only to depart again on Saturday. I'm know, I'm sorry about my blog but I don't feel too guilty as it means I get to leave Jakarta again.
The most striking result of being away for a full month is the horror at coming back. It was fantastic to see my friends upon my return, especially "the girls". I was smart in coming back several days before I was due in to work as I was a disaster (more to follow on that). Jakarta remains unchanged. The traffic is a total catastrophuck and current construction projects are still in the works, the bugs are out in force, the pollution is worse than I remembered and Jakarta is, what I now officially deem, a cultural wasteland. Both Vietnam and Cambodia were filled with wide, smooth sidewalks, parks and green spaces, museums, theaters, historical sites. There was traffic and I know Danielle, my traveling buddy, was surprised by the amount and fervor of it, but it was comparatively light. Her observations about the trash/pollution were about the same. She noted how bad it was, and all I could think was that it wasn't even close to as bad as Jakarta.
It always hard to return from vacation to the routine. The same old place, same work, same students (as my school year runs February to December, not August to July like a normal school), same activities, same options, etc. Part of my love for travel is the novelty. Seeing new things, trying different foods, making yourself go out and be involved in a new city day after day. I would imagine avid travelers all find that part of the infectiousness of the travel bug's bite.
My general impressions of the trip:
I love Viet Nam, short of Saigon. I also loved Phnom Pehn and I'm hoping to get back to both shortly.
I loved the food in Viet Nam. It was fresh and full of veggies, unlike fried and perpetually chili covered Indonesian food. The variety wasn't huge but I could've eaten the same two or three things everyday. You don't have to be careful of coffee grounds in your cuppa java. The beer was light and basic, but also very cheap. There's also bia hoi - fresh beer. It's made daily without preservatives and each batch tastes a little different. A deal at $0.25 per pint.
The people were great in Viet Nam and Cambodia. There were three distinct groups I met: travelers, locals and expats. Nearly everyone was helpful, some exceedingly so. The hostel staff in Ha Noi went above and beyond, other travelers were interesting and friendly, even in Cambodia where I found people less friendly they were still very helpful. I put on my taxi driver/ojek man blinders and wasn't harassed excessively. I even got relatively lucky with taxis.
The scenery was incredible in Viet Nam, Cambodia and Sumatra. In my short time I saw big cities, small towns, villages, beach, inland, deltas, riverfronts and highlands. Everything was such a lush green that the camera couldn't accurately portray the vivid color. The blue waters were like an exquisite bath. Clouds mysteriously rolled over the tops of mountains, though they were much too short to be considered so by my American standard. There was a little pollution on land, air and sea, but not a distracting amount.
Travel in other Asian countries is much easier than in Indonesia. Maybe because of the sheer number of tourists that are hitting continental SE Asia and have been for over a decade, the transportation options are plentiful, easy to navigate (haha), and cheap. I know Indonesia is an archipelago which presents unique issues of passing from island to island, but I can't give them a pass even with a handicap. Day buses, night buses, mini buses, trains, night trains, planes, cars, motorbikes, taxis, and rental cars. All can be arranged on short notice and with little English. The longest ride I took was an eleven hour sleeping bus from Hoi An to Nha Trang. I slept ten hours of it. The options make it easy to go see something else, change cities/countries, and stay on budget. If you can't be asked to sort it out yourself there are tons of tour companies. Your only decision is when and where to go, they'll sort the rest.
I was ok traveling with someone. Historically, I travel alone. Often friends want to go but can't. I genuinely like traveling alone. I'm not intimidated by other people or by my own company. I was actually worried about being with someone else so many consecutive days. two and a half weeks with Danielle and five days with a guide of my thirty total days didn't leave many for me alone. All considered, it was a fair match with Danielle. We had a few very mild rough days but I have no major complaints. We didn't kill or abandon each other before her departure. Nor did I dismember my Indonesian guide on Sumatra. I was very happy to have a couple of days to myself when I got back though.
Enough for today. I'll do my best to keep these blogs from running away from me in length. I'll try to arrange my blogs by city and get nearly caught up before I go if possible. Hope you've all been well and flourished in my absence.
Showing posts with label reflection. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reflection. Show all posts
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Let's do the Time Warp again!
