people who live around it and are being forced to move outside the danger zone. East Java has had its share of problems this past year with the ongoing disaster of the Lapindo mud flow, thus one hopes this will be the end of it.

There was one lighter note in today’s paper which quoted one woman saying that she and her husband had to leave mum up on the mountain slopes in the house because there wasn’t any room on the motorbike. This raises a couple of questions. First off, if you have ever seen a family on a motorbike in Indonesia, they are usually able to fit at least 5-6 people on. One can only assume she had a large family. Secondly, now I don’t know about you, but if it came down to it, I’m pretty sure I would have volunteered to stay behind instead. I always thought it was women and children first; then again, maybe the age of political correctness has taken us to this next step in equality.

However, don’t worry about mum on the slopes. An official later said that she would be picked up in a truck. So this story didn’t end badly.

2007-10-28T09:55:00.000+07:00

Sunday and was woken at 6 am by two little excited bodies followed by their mother bearing a tray of espresso and breakfast. I’d like to say that this is the normal way one wakes up in the morning ( only kidding C!) but this morning the children were excited as they love presents, and wanted to open the ones they had bought me for my b’day. Yep, you guessed it, here I am, another year older and only somewhat wiser…a bit disappointing, thought I’d be a fountain (or is that font?) of wisdom and worldly experience by this age. Nevertheless, I still feel like a teenager, make that twenty something...would you believe 30 something? Probably not if you were to see what I see when I look in the mirror each morning….just joking.

Anyway, the years are rolling on but life is good, the children are happy and developing at the rate of knots and C is settled and happy. What more could I/we want? Not much it seems.

I do, however, have a list of resolutions for my 42^nd year on this earth. I’ll share a few:

Resume the Masters I was doing before I left Australia (my second one – on Educational leadership)
Begin writing that collection of children stories I’ve always meant to do – every night for the last few years I’ve had to tell a story to the children; think there has to be a book in there somewhere
Some new experiences i.e. travelling
Back to the gym after the longest break yet, nearly two months, yes I’ve been slack. Well aware of it. Going to be tough to get back to the weights I was pushing before I took this hiatus. My bad thus what goes round comes round.
Get more use out of the bike, not doing as much riding as I should be.
More stories on Indonesia, I seem to have moved into a more personal description of the family etc over the last while. This is what the blog was meant to be all about, a record of our life here for our extended families in Ireland and Australia to peruse, yet I feel that lately I haven’t written enough about Indonesia in general
Make a decision about the house in Perth. Prices are skyrocketing and this is a good time to sell. We would realise a very good profit, enough to buy land further out from the city and build our dream house. Tough decision, should we hold on until we get back sometime in the next few years and finish the renovations (have to finish the loft and put in a staircase to it) to realise a better profit or do away with it now. We haven’t lived in it for 7 years. Ye gods, now that I think of it, that’s a long time. Took us 4 years of hard work on the weekends and holidays to renovate, then spent only a year in it after all was finished. It’s a lovely home, great area, but on a small block, only 430 sqm. I’d like room for a shed, a big shed. One I could use for woodworking, tinkering on Mini’s and so on, space for a boat, a pool, big garden, and a house with room for the children to have their own living areas etc. This is all achievable if you live out a bit from the city, say a 30 minute drive. Why Perth? It’s the best city in Australia. I’ve lived in Brisbane and Sydney, Melbourne is good I’m told, but I like Perth cos it’s a great place to bring up a family and enjoy a good lifestyle. Plus there are excellent vineyards down south!
Do something with the container of furniture and whitegoods we have in storage in Perth. It’s been sitting in a large warehouse for nearly 4.5 years and while a lot of it is good stuff that we would need if and when we move back home, we don’t need it while overseas. Should we continue paying storage fees or go back, unpack, sell what we can and find someone who would look after the rest. Guess to some extent it depends on how much longer we plan to stay overseas and on this, we have no idea. Depends on what happens in January.

I’m sure there are a few more thoughts I could out down but I won’t bore you with them all. Suffice to say that this coming year has all the hallmarks of being a bonza!

2007-10-19T09:52:00.000+07:00

Lil D sitting on the car, and the two children. Lil C is holding Monty who seems to think Lil D is an object of interest!

2007-10-19T09:24:00.000+07:00

Lil C in the back courtyard.

2007-10-19T08:54:00.000+07:00

Wandering around the garden this morning, I took a few photos. The Boganvilia is particularly lovely, two different flowers on the one plant. At the moment it is blooming, providing a wonderful canopy of colour.

The last one is of the frame we have put up over the pond and as you can see, the ivy is already taking off across it. Hopefully it will soon cover the whole frame, providing some shadow for the ponds inhabitants during the hottest part of the day.

2007-10-19T08:30:00.000+07:00

Every morning, these two workers come along sweeping the street. They wander down the road, the older one of the two, an always smiling and cheerful man in his sixties, sings as he works. When I come out of the house in the morning and see the old man, he always greets me with a big smile and a good morning, before slowly making his way down the street, collecting his sweepings in a large white bag.

I was leaning on the upstairs balcony this morning and turned to C, "Only in Indonesia" I said as we listened to him sing in a lovely voice an old Javanese song. Once again we are reminded of the gentle spirit of the Javanese, and the way in which they view the world around them.

2007-10-16T09:10:00.000+07:00

My teaching

I find myself in a somewhat contemplative mood this morning, thinking about what I do and why and so on. So, I thought I'd share a few ideas.

Teaching is a serious business. It means we hold in our hands for a few hours every week the lives of a number of students. We can affect them, change them, and make them feel good/bad or worse. We hold a great responsibility, and once that classroom door is closed, it’s all in the way we walk into that room and face the group. Am I prepared, have I taken into account what happened yesterday, and where we are heading? Are the students happy, is there anyone who looks a bit down today, are they displaying enthusiasm or bored weariness, and so on. I always aim to I walk out of classroom feeling good, and hopefully leaving my students feeling the same way.

A classroom should be a dynamic environment where students can interact with each other and yet still remain focused on their work. By the setting of clear parameters and ensuring that these are followed, a teacher can relax and get on with the job of facilitating. I don’t see myself as being overly demanding and always try to ensure that I get to speak to every student in every lesson however briefly, even a nod and a ‘good work’ or ‘try this’ is enough at times. I want to make them feel that what they are doing is important, that it’s not just rote work that has to be done but instead has its uses and a goal.

I still have a lot to learn, I find that at times I finish a lesson and think I could have done that differently, or next time I should try x etc. When you see their eyes glaze over, and yet, try as you might, nothing seems to shift it, then reflection is important. It could be the time of day, the subject material, the mood of the class, or it could be simply my fault for not getting them enthused or at least interested in what they are trying to do. It is times like this that one has to sit back and contemplate what went wrong and how it could be fixed for next time.

The good thing is that it is not difficult to try new things, to experiment in ones teaching practice, to develop ideas and see them through. Through classroom practice, one can try and indeed fail at times at doing something but the students have a capacity to forgive and let you move on. I am always seeking new ways of handing over the learning to my students, not easy at times, given that one has to plan ahead to ensure there are enough materials to give them something to work with, but it can be done.

I do know that I can and do change due to both internal and external pressures. For instance, a few years ago a student complained to me, “you never play games” and I smiled and said, “Well, that’s because I don’t do games”. At the time I thought well, yes, that’s me, I don’t play games in class like other teachers, I prefer to get the kids to discuss and explore ideas, and games are time wasting and so on and so on. This was a common belief I guess, held by teachers of serious literature and English. But once tried, you never look back. The kids enjoy them, I enjoy them, and you actually get to accomplish something. No, I’m certainly no game master compared to a few teachers I know who are brilliant in introducing a game and making it a great learning experience. But its fun.

My teaching is developing, and always will. I am constantly reading up on subjects that I feel I need to know more about. Hardly a week goes by without some article or two. I am interested in the many different aspects of teaching, and like to follow up on what others are doing. Given the length of time in teaching now I have been involved in a few different curriculums (NSW, WA, VCE, IB), and understand that education is an ever evolving process.

I have noticed in the Australian media that there is now a growing call from the ‘old guard’ to call for a return to whatever it is they think was and is the right way to educate. Personally, I think it would be counter productive to return to some of the old ways, for instance treating certain works of literature as ‘High Art’ and ignoring the rest, constructing a canon of works and then a prescribed way in which to read and interpret them. There is a significant place for the canon of literature in ones classroom, but there is also a significant place for the more contemporary writers and their works. Further, to return to a world where students are merely receptacles of content, without being given the right to pick and choose, to address and critique, and to develop and practice modes of inquiry and to truly enjoy the process of discovery and learning, is a huge step backwards.

Some find comfort in the prescriptive, whereas I believe a plan should be fluid, allowing for student’s motivations and interests. Students can achieve without the teacher having to stand up front and hand feed them everything, given the right circumstances, instruction, materials etc. Further, planning should be continuous and evolving allowing for dynamic and vital learning experiences. However, there is certainly a time and place for clear and precise lectures, where the content is required as explicit knowledge derived specifically for the student to contemplate and understand and, hopefully, assimilate for future use.

