Tonight as I was looking through some pictures, I had the strangest sensation. I was listening to some new American music (music that I had heard back home, but would probably never catch on over here, making it distinctly American), and it made me feel like I was back in the States. That may not sound strange, but I was looking at picture of my school and my students and the teachers here. And yes the music was a little sad, which probably had something to do with it, but I started to miss all of this, here in Indonesia.
It was a feeling I've had before with other adventures, I cannot tell you how many times I've looked back at Africa study abroad photos and ended up completely filled with nostalgia. But this was different, because I was able to stop myself and realize that I don't have to miss this place yet. I'm still here, and can enjoy all of the wonderful people and things around me.
I certainly have been feeling down about things here lately, and when you feel that way you want time to fly by. But I know in the future I'll look back on this whole experience fondly. Tonight I was able to zoom into the future, and look back on this fondly while I'm still here to enjoy it. It was a nice reminder, to just be here and enjoy things. Because there are things I enjoy here. I just have to get past the things I don't enjoy, because really, I'm 10,000 miles away from home, on an amazing, once in a life time adventure. I know I'll think of it that way a year from now, so I might as well think of it that way now, and enjoy myself.
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Friday, January 4, 2013
How to: Get around Palembang
I can finally write a blog post I have been planning on doing since I got to Indonesia: Transportation. Once I got to Palembang, I identified the different types of transportation that were available, and made a goal to try all of them. Then write about them! I think transportation is so fascinating, how it may or may not be similar in places around the world, and what different types of transportation options say about a place, and effect the development (or how the development effects the type of transportation available).
Walking- Walking is as much of a pass-time as it is a mode of transport. I have enjoyed wandering around my area and exploring different neighborhoods, food stalls, etc, it's a nice way to spend sometime in the (semi) fresh air! If its not unreasonable to walk somewhere (less than 30 minutes by foot) then it is much easier to walk somewhere than it is to coordinate/figure out routes/wait for another form of transport. It is usually a hot and sweaty option, but otherwise convenient.
Taxi/Other cars- First the cars of teachers/friends. I have been driven around by teachers if we were hanging out or going to a school thing. But I'd like to give a special shout out to my friend Femmy who has provided me with more rides than anyone else. To or from the station or out and about town. Thank you Femmy! You're the best. Now on to taxis. Taxis were my main mode of transport for at least the first month (maybe more) here in Palembang.They have now become a late night solution because public transport ends by 7pm. At first I needed a notebook to help taxi drivers find my place (I live sort of out of on the outskirts of town), but now I can tell them myself (in Indonesian!). I also used to love to talk to taxi drivers, but I ended up having the same conversation each time, and rather than spending the whole ride straining to hear/understand what is being said (they talk so fast! and sometimes so quite), I now sit back and check out the city around me. Main downsides of taxis- the most expensive transport in town, calling one taxis can be an issue- sometimes there is a wait up to an hour, and sometimes nobody answers the line...
Bachek- Not quit sure about the spelling of this, but it's a guy on a bike carting a bike carraige. I usually pass these up, because if it's close enough to be carted to, then I can probably walk there. I have taken a few with friends, and one time I used it to bring a case of water home. They are usually very colorful and cool looking, and driven by middle aged/older men, who are full of smiles. They are a very neat thing to have around.
Ojek- These are motorbike taxis. Motorbikes are all over Indonesia. There are at least 1000 more motorcycles here than there are back home, and I don't think I'm exaggerating. I haven't learned how to drive one, but you don't have to know how when there are dozens of people on any given corner will to drive you somewhere. I've heard that any guy on a bike can be an ojek. I love riding ojeks, it's fun to zoom around the city on the bak of a bike. I have only taken ojeks from my neighborhood- I'll ask one of my neighbors for help finding an ojek and they'll point to someone in their shop or call up a friend's brother's son's cousin. The nice part is they care about me and always make sure I have a helmet. They are much more convenient than taxis (you can keep walking around until you find one) and they cost half as much (maybe less). Also, motorbikes can weave and go up on sidewalks so they are the fastest mode of transport.
