Bali Pics

Grave Yard

Only 1 more goat shopping day left!

Having been in Jakarta for three months now, I find that many times the little cultural moments I experience throughout the day come and go without much of a second thought. Every once in a while, though, I experience a moment that I know I’ll remember. Last week I had one those moments at work.

A little background info first…

Wednesday is Idul Adha, the important Muslim holiday celebrated to commemorate the willingness of Abraham (Ibrahim) to sacrifice his son Ishmael (Isma'il) as an act of obedience to God, before God intervened to provide him with a ram to sacrifice instead.  

One of the traditions of Idul Adha is for families to purchase a cow or goat that will be slaughtered on the holiday. The meat is divided into three equal parts to be distributed to others. The family retains one third of the share, another third is given to relatives, friends and neighbors, and the other third is given to the poor & needy.

In preparation for Idul Adha, there are cow and goat stations throughout the streets of Jakarta where families are going this week to pick out their animal in preparation.

Okay, now the cultural moment…

I was in a team meeting at work and we were trying to figure out when the team will meet again this week. One of my team members suggested Wednesday. We reminded her that Wednesday was a holiday and we’d have the day off. Her response was priceless. She declared, “Oh wow, it’s Idul Adha already?” Then she very casually said, “Oh boy, I haven’t even bought our goat yet.”

I lost it and busted out in laughter. I had to apologize to my team member and explain that I wasn’t laughing at her or the holiday or anything like that. I was laughing at (1) the fact that I heard the phrase “I haven’t bought our goat yet” at a work meeting (someone tell me the last time they heard that phrase uttered at work in the U.S.) and (2) the casual manner in which she said it. As if it was an errand to run after work (and who knows, perhaps it was).

After my laughter subsided, I thought about it some more. I realized some things know no holiday or national borders. Regardless of which holiday you’re celebrating, there’s always the last minute holiday rush. Whether you’re buying Christmas presents or buying the family goat for Idul Adha, there always will be that last minute holiday shopping that needs to get done.

Selamat Idul Adha everyone!

Pics from Singapore





I was too tall and had to buy a ticket for the train. For the first time in my life I was too tall for something...

I think I could find my way to work if I worked in Singapore!

Thian Hock Keng Buddhist Temple

A Buddhist temple right in the middle of downtown. I thought that was interesting.

Buddha Tooth Relic Temple 

Buddha...Buddha...Buddha! So many Buddhas!

Sri Mariamman Hindu Temple

Masjid Malaba Mosque. It was a very religious day. We were a Catholic Cathedral away from hitting for the cycle!

Chili Crab...Amazing!!





A little Q&A about living in Indonesia

In talking to my family and friends back in the States in the last month plus since I’ve arrived in Jakarta, I often get asked many of the same questions. I thought I’d take a few minutes this week to answer the most common questions.

Q: What’s the food like in Indonesia?

A: The nation of Indonesia is comprised of 17,508 islands. It appears as if every island has their own version of Indonesian food and every Indonesian you speak to will tell you that you will find the best Indonesian cuisine on their home island. I guess the best way to explain Indonesian food is to take the best dishes from China, India, Thailand, the Middle East, and throw in a little European flavor and you’ve got Indonesian food. While the exact spices used in a dish will vary, you can guarantee most Indonesian dishes will have quite a bit of spice to them. Consistent staples found in Indonesian food include chicken, beef, seafood (the prawns are huge here) and, of course, white rice.

Also, there isn’t a shortage of American style food here. There seems to be an American chain restaurant on every corner – Chili’s, Outback Steakhouse, Tony Roma's, Burger King, and of course McDonald's. The grease tastes exactly the same at the Golden Arches over here as it does in America.  

Q: What’s the weather like in Indonesia?

A: For someone who grew up in the Midwest where the weather was always the first topic in any conversation, I must say it’s been odd how little I think about the weather. I’ll give the weather here one thing, it’s always consistent. About the only variety in the weather is if it’s raining or not. Temps will be anywhere from 80-95 degrees. Humidity will be somewhere between “instant sweat when you step outside” and “I can’t breathe out here”. I do enjoy living in a climate that has thunderstorms again. I really missed those in California!

Q: What’s it like living and working in a country that is primarily Muslim?