Learning experiences should enable students to observe and practise the actual processes, products, skills and values which are expected of them. Further, they should connect with students’ existing knowledge, skills and values while extending and challenging their current ways of thinking and acting. Also, as a reflective educator, I would take note of how an assessment could be adjusted, taking into account what and how well the assessment demonstrated a students learning.

The above questions are not naturally occurring questions, instead one has to sit down and think things through, try to understand what has happened and why. It is through both explicit and implicit understandings and observations that a teacher further develops him/her self.

I hope to keep adding, changing and developing my ideas each time I step into a class and face that crowd of faces with their myriad of needs, wants and interests.

This is what teaching is all about.

2007-10-14T21:24:00.000+07:00

Blog Action Day

I am reminded by Jakartass that " Blog Action Day on October 15th is about bloggers around the world coming together around a common theme. This year, the theme is the environment. The best way to participate is to post on your blog something that relates to the environment. Your post can be about anything to do with the environment. So you could write a post which is off topic for your blog OR relate the environment back to your topic in some way".

I'm thinking, J, I'm thinking!

Maybe the joys of watching my fish every morning as I start the day with a coffee thus giving rise to an appreciation of nature, or how about thinking how much better Surabaya would be if all those pesky motorbikes were suddenly transformed into pedal power.

No, on second thoughts I think this is a touch too trite.

I could talk about the Surabaya River (Kali Surabaya) and how its approximately 80% dead due to the toxic waste dumped into it every day. The man in charge of the environmental protection group responsible for the river told me that the fines for companies were of such minuscule sums that it was far cheaper to dump than treat and pay any fine that came along. If memory serves me correctly, a fine was usually around 4 or 5 million rupiah (US400-500 dollars) while the cost of treating the effluent would run into the tens of thousands. The environmental group has almost no funding yet they selflessly spend every day talking to people trying to raise their environmental awareness.

I could also spend some time talking about Baluran National Park which I mentioned in an earlier post and the brave and tireless efforts of a small group of people who manage and care for it with a passion that is humbling.

There is also the statistic given at a quiz night I attended some time ago that asked how many football fields of forest is cut down in Indonesia every hour. Thats right, not day, or week or month but every hour. The amount was astounding, I believe no one got the answer right.

Have a guess. Pick one. 3. 30. 300.

The answer is 300. This translates to 51 square kilometers every day. The only other country to beat Indonesia is Brazil which cuts down 3.1 million hectares per year. However, since the amount of forest in Indonesia is smaller than that of Brazil, Indonesia loses 2% per year while Brazil loses 0.6% per year.

The government knows there is a problem and recently announced that on November 28th 2007 there will be a mass planting of 78 million trees. This move is to coincide with the UN climate change summit being held in Bali in December as part of the billion tree campaign global initiative. (My thanks to Joshua Hill for the information). The estimated cost is approximately 51 million US dollars, with the trees being planted in 1000 lots at 78 designated sites. The government has also organised for the care of the trees for 7 years from time of planting.

Btw, one last stat of deforestation for you to think about. Every second of every day 1 football field is cut down. This accounts for 20% of the earths greenhouse gasses.

2007-10-14T20:55:00.000+07:00

November 24 Election Day!

We rec’d this:

“The Howard Government passed new laws closing the electoral roll at 8pm on the very day the election writs are officially issued. This is October the 17th, this coming Wednesday. If you haven't been on the roll before, and don't have your details to the AEC by then, you will not be able to vote! If you need to change your address, you have only three business days after the writs are issued to do it – at 8pm on Monday, October 22nd, the rolls close for any changes.

Tens of thousands of people enrolled or changed their details in the week after the election was called in 2004 so they could have their say – something that they'll be unable to do in the upcoming election.

If you care about exercising your democratic right, please check you are enrolled to vote here: https://oevf.aec.gov.au/ . If you find that you have been removed, please collect a form from a post office, your local AEC office, or download one from here if you're from WA. Other states are available here.

Please forward this message to everyone! It is particularly important to check your enrollment if you've moved house or changed your name, but all sorts of people have had their name removed from the rolls for no particular reason – it could have been as simple as the AEC having a letter addressed to you returned to them.

Please don't risk it – take a moment to check, and have your say on Election Day.”

Thought this was important, as expats we sometimes forget that our vote is just as important as those back home.

I spent this morning reading the newspapers online to see what the pundits had to say about this election. Seems Rudd has to win 16 seats to get in. While the population at large are a tad wary of Rudd given his me-tooisms every time Howard makes a statement, and given Rudd has made himself a very small target thus denying the voting public any real policies, we will have to wait and see if he will step up to the mark for the next six weeks. Rudd has made some strategic mistakes, such as pressuring Peter Garrett to support the woodchipping mill in Tasmania. This has not gone down well with many, and it remains to be seen if this will affect the election.

It was also interesting to read comments sent into the SMH who bemoan the fact that it is a six week campaign, a number of them would rather head for the poll booths tomorrow and get it over with. While I sympathise with them, this is the final chance for the voters to see just what it is Rudd has to offer and I do want see just where he believes we should be heading.

This is a crucial time for Australia. Howard has created a country in his own image that leaves a lot to be desired. It is time for a breath of fresh air and a change in how Australia perceives itself and the world around it. Whether Rudd is the man to do so is anyone’s guess, however, at this stage I’m willing to gamble on him. At the moment, Labor has a 14 point lead on the Coalition, a figure that has many believing Rudd will roll it in. However, one columnist thought Labor was almost out of breath while the Coalition still has time to ramp up the war machine and lob a few grenades at Rudd.

Another believes that the Coalition are just about finished noting that the recent Sun-Herald/Taverner poll has the public believing that the Coalition is no longer an acceptable choice even though its has delivered strong economic management: “The challenges for the Coalition identified by the poll are confronting. Across every age group and sector there is disenchantment at best, fury at worst”. She goes on to say: “Relying on economic credentials might no longer cut it for Mr Howard. The old border security and terrorism bogy makes people yawn. And the promise of a Peter Costello government warms few hearts”. That is one thing I do find puzzling about Costello. He knows he has won few hearts and minds while in government, yet he persists with his ambition to lead the country. I just can't see it happening for him on his own merits. Howard has (surprisingly) agreed to step aside sometime in the course of his prime ministership if he wins again. This would surely be the only way Costello could gain the mantle.

It would appear that Howard has his back to the wall, and many are wondering what he will do to try stop the slide. One columnist may have the answer arguing that with the polls so low for the Coalition, Howard has only one strategy that may win him back his office: “…he [Howard] can be relying only on a negative program to drive voters away from Labor. To move that many voters, he will need a blitzkrieg of negativity”. He further argues that “if this dependency on a negative campaign is the pattern he intends to follow then it will be a long grinding six-week campaign of attrition”. If Howard does indeed spend the next six weeks attacking the Labor party rather than offering something real and tangible for the voters to believe in, then he will most probably wander away into the political wilderness, rejected by all and sundry as yesterdays man.

Rudd has stated that one of his key campaign issues will be education where “he wanted to be the prime minister that would build the "best education and training system in the world".” If he delivers on this, without the waffling we have seen from so many over the years, then this is one area that could change the face of Australian education. To have all the states delivering their own curriculum is nonsensical. Having taught the English curriculum from 3 different states, and while noting each has their strengths and weaknesses, it doesn’t make much sense to have students from different states having to jump through different hoops. Australia needs to have a cohesive educational system that operates across all states. Why not choose the best each has to offer and amalgamate them, providing students across Australia with vital and rich learning experiences that are common in their design. A word of caution though, Rudd styles himself as an “economic conservative” which could (and most probably does) mean that the hoped for changes in conditions for teachers are still a long way off.

Wherever you are reading this, spare a thought for your average Aussie. For the next six weeks they are going to be subjected to the ‘mother of all campaigns’, and it isn’t going to be an easy ride for anyone.

As for me? I know where I am going to be most evenings: in front of the comp reading the daily analysis of the campaign!

2007-10-12T18:28:00.000+07:00

Time to relax

Relaxing around the house is nice, very nice. I haven’t done much these past few days except play with the kids, read books and potter around on the computer. The other day we made a trip into town to visit TP, one of the biggest and oldest malls in Surabaya. It’s huge, and while interesting, is also quite tiring walking all the way around. However, we came prepared and brought the stroller with us for when Lil D got tired of walking. Even Lil C took a turn! Lunch in the food court, and time spent in a big toy shop where C and I came very close to buying an electric car for the children. It was in the shape of an open four wheel drive, forward and reverse, even a remote control for parents to control it if the child can’t steer it well enough. We thought about it but instead decided to buy Lil C a bigger bicycle instead as her current one is too small for her. We would rather see her cycling around the area than driving a little car. But it would have been cute!

Last night the children were tired and went to bed easily, C also fell asleep so I sat up and watched “The Bourne Ultimatum”, a good flick! Enjoyed it. At times it was a bit laborious in its plot, but overall, time well spent.