Angkot- Angkots are basically vans that have been gutted, and rebuilt lined with benches. They are painted different colors to represent the different routes they run. They run pretty frequently, so you usually don't have to wait long for them. There are a number of routes, so you can get all over town with the right transfers. I have had a number of great conversations on angkots, in both Indonesian and English (I prefer them to taxi convos). They can be crowded and sweaty, and sometimes you have to wait at stops as the drivers wait to add additional passengers, but overall they are good. I might be biased because there is a rout that takes me straight to the radio station. My trip there went from costing ~35,000 rp by taxi, to 20,000 rp by ojek, to a 2,000 rp ride by angkot!
TransMusi- I just rode this today! It has been on my to-do list for months, and now that I have been on it I have this great sense of accomplishment. I had seen a bus that said it was headed to PIM drive by the day before, which is where I had plans to go today, so I decided today was the day. It was a bit of an adventure, I wasn't sure where I would end up, but it all worked out. I ended up taking a detour to a part of town I had never seen before! It was a fun way to explore town, and I had similar conversations to those I've had in angkots, which I enjoyed. So more detail as to what TransMusi actually is- these are the big/real buses in town. Trans--- buses are all around Indonesia. There are TransJakarta, TransJogja, Trans(insert big city here). In Palembang, they went with TransMusi, Musi being the name of the main river that runs through Palembang. They resemble buses in America (nice, real seats) and they have AC! I was shocked when I found out they are only 4,000 rupiah (~40 cents), twice as much as an angkot. Score! They run less frequently, but they are more comfortable.
Note: There are three additional modes of transport that I identified but have yet to try- the bicycle, Bus Kota, and a boat. And here are my reasons:
Bicycle- I don't know many people who ride bikes, the aren't particularly common (making it difficult to borrow one) and I have no intention of buying one because everywhere I go is either close enough to walk or far enough where you need an engine to get there. I like bikes, but the main roads are very busy and not very bike friendly, so I have opted out of this one for safety reasons.
Bus Kota- Bus Kota is some what similar to TransMusi, it is also a large/normal sized bus, and may or may not run the same routes, but I think it runs more frequently. The reason I have not taken this mode of transport is because everyone I have talked to around here advises against it, and it looks dangerous. The buses look dark and sketchy, and are full of men who yell at me whenever they pass me on the street. So it just doesn't seem like a good idea.
Boat- This isn't a common or useful mode of transport because I have only ever needed to cross the river for immigration purposes. I would like to do a river tour at some point, but it is more about sightseeing than getting anywhere. I'll report on this when it happens!
Walking- Walking is as much of a pass-time as it is a mode of transport. I have enjoyed wandering around my area and exploring different neighborhoods, food stalls, etc, it's a nice way to spend sometime in the (semi) fresh air! If its not unreasonable to walk somewhere (less than 30 minutes by foot) then it is much easier to walk somewhere than it is to coordinate/figure out routes/wait for another form of transport. It is usually a hot and sweaty option, but otherwise convenient.
Taxi/Other cars- First the cars of teachers/friends. I have been driven around by teachers if we were hanging out or going to a school thing. But I'd like to give a special shout out to my friend Femmy who has provided me with more rides than anyone else. To or from the station or out and about town. Thank you Femmy! You're the best. Now on to taxis. Taxis were my main mode of transport for at least the first month (maybe more) here in Palembang.They have now become a late night solution because public transport ends by 7pm. At first I needed a notebook to help taxi drivers find my place (I live sort of out of on the outskirts of town), but now I can tell them myself (in Indonesian!). I also used to love to talk to taxi drivers, but I ended up having the same conversation each time, and rather than spending the whole ride straining to hear/understand what is being said (they talk so fast! and sometimes so quite), I now sit back and check out the city around me. Main downsides of taxis- the most expensive transport in town, calling one taxis can be an issue- sometimes there is a wait up to an hour, and sometimes nobody answers the line...
Bachek- Not quit sure about the spelling of this, but it's a guy on a bike carting a bike carraige. I usually pass these up, because if it's close enough to be carted to, then I can probably walk there. I have taken a few with friends, and one time I used it to bring a case of water home. They are usually very colorful and cool looking, and driven by middle aged/older men, who are full of smiles. They are a very neat thing to have around.
