Lunch!

First experience with the Jackfruit in my lunch!

Friendly, or threatening?

So far in my 9 days in Jakarta, I have been asked by strangers about my religion, my marital status, why I don't have children yet, for my picture, and for the first time tonight, for my e-mail address. While I am flattered, and maybe it is a cultural thing, I also can't help but wonder WHY these people want to know this information. Better over-friendliness than feeling threatened as I walk down the street, but is it just the overwhelmed American in me who wants to put my iPod headphones in and ignore it, or is it just easier to live in your own world and ignore those around you when you have other things to do (i.e., the writing competition)?

On a different note, my frozen guava juice is pretty awesome. And I think that I a getting use to the spices! Bring it on!

Thought of the Day

Longer post later, about exploring Kota and the absolute throngs of Indonesian schoolchildren interviewing and taking pictures with us, but weird moment of the day: two different men asking me my name then if I was married, to which I felt pressured to reply yes because of the way the question was asked...thinking about wearing my class ring on my other hand to deter these questions.

Jakarta Underground

We'd heard a lot about it, but last night was my and Erin's first glimpse into "Jakarta Underground," the side of Jakarta where people drink alcohol, girls wear clothes that would be normal in an American bar, and the conservative culture seem to disappear (although, this was just a glimpse, not the real deal--the real Jakarta Underground includes huge clubs that start the party Thursday night, end it Sunday morning, and feature topless partiers). After the office's internet went out, we left with Hugh and headed for Eastern Promises, a British-Indian bar and restaurant.

The place certainly lived up to its name, though we didn't realize it at first. We were transported back to the states as we entered a smoky wood-and-brass pub for Pressure night, where between 5 and 6 PM all the drinks are free unless someone leaves or goes to the restroom. At 5:30, pressure hour was still going strong, and we had just taken the second sips of our beers when someone cracked. The bar was jam-packed with American, Australian, and British men.

We hung out for a while before other ex-pats started approaching us, the new faces, and only white women, in the bar. After a few minutes of conversation and a round of darts (and a couple more beers), did Erin and I really start to pick up on the vibe of the place (maybe with some help from our new friend Robert, too): each man seemed to have his own "Eastern Promise," usually a good decade or two younger than himself. These women wore the skimpy clothes Ive seen in store windows in the Jakarta malls but had yet to see ON anyone; they smoked, flirted, and as Robert said, gave out the "I'm looking for a green card" vibe.

We moved into the back room for some Indian food, but not before I was introduced by Robert to Ari, a friend of his...and the NYU alum who happened to have found me this job. While this was extremely fortuitous, Ari was late for a party and we didn't have much time to talk, but hope to meet up next week. "All roads lead to Toad's" flashed through my head, and I realized at that moment--I have found the Jakarta Toad's.

Past the Indian restaurant full of families with children, we entered an outdoor bar area where a stage was being set up and we ordered Indian food to go with our beer. While the ex-pat men and their wives/mistresses/catches of the night looked on, a cover band of six or so Indonesian girls took the stage and completely blew us away with some Alanis Morisette and Tina Turner. All in all, a great, though somewhat bizarre, night.

(video to come-blogger not wanting to upload it)

(picture courtesy my lovely co-intern Erin Stock)

Mmmmmmm

Indonesian donuts beat American donuts any day (yes, that is fresh out of the oven, with a dark chocolate glaze and cappuccino cream inside).

A glimpse

Because I know you are all sitting on the edge of your seats waiting for an update, I give you this: my view as I work on the writing competition. Exciting, isn't it.

East Kosting

Today, some co-workers and I went around to a few different kosts and took photos for the other interns to look at before they get here (the first one might come next week?)

The good news: of the ones we looked at, ours is by far the nicest, and the best deal.
The bad news: none of the other ones are next door to mosques. Oh, well.

Erin and I attempted to grab some dinner from the tents that go up by the Pasar Santa at night, and we did get some sate, although we were afraid we had been ripped off (two dollars! so expensive!) We got lost on the way there, though, and our co-worker Iwan (who is actually going to DC for the next week!) had to save us. It is still bizarre to me how it turns pitch black here by 7 PM, but there are tons of people (and vehicles) on the streets, so it is hard not to feel safe.

It is really nice to be working at a place where you don't have to bill by the hour, and where learning about the culture and history of the country is just as important to the job as turning out deliverables. I spent almost an hour talking to my co worker about controversial issues in Indonesia, like abortion (commonly offered on the black market, but not safe), birth control (condoms abound, but good luck getting anything else unless you are married), and marital rape (no such thing). I also learned about ROHIS, the radical Muslim student society that exists at most campuses here. In contrast to the US< when you go to university, you are just as likely to become more conservative after spending time with these groups as you are to become more liberal!

My last note is that I got covered in bug bits while waiting for the sate. New plan: DEET 2x a day. NOW I understand why they like to cover up here.

(Photo: the nicest kost, but no internet, and 500,000 rupiyah more expensive than ours!)

Resolution

By the end of my time here, I will sleep straight through the call to prayer.

I haven't forgotten about you!