Today I’m going to take the kids to the cinema to watch “Happily Never After”. At the moment Lil D is asleep and Lil C is playing. C is working on an assignment and the house is quiet so thought I would take these few moments to tap out a few lines.

It’s the month of Ramadan, and the traffic is pretty crazy on the roads. Going into town was an experience, as drivers and motorcyclists seem to make more mistakes and take more risks than at any other time. Must be the hunger induced haze that clouds peoples judgment.

Next day: didn’t get to finish the post, so back again.

Took Lil C and Lil D to the cinema. Interesting movie (“Happily Never After”). It seemed at times to be aimed way higher than the indicated audience, a bit like Shrek or Antz but not as good or clever. The characters were not nearly as endearing as Shrek et al, and the plot seemed to use the same jokes over and over. Not a good effort overall, the children came away somewhat unimpressed as the story was difficult at times to follow, and the wise cracking characters just didn’t get through to them. Pity as it had promise.

Have started watching a series on HBO about a fellow married with 3 wives. An interesting topic given it has caused some misgiving in the Indonesian community. Not the show, the issue. A well known cleric announced sometime ago that he taken a second wife and it caused a furore in the media. Articles and letters poured in, most condemning him for his actions, though some did leap to his defence.

On October 5, the Jakarta Post commented in its editorial on the same issue, noting that “on Wednesday the Constitutional Court ruled against businessman Muhammad Insa, who wanted an easing of the restrictions on polygamy in the Marriage Law”. The law seeks to protect women by acknowledging their basic rights including “the consent of the first wife and that the first wife cannot have children or is unable to fulfill her "wifely duties"”.

The editorial argues that the law is ignored in a lot of cases, and “many will still accuse the state of violating a God-given right; and with weak law enforcement, marriages ignoring the rights of women will likely continue”. Yet the editorial seems to be sympathetic to the issue in that is says that the Koran allows men to take more wives and given that the Koran bans divorce, if a man is not getting satisfaction at home, what else can he do? Interesting hypothesis, but flawed in that it ignores the same question for women.

The series on HBO “Big Love” tries to make the polygamous relationship of Bill Baxter with his 3 wives a seemingly normal situation yet does pay attention to the disapproval of the society they live in. They keep a very low profile and do not tell anyone of what and who they are. In last nights episode Baxter was offered a position on an elite businessman’s board but in the end turned it down knowing that if word got out he had three wives he would be vilified. This point was rammed home with the man who invited Baxter to join making it very clear what he thought of those who practiced polygamy.

The religious fundamentalist commune from which Baxter and two of his wives come from are portrayed very unsympathetically. They come across as rednecks, with strong associative elements of the hillbillies in “Deliverance”. The leader of the clan, the prophet, at the age of 76 is going to marry a young teenager as soon as she turns 16. Another man in his 70’s gets into trouble with the prophet. He has three elderly wives and the prophet tells them to pack their things as they were going to be reassigned as wives to other men. When Baxter tells them not to accept this decision, one woman says with some anguish that they dare not disobey the prophet.

It is not a comfortable show to watch at times. It asks the viewer to accept the decisions the characters have made and seeks to portray them as just your normal average mums and dad trying to live normal lives. However, it does have its quirkiness and the script is well written. This combined with some strong performances by the cast raises it above what could have been a series going for shock and little else. I found a very good review on the show here.

Now if they were to make an Indonesian show of the same subject, I do wonder how the same people would be characterised!

2007-09-30T11:46:00.000+07:00

Update

It’s been a very busy six weeks for us. C had just finished a 6 week school prac at the primary section of my school, a compulsory segment of her Dip.Ed. She finished well, with good reports and an invitation to go back for 8 weeks in November to cover for an expat teacher who is taking maternity leave! She was also offered a job for another maternity leave at a small international school for up to 6 months but the dates just didn’t work with my school and as we felt beholden to the school for giving her so much time and effort over the past few months she decided to do it instead.

She finishes in early November with final exams then that should be that. A tough year for her, it’s been little sleep, lots of study, assignments piling up over the months and she still isn’t out of the woods with a few more to go.

We haven’t hired a new nanny so it been a case of coming home with LilD at 4pm (he has preschool from 8 to 11am, day care from 11 till 4pm), organising the kids, getting dinner ready, putting them to bed, then collapsing at our desks to get the nights study and school work done. Most nights saw us go to bed near 12 midnight then up at 5am to start the day. So, a tough few weeks hence the lack of posts on here.

This is the final week before holidays and we are looking forward to it! We get 2.5 weeks, and not planning on going anywhere. Much easier to stay at home with all the facilities, club nearby etc. Work wise it’s been a tough term as it has been a long one and everyone is tired. The staff need the break, it’ll do them good to get away and relax. 13 week terms can be hard, particularly when you are working from 7am till 4pm, then doing more at home. I think all of us are looking forward to the break; a number of staff are going overseas, some are going to Bali, and the rest are planning on hanging around Surabaya.

LilD has been a lot of effort these past months, he is really testing the boundaries every which way. Sleeping has suddenly become a hassle, as has dinner, as has all the little rules we thought were well established.

Mum used to tell me that out of the 6 kids I was the most difficult, frequently reducing her to a wreck by the end of the day. She said with a tinge of pained memory that I used to do just about everything to annoy everyone around me. A sweet little boy you were she would hastily add, but I could see in her eyes that it was a tough time for her. Well, what goes round comes round. Now I’m paying for my childhood! I have to keep reminding myself that in the end I think I turned out okay so it’s just a matter of waiting or LilD to do the same! Have tried to figure out what is going on and for awhile thought it was the loss of Patsy which had unsettled him, but he never mentions her now seems to pine after her so we think it could be just the age. God, I hope so. Roll on age 4.

LilC is sweet and cheerful as ever, enjoying school and really starting to grow up. Her reading has improved a hundredfold recently, and she is taking a greater interest in her school work. At home with us she enjoys nothing more than cuddling up for long chats or hearing a book read to her or pottering about the house finding new ways and games to amuse herself.

We have agreed that given C is going to work we do need another pair of hands around the house. We’ll start looking after Ramadan and hopefully find someone who is both experienced with children and working around the house. Shouldn’t be too hard though we have to find someone we think can fit in with the family and cook!

Just spent four days in Bangkok at a workshop for IB language A2. It was an intensive 3 day workshop, running from 8.30am to 4.30pm every day. What happens is that a school offers to run a bunch of workshops for IB subjects and host the entire thing over a 3 day period. They arrange accommodation at hotels close by, provide morning and afternoon tea and lunches, hold an evening get together somewhere, then ensure all runs smoothly. It’s a huge task for any school and in this case, NIST (New International School of Thailand) did it very well. There were 320 teachers from all parts of the world there, some as far away as Hamburg! I

My school was generous, they didn’t have to send me on the workshop, usually they only send you on one per contract and I had already been to Hong Kong for a Language B workshop in my first year. So when I approached them and asked to go on this one, believing since we had just introduced the subject it would be good to get more on it, they agreed with the proviso I paid a third of the total cost. I did, learnt a lot, now have a much clearer idea of how to teach A2, networked with other A2 teachers, and came away thinking the whole exercise was worthwhile.

It was interesting being in Bangkok, haven’t been there since 1989, when I went as a young backpacker. The first thing that struck me was how clean the city was. I don’t remember it being that way, but with footpaths and clean streets it was certainly different from any city in Indonesia. It wasn’t a pretty city, or at least, the area I was staying in (Sukhumvit) wasn’t. Lots of bars and ‘massage’ parlours, all geared up for the tourists. Didn’t do any of the bars, just wasn’t interested in watching girls gyrate around poles etc and instead found a couple of bars devoid of the usually working girls, with pleasant atmospheres and good grub. I’d take a book along, have a few beers, read, eat then head back to the hotel for fairly early nights.

However, on the last night I did go with two other teachers to the “bamboo bar” which had a live band, a few pool tables and a rocking crowd. It was fun, and wandered home in the early hours to get up a few hours later for the trip home. Didn’t get to see much of the city apart from the area I was in, which was a shame but just couldn’t be bothered given the long day. I’d like to go back for a few days and have a good look around, as I think it would be a fascinating city to explore.

2007-09-08T16:26:00.001+07:00

I saw this everywhere, people on bikes laden with wheat freshly harvested. It's that time of the year, and there are large woven bamboo mats lying right up to the side of the road, every inch used to dry the wheat.