Time here in Indonesia has it's own life force, it's own rhythm and a special way of twisting about. It's a regular occurrence that is difficult to explain but most of us seem to agree it happens. Time seems to speed by and in the same moment, drag on.I think time has always had this special property but does seem to me to be extra flexible here.
I was astounded to realize recently that I've been here in Jakarta a year and a half now. I left Spain in August of 2009 and that feels like a hundred years ago. The time looking backwards feels like it's been stretched out. Over the weekend I met a guy who went to my university but graduated six years before me. My graduation was December 2002. My fellow Husky (University of Washington Huskies) asked what bars I used to frequent in the university district. I sheepishly had to admit I didn't. I graduated at twenty and since the legal drinking age in the US is twenty-one, I didn't go to bars. I am at a loss when non-Americans ask me about the university experience. Is it like the movies? If spring break really that crazy? Etc, etc. I don't know. I didn't have a typical college run at all.
The time between university and now seems fairly clear in my mind though enough has happened to fill a book (or two). That recent span has broken my life into segmented epochs. There is life before and after dad's death. That was really the first dividing line. The first era was a time when he was still in my life in an active way (I think of him often now but it's not exactly an active relationship). That era also includes the eons-long year he was sick. I will never look at February 26, 2004 as any day other than when he died and my life changed. Everything since then, consciously or not, has had a tinge of it, of my missing father. Like a single drop of dye in a bathtub of water, it makes things look different though the core may be the same.
The second epoch break is the line of before/with and after my ex. The former is in Seattle and Salt Lake City, the latter includes Seattle, Guatemala, Spain and now Indonesia. I'm not bitter about it, and for that I'm grateful. I've learned what I think I should have. I've processed the event(s) and can talk about them now, though I usually don't. It was easy to say in the moment that I wished it wasn't happening, that it never had. Life teaches lessons always by doing first, and contemplating after. Lesson learned, class completed, moving on.
Pretty much everything before high school graduation gets lumped together. I have a few very fond and well told memories from my childhood but I don't know that I have lots. I am realizing how rubbish my memory is already. I can't wait to get old! I wish now that I had blogged in Spain. I'm sure there are some fantastic stories I've forgotten already. Recently the intervals in life have been easily and clearly demarcated by my physical location. So much so that when I need to remember what year it was, I think were I was and figure it out from there.
Remember it was only last week that I wrote about impatience. Time looking back seems to stretch forever into the abyss. A year ago feels like ages, four seems like an eternity. In firm juxtaposition is the fact that tomorrow is nearly here already. A relative blink of the eye and it will pass into the vast history as well. Its my bloody impatience that makes summer holiday a million, billion, gazillion hours from now (not the fifteen days it really is).
Remember the Stretch Armstrong toys? He was a soft "doll" superhero filled with goo that you could pull, bend and stretch out then he'd return to his original form when you stopped. I have just dated myself with that reference as I'm guessing only American kids in the late 80's would know it. He's a fair metaphor for my view of time these days. When you "pull" on it by looking forward or back, it distorts and stretches. It looks like more or or less than it really is. I know what time is as its a firmly set measure; sixty seconds in a minute, twenty four hours in a day, ten years in a decade. If you leave time alone, or stumble upon it on a closet shelf, it looks exactly as it should, ticking by the only way it can. Tick. . . tick. . . tick. . . second by second.
*Bonus point if you know the musical from which the title of today's post comes. It it may very well be why we're friends, because you Do know!! haha
The time between university and now seems fairly clear in my mind though enough has happened to fill a book (or two). That recent span has broken my life into segmented epochs. There is life before and after dad's death. That was really the first dividing line. The first era was a time when he was still in my life in an active way (I think of him often now but it's not exactly an active relationship). That era also includes the eons-long year he was sick. I will never look at February 26, 2004 as any day other than when he died and my life changed. Everything since then, consciously or not, has had a tinge of it, of my missing father. Like a single drop of dye in a bathtub of water, it makes things look different though the core may be the same.