The writing competition and exhaustion have taken over my free time, though I am keeping notes so I won't forget to write about when I have some time to catch up!

(Photo = durian at a fruit market)

Baby steps.

I survived my first day, and am about to begin my second. I have yet to get a full night's sleep thanks to the mosque, though it hasn't woken me up, it is impossible to get back to sleep if you do wake up anytime near the morning prayer call, which lasts--wait for it--TWENTY minutes. Twenty minutes of anything is bound to bore you--imagine if American Pie were twenty minutes long? Would people still listen to it? My roommates laugh at the heavy towels I've tried draping over the windows to block the noise, though they don't really do much.

My lesson from yesterday is to take things one day at a time. If you can't sleep one night, try to sleep the next, and don't worry about it. In that same vein, I am not going to become an expert in the Indonesian legal system and language in one day! I'm also not going to be able to figure out all the best restaurants/food carts in the area in one day, either.

There are a few things I did learn yesterday, though: the office has a coffeemaker. Yes, they only have powdered creamer, but this is a step in the right direction. Some of the bigger supermarkets sell milk, and soon I will have my morning cup of coffee all figured out. I do hope to either make it to Sumatra or buy some of their delicious beans here in Jakarta to take back with me, but for now, caffeine in the mornings is enough.

My first day of work was both exactly what I expected and not what I expected at all. The office is in an old converted mansion, and is beautiful--stained glass windows, a garden open to the elements in the middle of the house, and with AC (sort of) and wifi. Most of my co-workers are Indonesian, but there is one Australian here for a year on sort of Peace Corps-like project who gave me the real dirt on things (aka, the things I didn't quite understand coming from the Indonesians). Everyone was very nice, though, and have already started giving me travel and food tips.

What I have expected and dreaded about working for an NGO, however, is that the head can be pulled in many different directions--and it is true; Brian is in Sri Lanka this week, so until I can talk to him, my work might be limited. The other problem, which I knew coming into this job but didn't really consider, is that there are no lawyers at my organization. They work(ed) with prisoners and partner with legal foundations (LBH Jakarta, a legal aid organization, and KontraS, where an NYU 2L worked last summer), and they had a program doing legal education to the Indonesian people, where they partnered with the Indonesian Supreme Court, called Access for Justice. However, most of these projects have wound down or are on hold at the moment. I am going to try to set up meetings at the aforementioned organizations and maybe use their lawyers for legal information and help guiding my research. In the meantime, I suppose, I will just read, read, read. And Agus, the program manager, sincerely wants me to benefit form being here, so he promises to help as best he can in connecting me with lawyers.

Hugh, the Australian, took me to another big mall where we ate at Cali Deli, a Vietnamese sandwich shop. We had both expected a hole in the wall run by Vietnamese immigrants, and instead we found a restaurant in a mall food court, but my sandwich and frozen strawberry juice were quite good. My coworkers helped me order authentic Indonesia satay for dinner (I tried to use the chile sauce but one small taste lit my mouth on fire!), so I did get some Indonesian food. I still don't feel comfortable walking around at night yet, though (I'm not sure that I ever will), and our proximity to the equator and lack of daylight savings mean that the sun sets at 5:45, so I might be stuck getting dinner either at the office or on my way home.

The last thing that still surprises me about Jakarta is the pollution. The little three-wheeled "taxis" belch nasty-smelling smoke, and many people walk around with masks on their faces--I don't blame them. The vegetation is lush and beautiful (especially the giant plant market we drove past yesterday I am going to have to find again!) but they don't seem to appreciate it here--trash spills onto the streets, and everyone smokes. Yet their carbon footprint is probably 1/100th the size of America's.

My first friend

I forgot to mention...one of my roommates has the most adorable, playful little cat. The doctor at NYU told me to avoid animals here, but she stays inside and is de-clawed, so I assume she is okay. She is also so fun that I can't not play with her.

Let's go to the mall!

I went off in search of a citi bank this morning, and being adventurous, I decided to walk, with just a google map burned into my memory and a good sense of direction. While the streets only have sidewawlks about half the time, the traffic will avoid you, though unfortunately my fair skin, height, and light hair make me stick out like a sore thumb and everyone on the sidewalk wants to stop and talk to me. Too bad I don't understand anything they are saying!

After 15 minutes or so, still citibank-less, I found...Blok M. Blok M is the epitome of an American mall, but Indonesian-style. I believe there were 8 stories, full of small stores that sold American-style clothing that one could never wear in Jakarta out of modesty (unlesshttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif there is an area I haven't seen yet where the women wear short dresses), cell phone stores galore, and luckily for me, both an American-style supermarket (no, not with familiar food, just that accepts credit cards) and a sort of Ace-hardware anything you can think of store (aka, extension cords, lamps, rice cookers, and towels). I did see and hear one other American while I was there-my first since the airport.

I enjoyed a 12,000 rupiyah (about $1.50) sit-down lunch of tea and gado gado, which was spicy as heck, but absolutely delicious. I then went in search of a stand that sold blended avocado juice, but couldn't find one, so I settled for an iced tea from the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf conveniently located in the mall. My iced coffee cost more than my lunch!