Ojek- These are motorbike taxis. Motorbikes are all over Indonesia. There are at least 1000 more motorcycles here than there are back home, and I don't think I'm exaggerating. I haven't learned how to drive one, but you don't have to know how when there are dozens of people on any given corner will to drive you somewhere. I've heard that any guy on a bike can be an ojek. I love riding ojeks, it's fun to zoom around the city on the bak of a bike. I have only taken ojeks from my neighborhood- I'll ask one of my neighbors for help finding an ojek and they'll point to someone in their shop or call up a friend's brother's son's cousin. The nice part is they care about me and always make sure I have a helmet. They are much more convenient than taxis (you can keep walking around until you find one) and they cost half as much (maybe less). Also, motorbikes can weave and go up on sidewalks so they are the fastest mode of transport.
Angkot- Angkots are basically vans that have been gutted, and rebuilt lined with benches. They are painted different colors to represent the different routes they run. They run pretty frequently, so you usually don't have to wait long for them. There are a number of routes, so you can get all over town with the right transfers. I have had a number of great conversations on angkots, in both Indonesian and English (I prefer them to taxi convos). They can be crowded and sweaty, and sometimes you have to wait at stops as the drivers wait to add additional passengers, but overall they are good. I might be biased because there is a rout that takes me straight to the radio station. My trip there went from costing ~35,000 rp by taxi, to 20,000 rp by ojek, to a 2,000 rp ride by angkot!
TransMusi- I just rode this today! It has been on my to-do list for months, and now that I have been on it I have this great sense of accomplishment. I had seen a bus that said it was headed to PIM drive by the day before, which is where I had plans to go today, so I decided today was the day. It was a bit of an adventure, I wasn't sure where I would end up, but it all worked out. I ended up taking a detour to a part of town I had never seen before! It was a fun way to explore town, and I had similar conversations to those I've had in angkots, which I enjoyed. So more detail as to what TransMusi actually is- these are the big/real buses in town. Trans--- buses are all around Indonesia. There are TransJakarta, TransJogja, Trans(insert big city here). In Palembang, they went with TransMusi, Musi being the name of the main river that runs through Palembang. They resemble buses in America (nice, real seats) and they have AC! I was shocked when I found out they are only 4,000 rupiah (~40 cents), twice as much as an angkot. Score! They run less frequently, but they are more comfortable.
Note: There are three additional modes of transport that I identified but have yet to try- the bicycle, Bus Kota, and a boat. And here are my reasons:
Bicycle- I don't know many people who ride bikes, the aren't particularly common (making it difficult to borrow one) and I have no intention of buying one because everywhere I go is either close enough to walk or far enough where you need an engine to get there. I like bikes, but the main roads are very busy and not very bike friendly, so I have opted out of this one for safety reasons.
Bus Kota- Bus Kota is some what similar to TransMusi, it is also a large/normal sized bus, and may or may not run the same routes, but I think it runs more frequently. The reason I have not taken this mode of transport is because everyone I have talked to around here advises against it, and it looks dangerous. The buses look dark and sketchy, and are full of men who yell at me whenever they pass me on the street. So it just doesn't seem like a good idea.
Boat- This isn't a common or useful mode of transport because I have only ever needed to cross the river for immigration purposes. I would like to do a river tour at some point, but it is more about sightseeing than getting anywhere. I'll report on this when it happens!
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
a little bit goes a long ways.
Kindness can be so simple. It is amazing how so little effort can go such a long way some times. Maybe you don't even realize you are being kind, but it means the world to whoever is on the receiving end. This is something I think about often. How my actions might effect others, and how the wrong or right word or gesture at a certain time can have a huge impact, depending on the person and the type of day they are having.
Today I was at the supermarket, buying some things to eat for the week, when Maline and her daughter Eliza came up and said hello. It took me a second to understand the situation, because it's not everyday that a white person approaches you in the supermarket in Palembang. In fact this is the first time that this has happened to me here. I had met Maline on Thanksgiving, and she is an incredibly sweet lady who has been living here with her family for about 10 years. Her family lives very close to me, and we had been in touch, but I have been travel a lot this past month and we hadn't been able to meet up. She offered me a ride home after the supermarket, and it felt like the nicest thing anyone had ever done for me.
