Oh boy!

I had the best of intentions to blog yesterday. . . and then it was sunny.  Yesterday was a holiday, Waisak day.  It's a celebration of the birth of Buddha. It was also a school free day.  Some folks got Monday as well, but I won't complain since some didn't even get Tuesday off.  I could really whine about the fact that in Spain it would have turned into a puente with both Monday and Tuesday off for everyone, but I'll show some self restraint.

I spent part of the morning out in the sun being stared at by all the Indonesians.  Yes, I know it's a Muslim country but if you can wear micro mini skirts in public and at restaurants then I can wear a bikini at my apartments. A "quick run" to Ranch market resulted in a massive bill for a single bag of goodies.  I did, however, find cool ranch doritos, chorizo, salami, blue cheese and chevre.  The dinner of olive oil, pan fried eggplant, portobellos, asparagus with cheese bits and sea salt was divine.  After shopping but before dinner I managed a swim and had a great long chat with Carla.  Not a bad day!  Capped off with a dvd and then an unfortunately horrendous night sleep.  Ugh,  so much for being rested after a day off.

When a holiday day breaks up the week it always feels like there's an extra Monday.  Today felt like Monday.  I'm glad it wasn't. I'm really glad that in reality I only have to survive two more days (plus business class tonight) to get to a weekend.  If the week were any longer, there might be bloodshed.

One of my classes has decided to see if they can drive Ms. Melissa off the sanity cliff by semester break.  They are a difficult class for many reasons but namely that of fourteen kids, only four are girls. With ten boys in the class, I've run out of room to separate the naughty ones.  There are about five boys that talk, sing, yell, get out of their seats, throw things, you name it.  A couple of those boys can be neutralized when there is distance between him and his mates.  Short of installing seat belts on the chairs or moving some of the chairs to the ceiling, I'm outta space.

A second class is evenly split between girls and boys.  This is the highest functioning class. I don't know if its because of the class, if the homeroom teacher got them in line or if that class just randomly got the best kids.  Their scores are the highest, they are the least likely to turn in work late and they listen the best in class.

My third class is in the middle but usually leaning towards the better class.  This group is nine girls and six boys.  They can get rowdy but I can control them for the most part.  There are a couple of really smart kids and they work together pretty well.  Even the lower level kids work hard.

It's just that first class.  They are lazy, perpetually turning things in late, shouting, screaming and goofing off class. Siiiigh.

My two pronged approach of rewards (stickers that can be traded for rewards of game time, erasers, etc) and punishments (lines, homework) has worked as well as I'd hope, EXCEPT with this one stupid class!  Add that to the fact that my school computer is loused up once again, and it's been a long day.  You'd think that with the frequency of trips the computer guys make to our teachers room they'd learn to just fix it the first time.  But no, this is Indonesia.  I figure his incompetence is planned because it keeps him employed.  Unfortunately they won't get someone who actually knows what he's doing. Instead they keep these guys on and permit them to do a piss poor job.Of course I assume he could plan and plot to be incompetent when in actuality he's not and that's a big leap.

All that will make this weekend even better as there is dinner with D on Friday, softball tournament on Saturday and lounging on Sunday on the books!

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.

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

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.

Courtesy of www.gapingvoid.com

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.

When I fall apart

As I have vowed not to discuss my love life, or lack there of, as more than a fleeting shadow, this blog post is tricky. Its not the easiest vow to adhere to.  There are times when I'd like to gush about the wonderful, serendipitous, slightly maudlin (insert something fantastic or amazing here) that just happened. Other times I'd like a full on, internet rant to bitch about the awful, unfair, heart wrenching thing (again, insert one here) that happened.  Because I know there are actually a few folks out there reading this, and some of them may be people who I see or correspond with, I am not convinced allowing myself to do either gush or rant is a great idea.  Especially on the internet where nothing is ever really gone, ever. Just because I delete it and can't find any trace of it definitely doesn't mean that a more tech savvy twelve year old couldn't find it and exploit my one moment of stupidity in internet publishing.

Courtesy of debretts.co.uk.   You won't hear more from me than this.

That being said . . . I'm going to walk the line a bit today. There will be a slight (like ephemeral fog on a sunny morning) mention of some sort of infatuation element.  I won't go into detail, but for now, it's as close as I'll get to a mention of there being a man kinda in my life-ish.

