17 August 1945, known as Proklamasi Kemerdekaan Indonesia, or the day the Indonesians finally began to take control of their own country. Although, I guess the Dutch didn’t officially recognize independence until 1949 (or so says my friend, Wikipedia…so you decide what you want to believe). But anyways…the Dutch were kind enough to give up after 300-something years of exploiting and ineffectively ruling their colony through a little thing called the VOC or the Dutch East India Company (you might remember that name from the Pirates of the Caribbean?). And most Indonesians happily accepted. I found a translation of the original proclamation (on…wikipedia..sorry…) signed by Misters Sukarno and Hatta, the first Pres and Vice Pres, and the namesake of the Jakarta Airport..Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.

PROKLAMASI

Kami, bangsa Indonesia, dengan ini menjatakan kemerdekaan Indonesia.

Hal-hal jang mengenai pemindahan kekoeasaan d.l.l., diselenggarakan dengan tjara saksama dan dalam tempo jang sesingkat-singkatnja.

Djakarta, hari 17 boelan 8 tahoen 05

Atas nama bangsa Indonesia

Soekarno – Hatta

PROCLAMATION

WE THE PEOPLE OF INDONESIA HEREBY DECLARE THE INDEPENDENCE OF

INDONESIA. MATTERS WHICH CONCERN THE TRANSFER OF POWER AND

OTHER THINGS WILL BE EXECUTED BY CAREFUL MEANS AND IN THE

SHORTEST POSSIBLE TIME.

DJAKARTA, 17 AUGUST 1945

IN THE NAME OF THE PEOPLE OF INDONESIA

SOEKARNO—HATTA

So, the weeks leading up to this historic day were full of red and white decorations, flags, and excitement.

But…as it turned out…this excitement had more to do with getting Tuesday off of school and work than any national pride.

As an American who looks forward to parades, fireworks, food and celebrations, I was excited to see how another country does their celebrations. But it turns out that having your national celebration coincide with Ramadan is a BAD idea. Indonesians use fasting as an excuse for doing absolutely nothing for a month. When I ask my Indonesian friends why there were no great celebrations, I got two answers. “Fasting…we’re too tired.” and “I don’t like Indonesia!” Now, I won’t even go into my feelings about being proud of your country…but I will share my feelings on fasting!

NOW, I realize fasting is not fun. I would not want to do it, and I don’t. I know my students are tired and thirsty and hungry. But, during Ramadan I ask my students what they did on the weekend…they say nothing… “stay at home miss, sleep miss”. And, I guess that’s understandable…but outside of Ramadan they say the exact same thing!!

I would think you could suck up a little bit of energy to honor your own country.

As I was explaining, my disbelief to some western, non-American friends, they told me that it’s mostly Americans who get that crazy over their own holiday. But, I suppose that might be because these particular friends are from the United Kingdom. I guess they might not enjoy independence day holidays because each of these days is a celebration of YET ANOTHER colony that they have lost. I guess English people are just sore losers : )

I, on the other hand, really enjoy that Americans are proud. I mean there are those that take it too far…but I think it’s really sad to not have an appreciation for the place that you’re from. I think I’ve become even more proud to be American the longer that I live abroad.

But anyways…that’s all I have to say about that…just hope that next year’s non-Ramadan independence day is better!

Have a great day!

..kristin..

So…with that explanation, I hope you will understand why I find it necessary to make this little blog post—the State of My Union in 2010.

I am exactly fifteen days away from the last day of my initial year long contract with EF here in Jakarta. Reflecting back to the beginnings of this blog I made the plans for this trip with a lot of excitement and not a lot of thought. I figured since I had been to Indonesia before, this kind of a commitment would be no problemo. On the contrary! When I arrived here in Jakarta, I was surprised to find it didn’t come so naturally for me. I was nervous about branching out and doing things on my own. I couldn’t believe it. I’d been waiting two years to make this trip…my opportunity had come, and I was unhappy. How disappointing. But fortunately, I had some good friends and a crazy city to pull me out of that. By the time Christmas (and my first trip back to the states) arrived, I actually couldn’t imagine what it would be like to be back in the states. And by the time the six-month mark arrived, I was having a blast and a week in Japan/a week away from Jakarta seemed almost a week to long.  Amazing.