2007-09-08T10:40:00.000+07:00

These are my students, my wonderfully gracious and cheerful year 11's. Here we are loading them onto the back of trucks to be taken to the campsite. It’s a 12 km ride along a bumpy loose stone track. We crawled along, jostled from side to side but the kids were great, having fun and shouting in glee as the truck would sway to one side, shoving the kids together.
We went to Baluran, the largest national park in East Java. Its 25000 hectares of protected land, comprising of savannah (which made me think of Africa complete with the typical trees of spread out canopies), rainforest, dry forest, beaches, mangroves and mountains. About 2000 head of deer, 100 or so buffalo, a few hundred wild cows, wolves, panthers, monitor lizards, snakes of all description, monkeys (a band came in while we were out one day and raided our dormitory, leaving quite a cheerful mess behind), birds of all descriptions and so on. I saw honeybirds, woodpeckers, and many other types.
The first thing that strikes you as you enter into the park is the silence. Everywhere you go in Java there is noise, providing an eternal backdrop of sound. Here there was just...silence. Beautiful luxurious silence.
We had a good trip, the kids enjoyed it, with some grumbles at the living conditions which were rudimentary to say the least, but they got to go trekking, bushwalking, bird watching, snorkelling over clear coral reefs, canoeing, fishing, had a go at archery, practised putting out spot fires with water nozzles which were connected to backpacks, and every night had a bonfire where they had to put on performances (drama, music, fashion show using newspaper).
These students were out of their element, way out of their element, but they got along, did the right thing, and generally had fun. We came home after five days, tired and glad to be back. However, I hope that they will remember the passion and idealism of the Park rangers who spoke at length to them about the importance of saving the land and animals. These guys live in the middle of nowhere, constantly out patrolling, dealing with village disputes that ring the park, trying to educate them as well as providing assistance in micro industry so that they wont be tempted to invade the park for wood and meat.
Their leader, a softspoken man in his late forties had been there for 22 years, yet his love for the land and his job was palpable. He and I sat up one night for a few hours while he explained what he was doing and why, giving me an insiders view into the trials and tribulations of protecting this vast area with a couple of vehicles and a small taskforce. He spoke of his desire to make the park into a jewel of ecotourism without compromising the park, allowing small groups in for guided tours, raising awareness both home and abroad of what he and his men were trying to accomplish. He was impressive in his idealism and love for the environment.

2007-09-08T10:22:00.000+07:00

A roadside warung, a place to take a breather and have a snack, a drink and pass the time of day. Note the levee for the mud in the background. Not sure if the radio station promoting a phonein show is aware its banner has been put to good use...one needs shade during the day...

2007-09-08T10:11:00.000+07:00

At any place where traffic jams occur, you will find sellers wandering along trying to make a sale. At least the guy in the last picture is thinking of his health breathing in the exhaust of thousands of cars all day..well, he is trying...

2007-09-08T10:03:00.000+07:00

Just outside one small town we came across a long line of soldiers walking alongside the road. First time I've seen the military on maneuvers, they are loaded down and wellarmed, but one has to wonder what they are thinking as they trudge alongside the road in the middle of the days heat...

2007-09-08T09:56:00.000+07:00

People on the move. Everywhere you go, people are making their way to some destination. The mother and two children whizz by. It's not unusual to see a family of five on the one bike, this one is relatively safe..tho you do wonder how come Mum gets a helmet but the kids don't...

2007-09-08T09:50:00.000+07:00

A worker stands patiently in the back of his truck, shielding his head from the oppresive sun, his thongs hanging up waiting to be used at a later time. Another market picture and the last one is a tile shop, with two stallkeepers outside, one selling DVD's of music and films, the other clothing. The guy in the green hat is somewhat unusual in his choice of headware!

2007-09-08T09:43:00.000+07:00

Mandarins are in season. A fruit seller by the side of the road waits hopefully, exchanging a smile with the next stallkeeper, men sit by a motorcycle workshop, chatting, this is a scene you see everywhere, men sitting about passing the day in groups. The last picture is a group of matrons chatting by the road as a becak driver takes a peek at them while cycling his passenger to her destination...

2007-09-08T09:36:00.000+07:00

Market day in a small town. Becak drivers wait for their customers, trucks deliver goods to the stalls, and motorbikes cluster about. The cacaphony of sound has to be heard to be believed, while the sheer chaos of traffic and people add to the sensory overload...

2007-09-08T09:29:00.000+07:00

The tollway is down, and the bridge that used to carry traffic onto it. Instead, cars and trucks and all other forms of transport are squeezed onto a narrow dusty road that eventually becomes one lane which runs all the way to the port of Banyuwangi and further.

2007-09-08T09:20:00.000+07:00

The mudflow has not been in the news recently but its still there. In fact, its getting bigger. The pics show the devastation to the surrounding areas. The picture of the levee built to hold the mud from the train track running alongside is a stark reminder of the precarious situation east java is in. If the train line, which links east java north and south goes, thousands will lose their livelihoods as factories shutdown, commerce will grind to a halt, and the to and froing will increase on the already over stressed roads. To do a trip which should have taken about 4 hours before the mudflow, took us 9 hours. 9 hours of bone rattling stopping and starting.
The other two pictures show a factory long since abandoned and half buried in mud, and a field of mud with houses in the distance also abandoned.

2007-09-08T07:40:00.000+07:00

Just came back from the year 11 school camp. It was an interesting one, and I’ll talk more about it in a later post. First though, some pics taken along the way. This one was interesting. We were caught up in traffic jam at the toll booth, and this very large semi pulled up beside our bus. He was pulling a large tank of Pertamina fuel, and yet, despite the sign under his arm stating “no smoking”, the intrepid driver decided to have a smoko, obviously the stress of waiting in line…. I held my breath and wondered where the nearest exit on my bus was…

2007-08-14T18:26:00.000+07:00

Independence Day

Its heading to August 17th, the day of independence for Indonesia, and the kids are all revved up for it. Thursday, students from each house (a vertical grouping of years 7-12) have to dress up, provide food and put on an exhibition and a dance from a specific area of Indonesia.

Friday, its flag raising with all the pomp and ceremony the school can muster. It’s quite a sight. Assemblies such as these are run along strict military lines, with lots of marching, standing at attention and goose stepping etc. The rigid display of military style marching is taught by a few teachers who appear to regret the fact that they are not serving in the forces. One teacher in particular, a skinny chap with a penchant for dramatic flair when teaching dance, leaves all this behind when burdened with the responsibility of whipping the squad student leaders into shape. His emphatic tutoring of the students brings to mind those fierce warhorses depicted in most Hollywood flicks. However, the students will practice and practice until they get it right, seemingly aware of the importance of their roles.

Students smartly dressed in school uniform but wearing the national hat (the peci) and white gloves lead the assembly. A number will direct each year level of students standing to attention under the rapidly warming sun, two more students will stride, arms swinging in precision, to the centre of the field and snap to attention before reading the declaration of independence, followed by the Pancasila. Each line of the Pancasila is repeated by the student body in a roar of affirmation. Others are in charge of taking the flag to the pole, all in precise and concise movements, tying it on, and then raising it with salutes sharply held to attention. The national anthem will play over the loudspeakers and the entire group of students and teachers will also salute, singing along with gusto.

The ceremony is conducted with serious intensity, a brief moment where our students, of whom most are Chinese Indonesian and have little time for patriotism given their history of repression, are given cause to take pride in their country of birth. That they do so uncomplainingly, standing in the morning sun for a good hour or so, points to a need to belong to something greater than their individual parts.

The reverent handling of the flag and uniform declaration of independence and Pancasila all accompanied by a strong military influence harks back to an age where Indonesians, unsuited to the notion of collective warfare (coming from disparate groups across the archipelago), were forced to adopt a militaristic style in order to overcome their natural tribal divisions. I once wrote a few years back about the guards of our housing estate who also trained and acted as if they were in an army division. This attitude of military ethos surpasses all and links each person to the collective whole.

This can be quite different from what we would perceive to be a school style assembly. I remember that on Anzac day back home the students would gather in ragged ranks and watch the flag go up then sing half heartedly the national anthem, all rather embarrassing don’t you know, they seemed to indicate.

Profuse declarations of patriotism and adherence to crisp military authority just don’t seem to fit the Australian style. I have a friend who was in the military and said he couldn’t be fussed to salute but a general wave in the recipients direction was considered enough. He remembers fondly how his army buddies and he would go bush and have a great old time wandering round thinking of ways and means to trip up the boss.

Not so here. The respect for authority is ingrained on the Indonesian psyche, possibly a side effect of a seriously authoritarian regime in power for 30 odd years which took the place of a seriously authoritarian regime led by the Dutch in some parts of Indonesia, while in other parts the regimes were dictated to by sultans/kings and the like. In fact, if you ever get the chance, take a squizz at “Mirror of the Indies” by Rob Nieuwenhaus. Remarkable stuff. Another interesting text is by H.W.Ponder titled “Javanese Panorama”. While both texts are written from the perspective of white racial superiority, they do offer some fascinating observations (that is, if you can get past the rampant condescending snobbery).

I digress.

On Friday morning, we will all gather on the oval in silent ranks and watch the flag raised, then listen to a speech by one of the senior Indonesian staff on the importance of the independence movement and the sacrifices made by all involved. The flag will flutter in the breeze and this solemn occasion will end with the students sent home.

Another year has passed, not only for Indonesia and its inhabitants but also for us.

2007-08-07T19:57:00.000+07:00

Trust and Consequences

It’s been a tumultuous week in our household. Something happened that I thought never would, our faithful and gentle nanny, Patsy, was found to have extracted almost US$3000 from our account over a two month period. She had used the ATM card taken from my wallet then replaced it after each time. C had left the pin no in my wallet when she had gone to Australia. I did get rid of it but obviously not fast enough. The amounts withdrawn were staggering in their audacity, in one month alone she took nearly US$2000. We didn’t catch it until C checked our account online and noticed all these withdrawals in rupiah from our US $ account.