My friends here in Indonesia know all about the drama from last weekend. It was a perfect storm of the way Jakarta can louse up plans, a lack of communication, an additional lack of phone with which to communicate and lots of drinking (not on my part).  He pulled a 180 on me and I was totally over-turned by the events and they're unexpected nature. Since it's all still new and (now less than) shiny, I had only a short history for comparison and was sure it was all intentionally inflicted agony.

I was one part crying, upset woman

It was three very long days for my friends, I'm certain. There was shouting, and pouting, crying and rationalizing.  There was definitely sulking and confusion.  That was all on my part.  My friends must have been tired and thoroughly irritated for having to put up with me.  Zoë especially.  I know she must have been because I would have been.  She was at my side both Friday and Saturday nights.  Yet, she never betrayed her calm, patient exterior.  That's what a friend is.  It's someone who will let you moan about the same guy for two straight days, over dinner, through drinks, and never cut you off.  She never said I wasn't justified, that I should just suck it up, give up. Or if she did, it was with the softest sell waiting to see if I jumped on that boat.  There were a few people that did. They found out rather quickly how poorly that would go over with me in the state I was in.

and one part Calvin angry tantrum.

Zoë put up with me longer than anyone else, but she wasn't cast in the role of sole supporter.  I found myself encircled by girls who held me up and held me together all weekend. Lest the girls get all the props, there were two sweet boys who did everything possible to make me smile, and both succeeded.  Who'd have thought an American guy and a Frenchman would be the ones helping me regain my sense of humor and smile?

They joined the small flock of lovely ladies that did everything they could to simultaneously support, vindicate my logic, trash the person in question, rub my back and just let me cry. They were there in person, on blackberry messenger, and in my thoughts.  To the family I now know I have in Indonesia, thanks.  Next one is on me.

Courtesy http://www.zocalosacramento.com/2011/04/21/tequila-festival-may-2nd-6pm/

More JIKS hijinx

There's never a shortage of ridiculousness at JIKS. I have for the most part ceased to be surprised by the goings on here.  Instead I have adopted a policy of shaking my head, sighing and occasionally chuckling.  Here's a list, in no particular order the happenings, or mishaps of the last two weeks.

* Last Thursday was Children's Day.  I suppose it makes sense.  We celebrate Mother's Day, Father's Day and (to a lesser extent) Grandparent's Day in the United States. Korea instead has a Parent's Day and a Children's Day.  The school has a policy of celebrating this day.  This year each grade went to a different location for a picnic. Grade four went to Cibodas, a big park south and west of the school.  Wednesday it was sunny.  In fact it hadn't rained in a week.  What happened Thursday?  It poured relentlessly all day.  Not the fault of JIKS, but we all know there is no surer way to make it rain than to schedule a picnic, or wash your car.  The park had a very small covered area to accommodate lunching.  The ride took approximately two and a half hours each way, which left us an hour to sit and eat.  The (chuckle) bonuses of the day?  The teachers had their own van and didn't have to ride with screaming children, that teacher's van stopped at Starbucks on the way, the rain meant we didn't do anything other than walk around and say hello, the Korean moms fed us (it was all cold Korean food, but hey! a free lunch is a free lunch) and we got a bit of overtime pay, though none of us can figure out why and we didn't ask.

courtesy of simonsdinner.blogspot.com.

* Last Tuesday was English Game Time.  I don't know what idiot though this was a fun idea, but it wasn't me. Rumor has it that it's a mutation of English Carnival was a highly effective fundraiser and enjoyable.  This rumor adds that the Korean teachers were threatened and thought it's resounding popularity made them look bad, hence the change to English Game Time. Each English teacher set up a "booth" in the gym.  The kids were divided into groups of ten to fourteen and rotated around in ten minute increments.  Periods two and three were for grades one and two, then periods five and six were for grades three and four and finally periods seven and eight were for grades five and six.  Still following me?  Period one was set up time, so we effectively taught all day.  No off periods, no planning, nothing.  No overtime for this day either (scratching my head). I explained my game twenty-five times minimum.  The teacher next to me had a microphone and speaker, plus I was in the center in the gym at the eye of the noise hurricane. I had to shout to be heard and lost my voice yet again.  The bonus that wasn't: we got free pizza provided by the school but I was still on my doctor enforced carbohydrate prohibition. I mentally applied the overtime pay to Tuesday to be less spiteful about it.

Courtesy of miamicountysertoma.org.  Kind of like this but more booths and a smaller gym.