I took a taxi back, which took as long as my walk there had-I am pretty sure the driver drove around in circles for five minutes before heading back to the kost. When I was almost back, I saw...a citibank. Less than a 5 minute walk from the kost. Oh, well. I shall try tomorrow to go and open an account.

I chatted with my roommates for a bit on my return when they saw my purchases, and they filled me in on my first set of questions--do you tip at sit-down restaurants (no, only if you have extra change and really want to), can you walk around at night (yes, just keep the jewelery to a minimum), can you order delivery (yes, and you don't tip for that either!).

I found out they love watching American horror movies (great....), don't drink coffee (double great...) and are amazingly sweet, polite, and nice. I am so glad to have talked with them--I've been shy about asking my questions, but let them all out just now. Two of them work for an cigarette company just bought by Phillip Morris, and one is finishing her degree and wants to work there when she graduates. Apparently it is one of the nicest office jobs around, and has a very good reputation here. I tried to explain to them American smoking laws and the health concerns Americans have about smoking, but it is just a different view here.

I hope to post some pictures of the kost, and maybe a little more information about it, later on. For now, I really should start on that journal competition...

SO MUCH TO DO

I have spent the last hour listing places in Indonesia I want to try to get to. Since Papua is the furthest and also the most paperwork-intensive, I've narrowed it down...to 23! And that is Indonesia alone! Any recommendations welcome (and don't say Bali. duh, I will try to get to Bali. And everywhere else in between).

Five Fun Facts I Wish I Had known....

1. Indonesians don't use flat sheets. They sell sheet sets with fitted sheets and pillowcases, but minus the flat sheets.

2. A "cheesy" bun is not filled with cheese, but an unidentified meat. I'm glad I http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifdid not get the "cow" bun...

3. You can buy a spray that is (theoretically) non-toxic and drives mosquitoes nuts before they just fall to the floor and die! I just borrowed my roommates and got two of them. But not before I got three bites, even with my 100% DEET...

4. There is another American (pursuing her Master's at the Clinton School who will be living AND working with me--such a relief! We can muddle through figuring things out together. Though, she just spent the last 4 days in Bali so I am already jealous of her...

5. There are citibanks and HSBCs everywhere. Wish I had opened an account before I left--Wachovia/Wells Fargo KILLS you on ATM withdrawal fees ($5 + 3%)

To be continued as I learn more fun facts....

Arrival!

I'm here in a hotel in Jakarta just a few minutes away from the guesthouse that I will be living at for the summer. The hotel is very nice, and I kind of wish that I could live here!

My flights were ridiculously long (12.5 hours followed by 8.5 hours), with not much sleep, but Emirates is definitely my new long-distance airline of choice-the food was actually pretty delicious, the entertainment system was pretty spectacular, and the flight attendants' outfits (those hats!)make you feel like you are on a movie set. The only problem was, instead of starting the writing competition, I watched both No Strings Attached and The Dilemma...oh well.

My arrivals into Jakarta was pretty painless, though when I saw that HSBC and Citi practically own all the billboards at the airport I wished that I had opened an account with one or the other before I left. The luggage took forever, and the Indonesians on my plane didn't hesitate to bowl people over as they grabbed for suitcases, but I did get out of there after just half an hour.

Finding a taxi was a trip. I knew from numerous conversations to get a Bluebird, but when you walk out the airport door and ten men accost you trying to get you in THEIR taxi it can be hard to shout BLUEBIRD over the din. I finally did find one guy who said he was with Bluebird, though as he took me past the rows of taxis with "taxi" signs on top and into a dark parking lot I got really skeptical. I asked for his ID and sure enough, it said bluebird, though his taxi was just a minivan with no signs at all. I was sure he had faked his ID and was about to kidnap me when another man got in the car--but it turns out he was a driver in training, and this was a training car--hence it being parked out of the hustle and bustle.

It took almost an hour to get to the hotel, during which time we zoomed down a highway full of bright signs advertising different electronics companies--Sanyo, Canon, etc. From what I could see (which wasn't much) the city reminded me of some sort of hybrid between Orlando and LA, except the cars drive on the wrong side of the road. The city looked very ominous, though--it is not well-lit at night and I was glad I didn't have to do that drive on my own.

We finally reached the hotel, which had some sort of party going on in the banquet hall which I thought was a nightclub at first. I checked in (I used agoda.com to book) and watched an interview with a indigenous Taiwanese pop star on one of the three English channels. Unfortunately, the only power adapter they have is for plugs without the third grounding plug, so I could charge my cell (which works here??? But I get charged 25 cents a text so please don't try it!) but not my computer.

I slept pretty fitfully as I was nervous about getting to the guesthouse later today, but my organization has been absolutely fantastic, and I woke up to an e-mail saying they reminded the place I am arriving today and I should be all set. SO I am going to try to relax a little before moving over, e-mailing all the ex-pats I've connected with, and diving into that damn writing packet.

About to take off!

At JFK, to Dubai!