The second epoch break is the line of before/with and after my ex. The former is in Seattle and Salt Lake City, the latter includes Seattle, Guatemala, Spain and now Indonesia. I'm not bitter about it, and for that I'm grateful. I've learned what I think I should have. I've processed the event(s) and can talk about them now, though I usually don't. It was easy to say in the moment that I wished it wasn't happening, that it never had. Life teaches lessons always by doing first, and contemplating after. Lesson learned, class completed, moving on.
Pretty much everything before high school graduation gets lumped together. I have a few very fond and well told memories from my childhood but I don't know that I have lots. I am realizing how rubbish my memory is already. I can't wait to get old! I wish now that I had blogged in Spain. I'm sure there are some fantastic stories I've forgotten already. Recently the intervals in life have been easily and clearly demarcated by my physical location. So much so that when I need to remember what year it was, I think were I was and figure it out from there.
Remember it was only last week that I wrote about impatience. Time looking back seems to stretch forever into the abyss. A year ago feels like ages, four seems like an eternity. In firm juxtaposition is the fact that tomorrow is nearly here already. A relative blink of the eye and it will pass into the vast history as well. Its my bloody impatience that makes summer holiday a million, billion, gazillion hours from now (not the fifteen days it really is).
 |
| I remember the one on the left, the slightly David Hasselhoff-esque one on the right is new to me. |
Monday, May 16, 2011
My ten-years-ago self
I'm not sure what brought it on, but I've found myself pondering who I'll be in ten years. The only conclusion I can come up with is that I don't know but I'll probably be happier with who I am (and hopefully what I'm doing) than I am now if I can project based on the fact that I'm happier now than I was ten years ago. Happier with who I am and who I'm becoming mostly.
That's not to say I'm not (mildly) happy now. For the most part, I do like teaching, though I find the Koreans more trying than some students I've taught. I definitely like living abroad, but again, Jakarta is a bit wearing. As I look ahead to where I might be, it's inevitable that I also ended up looking back. Back to myself ten year ago.
At this time ten years ago I :
I was living in Lawrence, KS with a roommate in a dormitory while attending the University of Kansas as a junior in graphic design.
I had been lied to by someone I was dating long distance and was miserable about it.
I was working three jobs, all at the University. One in the cafeteria, one at the swimming pool and a third in the stats department.
I hadn't lost anyone important in my life.
I wasn't in touch with anyone from high school even though I was just nineteen as that time.
I didn't call home as much as I should have.
I still didn't get along with my sister.
I wasn't nearly as flexible about anything as I should have been.
I used a computer for email and class work.
I had made plans to transfer back to the University of Washington at home.
I didn't drink.
I had to acknowledge I didn't have my swimmers body any more.
Five years ago :
I was living in Salt Lake City, Utah, in a house I owned jointly and shared with my now-ex, our two dogs, a cat, some fish, two snakes and a couple of geckos.
I perpetually felt like an outsider without community.
I called home more often but usually in a disastrous state.
I occasionally drank, but never beer.
I had no specific plans for the future other than continuing what I was doing, hoping to change where I was doing it.
I missed my father and my grandmother who had passed away.
I was very confused about how I ended up where I was.
I was nearing the heaviest I've ever been.
I lived in a small bubble.
I had a lot of stuff - books, furniture, knickknacks, enough to fill a house!
I was becoming quickly disillusioned with the path I had chosen to follow.
This year :
I am living in Jakarta, Indonesia in my own apartment with a pool and a grocery.
I am still pursuing teaching in some manner.
I call or instant message my mom more than anyone else who doesn't live in this city and I miss it when I don't.
I have found common ground with my sister, though we don't talk often.
I am still confused about where I'll go next.
I have friend on three continents, in multiple countries, who I miss very much.
I use facebook daily, but still don't myspace or tweet.
I can roll with the punches and appreciate the conquests more than I ever realized possible.
I continue to fight my little black rain cloud and its depressant effects.
I prefer doing things over having things.
I am seeing someone.
I have an overactive social life.
I write this blog as regularly as I can.
I drink a lot of beer.
I travel a lot, and go to concerts and meet tons of new fantastic (and sporadically not so fantastic) people.
I probably weigh what I did ten years ago.
I'm also more confident, more global and more experienced.
Things that are constant:
I've tried to learn and improve myself and my surroundings.
I am still a list maker.
Good music is a must.
I still miss those who are gone or just gone away.