When it came time to consider the next step, and potentially saying goodbye to Jakarta, I was at a loss. I considered moving back to the USA, or trying Turkey, South Africa, and even an au pair job in Spain. But when it came down to it…the thought of leaving Indonesia—the people and culture which simultaneously entertain and drive me crazy, the travels I hadn’t done yet, and the language I had worked so hard to learn—was very unsatisfying. My very favorite Indonesian expression is “ADUH!”. You use when you stub your toe…or feel frustrated. This one word may be one of the top reasons why I’ve decided to stay.  No one in Spain can appreciate aduh!

So anyways..it’s been a year… and here I am. I overheard a conversation between two of my students the other day, in which one high school student told the other that high school is the best time of a person’s life. Now, I enjoyed high school and all, but I definitely am glad my life didn’t peak at 17. Because then there was college….and it was great. And I was always a little worried that life after college might be a little of a letdown. BUT, I’m happy to report that my life seems to be going exactly the way it should. High school was good, college was great, and things just keep getting better.

I’m satisfied with my life here in Indonesia, but not so satisfied that I’ve lost the desire to keep pushing. I feel like I have so many things to look forward to over the next 6 months and in the years to come.

I’ve secured six months more to fulfill my expectations out of Indonesia. I now have the time to travel and to spend with the great people I’ve met here. With some much needed hard work I can get my Indonesian to where it should be.

Based on the past twelve months, its impossible to know what else I’ll come across in these six months. I feel like I’ve done and seen so much in twelve months. And so much has changed. I’ve done a lot of things wrong…but I’ve done some things right too.  Teaching is fun and rewarding. And I feel like I have a lot to offer.

Sometimes I get on Facebook and see friends getting married or starting families and I wonder if I’m doing things the right way. But I’m happy and I CAN’T WAIT to see what’s next!

So, for now I think that’s enough of my little me-time reflection.

It’s 2010 and life is good.

Have a great day!

..kristin..

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wit one of my lovely classes

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at a friend’s wedding with some coworkers..all batik-ed out!

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It’ been almost 12 months, and things are coming full circle. When I arrived in this crazy city it was to find the people of Indonesia celebrating the end of one of the biggest holiday in the Muslim calendar. Now, it’s that time again—Ramadan.

And this time I get to experience it from beginning to end. Ramadan occurs on the ninth month of the Muslim calendar (appropriately named…Ramadan!) …which means that it occurs at a different time every year for the regular calendar.

So what does Ramadan mean for Muslims so far? Now, I don’t know all the details, and I won’t pretend to be an expert…but I can tell you what I’ve seen. To celebrate Ramadan, Muslim people practice fasting, which means they cannot eat food, drink, smoke, swear, or do anything considered “impure” during the daylight hours. In order to…uh…not die during this month of fasting..they wake up extra early, before the sun rises, and before the first days sholat (prayer)..known as fajr. They wake up so early for sahur…a morning’s feast so they can successfully get through the day. When dark falls and maghrib (the fourth prayer of the day) has finished, it’s time for breaking fast! Which (not surprisingly) significantly improves the moods of the Indonesians, and my students in particular.

And what does Ramadan mean for me so far? It means my students are pretty unhappy..at least until 6:00 rolls around. And It means I can’t (or rather shouldn’t) drink water while teaching. It means I have to sneak around at lunchtime in an attempt to avoid offending, or rather tempting, my colleagues at work. And it means that my friends and I often find ourselves eating at restaurants and drinking at bars with sheets hung at the windows and alcohol served in coffee mugs so as not to upset the fasters. But the most frustrating part for me personally, is that many of my favorite places to hang out at night close at 1 or 2am instead of 5am. Because, it seems you can do whatever you want during Ramadan…as long as the sun is not up! But we are only about two weeks into Ramadan, and I am sure there is much more to see and experience. So…more blogs to come..I think. Oh…and by the way…I’ve just agreed to stay an extra 6 months with my school! Have a great day! ..kristin..

So, I’ve been reflecting on the past 6 months..but even more than that I’ve been thinking about the next 6 months and the time that will follow…and what the hell I’m going to do next. Now, as far as next year goes, my future options are so open I can’t even begin to make a decision. But the more I think about this year in Indonesia, the more I KNOW that traveling has to continue to be a big part of my future.