First it was disbelief, and then an urgent checking back over the months, hearts sinking as the magnitude of what had been taken sunk in. It’s been a hugely busy couple of months for us, with C going back home twice for university, then our holiday in Bali then school prac for C and school for me. Our fault that we hadn’t checked it more often I guess, but we had been operating on the assumption that take what we need and keep the rest. The rising aussie dollar also stayed our hand, we were going to send money home but held back, hoping that the recent surge in the dollar would subside.

We thought it might have been her but were unwilling to acknowledge it. That is, until I found a receipt for a deposit into her account for near US$1000.00. Then we knew.

I sat her down and adopted the empathy approach. I asked her if she had taken any money. She denied it but when I showed her the deposit slip, all was revealed. Yes, she had taken the money, no, she didn’t know how much. When I showed her the final amount, she was visibly shocked. She said she didn’t have that much left so I checked her account. US$1000 was still there which she handed over. Her excuse? Once started she couldn’t stop. Remember, she was suddenly given access to what would have seemed like untold riches. Maybe she buried her reservations when faced with such large quantities of money, I don’t think we will ever really know the answer.

I was prepared for crying, hysteria, wringing of hands and so on, but not a peep. She was very calm, and in some ways defiant, telling me her salary compared to other expat maids was lower, that I had only given her 4 pay rises in 3 years, other expat maids had longer holidays and so on. That she was paid handsomely by us, and taken care of in a myriad of ways didn’t enter into it. I have recently checked with other expats (see (www.jakartass.blogspot.com) who assured me that she was paid well above the going rate. It’s possible that some our friends, corporate types do pay more but they can afford to. We have always thought we were doing the right thing. She had obviously drawn up a defense line from which to operate and assuage her conscience.

But, all this is still no excuse.

I contacted our bank, HSBC, who are now trying to get the picture records from Citibank whose ATM was used. Havent seen them yet, and I'm still hoping that we will see another also involved, someone who somehow influenced her.

I sat Patsy down again and tried to work out just what she had done with the other US$2000. Some had been lent to family, some given to friends, some spent etc. I suggested she try to get it back. In the meantime, general consensus from friends and comments left on jakartass was that we couldn’t keep her on. Both C and myself agreed. It was just too uncomfortable. She had been part of our family for so long, the children were deeply attached to her, but in the final wash up, we realized that we could not trust her again. Once trust is gone, there would always be that niggling worry at the back of your mind each time you left the house, or had her look after the children.

So, I came home this evening and told her that she had to go. Again, it was done gently and with regret. The regret was unfeigned. Patsy has been an integral member of our family. She has watched over Lil D since he was just 3 months old, dried his tears, cared for him, and watched over him, taking part in his growing delight in the world around him with exemplary gentleness and patience. She fussed over Lil C, tended her when we were occupied and did everything right.

We taught the children to treat her as they would one of us, with respect and also taught them to never take her for granted. She learnt English under our roof, and always used it when speaking to us, even though I used to speak in Indonesian (just to practice I would joke). We would give her magazines to read, learning books, newspapers and recipe books. She taught herself with an admirable focus and determination. Lil C would only use English with her and they would constantly be heard trying new ways of saying things, her trying out phrases and sentences on Lil C and vice versa.

Patsy had her own room outfitted with tv and dvd player, cupboards and tables, comfortable bed, and bathroom. When we first moved to this house we asked her if she would share but she asked if we could let her have the room by herself as she enjoyed the sense of freedom. We agreed and hired a cook who lived out. In turn, she repaid us by never complaining, never taking days off, and never settling in for the night till the children were in bed. She would come on holidays with us, to help take care of the kids but mostly as a bonus for her service, getting spending money and ample time to go off and explore. All in all, it was a pretty good life for her.

As Patsy was leaving, she asked me if she could come back if she repaid all the money. I told her we could discuss that but knew that even if she did somehow miraculously come up with the money we could not let her back into our lives. She packed a small bag of clothes, said goodbye teary eyed but still with a calm composure that reflected a strong inner self. Maybe she had always known this would occur and had prepared herself for it. Or maybe she was thinking of all that money still stashed away somewhere. Or maybe, naively, she was still hoping that there was a chance of returning.

I asked our driver to take her to her friends house in a village nearby while our children were out. C and I knew that if they had been around, the whole thing would have been just that much harder.

Afterwards I checked her room and she has left just about everything there, maybe hoping we will see this and keep a place for her. A diary was placed in an obvious spot, I guess she wanted me to read it. The entries were dated from when we had our first discussion last week. As I turned the pages, it was increasingly evident that either she was covering her tracks extremely well, playing on our sympathy by writing how she would do all she could to repay us, or she indeed felt this way. Must admit, I was sad to read her entries detailing how ashamed she was etc. She asked Allah to look upon her kindly, asked her parents and our family to forgive her, and wondered at her own stupidity.

Whether the diary is a put up job or not, we cannot ignore the past three years and her service to our family. Yes, she was well paid and cared for, but equally she treated us all well.

Thus, I just can’t understand why Patsy would have committed such a gross mistake as to take so much money. She must have known we would figure it out; she was not stupid by any stretch of the imagination. Born to a different family, Patsy would have gone on to university and done well for herself, on this I have no doubt.

My only conclusion is that she fell in with the wrong crowd or guy, and lost her perspective. Look, let’s face it. We all make mistakes, and when I think of some of the mistakes I made back in my twenties…

Or, the whole last 3 years have been one gigantic cover up of a duplicitous nature that we are only now finding out. This I can’t accept. Too many kindnesses, too many acts of generosity and a solid history of hard work.

So, Patsy has now left our house, and Lil C sobbed when we told her that Patsy had to ‘pulang kampung’ (go home to her parents – we didn’t say why). Lil D hasn’t understood what has happened and no doubt we will have to deal with his emotions over the next few days when it sinks in she isn’t coming back.

My advice to those who do have maids? Treat them as you would a valued company employee, pay them well, look after them and hope for the best.

However, never, ever, put temptation in their path. Don’t leave wallets, money, jewellery lying around. Be cognizant of the vast gulf in wealth that exists between you and them, and respect that difference and all it entails. To do otherwise leads to their ruin and your disillusionment.

2007-07-15T12:56:00.000+07:00

Indonesian Customs

Once again, Indonesian officialdom has struck.

C returned last night from Perth and had a stopover at Bali International airport. She was bringing back a 4 year old Denon amplifier that I had bought not long before we left Australia and had put into storage. Grace (the storage people) were great. They opened up the container, found the item, made sure it was packaged properly, stuck fragile stickers all over it and had it ready for C when she went out to their Kewdale office in Perth.

So far so good.

Arriving in Bali, C was accosted by a customs official who told her that second hand goods were not allowed into Indonesia. She protested, saying that the stated value of US$250.00 allowed items on the customs document covered the item. No, was the response, this only applied to clothing. He then made her go to an office, whereupon everyone else disappeared, then gave her a grilling. C told him we had been living in Indonesia for 4 years, the item was old, and as far as she knew, customs allowed goods such as this in. The customs official told her that she was mistaken.

C rang me on her mobile and asked me what to do. It was frustrating, but I gave her the only advice I could. Pay him, I said, ask what the “fine” is. I rang a friend who told me that the customs official was lying, but what could we do?

C got off the phone whereupon he asked if I was Indonesian. When she said no, a mistake she told me later, he visibly relaxed, and kept on about it not being allowed in. Finally C asked the question: “is there a fine I can pay?” He asked how much she had on her and she told him only Rp100, 000 or AU$50.00 (she actually had more but knew if she said so he would want it all). Foreign currency is fine he said, and C placed the note on his desk. He pocketed it and said "of course you realise I can’t give you a receipt as these are second hand goods". The box was put on her trolley and she was ushered from the office.

C said she was quite upset later but I admire her. She held her own and didn’t get fazed nor lose her temper. It could have been worse, but she got through it.

So, the question is, was he right in saying she was not allowed to bring in second hand electronic goods? It will be interesting to find out.

2007-07-15T12:13:00.000+07:00

Travel Advice : A response

My cousin Sam who works for Australian Foreign Affairs provides an alternative view to the recent travel warnings/advice I mentioned earlier. As a reasoned response to my jaundiced and somewhat cynical view of Howard and his goverment, it deserves placing on the page.