I have been struggling with life here, and it was especially hard returning to Palembang after a quick trip back to the states where I was surrounded by loved ones and familiar things. Today was exceptionally hard for some reason, but I managed to leave my room (I could not manage this yesterday) and get some exercise. I was feeling better about things, like I could find a way to manage for the next four months, but running into this family was a blessing. I have a rejuvenated sense of hope, and four months doesn't seem so bad anymore. I learned about the 3 different water parks around here, none of which I have visited.
Living abroad without all of the comforts and conveniences of home, and without the same kind of support system, I find myself feeling vulnerable all the time. Everything around you is strange and your mind doesn't always know how to respond to situations. So when people are kind and helpful and friendly, it is amazing. And so appreciated. Even the littlest things. But when things go less than well, it's hard to really know what to do. For example, people are always honking and shouting and pointing when I am walking, and today I snapped, and started pointing and shouting back at this car. Then started laughing because I'm sure I looked insane to that guy and everyone in traffic behind him. Another situation that has been happening a lot is the water not working. This has been the case twice in the past few days. My two solutions this week were to a)stay in bed (you don't have to shower that way!) and b)join a gym that has showers.
I've tried to keep my posts relatively upbeat so far, because nobody wants to read about my daily struggles. I'm lucky to have people close to me who listen to the negative things and provide love and support, but this really has been a trying experience. It seems like it should be amazing, living in Indonesia, a beautiful country full of exciting things, but there are a lot of difficulties that come up when you try and shift your life halfway across the world. I do experience great things on a regular basis, but this adventure has been far from easy.
Today I was at the supermarket, buying some things to eat for the week, when Maline and her daughter Eliza came up and said hello. It took me a second to understand the situation, because it's not everyday that a white person approaches you in the supermarket in Palembang. In fact this is the first time that this has happened to me here. I had met Maline on Thanksgiving, and she is an incredibly sweet lady who has been living here with her family for about 10 years. Her family lives very close to me, and we had been in touch, but I have been travel a lot this past month and we hadn't been able to meet up. She offered me a ride home after the supermarket, and it felt like the nicest thing anyone had ever done for me.
I have been struggling with life here, and it was especially hard returning to Palembang after a quick trip back to the states where I was surrounded by loved ones and familiar things. Today was exceptionally hard for some reason, but I managed to leave my room (I could not manage this yesterday) and get some exercise. I was feeling better about things, like I could find a way to manage for the next four months, but running into this family was a blessing. I have a rejuvenated sense of hope, and four months doesn't seem so bad anymore. I learned about the 3 different water parks around here, none of which I have visited.
Living abroad without all of the comforts and conveniences of home, and without the same kind of support system, I find myself feeling vulnerable all the time. Everything around you is strange and your mind doesn't always know how to respond to situations. So when people are kind and helpful and friendly, it is amazing. And so appreciated. Even the littlest things. But when things go less than well, it's hard to really know what to do. For example, people are always honking and shouting and pointing when I am walking, and today I snapped, and started pointing and shouting back at this car. Then started laughing because I'm sure I looked insane to that guy and everyone in traffic behind him. Another situation that has been happening a lot is the water not working. This has been the case twice in the past few days. My two solutions this week were to a)stay in bed (you don't have to shower that way!) and b)join a gym that has showers.
I've tried to keep my posts relatively upbeat so far, because nobody wants to read about my daily struggles. I'm lucky to have people close to me who listen to the negative things and provide love and support, but this really has been a trying experience. It seems like it should be amazing, living in Indonesia, a beautiful country full of exciting things, but there are a lot of difficulties that come up when you try and shift your life halfway across the world. I do experience great things on a regular basis, but this adventure has been far from easy.
Friday, December 14, 2012
A perfect day in Palembang
Today was a pretty normal day in Palembang, but with a few added perks. I just got back from a trip to Bali and Flores with a some other lovely ETAs (I promise I'll post on that trip, along with my trip to Yogya back in October sometime soon!). It was a blast and I was a little bummed to be returning from the awesome adventure.
The morning started out rough, with motorcycle horns and roosters (plus the call to prayer) going non-stop from 5am until I got out of bed at 7am. I then went out looking for a Western Union (my new ATM card still hasn't arrived), and it wasn't as hot as I was expecting, and the trek wasn't as far as I was expecting. So things were looking good. Then the folks at the bank were very friendly, and the girl who helped me out wanted a photo afterwards, it was cute.