Life isn't always easy, but no one ever said it would be this hard. And it is, in a million unique ways.
That's not to say I'm not (mildly) happy now. For the most part, I do like teaching, though I find the Koreans more trying than some students I've taught. I definitely like living abroad, but again, Jakarta is a bit wearing. As I look ahead to where I might be, it's inevitable that I also ended up looking back. Back to myself ten year ago.
 |
| Courtesy of postonline.co.uk |
At this time ten years ago I :
I was living in Lawrence, KS with a roommate in a dormitory while attending the University of Kansas as a junior in graphic design.
I had been lied to by someone I was dating long distance and was miserable about it.
I was working three jobs, all at the University. One in the cafeteria, one at the swimming pool and a third in the stats department.
I hadn't lost anyone important in my life.
I wasn't in touch with anyone from high school even though I was just nineteen as that time.
I didn't call home as much as I should have.
I still didn't get along with my sister.
I wasn't nearly as flexible about anything as I should have been.
I used a computer for email and class work.
I had made plans to transfer back to the University of Washington at home.
I didn't drink.
I had to acknowledge I didn't have my swimmers body any more.
 |
| Courtesy of wisdomportal.com |
I was living in Salt Lake City, Utah, in a house I owned jointly and shared with my now-ex, our two dogs, a cat, some fish, two snakes and a couple of geckos.
I perpetually felt like an outsider without community.
I called home more often but usually in a disastrous state.
I occasionally drank, but never beer.
I had no specific plans for the future other than continuing what I was doing, hoping to change where I was doing it.
I missed my father and my grandmother who had passed away.
I was very confused about how I ended up where I was.
I was nearing the heaviest I've ever been.
I lived in a small bubble.
I had a lot of stuff - books, furniture, knickknacks, enough to fill a house!
I was becoming quickly disillusioned with the path I had chosen to follow.
 |
| Courtesy of www.gapingvoid.com |
I am living in Jakarta, Indonesia in my own apartment with a pool and a grocery.
I am still pursuing teaching in some manner.
I call or instant message my mom more than anyone else who doesn't live in this city and I miss it when I don't.
I have found common ground with my sister, though we don't talk often.
I am still confused about where I'll go next.
I have friend on three continents, in multiple countries, who I miss very much.
I use facebook daily, but still don't myspace or tweet.
I can roll with the punches and appreciate the conquests more than I ever realized possible.
I continue to fight my little black rain cloud and its depressant effects.
I prefer doing things over having things.
I am seeing someone.
I have an overactive social life.
I write this blog as regularly as I can.
I drink a lot of beer.
I travel a lot, and go to concerts and meet tons of new fantastic (and sporadically not so fantastic) people.
I probably weigh what I did ten years ago.
I'm also more confident, more global and more experienced.
Things that are constant:
I've tried to learn and improve myself and my surroundings.
I am still a list maker.
Good music is a must.
I still miss those who are gone or just gone away.
Life isn't always easy, but no one ever said it would be this hard. And it is, in a million unique ways.
Friday, January 07, 2011
Languid Look-ahead
I couldn't resist the name. Now that I've completed my obligatory look back over the last year and since we're just wrapping up the end of week one here on the West Coast of the US, I figure it s a good time to set goals, make predictions and general platitudes about 2011.
I am both looking forward to and dreading the next month. I will be on blog hiatus for a week, starting in a week, as I will be reuniting with an Aussie friend from Spain in Hong Kong (cool right?). We've got about eight nights in Hong Kong and Macau. If you have advice recommendations I'm all ears as this is my first trip.
After Hong Kong I dart home to Jakarta to move house. Its the same building but my own place. Thanks to the gracious Carla, I won't have to move far. The kicker is that I will be moving while school restarts. After a whopping five days in Jakarta, I have a trip to Penang, Malaysia planned. At the rate I'm going I may bag out on it because A) I have no money B) I have a ton of stuff that needs to get done or C) a combination there of. I'd hate to throw away the ticket to Malaysia, but it was only about $32 and I haven't bought anything else for it. I'm hoping to instead shorten the trip; the initial plan had been Penang, Krabi and Phuket.We have a week off school for Lunar New Year and I'd hate to waste it.
