A Variety Blog Post

This blog post will be what we renowned writers like to call a ‘Variety Blog Post’. First and foremost, it’s a blog post. Secondly, its text comprises a variety of subjects. You see where I’m heading with this, don’t you? In no particular order, I present to you the following:

1. My Bahasa Indonesian skills…

…are still severely lacking. How do I know this? Well, apart from the laughs I get when I try to pronounce simple phrases, I just found out today that I’ve been washing my body for three fucking weeks with a body wash that serves to make your skin whiter. As most of you know, I like my body tanned so this was quite the downer.

2. Construction work in Indonesia…

…requires a specific set of skills. One: fearlessness. Two, three and four: no understanding of the concepts risk, danger and the Darwin Awards. Don’t get me wrong, these guys work hard and are probably just trying to provide for their families, but this complete and utter disregard for personal safety is simply stunning. Did someone say government regulation? Dream on…

Seriously, no safety measures at ALL!

3. Palembang traffic…

…is something else. Pedicab drivers have a knack for using the wrong side of the road. Motorcyclists are both everywhere and nowhere, which makes for wonderful maneuvering possibilities (I should know!) and the occasional exclamation of “Oh-no-he-did-not-just-do-that!” And in general, it’s just fucking busy and amazing like a giant, life-sized, million piece puzzle… Oh, and I’ve asked around – apparently traffic deaths are quite uncommon here (relatively speaking of course).

One of the natural positions for a becak driver...

4. Work…

…is, all things considered, the main component of my life right now. Thankfully, I’m starting to get the hang of it and I have to say, save for the bureaucratic and administrative hassle, it really is rewarding. I’m starting to see now that children are actually human after all (Disclaimer: before, I thought they were robots).

5. Colleagues come and go…

…and this week I had to say goodbye to Annie, who left for the UK (but not until she visited Bali for four days – JEALOUS!). Unfortunately, I only got to spend 3 weeks with Annie but because we worked and lived together, it was quite intense. So, even though I haven’t gotten to know her that well (or vice versa) I will honestly miss her and that ridiculous British accent of hers. Most of all, however, I will miss the kindness that provided me with an unbelievably warm welcome when I first got here.

Of course, Annie’s goodbye was just that: Annie’s goodbye. However, I can’t help but wonder what my goodbye will look like a year from now. During her last weeks she was drowning in donuts, cakes, all kinds of food, presents, emotional farewells, goodbye lunches and so on. It really was quite impressive to see so many tangible expressions of what she built up during the year with students and people outside of the school. Annie touched lives – truly.

As for me: my goodbye is still light years away and only time will tell what it will be like… Let’s first enjoy the here and now!

Speaking of the here and now: Annie’s replacement will not be here until mid-June so until then, my class load will increase significantly (as will that of the others…).

6. Future plans…

…are in the making! The wise Annie left me with the following piece of advice: travel as much as you can. Now that’s an order I can obey! So, hopefully, June will bring me my first weekend on Bangka Island (which they might as well rename to Fucking Paradise if Google Images is to be believed) as well as my first weekend in Jakarta. How exciting!

7. The first victim…

…of eating with chop sticks is table manners. The second? My ego.  The third? My shirt.

8. The 45^th birthday of Palembang’s Vihara…

…was amazing. It was a night filled with performances, wonderful food and nice people. It got me thinking: I know quite a bit about Christianity and Islam, but knowledge on Buddhism is severely lacking. So that’s my next reading project: reading up on Buddhism and I started this morning.

The Vihara's birthday had it all: song, dance and entertainment. It was just like an episode of Glee! Only difference though: it was all in Indonesian so I kind of missed the plot...