* The Friday before English Game Time was "Creativity Festival 2011".  We were thrown off my this one because it wasn't on the calendar and was only announced on Monday. No one could quite make out exactly what the point was.  Regular classes were cancelled.  There was an assembly in the morning where several local Korean community members made speeches and music was played painfully loudly.  Next, each child affixed a post it note with their dreams/hopes to a helium filled balloon and let it go.  I don't know what the children were supposed to get out of it.  A coworker and I laughed at the people who let them go too early, and then cringed at the environmental impact. After the assembly, the kids went and worked on "projects" though I can't tell what, if any, was the uniting theme. They made things ranging from plastic bottle CD racks to pipe cleaner flowers.

Courtesy of last.fm

* This Friday we will, allegedly, be celebrating Teacher's Day, which falls on the following Sunday officially. Two weeks ago we were told we'd all be going to Cibodas for a hike.  I whined a bit since that was were grade four was going for Children's Day, but then with the rain we didn't get to see it.  As of Monday this week, the hike was off but something else was pending.  Today I've heard two versions of contention.  One: the principal is unhappy that several primary teachers have complained about him, though no one had since his arrival in August.  He's cancelled everything.  Version two: There's no money in the coffers for transportation or lunch.   Either way, today's rendition of plans is that there will be an assembly Friday morning and then we can go home.  It's a waste of everyone's time and money to have to come in at all, but at least we get to go home early  (theoretically, I won't believe it until it happens).

Singapore Sequel

Not being one to pass up an alliteration (and complete the Singapore triumvirate), we continued on to part three.

After exiting the emergency room I decided I could be miserable in my armpit of a hostel room OOOORRRR I could go meet Alysson for "lunch".  It was lunch in theory but I sure as hell didn't have an appetite.

We met near Clarke Quay, pronounced Clarke Key though I haven't the slightest idea how quay is key.  It's a riverfront area tucked next to downtown in as a well-to-do neighborhood along the Singapore river.  On one side of the river are governmental buildings with a wide array of architectural styles:

There's a building that looks like it has a flying saucer on the top that I missed just off the left side of this picture.

That is a boat on top of that building.  It's a casino.

Opposite theses photos is a row of bars and restaurants where we sat at The Mexican, and I watched Alysson eat and drink.  Ha ha.  Had I been well, I'd have been right there with her.  As it was the view and the company were good enough to sustain me.  We met an American and a Brit who were both friendly, as well as two older women who commiserated about the awful Dylan performance. 

Farther down the water front is an area that's basically just for eats.  We went to a tapas bar called Octapas with a great mertopus/ meropus /octomaid ? It's not a mermaid because she's got tentacles instead of a fish tail). We walked about just enjoying the night air.  It was fantastic even when I was in pain.

pretty colorful shop fronts.

Wednesday I was waiting to catch an evening flight.  I thought I'd have a walk around Chijmes (an orphanage/nunnery turned into a restaurant haven) but was thwarted by thunderstorms. I did get a bottle of Bundaberg rum and a bag of mini Reese's peanut butter cups on my way out of the country, which I was told by the doctor the next day that I couldn't eat.   I don't think I'll go back to Singapore, unless it's a visa run.  A day there still has it's pluses (ahem, cough, duty-free, cough), but I think I've seen most of what there is to see.

Singapore Second

I'll try to pick up the pace a bit since in the last post I only managed to get through the concert, which was a mere day and a quarter of my six days in Singapura.

I spent the next two days (Sunday and Monday) seeking things that cannot be found in Jakarta: walkable green spaces with clean air.  Sunday I took a twelve person ferry fifteen minutes to Pulau Ubin, or Ubin Island.  It's a little island just off the southeastern corner of Singapore, near Sentosa I think.  There are no cars on the island, just bikes to be rented.  I spent four hours peddaling around on a clunker with squeaky brakes and the world's most uncomfortable seat.  I nearly hit a three foot long monitor lizard, followed a monkey down the street and caught a fleeting view of a wild boar. I was mosquito bitten and very tired when I left, but undeniably happier than when I'd arrived.

This is the farthest SE section of the island. The pink line is a boardwalk that does extend over the water and through mangrove wetlands.

A coastline view from the boardwalk.

View from the top of an observation tower in the mangrove wetlands.

On Monday I headed to the gigantic Singapore Botanical Gardens.  They cover 160 hectares (if you know what a hectare is without looking, you must have gotten a more complete education than I did). There is an orchid garden, an Evolution Garden which would never fly in The States, an herb garden,a ginger garden (I did not realize how many plants are part of the ginger family) a teaching garden, and probably a couple more I missed. I sat and read, found a university cafeteria for lunch, walked, wandered, moseyed and roamed through the park for six hours.  I was happy as a clam. . . .until my stomach started acting up.  If you missed that crisis, go back to the Amongst the living post.