And so, as I reflect on the past and wonder about the future, the only thing I am certain of is that traveling is the best thing I’ve ever done with my life. I’m not sure what the ultimate lesson in this trip will be for me, but I know that it will be a positive and life changing one I’ve been looking at some travel quotes online and reading a lot of travel writing lately, and I’ve come to the conclusion that everyone, regardless of where they travel comes out on the other side with similar feelings.

A lot of people think travel is a 24/7/365 glamorous exciting wonderful experience…and a lot of the time it is. when you’re in a foreign country, everyday tasks are unique and exciting. You can be just going to the grocery or on your way to work and you’ll see something that makes you laugh or cry or, more often than not, leaves you completely speechless and confused. And those experiences are wonderful and you’ll remember them forever.

But travel is also uncomfortable, sometimes it’s awful, and it makes you question every experience you’ve ever had in your old life. But those parts are wonderful too. And judging by my own experience and a lot of the travel writing I’ve been reading, those are the stories that are the most fun to tell and the ones that stick the best in your memory.

Whether its your car breaking down in the middle of nowhere, or being stuck on a train for 4 hours when it should’ve taken only 1 hour, or you’re being stared at and pointed at by 50 people on the street…those are the experiences that take you out of your comfort zone and force you to decide what kind of a person you want to be. Maybe you don’t always react the best at the time. I know when I first got here, I didn’t react to the change as well as I would’ve hoped. I was homesick and intimidated by everything around me. And I forgot why I was here. But with time I realized how much I love the experience of having everything around me be so completely foreign. So, ultimately you learn as much or even more about yourself than you do about the people and the culture around you!

In conclusion, it’s an experience I never want to end, and I encourage everyone who reads this to do whatever it takes to get out of your comfort zone and experience something really awful and wonderful and do something different! You WILL NOT regret it, I promise.

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I found some travel quotes from people who are much better at expressing my thoughts than I am…so I’m going to start sharing them…

“Adventure is a path. Real adventure – self-determined, self-motivated, often risky – forces you to have firsthand encounters with the world. The world the way it is, not the way you imagine it. Your body will collide with the earth and you will bear witness. In this way you will be compelled to grapple with the limitless kindness and bottomless cruelty of humankind – and perhaps realize that you yourself are capable of both. This will change you. Nothing will ever again be black-and-white.” – Mark Jenkins

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If you enjoy reading about the few travel experiences I’ve talked about on here..you should check out this book…It’s a really great book and it gives, what I consider to be a much more accurate illustration of travel life. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is interested in traveling/living abroad.

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have a great day!

..kristin..

Okay, so it was over a week ago…but I’m going to write about it anyways.

So, while all of you were cutting up doilies for paper valentines and receiving roses and chocolates or celebrating anti-love day parties…Chinese people around the world were saying goodbye to the Year of the Ox and reigning in the Year of the Tiger.

The Chinese New Year, also known as the Lunar New Year is, from what I can tell, the most important Chinese holiday. Now, all I know about the new year in China is based on a few minutes of National Geographic I saw on TV in a taxi the other night. But, from what I saw it’s a night dedicated to families reuniting. There’s lots of fireworks and celebration. That’s about all I can tell you about that.

But, I do have some experience with the Lunar New Year here in Indonesia. According to Wikipedia (however accurate that is) there are more than 7 million overseas Chinese here in Indonesia. And, in my own experience I’ve seen that, even when overseas, Chinese cultural traditions have remained an important part of their lives. However, in the past the relationship between native Indonesians and Overseas Chinese has been…rocky…to say the least. So, I was curious to see how this Chinese New Year would go down in this country.

The fireworks were definitely here, and apparently most of the traditions are also maintained. Talking to my students I’ve found that children really love the Chinese New Year because of its best feature. Apparently all those unmarried Chinese people receive money in red envelopes from the married members of the family!