Interesting points, but I thought maybe I could give you my perspective on the issue.
1. Sorry to be a nit-picker, but the Australian government hasn't issued a new travel warning for Indonesia, it simply added a new paragraph to the existing travel advice. The advice is updated all the time. That this advice contained new wording regarding terrorism meant that it was picked up and widely broadcast by the media. The advice, in fact, has not changed substantively from the previous advice.
2. Regarding relationships between countries, the Australian Government's stated policy regarding travel advice is that politics is not taken into consideration when formulating the advice. The purpose of the advice is to provide information to Australian travellers and Australian ex-pats living abroad. Whether Australia wants to have good relations with another country or not bears no relation to the information in the advice - and nor should it. If the government were to base the advice on the strength (or desired strength) of the bilateral relationship, then the advice would have no credibility whatsoever. (Of course, some people might argue it already lacks credibility, but making the advice political would make it distinctly less credible).
3. Australians will always come to Bali, no matter what happens. A friend of mine recently had a conversation with a hotel manager in Bali who said that they had no problem getting bookings from Australia, but the customers have difficulties getting seats on flights to Bali. Most flights into Bali are fully booked well in advance, meaning the limit on tourist numbers is caused [not] by the travel advice, but the lack of flight services between the two countries.
Anyway, I'm sure you won't agree with some of the above, but that's my two cents anyway. You might like to read the travel advice in it's original form at:
www.smartraveller.gov.au , where Australians living abroad are strongly encouraged to register with their embassy {hint, hint :) }.

I guess after so many years of listening and watching Howard reduce Australia to a shadow of its former self, one questions his motives on everything. It is difficult to trust a man who has made so many decisions based on political expediency rather than any moral or heart felt ideology.

Sam makes the point that travel advice needs to be clear of any political considerations. I would agree whole heartedly with him, yet there is still that niggling feeling that this might be yet another cynical orchestration of the Howard government. His primary guiding principle in holding on to power has been to create fear. Over the years we have witnessed far too many times the mastery he has exhibited in creating a climate of fear in order to win the day. Fear of Mabo, of refugees, of terrorists, of interest rates, of Hicks, of the unknown and so on.

I would like to think Sam is right in that the recent update was made purely in the interests of traveling and expat Australians. It would certainly cast a different slant on the government in regards to its care and concern of its citizens both at home and abroad. I guess we can but hope that this is indeed the case.

Thanks for the comment Sam :)

2007-07-13T20:13:00.000+07:00

This Week

C is in Perth at the moment, her last workshop at Murdoch University for the course she is doing. She left last Saturday and ended up spending over 8 hours at Bali international as Garuda was seriously delayed. Poor thing. She later told me she went in to Kuta for awhile but on getting back to the airport the flight had been delayed yet again. In two weeks time she starts her prac in primary at my school. I think she will do really well; she works hard at her studies and is very conscientious.

It’s been a busy week with the kids. I went back to work on Wednesday and had to leave them in their nannys care. They have been good but are starting to get on each others nerves, with Lil D causing all sorts of ructions with his older sister. Lil C is quite a sensitive little soul and will usually do the big sister thing with him, is quite patient etc and tries to sort him out but I noticed this week she was not nearly as accommodating as usual. Too much time spent together these holidays I guess.

Tonight Lil D threw a mini tantrum on going to bed and it took quite awhile to settle him. He is such a lovely kid, but when he decides to spit the dummy, all you can do is try to calm him and not lose your temper. He didn’t want to brush his teeth, didn’t want to say goodnight, and insisted Patsy put him to bed. Finally he did brush, did say good night but with an obvious reluctance.

They start school again next Monday and I’m sure once they do things will settle down again. One of the things about living here is that they don’t have much opportunity to go and play at others houses. School takes care of that so hopefully next week will see them both on top again.

2007-07-13T19:56:00.001+07:00

Travel Warning

Once again, the Australian government has put its foot forward and issued a new travel warning for Indonesia. Afterwards it was a matter of vague assurances, protestations of doing it for the public good etc, and yet they must know full well that by issuing such a warning they are damaging the relationship between the two countries. I got an sms from my sister in Brisbane who asked me if I was okay and to be careful. Seems it got quite the beat up on Australian news. Not sure why they would issue such a warning, I haven’t heard anything, nor has there been anything in the local press but today I did read that arch foe of the US, Al Q, is planning on new attempts on American soil. Might be something in it, not sure, but in the current climate Australia’s warning is not a good way of bridging the gap between it and Indonesia.

If something does happen, then so be it. One does tend to adopt a fatalistic attitude while living here. But who knows? In the meantime, the tourist industry is hurt, and Bali is socked in the jaw again. However, I gather that tourist numbers in Bali from other countries aside from Australia are starting to climb to pre bomb figures, so that’s a good thing. I hope.

In Surabaya all is quiet, no demo’s, no jumping about, but as the incidents usually happen in the time around October, it really is a matter of wait and see.

2007-07-13T19:34:00.000+07:00

New Computer

I’ve had my old computer for 4 years now and tended it carefully over that time. It has served me well but is now hopelessly outdated, and starting to show the blue screen of death every now and then. Rather than try to upgrade it I made the decision to put together a completely new rig from case inwards. After some hunting around and spending quite a bit of time on the net, I put together a new computer wish list.

Last Friday I went off to the city to the computer mall, four floors of computer shops selling everything and anything you could possibly want in a computer and its addons.

It’s a huge place and you do wonder how these hundreds of small shops make a buck as you pass them by. There is so much choice that in the end it’s exhausting trying to make sense of where to go. Some time ago when hunting for a second hard drive, I found the best option was to bring along few copies of a print out of what I wanted, show it to a few stores and wait while they put together a price list. Interestingly enough, prices do vary, and it takes a few hours to get an all round picture of complete cost. The idea is you wander in to a shop, sit on one of the small stools in front of a desk, hand over the paper with details to one of the girls behind the desk, and then they get on the phone to a number of different suppliers, punch out some numbers on their calculator and then give you the price. Never did work out who or where the supplier is, all quite mysterious. The girls usually don’t really know what they are selling being shop girls hired to just sell the items, though at times you will find someone who actually does know and if not too busy is willing to sit down and go through the list with you, giving advice etc.

Did the same this time and spent ages wandering around going into shops, handing over the wish list then settling in for a long wait while they get on the phone. Got some reasonable prices and was going to go home and have a think about it all when by pure chance I came across a small shop, more a hole in the wall, run by a couple of computer enthusiasts.

They knew their products, knew their prices and were willing to sit around and chat about the merits of each and every part. On a few items they made some suggestions, gave me brochures, and send then sent me on my way. Back home, I got on the net and sure enough, their advice was sound. So, emailed them and they started to put the new rig together on the Saturday. On Monday I went in again and picked up my gleaming new computer. Just the case and its innards, didn’t need a screen as already have an LCD, speakers etc.

This is what I ended up with:

Abit Fatality FP-IN9 SLI motherboard

Passat Geforce 8800 GTS graphics card

Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 CPU

Hitachi TravelStar 160GB SATA II hard drive

Patriot 2GB PC6400 DDR2/800 Dual Channel Memory

Silverstone ST50EF (500W) Power supply

20X Double Layer DVD + RW (LITE-ON)

Case: i - Cute 0509ULA-5G1-BB (Fan Side Panel 25CM)

This computer is fast. Super fast.

I have the case sitting on my desk and its whisper quiet, yet roars through the games etc as I put it through its paces. The graphics are stunning, the frame rate is brilliant, and I just love the gleaming black casing that surrounds this monster. I am certain this computer will last me another four years so it was worth the extra cost of getting good parts, and most importantly, a good graphics card. The card is still considered to be middle of the road but at around US $350.00 I consider it to be high road! In the States computers are far cheaper than they are in Indonesia which is cheaper to some extent than Australia. For instance, I gather this same card in the States will go for around US$250.00. Go figure. Still, it is a powerful little beast for me, after running an MX440 on an AMD XP2200!

I’m really enjoying this computer and will probably load up a few games I haven’t been able to play on my old one. At the moment I’m playing “Call of Duty 2” with the graphics turned up as high as they can go and the game play is stunning. Going to try Quake and some others later which will really test the card.

I have read about overclocking etc and while I think I know what it’s about, at the moment I just don’t see the need. The motherboard is considered to be quite stable for OC so will probably give it a go when I tackle the new high end games. I'll let you know in a few weeks how it all goes but for the moment, it's serious fun!

2007-07-04T07:40:00.000+07:00

Kuta Townhouses

Kuta Townhouses, an excellent option for singles, couples and families. They have studios, one bedroom and two bedroom apartments. We had a ground floor apartment looking out onto the central pool. The apartment is large, clean, modern, with kitchen, dining table, and each bedroom has its own bathroom. Big screen TV and DVD player supplied, also full size fridge, microwave etc.

The rates are very good, no deals, just a set rate. We paid Rp550,000 for the 2bedroom apartment.

It’s located off Poppies 1, and is a short walk to either the beach or the main shopping district.

Owned by a group of 6, it has a distinctively Western Australian feel about it with GWN on cable! It’s pretty obvious the owners are into AFL as on Friday/Saturday nights the bar/restaurant area shows the games on a few screens to an appreciative crowd.

Interestingly, the apartments can be bought and then rented out. I believe they go for around US$80,000 which is not bad for what you get. They are building the second stage next door and all will eventually become one.

The restaurant serves good food for reasonable prices, cold beer and a BBQ most Friday nights. Breakfasts (included) were filling, a simple choice of eggs & toast, fried rice/noodles, juices and coffee/tea.