I stopped to get gado-gado at my favorite little corner stall, and had a nice chat with the ladies who work there. Then a guy walking by stopped to chat. He was nice, and it turns out he had studied in the US a few years ago, we chatted about Palembang and the US, and then he told me he owned all the little shops in the area, and that my gado-gado was free! Then he passed me a cold iced tea and told me that if I wanted help getting a bicycle or a motorbike, he'd be happy to help. I told him I didn't know how to drive a motorbike, then he pointed to his son and said he'd give me lessons if I wanted. It was great!
Then I went to school, and I was swarmed with love! The teachers told me how much they missed me, and how excited they were for our upcoming trip. Everyone was friendly and funny, and it made me happy to be back at school, which I wasn't expecting to feel. I learned more about our trip (I leave for Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia with my school tomorrow, yippee!) and I started to look forward to the trip even more.
After school I took a nap and headed to the radio station. My Ibu offered my a motorcycle ride which was nice (and saved my time, money, and the sweaty discomfort of an angkot ride). At the station I got to see some of my absolute favorite people in Palembang, and catch up a little bit. I also did some voice over work for their upcoming New Year's Eve party. It's pretty cool to know my voice is going to be on the radio waves over here. One of the producers also asked if I could talk on the show tonight about my favorite/the best live show I've been to (Elton John/Billy Joel for sure). It's funny because they are so excited and grateful for the efforts, but it's seriously my pleasure, not everyone gets the chance to talk on air.
It has been a pretty low-key day, but it has just been the best of all my favorite things around town. I really needed this day to feel good about being in Palembang. I have an awesome opportunity to travel around Indonesia and SE Asia, and it's easy to enjoy yourself on vacations with friends, but it's something else to be comfortable and happy in the place you actually live doing your normal routine. And today was a nice do and see my favorite things around Palembang, and the things I can look forward to on a daily basis.
The morning started out rough, with motorcycle horns and roosters (plus the call to prayer) going non-stop from 5am until I got out of bed at 7am. I then went out looking for a Western Union (my new ATM card still hasn't arrived), and it wasn't as hot as I was expecting, and the trek wasn't as far as I was expecting. So things were looking good. Then the folks at the bank were very friendly, and the girl who helped me out wanted a photo afterwards, it was cute.
I stopped to get gado-gado at my favorite little corner stall, and had a nice chat with the ladies who work there. Then a guy walking by stopped to chat. He was nice, and it turns out he had studied in the US a few years ago, we chatted about Palembang and the US, and then he told me he owned all the little shops in the area, and that my gado-gado was free! Then he passed me a cold iced tea and told me that if I wanted help getting a bicycle or a motorbike, he'd be happy to help. I told him I didn't know how to drive a motorbike, then he pointed to his son and said he'd give me lessons if I wanted. It was great!
Then I went to school, and I was swarmed with love! The teachers told me how much they missed me, and how excited they were for our upcoming trip. Everyone was friendly and funny, and it made me happy to be back at school, which I wasn't expecting to feel. I learned more about our trip (I leave for Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia with my school tomorrow, yippee!) and I started to look forward to the trip even more.
After school I took a nap and headed to the radio station. My Ibu offered my a motorcycle ride which was nice (and saved my time, money, and the sweaty discomfort of an angkot ride). At the station I got to see some of my absolute favorite people in Palembang, and catch up a little bit. I also did some voice over work for their upcoming New Year's Eve party. It's pretty cool to know my voice is going to be on the radio waves over here. One of the producers also asked if I could talk on the show tonight about my favorite/the best live show I've been to (Elton John/Billy Joel for sure). It's funny because they are so excited and grateful for the efforts, but it's seriously my pleasure, not everyone gets the chance to talk on air.
It has been a pretty low-key day, but it has just been the best of all my favorite things around town. I really needed this day to feel good about being in Palembang. I have an awesome opportunity to travel around Indonesia and SE Asia, and it's easy to enjoy yourself on vacations with friends, but it's something else to be comfortable and happy in the place you actually live doing your normal routine. And today was a nice do and see my favorite things around Palembang, and the things I can look forward to on a daily basis.
