Top Ten

Even though there are certainly things we don’t miss about New Mexico (2 hours to a big city, wind, dirt, trash on side of the road, lack of culinary choice), nonetheless, in a fit of nostalgia, here are the……

Top ten things we miss about New Mexico

10. Blending in. This needs to be qualified since an Anglo doesn’t exactly blend in in New Mexico. However, we stand out here in many ways (language, income level, skin color, cultural mannerisms) that we don’t in New Mexico.
9. Rains that cool off things
8. Dry heat, change of seasons, and at sometime in the coming months, cold weather. The video link below made us laugh about weather in the U.S.:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siM6CPniUgU&feature=dir

7. Limited number of mosquitoes.
6. Cool, quiet mornings.
5. Not locking up everything all the time.
4. Walking to both school and church
3. Blue Sky and brilliant sunsets
2. In no particular order….La Baracca, Grandpa’s Grill, Jerry’s , Gennero’s,
1. Red rocks and hogbacks.

Leaving friends off the the list shouldn't be misinterpreted. We really miss all our friends and family as well.

We are entering the grind here. After settling in, I now face 8 or so weeks of solid teaching before the holidays. This happens as school gets more and more busy. Therefore the updates to the blog will be less frequent. See you in two weeks,

sweeda

Time for another game! Listed below are products and things. For each of them classify them in 3 ways: Frequently seen in Indonesia, Rarely seen in Indonsesia, Never seen in Indonesia:

Products

Wine and Liquor

Beer

Hamburger

Bacon

Clothes dryer


American Brands:

Oreos

Buicks

Fords

Starbucks

Dell Computers


Household and Neighborhood things:

Stray dogs

Escalators

Vending Machines

Pianos and Keyboards



Answers

products

Wine and Liquor- Never (They are available at duty free shops in certain parts of Jakarta)

Beer- Always. Beer is sold in small quantities (as singles) almost every where (even street vendors). The Indonesian brand is Bintang (which was started by Dutch Heineken during colonial rule and is still owned by them)

Hamburger- Always. Almost every store carries hamburger

Bacon- In a Muslim country, Pork products are extremely rare. I know you can get them but haven’t seen it yet.

American Brands:

Oreos- Always. Every store carries Oreos

Buicks- haven’t seen one yet. Few Chevy’s are around.

Fords- Ford Everest (Explorer), Focus and Escape are quite common

Starbucks- Lots of them including the mall about 2 miles from our house. Their prices are as high as they are in the U.S.

Dell- haven’t seen any Dell computers. Other computer names (canon, HP, ect….) are common.

Household and Neighborhood things:

Stray dogs- Muslims consider dogs to be dirty. Dogs are owned by Chinese and Western Expats. Road kill consists of goats.

Escalators- Escalators are everywhere.

Vending Machines- Never. With labor costs so low, for the price of a machine you can employ someone to sell the same products for 2 years.

Pianos and Keyboards- Every mall has many different piano and keyboard dealers.

I could go on with many other things but won’t. If you are interested in other products, please post the question in the comments or in an email and I will reply. As always, I enjoy emails.

Have a great week.

Seeing the sights

Here is a few pictures from the places we visited during our week off:

Janet and I in front of the Dutch colonial headquarters in Jakarta (called Batavia by the Dutch)

Neil on the Ferris wheel at Dufan (Dunia fantasi), an Indonesian Amusement park.

Janet and Hope on a little roller coaster at DuFan

Family in a gondola at Taman Mini Indonesia (Indonesia attempt at Epcot Center)

Hope in front of a Peacock at Taman Mini

Talk more in a week. sweeda

Anyer

Janet and I achieved three milestones this week:

Eric the teen on a bike

• After 13 years of practice raising kids now comes the hard part! The first milestone—we became parents of a teenager. (Eric turned 13 on Friday, Neil turned 11 two weeks before and Hope is only 4 GOING on 13).


• Almost 3 years ago, we hiked the Grand Canyon as a family. I had done it twice previously (once with my nephew and once with 4 of my basketball players) and had the desire to do it with the entire family. I submitted for permits to camp at the bottom and after getting them, we made our plans (buying and borrowing boots, walking sticks, tents and a stove to add to our sleeping bags ect…). On November 11 of 2005 we headed down in the snow and came up the next day in the sun. Things went flawlessly but by end when we crested the canyon as the sun, temperature, energy levels and coping mechanisms were dropping, we realized just how hard it was to complete such a hike successfully and I truly recognized the providence of God through that mini ordeal. This story I think summarizes our feelings about moving here well. It’s gone well, but we now realize how hard it is (and will be). The second milestone—we survived the first quarter of this school year.

Hope contemplates sin and grace under a baby palm tree at Anyer

• All religions except Christianity are based on works righteousness (pleasing God through deeds). This shows itself in things as different as Jewish ceremonial law or Eastern religions emphasis on Karma (you get what you deserve). Unfortunately Christianity has a long history of slipping into works righteousness as well. Islam, however, wins the prize as the most works oriented religion complete with complex routines of washing and prayer, confessing and fasting. Throughout this month of Ramadan (Muslim holy month of fasting), the Muslim call to prayer has gotten louder and louder and more and more frequent—it seems to go on all night. This week Wednesday, Ramadan culminates in Idul Fitri (Eid Al Fitr in Arabic speaking countries). For that purpose, we have entire week off from school as people return to family with gifts and for a time of celebrating. This break was well timed (the date of Idul Fitri floats from year to year) as it coincided with the end of our first quarter. The third milestone—we used the first weekend of our break to venture out of Jakarta for the first time. This week’s blog is coming to you from Anyer—a beach about 70 miles from our house. Highlights of this break include:


• Body surfing with Eric and Neil in the ocean


• Watching Hope make friends at the swimming pool.