I think this is probably one of the best options in Kuta. Sure, it’s a walk to the beach etc, but we didn’t mind. The only thing we didn’t like was that Poppies 1 is a very narrow street and traffic along here has to be watched. You are constantly stepping back as motorcycles go past etc but the kids got used to it and as you walk down Poppies 1 to the beach you get to peek into all the small shops along the way!

Plenty of restaurants around the place, ranging in prices from very cheap to moderate.

We hit the beach every day and the kids had loads of fun. We found the best thing to do is get there about mid morning, set yourself up under a tree near one of the many drink sellers. They will provide chairs if you want and you open a tab for cold drinks! I even tried the Bakso ( a soup with meatballs and noodles) from the stand behind us and was pleased that no after effects! It was very tasty as well! Further down the beach there are a few satay stands where we all ate to no ill effect, again, lovely food!

All in all, a great stay.

2007-07-04T07:29:00.000+07:00

On Sunday 24th June, Bali held its first International Triathlon. A big event, it drew both participants and spectators from all over the world. There was a healthy contingent of entrants from Surabaya, friends who had been training for close to a year for the event. And they had to. It was a 1.5 km sea swim, a 40 km bike ride followed by a 10 km run. Not at all easy.

Some of our friends were older than me, yet determined to give it a go and all of them completed the course! I don’t think I could even contemplate such a feat.

I believe the oldest entrant in the triathlon was in their late 50's, one of whom finished in 2.35.26. Results can be found here. Best time overall was 1.58.30 (1 hour 58 minutes 30 seconds) by a 25 year old. A friend in his 40's did it in approx. 3.29.27 which I thought was brilliant (that’s him in the photo- runs a cigar factory, loves a good wine but very fit!) Let’s face it, a 1.5 km sea swim? Lucky if I got a 100 meters before succumbing to the waves.

It was a great event, lots of spectators, good music by a reggae band, good food, Storm brewery giving away free 'samples' :), and inspiring achievements by young and old.

More pictures and information of the day can be found here.

2007-07-03T12:20:00.000+07:00

Kuta at sunset

2007-07-03T12:09:00.000+07:00

2007-07-03T11:57:00.000+07:00

Low tide at Sanur Beach. The little ones had a great time. Note the innocent imitation of a cultural practice as portrayed by the Balinese woman in the background. Both were harvesting, one for play, one for work.

2007-07-03T11:45:00.000+07:00

Boats pulled up on Sanur Beach...

2007-07-03T11:40:00.000+07:00

Sanur Beach, driftwood washed up, a storm brewing, a Balai on one of the spits for relaxing..

2007-07-03T01:56:00.000+07:00

Kuta at sunset again, using a different filter.

2007-07-03T01:53:00.000+07:00

Kuta at sunset, using a filter.

2007-07-01T12:12:00.000+07:00

Bali Holiday
We had a brilliant time in Bali, very relaxing and enjoyable. Came back yesterday feeling good about the whole trip. All of us had a wonderful time, and while we didn't do the sightseeing etc that most would do, we found just going for walks, lazing on the beach and kicking back was all that was required to make it a special holiday.
The kids loved the beach, and spent hours playing in the sand. the sheer freedom of being able to run along the beach was exhilarating for them both, and they found so much to do that it was easy to let them just go ahead and play under a watchful eye.
I've written two reviews of the hotels we stayed in Sanur, but I still have to write a review of Kuta Townhouses, which we thought were excellent.
More on what to do and see later.

2007-07-01T12:10:00.000+07:00

Gazebo Hotel Review

After looking around Sanur (I booked one night at a hotel then wandered along the beach strip and went into different hotels), I chose Gazebo for my family. We had a lovely free standing little cottage of 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. Balcony out front looking onto a lovely garden. There was also a courtyard off the main bedroom with a shower, a line to hang washing, and space to lie down and sunbathe if you wanted privacy.

Both rooms came with small fridge, TV (though only 2 international channels: CNN and HBO plus an assortment of Indonesian channels), couch, lounger, desk, coffee table, chairs. The rooms have a connecting door in between using two doors thus allowing either side to lock their door if they want to. However, the second room also has its own entrance and balcony on the side. There are two single beds in the second room plus a couch which can also serve as a third bed.

The beds were comfortable, and the children slept well. Both bathrooms were clean, large and the bathroom for the main bedroom was bright and sunny as it had sliding doors opening out to the private courtyard.

There are heaps of different rooms available at Gazebo. Reception was happy to show me around and look at the different configurations. Some lovely large suites, smaller rooms, cottages and upstairs downstairs type rooms.

I found that by walking in and discussing it a bit we got an excellent rate with them, US$75.00 per night for the entire cottage including breakfast. Very good value for a family.

Breakfast was included and while simple was filling and tasty.

One of the managers told me it was popular with Australians thus on the menu they had some dishes that would suit. They serve imported Aussie sirloin which was just brilliant, one of the best I've had in Indonesia, 300 grams for just US$6.00.

Fish and chips however, were disappointing. Cocktails etc are reasonably priced, and sitting around the bar watching the sea is a nice way to spend a couple of hours. Beer is cold and while service at times was a bit slow, they were all very friendly.

We found that the food was reasonably priced thus had a number of meals there and just kept a running tab paid on the last day making it easier to not have to carry around cash.

For sheer indulgence food however, walk along the beach to the Beach Cafe. Excellent food, gourmet quality, beautifully presented. Jugs of Heineken only US$5.00!

The gardens were a bit overgrown when we arrived, but it may have been because of the low season but in the last two days we were there gardeners were out busy tidying them all up, probably in preparation for high season which starts at the beginning of July.

The pools were great, a small one safe for young children, a larger deeper one for the adults, and a third one set back on the property for those wanting a quieter swim.

The gym was disused and neglected. Equipment was mostly broken and it obviously had been left for quite some time. A pity as it would have been nice to have a workout.

Books in the cabinets were mostly in German etc, very few in English thus I would advise either bringing your own or wander up to the main road in front of Gazebo and along a bit. There are a few bookstores dealing in seconds with reasonable prices.

The tide goes out in the afternoon making the beach a delightful place for our young children to splash about, find crabs, watch small schools of fish up close, go shell hunting, build water pools and sandcastles. For a young family, I truly believe Sanur is one of the best spots. It’s safe, calm, and peaceful and there are enough restaurants for the parents to get out and enjoy in the evenings.

Gazebo is well placed, away from the crowded end, just a short three minute walk to Circle K, a small but handy shop selling everything from toothpaste to hotdogs.

Overall, we found Gazebo to be an excellent hotel for our family. Highly recommended.

2007-07-01T12:08:00.000+07:00

Besakih Beach Resort Review

After reading all the reviews on Besakih Beach Resort, I booked two standard rooms (Rp390, 000 each). Not a bad deal we thought at the time, though our accommodation in Kuta (Kuta Townhouses) was cheaper and by far one of the best we have stayed in as a family.

Arriving at Besakih we were greeted warmly by reception and shown to our rooms, two standard rooms in the old hotel part, in fact just a few doors down from the reception area itself on the ground floor.

Walking into the room, the first thing we noticed was a very strong pervasive musty smell. Turned on the air conditioner and hoped it would go away. No such luck. The mattress had such a strong mouldy odour that neither of us got much sleep that night.

The room was basic, clean, tidy but once you were inside you could be anywhere, it had all the elements of a standard hotel room anywhere in the world. The bathroom was, to put it mildly, decrepit. Stained tiles and bathtub, ageing taps, dirty yellow/grey grouting etc. The radio/power system set into the bedside table didn't work (so why leave it there?), a door at the back of the room, locked but obviously was a concern. The good thing was that between our two rooms was a connecting door near the entrance door thus facilitating access to our young children’s room.

Stepping onto the balcony we were faced with a brick wall a metre or so away so not the nicest view when relaxing.

C wanted to charge her mobile phone and went to reception to ask for a double adaptor. The person behind the counter (a new one who was not there when we checked in) told her to "go buy one if you need one". So she went out and bought one, only some time later a porter turned up and gave her one they had found.

The next morning I woke early and wandered down to the restaurant and asked for a coffee. I was given instant coffee. Usually most hotels in Bali will serve the delicious 'Bali coffee' so this surprised me.

The pool on first glance was very inviting, looking out over the beach and the sea. Closer inspection found it to be covered with a thin film of dust. However, later in the day I sat by it and while it was a lovely view, to get a drink one had to go over the bridge, down some steps, step up onto the raised restaurant floor, wait for the group of staff sitting around chatting to notice you, wait for a drink, ask for a stubby holder, (this caused a few annoyed looks cast my way), one grudgingly found and dusted off, and then back to the pool again. The pool bar was not in operation and looked as if it hadn’t been for some time.

After the bad nights sleep, an uninspiring room and poor lacklustre service we had had enough. There are heaps of hotels to choose from along the beach strip.

We checked out and moved a few doors down to the Gazebo, paying less for a two bedroom, two bathroom, private courtyard, free standing cottage looking out onto a beautiful garden. Big clean rooms, delightfully and distinctively Balinese in design. We stayed at the Gazebo for a further four nights before heading back home. If you really want to enjoy Balinese hospitality, good food, good service and great rooms, try the Gazebo.