The second week of February things really get rolling for school but I have also scheduled myself for the FSO test. Those of you who know me from before the blog days should remember I did it in 2009. I passed two of the three steps so I'm taking another run at it. Fingers crossed. Work will keep me plenty busy in the meantime, with a business class or two to pack in on top of school. As long as I get the science book finished for printing it should be manageable. Oh, and I'm already getting excited for a blogger's meet up in February with new people! The social butterfly that lives inside me will be ready to stretch it's wings again after a quiet month at home.
Plans are starting to swirl for a girls weekend in Bali or Singapore or both. I've got a friend from the US who's made the plunge in booking two weeks of holiday to come see some part of Asia with me, though neither of us are sure which part yet. Anything beyond April is really still up for grabs.
Goals this year are short and sweet.
Be a positive person, for myself and those around me.
Continue to push myself to be a better, more enthusiastic, innovative teacher.
Maintain better contact with my sister and my community that's not local.
See as much of Indonesia as I can, assuming that I'll be leaving at the end of 2011 (which is a big assumption).
Read more, breath in the quiet moments when I can find them, get to cooking again, and stretch towards a peaceful center where I am unaffected (maybe just less affected) by the traffic, pollution and frustrations of Jakarta.
Swim, join a gym or something because as hard as it is to get back into the routine, I always feel better when I am.
Get Masters applications going.
Save some money.
Enjoy!
My goals (not resolutions) are reasonably vague as to allow me to reinterpret them this time next year, and to feel as though I have some latitude in applying energies towards them.
I hope 2011 brings you what you want, what you need and what you deserve, though those three things are rarely aligned.
I am both looking forward to and dreading the next month. I will be on blog hiatus for a week, starting in a week, as I will be reuniting with an Aussie friend from Spain in Hong Kong (cool right?). We've got about eight nights in Hong Kong and Macau. If you have advice recommendations I'm all ears as this is my first trip.
After Hong Kong I dart home to Jakarta to move house. Its the same building but my own place. Thanks to the gracious Carla, I won't have to move far. The kicker is that I will be moving while school restarts. After a whopping five days in Jakarta, I have a trip to Penang, Malaysia planned. At the rate I'm going I may bag out on it because A) I have no money B) I have a ton of stuff that needs to get done or C) a combination there of. I'd hate to throw away the ticket to Malaysia, but it was only about $32 and I haven't bought anything else for it. I'm hoping to instead shorten the trip; the initial plan had been Penang, Krabi and Phuket.We have a week off school for Lunar New Year and I'd hate to waste it.
The second week of February things really get rolling for school but I have also scheduled myself for the FSO test. Those of you who know me from before the blog days should remember I did it in 2009. I passed two of the three steps so I'm taking another run at it. Fingers crossed. Work will keep me plenty busy in the meantime, with a business class or two to pack in on top of school. As long as I get the science book finished for printing it should be manageable. Oh, and I'm already getting excited for a blogger's meet up in February with new people! The social butterfly that lives inside me will be ready to stretch it's wings again after a quiet month at home.
Plans are starting to swirl for a girls weekend in Bali or Singapore or both. I've got a friend from the US who's made the plunge in booking two weeks of holiday to come see some part of Asia with me, though neither of us are sure which part yet. Anything beyond April is really still up for grabs.
Goals this year are short and sweet.
Be a positive person, for myself and those around me.
Continue to push myself to be a better, more enthusiastic, innovative teacher.
Maintain better contact with my sister and my community that's not local.
See as much of Indonesia as I can, assuming that I'll be leaving at the end of 2011 (which is a big assumption).
Read more, breath in the quiet moments when I can find them, get to cooking again, and stretch towards a peaceful center where I am unaffected (maybe just less affected) by the traffic, pollution and frustrations of Jakarta.
Swim, join a gym or something because as hard as it is to get back into the routine, I always feel better when I am.
Get Masters applications going.
Save some money.
Enjoy!
My goals (not resolutions) are reasonably vague as to allow me to reinterpret them this time next year, and to feel as though I have some latitude in applying energies towards them.
I hope 2011 brings you what you want, what you need and what you deserve, though those three things are rarely aligned.