I was also happy to find that decorations were everywhere! Specifically at the malls. So, on the day of Chinese New Year we headed to the mall in hopes of seeing some New Years celebrations! We started our celebration with a truly odd and uncomfortable experience. We went to a fish spa…where you can pay 120,000Rp (about $12) for a half four with your feet in a pool full of fish who have a particular taste for dead skin. It’s the strangest feeling, having I don’t know how many little fish nibbling on your feet. It’s hard to explain, but it was kind of like putting your feet on a vibrating massage chair. While having the treatment done we were reading some info on the treatment and found there’s really no proven benefit to having your feet eaten by fish…but I suppose it’s a unique experience either way…

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Next I went for another different Chinese experience…a Chinese fortuneteller! What made it even more interesting was that the fortuneteller only spoke Indonesian. SO, I got to listen to my future being told to me by a complete stranger in a foreign language. It wasn’t particularly useful information…but it was certainly interesting. After shuffling some little cards around she laid them down in a spiral and mostly just told me my life would go well. So that’s good to know.

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baby barongsai

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Another exciting part of the Chinese New Year was getting to see the Barongsai, or as you might know it, those dancing dragon things. We made a little video.

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But by far my favorite part of the Chinese New Year is Chinese astrology. I strongly recommend everyone Google their Chinese horoscope now. After looking up my own Chinese horoscope (I’m a fire rabbit) I found a lot of it to be really accurate. It’s unbelievable how specific the information is. There’s information about who you can have the best relationships and the best friendships with. And even how parents get along with their children and what kind of person you are at work. It was amazing how much of it really seemed to ring a bell.

I met a woman in Singapore who sold jade jewelry, who illustrated all the complicated drama that is Chinese astrology. She explained that my roommate, who is a tiger shouldn’t carry a jade tiger because the tiger is currently in conflict with the Duke, and that, as a rabbit I had to carry the triad of dog, sheep and pig, and on and on and on.

It was really interesting…and so amazing to see how deeply this woman believed in it all. I now carry my jade triad everywhere, in the hopes that it will do it’s job and bring good people into my life!

Happy Chinese New Year and good luck to you all in this Year of the Tiger!

Have a great day!

..kristin..

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Have a great day!

keep warm fellow americans!!

..kristin..

Have a great day!

..kristin..

When I last posted I was preparing to make a trip home to the states. I was really excited to see friends and family, and for the familiarity of the states. But I was certainly not looking forward to the ridiculous amount of time I was about to spend on an airplane. But luckily, and in spite of winter’s best efforts, my flights when pretty smoothly, and I made it safely from Jakarta to Dubai to New York to Atlanta and finally to Ohio. It was really great to see family and friends, and for those I didn’t get to see, I am sorry…but I guess you’ll just have to come see me in Jakarta! I had lots of holiday fun and tried to get my fill of American food, hot showers, and safe driving.

But after three weeks in America it was time to head back to Jakarta. I’m disappointed to say I had a little panic moment, shortly before I left. But I’m pretty sure it was brought on more by the prospect of another day and a half of flying than anything else.

So, five long flights later I was back in Jakarta, and pleasantly surprised to realize that it felt like coming home. Somehow, over the past month that I have been back in this country it has felt even more like home than before I left for the holidays!

I am back into teaching full swing and I am newly invigorated to spend my remaining months here experiencing as much as I possibly can. One of my roommates will be finishing his contract and leaving next month, so we created his Bucket List, and are attempting to experience as much of Indonesia as possible before he leaves. It’s working out great for me because it forces me to go out and experience all those things too. And I am lucky enough to have 7 more months to continue those experiences.

SO, I already have a months worth of stuff to write about…but at the moment I’m off to teach a class. I’m being observed today, by my new boss, so finger’s crossed all goes well!

Will write again soon!

Have a great day!

..kristin..

What a lucky girl I am.

more to come…

Have a great day!

..kristin..

As I sit on this island just below the equator, surrounded by palm trees, and trying to decide whether to head down to the pool for some sun or not…I feel so strange as I prepare for Christmas…even now, I am watching the Claymation Christmas Movie and The Year Without a Santa Clause and listening to the day-and-a-half worth of Christmas music on my computer, courtesy of my father. I’ve found it almost impossible to get to sleep the past week out of sheer excitement for family and the holiday season in general. To add to that, I’m ridiculously excited for the souvenirs and presents I’m bringing home. I’ve never enjoyed buying Christmas gifts so much!

Yet, in Jakarta, along with the hunt for Christmas gifts comes the inevitable hours upon hours stuck in traffic. This, in combination with the looming 30–or-so hours in transit, has inspired me to pass a little bit of the remaining to document the terrifying spectacle that is transportation in Jakarta.