Monday, December 3, 2012
Days like this are why I'm here.
One of the teachers I work with gets lazy and rather than actually teaching class, she just encourages students to ask me questions. Usually it's like pulling teeth to get students to ask me questions in English in front of the whole class. But they are much more confident in small groups. Today I had class with this teacher, and after trying to get kids to talk, her interest had shifted to a few students that were near her, and I moved to the back of the class in hopes of making myself more approachable. It worked like a charm.
There are some students in each class who are really curious about American culture, and some who have really good English, and a few who fall into both of those categories. Usually the curious ones all surround me and those who speak better English will serve as translators. In today's class, there was one student who I've had good conversations with before, and he asks great questions that lead to neat discussions and cultural understandings. I was sitting near him, and just as I had hoped, he started asking me questions. We talked about American high schools, and how they are different, than Indonesian high schools, including the topics of school uniforms, subjects studied, elective courses, what high school students like to do, etc. Then we talked about how life is different in big cities verse small towns, how the East coast is different than the West coast, where different states are located. It was a great environment where I talked about whatever topics they wanted to know about. One kid asked what Broadway was, and included a clarification between the city and the state of New York.
The students were very respectful and understood what questions might be uncomfortable for me to field, but we had built up some trust and understanding, so I was happy to aid in the cultural exchange. We talked about racism, religious views, discrimination, prejudice, and why they exist, different views people have in America and in Indonesia, and it was awesome. I left feeling so energized, and excited to be here. This was why I was here. Yes I am an English teaching assistant, but I feel like that's just an excuse to get me into a high school where I can have meaningful conversations with inspired/inspiring young people.
Usually at the end of the day I'm pooped and I want to take a nap, but like I said, this talk left me more energized than I'd been in awhile, and I still had a few hours of daylight left. So I went out for a walk. Usually I walk along the main road, just so I don't get lost, but there was a back road I had seen last week that I was eager to check out, so I set off on an outing. It was nice being off the main road, much more peaceful, more foliage, less garbage, more color, it was very lovely. When I returned to the main road I was quite thirsty, and as I was walking along I came across a coconut stand. So I sat down and enjoyed fresh coconut milk with ice. It was magical.
On my final stretch home, I was passed by a number of my students, all of them beaming at me while they say "Hi Miss!" Whenever I am feeling down, it is always my students that cheer me up. Their enthusiasm is the greatest thing to have around. It's nice to be in a place where hundreds of people are happy you are there, and smile at you whenever they see you. Days like this are why I'm here.
There are some students in each class who are really curious about American culture, and some who have really good English, and a few who fall into both of those categories. Usually the curious ones all surround me and those who speak better English will serve as translators. In today's class, there was one student who I've had good conversations with before, and he asks great questions that lead to neat discussions and cultural understandings. I was sitting near him, and just as I had hoped, he started asking me questions. We talked about American high schools, and how they are different, than Indonesian high schools, including the topics of school uniforms, subjects studied, elective courses, what high school students like to do, etc. Then we talked about how life is different in big cities verse small towns, how the East coast is different than the West coast, where different states are located. It was a great environment where I talked about whatever topics they wanted to know about. One kid asked what Broadway was, and included a clarification between the city and the state of New York.
The students were very respectful and understood what questions might be uncomfortable for me to field, but we had built up some trust and understanding, so I was happy to aid in the cultural exchange. We talked about racism, religious views, discrimination, prejudice, and why they exist, different views people have in America and in Indonesia, and it was awesome. I left feeling so energized, and excited to be here. This was why I was here. Yes I am an English teaching assistant, but I feel like that's just an excuse to get me into a high school where I can have meaningful conversations with inspired/inspiring young people.
Usually at the end of the day I'm pooped and I want to take a nap, but like I said, this talk left me more energized than I'd been in awhile, and I still had a few hours of daylight left. So I went out for a walk. Usually I walk along the main road, just so I don't get lost, but there was a back road I had seen last week that I was eager to check out, so I set off on an outing. It was nice being off the main road, much more peaceful, more foliage, less garbage, more color, it was very lovely. When I returned to the main road I was quite thirsty, and as I was walking along I came across a coconut stand. So I sat down and enjoyed fresh coconut milk with ice. It was magical.