Wednesday, January 05, 2011
RAPID REHASH
It's that time of year when we all look back to the previous year. The objective is to process what has happened, what was learned, what could be done better or differently. As I tend to reflect often throughout the year I'm not going to spend an extensive amount of time on it just because it's now January again. So far 2011 feels very much like 2010.
Overwhelming themes of the year? Lets make it easy:
Moved to a tropical country where few people venture: YEA
Had to endure several months of humidity and mosquitos before I was acclimated: BOO
Proved to myself once again that I am independent and adventurous enough to handle things on the fly: YEA
Dealt with frustrating situations and less than ideal circumstances on a much too often basis: BOO
Scored a better job with curriculum creating and book writing responsibilities while seeing the same kids for a year: YEA
Put up with six months of total crap while being underpaid and under appreciated: BOO
Created a life that includes a big handful of great friends, a good job, and lots of challenges: YEA
Didn't get a fantastic job I applied for and put lots of effort into: BOO *caveat: I'm reapplying: yea
Flew home for THREE full weeks with my family during the holidays: YEA
Spent the rest of the year far away from my family and other good friends: BOO
Dated for the first time in . . .too long: YEA
Spent more than I saved: BOO but had a great time doing it: YEA
Became closer to my sister than I have ever been: YEA
Got more tattoos and piercings while losing weight and feeling better about my body: YEA
Visited Singapore, Malaysia and parts of Indonesia: YEA
Tried to be a good friend: YEA but wasn't always: BOO
Made plans to travel, meet people and be awesome: YEA
Continued to put myself out there for better or worse and felt proud for it: YEA
Spent too much time feeling guilty, upset, overwhelmed, and depressed when I forgot the YEA's on this list: BOO
This seems like a sufficient wrap up. I attribute my YEAs in big part to my mom, my sister, Chris, Julia, Donna, and additionally to Jenn, Vicki, Becky, Rodrigo, Sammy, Julian, Nora, Eka, Todd, Yunni, Ed, Simon, Molly, Christie, 3P, Asa, Mildred, Matt WJ, Veronica, Manda, Alex, Erin, Danielle, Meghan, Amber, etcetera ad nauseum. To those I forgot (or possibly have chosen not to mention by name) I hope you know who you are.
Next blog will be a 2011 forecast!
Overwhelming themes of the year? Lets make it easy:
Moved to a tropical country where few people venture: YEA
Had to endure several months of humidity and mosquitos before I was acclimated: BOO
Proved to myself once again that I am independent and adventurous enough to handle things on the fly: YEA
Dealt with frustrating situations and less than ideal circumstances on a much too often basis: BOO
Scored a better job with curriculum creating and book writing responsibilities while seeing the same kids for a year: YEA
Put up with six months of total crap while being underpaid and under appreciated: BOO
Created a life that includes a big handful of great friends, a good job, and lots of challenges: YEA
Didn't get a fantastic job I applied for and put lots of effort into: BOO *caveat: I'm reapplying: yea
Flew home for THREE full weeks with my family during the holidays: YEA
Spent the rest of the year far away from my family and other good friends: BOO
Dated for the first time in . . .too long: YEA
Spent more than I saved: BOO but had a great time doing it: YEA
Became closer to my sister than I have ever been: YEA
Got more tattoos and piercings while losing weight and feeling better about my body: YEA
Visited Singapore, Malaysia and parts of Indonesia: YEA
Tried to be a good friend: YEA but wasn't always: BOO
Made plans to travel, meet people and be awesome: YEA
Continued to put myself out there for better or worse and felt proud for it: YEA
Spent too much time feeling guilty, upset, overwhelmed, and depressed when I forgot the YEA's on this list: BOO
This seems like a sufficient wrap up. I attribute my YEAs in big part to my mom, my sister, Chris, Julia, Donna, and additionally to Jenn, Vicki, Becky, Rodrigo, Sammy, Julian, Nora, Eka, Todd, Yunni, Ed, Simon, Molly, Christie, 3P, Asa, Mildred, Matt WJ, Veronica, Manda, Alex, Erin, Danielle, Meghan, Amber, etcetera ad nauseum. To those I forgot (or possibly have chosen not to mention by name) I hope you know who you are.
Next blog will be a 2011 forecast!
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