Swan Lake.  I sat on a bench here and read for an hour.  Then made friends and had a moment with a turtle before sneaking around some swans.

Waterfall near the ginger garden and where I got some chocolate ice cream.

It was so nice to have large, smooth sidewalks to walk on or footpaths in the garden.  The air was very clean.  The cars drove according to the painted lines on the street. I got to a place I could enjoy nature didn't take a three hour car ride and crushing blow to my carbon footprint.  Why am I in Jakarta and not Singapore?  The final installment will be the next blog.  It's more city scene and my departure.

Singapore Shuffle

Now that I am firmly planted in the recovery ward, I can, as promised, fill you in on the recent Singapore trip.

As expected, it was really nice to be there for more than six hours.  Many people here have little or no interest in Singapore because it is such an oft visited site.  Since I'd never gotten out of the downtown area, I couldn't really tell you what else was there before. This Singapore rehash will be a two-potentially-three-parter I imagine as I try to keep my posts a reasonable length.

I left for Singa on Friday and made the flight by the skin of my teeth as the taxi driver insisted it was terminal three more persistently than I said it was terminal two.  To which we went to the wrong terminal and then I made him take me, fare free, to the correct terminal.  Luckily, the plane was actually at terminal three so after checking in at terminal two and going through security we all had to bus on over to the plane.  Don't ask me.  The only customs center is at Terminal two but the parking spaces are at terminal three.  Welcome to flying budget airlines in Jakarta.

Upon arrival, I headed to the hostel, had the same conversation three times with three different people about my reservations before I got a key and left my bag to head to the concert.  This concert was the catalyst for the trip.  Erin asked if I would be interested in seeing John Legend and (her favorite) Imogen Heap on Saturday.  After looking at the line up I immediately decided that I must also go for Friday as Bob Dylan and Michael Franti and Spearhead were playing.  I'm not a Dylan fan to be honest, but he's 69 and going to die soon.  Now I can say I saw him.  On the other hand, I am a huge HUGE Michael Franti and Spearhead fan.

The concert was strategically located between the Singapore Flyer (think London Eye/huge Ferris Wheel) and the waterfront, a placed called Marina Promenade.  The show is called Rock and Roots; its in its second year.  Attendance each night was probably 400-600, but I'm lousy at estimating that kind of thing.  Compared to Bumbershoot in Seattle it was small and cozy.

Singapore Flyer lit up right above the stage

Pros:  The venue was small, lots of toilets, sufficient food stall, multiple beer stalls to control lines, easy crowd flow, great stage view from the right side, big video screens, breezes from the ocean.

Cons: Lousy line of sight and acoustics on the left side, large VIP section that was cordoned off, Dylan requesting the video screens be shut off.

Dylan was awful.  One part him, one part poorly adjusted acoustics.  I nearly fell asleep during his show and only endured it to get to the performer after. After Dylan many of the VIP folks left and at Franti's request, they opened the front section up for the real fans.  I spent the nearly two hours of his show at the front bar, jumping around like crazy.  By the end I was drenched in sweat and couldn't wipe the smile off my face.  His positivity and joyful sound are contagious.  He was out in the crowd, walking through and high fiving everyone.  He brought people on to the stage. He brought two other performers from earlier in the night out to play.  It was an AMAZING show. To think, only two years ago I had no idea who they were.  I stumbled upon them at the Bumbershoot Festival of 2009.

Michael Franti and Spearhead were kicking off their world tour here.  This is the logo.

Michael Franti glows from the inside out.

Saturday was fun because my friend Erin, her friend Loni, Loni's friend Kevin and my friend Alysson all joined me for the show.  We divied up a bottle of duty-free vodka in mixers before the show and trouped in.  We weren't especially transfixed by the music the way I'd been the night before. The notable exception was Erin when Imogen Heap was on.  I really enjoyed the music of Trombone Shorty, an up-and-coming artist with energy to spare and a hot body.

Trombone Shorty.  Look at those guns.

Alright dear reader.  I'll leave you there and carry on in the next installment.  If you are interested to see me in the same photo as Michael Franti go to http://www.rockandroots.com.sg/.  Go to the gallery and click on April 15, 2001.  Then you'll have to scroll through to a photo of Franti in the crowd.  Look on the right at the tall shirtless guy and see if you can find me between him and Michael.  If anyone can tell me how to steal that photo, I'd be grateful!