On my final stretch home, I was passed by a number of my students, all of them beaming at me while they say "Hi Miss!" Whenever I am feeling down, it is always my students that cheer me up. Their enthusiasm is the greatest thing to have around. It's nice to be in a place where hundreds of people are happy you are there, and smile at you whenever they see you. Days like this are why I'm here.
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Thank goodness we are getting a new school
One of the first things I learned about my school (SMAN5) was that they were building a new school. First I heard it would be done in December, but then I started asking around and heard January and February. The construction has been going on behind my school for months, and I finally did a little exploring. One of the assistant headmasters was back there, motioned me on back and I got a mini-tour. I was able to see the second level as well, by way of rickety, sketchy ladder. It was cool to see the progress up close, I can't wait to see it!
I can see my students from here!
I also had a view of the nearby elementary school.
It has been raining a lot and this has caused some flooding... good thing we are getting a new school!
School was essentially canceled for the three classrooms that were housed in the flooded building.
Saturday, November 3, 2012
A post on fitness
This post is dedicated to fitness and goes over some of my fitness endeavors here in Palembang.
Novotel So I meant to write this post weeks ago, but was re-inspired today by a trip to Novotel, the nicest hotel in Palembang. I had been wanting to check it out for awhile because it looks very impressive from the outside, and the pictures I'd seen from the inside were equally beautiful. So today I decided to treat myself to a day at the pool and nice gym. And it's very nice, but it cost like it too. It was ~$15 for day use (which included gym, steam room, sauna, and pool. plus a burger/noodle/rice dish). For reference, the gym I go to now costs ~$10, a month! I was glad I had set aside a whole day here, and have given myself lots of time by the pool reading, and it was great to see an elliptical for the first time in 3 months. I laughed at myself in the sauna and steam room, leaving the hot sun outside to sit in an even hotter more humid room inside. How silly.
It really is a mini-vacation here- everybody speaks english and wants to assist you with anything you want to do. It's nice to have a little get away. I was considering a membership here for the remainder of my time here, but it would be about ~$85/month, and it would drastically cut the number of interactions I had with people in the community. My gym isn't anything fancy, but it has it's charms.
Basketball at school
A few weeks ago my school repainted it's basketball court, and the coach invited me to their practice the following Sunday. I warned him that although I like basketball, I'm better at watching than I am playing. When I first showed up I was shooting around with some of the students, and happened to make all of my first few shots. It was completely misleading. Later when we were doing drills and I wasn't making any shots, the coach announced that if I made a basket everyone would have to do push ups. Lucky for everyone, I still couldn't make a shot.
Regardless of my poor performance, the coach put me on the scrimmage game with all the best players. Although I still couldn't make any shots, I was decent at marking and was good at switching back and forth between offense and defense and the first one up or down the court, so I think I earned my place on the team. Then we did an all girls scrimmage. That was fun because I was taller than all the other girls, and could run faster and throw the ball farther. I felt a little guilty about all of this, but overall fun was had by all.
Sunday morning "jogging"
There is a park in the middle of the city called "kambang iwok" with a pond, and it takes up about half a city block. On Sunday mornings, the community all gets up early for a little exercise. They city closes off the surrounding streets so that people can run/walk/bike around the loop. I have only been once, but I am supposed to go again tomorrow. It isn't exactly exercise, because whenever the teachers from my school want to go for a "jog", it ends up being a very short very slow walk. But some people do exercise there! They have the largest congregation of Zumba enthusiasts that I have ever seen. There are hundreds of people dancing along with a number of instructors, and they take up an entire corner of the track. It's impressive.
There is also a neat little bike community there. It's the only time it's really safe to ride your bike in Palembang, so people bring out all kinds of bikes. The kids are there to actually ride there bikes, but then there are lots of really cool people who just stand next to there bikes. There are different cliques too. Old school bikes, fixed gear bikes, nice road bikes, each group has there designated hang out spot along the track. I don't know if they groups have any beef with each other, but all the guys look pretty tough so I'd imagine so.