As I’ve said before, traffic is…different in Indonesia. The rules of the road are more like mild suggestions and a red light is merely decorative street lighting. As a result of the Dutch colonization, driving is done on the left side, which was shocking enough for me. But on top of that lane sharing is not only an option, but a requirement! If you’re driving 40 miles an hour and fully inside the lane, you’re probably getting honked at and yelled at by the other drivers. Not that your speed really matters, because as far as I can tell there are no speed limits. I once saw a sign on the highway threatening high fines for reckless driving…but I’ve yet to see someone who ISN’T driving recklessly, at least by American standards.

So, once you’ve figured out how to forget the rules of the road, you may want to acquire a driver’s license. Driving lessons are technically required (I think)…but are, in reality, rare. A few extra rupiah ($$) and a driver’s license is yours, with or without a proper test. I’m not sure what the minimum age to drive is, but I know I’ve seen children of all ages on the road, especially on motorcycles.

Now, if you don’t have a driver’s license, or like me, are scared to death of the idea of driving in this country, then you’re left with the adventure that is Jakarta’s public transportation. There’s a range of options depending on your budget, knowledge of Jakarta streets…and your standards!

The Bajaj
You’ve probably seen something like a bajaj in any movie about Asia, particularly the movies about India. It’s basically a motorcycle with a trailer attached to it. It fits approximately 3-4 asians, or 1½ westerners. I must admit I’ve not yet ridden in one, although I did ride in a tuk-tuk in Thailand, which is very similar. They’re not the most comfortable transportation option (no A/C), but they are pretty cheap, I think. They tend to be lined up in rows of ten to twenty on the side of the road. And if you should make the unfortunate mistake of being a foreigner and walking past this waiting line, you’ll be bombarded with a series of “mister, mister..bajaj, bajaj!”

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Becak

The becak is the ultimate tourist transportation. It’s the manual version of the bajaj. A man on a bicycle pulling a loveseat-sized trailer full of foreigners. I did ride one of these the last time I was in Indonesia, and spent the entire time feeling really guilty that this poor man was being forced to drag us around in the heat of Indonesia. So, I tend to avoid these…not to mention the fact that I’m pretty sure in a car accident, a becak would be flattened.

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Motorcycle

It’s the ultimate family vehicle. Three, four, five people, children, dogs, mattresses, bags of trash, computers…anything you can imagine..a motor can transport it and I’ve seen it! And it is even waterproof, just throw on a helmet and a parka and who cares about rainy season? And the best part is, you can move right to the front of the line at those rare red lights!

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Angkot

The angkot…what can I say about it. It’s basically a large open van which drives on a circuit everyday. Depending on where you want to go, you can hop on the B10 or the M11 or whichever one you need. Then you get to sit awkwardly facing a van full of Indonesians who can’t stop staring at you, but refuse to speak to you or anyone else. Then, when you’ve neared your destination you knock on the ceiling and say “kiri, abang” (left, please) and the driver will pull over. Angkots are nice because they’re cheap. I ride one everyday to and from work for a mere 2000Rp, about 20 cents. The downside is, if you get on at the wrong time of day you’ll be given about 2 inches of space to sit in, because a van that’s probably meant to hold 7 or 8 people is suddenly packed with 15-16 people. And if you’re a young school boy, you wont even get to sit down, you’ll have to hang on to the roof and stand in the doorway with 4 of your fellow classmates.

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Taksi (taxi)

It’s a love/hate relationship with taxis. Taxis are by far the most comfortable way to travel in Indonesia..but the second I hop into one and they see my white skin and blonde hair the driver makes two assumptions: one, that I am a bule, and therefore rich, and two, that I have no idea where the heck I am going. SO, they then precede to drive in circles for as long as they can get away with it in order to wrack up the cost…it’s awesome. But we’ve figured out that if we speak as much Indonesian as possible when we get in the taxi, they usually won’t try it. But sometimes it backfires…like today my taxi driver spent the entire ride asking me questions..and even asked if he could come clubbing with me sometime.

So, as I finish my little ode to transportation…I must go and pack for the 30-something hours worth of transportation-via-airplane that are coming up!

Can’t wait to see everyone over the holiday!

Have a great day!

..kristin..