• “Breaking the fast” at a great Sunday night buffet.


• Catching crabs on the beach


• Visiting a local market and being stared because we were the only white people (Neil had his curly hair rubbed more than a few times).


• Unsuccessfully dealing with the very aggressive vendors at the beach (a lowlight).

Talk more later, sweeda

You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. Galatians 5:13

Rubber Time

Handy Indonesian phrase “jem karet” – translation “rubber time”. When things take a long time or when people arrive late, just remember “jem karet”. This term is similar to the handy New Mexico phrase “rez time” and, from what I’ve heard, the handy Jamaican phrase “island time” ect...

Here is a great example of when to say “rubber time”.

After completing a test for class tomorrow on my computer and printing it up I wish to photocopy it. Here is what happens:

At Rehoboth: I would send the print job directly to the photocopier from the computer where it would print, collate and staple everything. I pick up the job in 2 minutes.

At SPH: All photocopying takes place in the office where an office boy photocopies things. I walk it down to the office to find it closed (“jem karet”). I must return in the morning to photocopy it. The office only opens 20 minutes before school begins (“jem karet”). I show up when it opens to find the copy boy not there yet (“jem karet”). I then run Hope to her Kindergarten class (which is supposed to open its doors 10 minutes before school starts (“jem karet”), only to find that the teacher not there yet (“jem karet”). After the teacher arrives I run back to the office to find the office help there. I hand him the paper and then find out he has other copy jobs from yesterday still to do (“jem karet”).

Some people (Chinese and western expats) confuse rubber time with laziness, which I don’t think is true. Indonesians are incredibly hard working. The Senior school hallways ceilings were replaced (along with new recessed lights) and painted in the last week. All the work was done in a few nights and was transparent to most students. Workers may have arrived a few minutes late but they got lots done!

By the way: I’m writing this on my home high speed internet connection in Indonesia…. something I was unable to get at 6 Hogan in Rehoboth, New Mexico. (“jem karat”)

Answer to last week’s picture (temperature gauge in our new car): If you checked the comments, you saw that the Zylstra’s guessed correctly… our new car has no heater (if you want heat…ROLL DOWN THE WINDOW!!).

We covet your prayers and emails,

Sweeda

Our transportation (Part II)

We got our car this week. While trying not to dwell on the trivial (material possessions), I thought that it might be fun to compare it to a typical vehicle in North America. Below are some pictures of this vehicle along with explanations (sometimes obvious) how it differs from cars we are used to:

Funky brand name and license- the logo is Daihatsu and the thing below is the license plate.



Speedometer is only in Kilometers per hour Km/h.

The Steering wheel is on the right hand side (because we drive on the left side of the road). More difficult than that: shifting with your left hand and blinking with your right. Fortunately the gas, brake and clutch are normal.

Our car has a small 3rd seat, which has no seatbelts. Other safety features missing: Airbags. Fortunately, between the 1.5 liter engine and the traffic here, we will never go faster than 95 Km/h (55 MPH).

This picture highlights differences from Steve and Janet vehicles in the states. It is not a minivan (its sort of a SUV looking thing) and it is black (a color which wouldn't have worked in New Mexico or Florida- the only states we have lived in as a family). While Jakarta is hot, it is not particularly sunny (thanks to a blanket of smog), therefore black works. Truth be told: we were given two options for colors (black and silver).

Getting the hang of it? Your turn. What's different with this picture from what you would see in North America? Post answers in the comments section of the blog or email it to me. Answer will be posted next week.


Other unique things about car purchasing here:

• Some cars actually appreciate in value. Because of high tariffs (which lead to 2-6 month waits for new cars), unscroupulous used car dealers, and strong demand for used cars at all prices, some new cars actually appreciate in value and all new cars hold their value quite well. After hearing horror stories about bad used car deals, we bought a new one. It will be the first (and last) time I will buy a car as an investment.


• Gas is 6000 Rupiah a liter ($2.75 a gallon). It is subsidized by the government.

Our Transportation

Today (September 6) was not a typical day for transportation for us, however it gives a great example of the transportation options exercised by our family. It started when Janet and I took an ojak (see definition below) to school to catch a ride in a private car to Jakarta. After returning home, Janet and kids walked back to SPH to go swimming. I later biked there to meet them. To return home they took a city bus, while I returned via the bike. Near the end of the day, we decided to go out to eat and again took an ojak, after which we returned home in a Taksi. While fun and unique, this travel “lifestyle” can be maddening for a family (especially with rainy season on the way) and on Monday we should have a car. We still hope to make use of all these other options on a more sporadic basis.

Ode to Ojaks

Ojak driver and I before school

Ojaks are scooters/motorcycles equipped with friendly drivers. For fifty cents to a dollar (5000 to 10000 Rupiah) you can ride for a mile or two. I take one to school every morning and once and a while to the mall. Once, Eric, Neil and I (and a driver) all squeezed on one for a ride on his 150cc scooter (I tipped heavily for that one). One driver, without me asking, shows up at my door and waits for me every weekday morning (see picture above).

Eric and Neil on Ojak heading to mall. Don't worry, we

since bought them helmets

Other News:

I was supposed to be in Bangkok this weekend with 15 students at Harvard Model Congress Asia, a simulation of U.S. Congress set up, obviously, by Harvard students. Unfortunately, because of political unrest in Thailand, we were unable to go. Please pray for a peaceful solution to the rioting.

For the first 5+ weeks we were here it rained only 3 or 4 times (less than in New Mexico) However in the last week it has rained as much.