2007-06-17T19:49:00.000+07:00

Similes & Metaphors

There is an email going around with what are purported to be students similes and metaphors from actual essays. As an English teacher, I’ve come across a few that raised an eyebrow, but these are in a class of their own. Worth a chuckle.

1. Her face was a perfect oval, like a circle that had its two sides gently compressed by a ThighMaster.

2. His thoughts tumbled in his head, making and breaking alliances like underpants in a dryer without Cling Free.

3. He spoke with the wisdom that can only come from experience, like a guy who went blind because he looked at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it and now goes around the country speaking at high schools about the dangers of looking at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it.

4. She grew on him like she was a colony of E. Coli, and he was room-temperature Canadian beef.

5. She had a deep, throaty, genuine laugh, like that sound a dog makes just before it throws up.

6. Her vocabulary was as bad as, like, whatever.

7. He was as tall as a six-foot, three-inch tree.

8. The revelation that his marriage of 30 years had disintegrated because of his wife’s infidelity came as a rude shock, like a surcharge at a formerly surcharge-free ATM machine.

9. The little boat gently drifted across the pond exactly the way a bowling ball wouldn’t.

10. McBride fell 12 stories, hitting the pavement like a Hefty bag filled with vegetable soup.

11. From the attic came an unearthly howl. The whole scene had an eerie, surreal quality, like when you’re on vacation in another city and Jeopardy comes on at 7:00 p.m. instead of 7:30.

12. Her hair glistened in the rain like a nose hair after a sneeze.

13. The hailstones leaped from the pavement, just like maggots when you fry them in hot grease.

14. John and Mary had never met. They were like two hummingbirds who had also never met.

15. Even in his last years, Granddad had a mind like a steel trap, only one that had been left out so long it had rusted shut.

16. Shots rang out, as shots are wont to do.

17. The plan was simple, like my brother-in-law Phil. But unlike Phil, this plan just might work.

18. The young fighter had a hungry look, the kind you get from not eating for a while.

19. He was as lame as a duck. Not the metaphorical lame duck, either, but a real duck that was actually lame, maybe from stepping on a land mine or something.

20. The ballerina rose gracefully en Pointe and extended one slender leg behind her, like a dog at a fire hydrant.

21. He was deeply in love. When she spoke, he thought he heard bells, as if she were a garbage truck backing up.

2007-06-17T12:41:00.000+07:00

Lil C took this as well of Monty lying in wait.

2007-06-17T12:31:00.000+07:00

Lil C took this picture of Monty just after his bath, looking a bit forlorn. She did a great job.

2007-06-17T11:43:00.001+07:00

Holidays

I’m into my first week of holidays and it’s never felt so good to be able to relax. By the end of the term we were all tired beyond belief. It was a tough and very busy term but we made it and everyone is either overseas or heading out to parts of indo for rest and relaxation. We are heading to Bali ourselves for 12 days on Monday. I’ve booked a two bedroom apartment in Kuta (http://www.kutatownhouses.com/) for six nights, then a night in Sanur (http://www.besakih.com/) after which we will check out other hotels. I think being on the ground going to a hotel directly will get us better rates. Spent a fair amount of time on the internet and found some good places so be interesting to see what they look like in reality!

My bonus at end of contract came through so after much deliberation on the net (honestly, I am so pedantic about buying things I spend far too much time researching it thus when the purchase is made it feels almost anticlimactic!) but anyway, got C the laptop she has been wanting and needing to help with her studies. She is delighted with it, and it is a nice machine, cheap as well so an added bonus! Its an Acer 5052, bought for Rp5,6 mill, about AU$740.00. Powerful little machine, its not for gaming or graphics but is quite the performer for office stuff.

The children are doing well. Lil D’s vocabulary is growing in leaps and bounds, surprising us almost every day with new words he picks up. His conversation is now thoughtful and considered (for a 3 year old) and he is able to explain, maintain, and expand on conversations. He is still getting into trouble at every turn, he has this amazing propensity to do the wrong thing then innocently turn away. When pulled up on it we get the wide eyed look as if to say “me? Nahh, not me!!”

It’s quite a battle at times with him as he has his mothers stubborn streak (or is that mine?!) and at times he will just refuse to do as requested until it’s a trip to his bedroom for some time out, a few howls then he finally settles down. The cat is always at risk when he is around, as are our fish as he enjoys throwing things into the pond. As is Lil C if she rough houses too much with him and he gets too excited, as is poor Patsy who has to put up with his requests etc all the time, as are us when ever we take over! In retrospect, Lil D is a holy terror but is also such a sweet kid. This morning we were inspecting the fish as I had my coffee, a morning ritual, and he came up and gave me the biggest hug. Then chatted away to me. It’s moments like that which I treasure.

He still enjoys hopping into bed with us during the night, tho at times inexplicably he insists that C join him in his bed. Last night he was in our bed and sprawled all over the place between us, making sleeping as bit difficult at time when you suddenly get an elbow in the face or a kick to the stomach. I’ve learnt to put a guling between him and me to protect from the worst of the assaults!

Lil C is such a little sweetie. She has become the big sister to Lil D and is constantly giving him advice. He will do things for her that he won’t do for us, and follows her around every where. She is a lovely child, very sensitive, with a flair for the dramatic. At times we call her our drama queen as she will eagerly go into long, drama laden speeches about something or another accompanied with gestures and an amazing portfolio of facial expressions. She gets excited about things we don’t see, and will insist on dragging us to look at what ever has taken her interest. For instance, yesterday she came running in wanting the camera as she had found an unusual grasshopper and wanted to take a picture. She learns fast; she came back with the camera with a very fuzzy pic but after I showed her the close-up feature she went away again and took another pic with much better results. She loves using the camera and it’s fascinating to get pics taken with her eye.

She is doing well at school, tho all the teachers say she gets impatient with things and at times does not follow through. She loves playing, acting, dancing, dressing up and also quiet time with her toys etc. She has a loving nature, and is always bringing things to our attention for a hug and a word of approval. Her reading is improving slowly but again, she gets impatient and guesses words rather than spelling them out but everyone is patiently trying to break her of this habit and be more considered in her approach.

Her best friend has moved into the house four doors down, a couple from country NSW who started teaching with us last year finally moved into the house which was vacated by the other teaching couple & family who are now heading to Karachi for their new posts in late July! The new neighbours have a daughter (J) who was in Lil C’s class and they have become the best of friends which is a relief for us as no matter how hard we try, the Indonesian families seem to want little to do with us. It’s a rare family who will allow their child to play at our house etc, in fact, only one that I know of. She doesn’t get invited to other kid’s houses much so we see her relationship with J as a bit of a life saver. We have, however, requested that J not be in her class this coming school year (July) as want her to expand her friendship circle and also learn more bahasa. Her Indonesian is quite good; enough to get along with her classmates (who are required to speak English in class but still use quite a bit of Indonesian amongst themselves outside the classroom). Her Indonesian teacher says she is doing well though we see little evidence of it at home. Her mandarin teacher also says she is doing well but when pressed, Lil C is reluctant to tell us anything in mandarin! She refuses to use indo or mandarin at home, reserving them for school only tho does use Indonesian with the cook, Banti, who can’t speak English.

C is tired and looking forward to the Bali holiday. We are using the airfare money I got at the end of contract to pay for it, which is a bit of a bonus as it doesn’t really come out of our own pockets. The school provides airfares for the whole family at the end of 2 years but as we aren’t heading back this time and thought to put it to good use here instead! C has been working very hard, she studies all the time, and last week and this week has been sitting exams. A friend is the supervisor for the exams, and she goes to the school to do them. Cora is very conscientious about them, and is doing them under exam conditions just as tho she was back home and doing them at university. She refuses to take a peek at them beforehand and complies with all rules down to the last letter. So, she works hard at it, is keeping on top of the dozens of assignments she has to do, and so far has passed all of them. The workload seems huge, much more than I remember when I did the same course so I can only figure that they have really tightened up the whole process and content.

Just started going to the gym again after more than a week off as just couldn’t get into it. Had a good workout yesterday and will do the same today. The break from the gym has been good for me; think I needed a rest from it. It’s been going well, the weights have settled into a particular range for now, just enough to make me sweat but not enough to cause a heart attack! J I’m bench lifting 65-70kgs now which is pretty good, and back lifting about 100 kgs which is even better! Dumbbells sit around 35 kgs each for most exercises which is also comfortable at the moment. I think after the holidays I should be able to get up to 40 kg dumbbells but not pushing it, last thing I want is an injury. My knee is still troubling me, I must have done some injury to it somewhere late last year, if its not better by august I’ll go for an mri and see if they can find any other probs with it. Awhile ago when I saw a bone doc he told me it was knee stress, not sure from what. Have been kind to it and laid off the x-trainer quite a bit but every now and then do it just to stretch the legs. Haven’t been on my bike tho as it seems to accentuate the problem. Ah well!

Anyway, that’s all the news.

2007-06-03T17:10:00.000+07:00

Front garden.