A: Being someone who grew up in an area where religious diversity meant a Catholic, a Lutheran, and a Baptist were in the same room together, being immersed in a Muslim culture has been one of the most exciting and educational parts of living in Indonesia. This experience has taught me about many of the traditions and beliefs of the Muslim faith. It has also reinforced my belief that while religions may seem vastly different on the outside, when you boil the messages down, they really are more similar then they are different. Oh, and one last thing. I never want to hear a Catholic complaining about not being able to eat meat on Fridays during Lent ever again. I just witnessed people go 12 plus hours a day without a crumb of food or drop of water day in and day out for one month. Talk about devotion!

Q: What are Indonesians like?

A: Just as you’d never say someone from LA is the same as someone from NYC is the same as someone from Pascagoula Mississippi, I don’t dare try to sum up all 230 million Indonesians in one paragraph. Instead, I will share some general observations I have made about the people I’ve encountered so far. First and foremost, family and religion are central to most people’s lives. Second, hierarchy is very important and we all have our place within the structure. Third, most everything you learned about collectivistic cultures in your Social Psych class can be applied here – in particular being highly relationship based and possessing an indirect communication style. Last, but certainly not least, Indonesians love to laugh. Many Indonesians may seem shy or timid when you first meet them. Don’t let that fool you. I’ve never seen so much laughter before. And yes, it is contagious here!

I went to Manila and got my fill of pork!!

I took my first trip out of Indonesia the other week and went Manila. Even though I went for work, the timing worked out where I was able to extend my stay over the weekend and stay with a friend from work who is on an expat assignment in Manila. While in town, some of my co-workers took me out to our geothermal camp about an hour an a half outside of Manila. A quick geothermal 101 lesson: geothermal is a clean energy technology where heat generated from volcanoes heats underground water and causes the water to turn to steam. The steam is then extracted from the ground to generate electricity. This form of energy is very common in this part of the world. In fact, 1 in 6 light bulbs in the Philippines is lit use geothermal energy. Ok, there's your science lesson for the day.

As you can see from my Matt v. Food section, I was able to sample numerous traditional Filipino dishes. I must say the availability of pork on the menu again was awesome. Given that the vast majority of the Indonesian population is Muslim, pork is nearly impossible to find on restaurant menus in Jakarta. It was great to have bacon again!

Overall, I was very impressed by Manila. You can certainly see the influence the American occupation had on its culture. It's a very westernized city where English is commonly spoken. I found the people to be genuine, friendly, and very welcoming. Plus they never let me go more than an hour or two without feeding me. It was great!

Here are a few pics from my visit...

Taal Volcano 

The Manila Metro Cathedral-Basilica

The inside of San Agustin Church, the oldest church in Manila built in 1606

Fort Santiago, built by the Spanish during their occupation in 1571. Later used by the U.S. during WWII.

Inside of Fort Santiago

Pics from around Jakarta

The Monas

                                              

The Presidential Palace

The Istiqlal Mosque - Largest Mosque in SE Asia

My personal bubble? What personal bubble?!?

It's hard to believe, but it's almost been 3 weeks since I arrived in Jakarta. Over the course of these three weeks, I've been surprised at how quickly I've adjusted to life in Indonesia. I guess my immigration experience when I first arrived at the Jakarta airport was a crash course that helped expedite my assimilation.

Those that know me well know that one of my biggest pet peeves is people who invade your person bubble and stand too close to you when you're in a line. Well, anyone who has stood in any line in Indonesia knows that personal space is pretty much non-existent. My immigration experience went a little like this...

I arrived in Jakarta all jet legged and disoriented at about 10:30 pm Wednesday night. I had been traveling for over 40 hours since I had left San Francisco at 2:00 pm on Monday. After a 10 minute search, I finally found the company attendant who was supposed to meet me outside of my gate to take me through immigration. I was placed in the appropriate "foreigners" line and the attendant left me to retrieve my bags at baggage claim. There I was alone in the immigration line getting my firsthand experience of life in Jakarta.

I quickly learned that forming a line is only a rough "guide" to how you get to the front of the line. Much like the automobile traffic on the roads of Jakarta, people move back and forth between lines jockeying for position. I learned after several consecutive experiences, if you don't move up the split second the line moves forward, someone may take your spot.

After a half an hour of standing in line and being able to feel every breath the man behind me was taking, I think it was safe to say I no longer suffer from the personal bubble while standing in a line pet peeve. Standing in any line is still one of the most difficult things for me to do here. I still find myself getting frustrated, especially when the people behind me push, but I'm getting better.

I've added the "standing in line loss of my personal space" to the list of the unexpected adaptations you make when you're living in another culture.