Mercy Fitness & Salon
Now I'll talk about my gym. Maybe sometime I'll profile all of the different characters I've met, but for now I'll just give an overview. The first two floors of the building are filled with chairs and beds for all sorts of salon/spa treatments, and then the gym is on the third floor of this lovely old un-airconditioned building. If I were to compare it to another gym, I'd say it's like average joe's gym from the movie Dodgeball, but it's an all women's gym. Which is really fun. These women come in all dressed in long pants/shirts, with head scarves, then dress down to shorts and a tank top and they are ready to go. They are still entertained by their bule member and I often get interrupted several times throughout my workout for photos. So there are hundreds of photos of me, gross and sweaty, somewhere out there in Indonesia. Also, whenever I show up I can hear both my name and the word bule and my name being shouted from the entrance up to the third floor where the gym is, so there is a nice welcoming crowd ready to greet me by the time I get up there, along with techno remixes to 80's hits.
The ladies in the gym are excited to talk to me and work out with me and all have really fun goofy personalities. Perfect for working out with. There are lots of weights/machines, a few cardio machines, some spinning bikes, and a TV. There is always some sort of Zumba-esque video playing, with different people joining in or dropping out as they like. Everyone is very welcoming and thoughtful, and they always want to give me a ride to or from the gym. There have even been a few minor arguments about who gets to take me. It's funny being such a novelty sometimes.
The instructor there is really excited to have me there, has shown me how to use everything in there, and makes my arms want to fall off. My first day there she gave me a ride home, after a detour to her own house where I took lots of pictures with her and her children (post-workout, so very sweaty). She has also asked me about becoming a fitness instructor. I briefly considered it, but didn't seem like a good idea for a multitude of reasons, most importantly I'm not allowed to do any outside work from Fulbright.
Novotel So I meant to write this post weeks ago, but was re-inspired today by a trip to Novotel, the nicest hotel in Palembang. I had been wanting to check it out for awhile because it looks very impressive from the outside, and the pictures I'd seen from the inside were equally beautiful. So today I decided to treat myself to a day at the pool and nice gym. And it's very nice, but it cost like it too. It was ~$15 for day use (which included gym, steam room, sauna, and pool. plus a burger/noodle/rice dish). For reference, the gym I go to now costs ~$10, a month! I was glad I had set aside a whole day here, and have given myself lots of time by the pool reading, and it was great to see an elliptical for the first time in 3 months. I laughed at myself in the sauna and steam room, leaving the hot sun outside to sit in an even hotter more humid room inside. How silly.
It really is a mini-vacation here- everybody speaks english and wants to assist you with anything you want to do. It's nice to have a little get away. I was considering a membership here for the remainder of my time here, but it would be about ~$85/month, and it would drastically cut the number of interactions I had with people in the community. My gym isn't anything fancy, but it has it's charms.
Basketball at school
A few weeks ago my school repainted it's basketball court, and the coach invited me to their practice the following Sunday. I warned him that although I like basketball, I'm better at watching than I am playing. When I first showed up I was shooting around with some of the students, and happened to make all of my first few shots. It was completely misleading. Later when we were doing drills and I wasn't making any shots, the coach announced that if I made a basket everyone would have to do push ups. Lucky for everyone, I still couldn't make a shot.
Regardless of my poor performance, the coach put me on the scrimmage game with all the best players. Although I still couldn't make any shots, I was decent at marking and was good at switching back and forth between offense and defense and the first one up or down the court, so I think I earned my place on the team. Then we did an all girls scrimmage. That was fun because I was taller than all the other girls, and could run faster and throw the ball farther. I felt a little guilty about all of this, but overall fun was had by all.
Sunday morning "jogging"
There is a park in the middle of the city called "kambang iwok" with a pond, and it takes up about half a city block. On Sunday mornings, the community all gets up early for a little exercise. They city closes off the surrounding streets so that people can run/walk/bike around the loop. I have only been once, but I am supposed to go again tomorrow. It isn't exactly exercise, because whenever the teachers from my school want to go for a "jog", it ends up being a very short very slow walk. But some people do exercise there! They have the largest congregation of Zumba enthusiasts that I have ever seen. There are hundreds of people dancing along with a number of instructors, and they take up an entire corner of the track. It's impressive.
There is also a neat little bike community there. It's the only time it's really safe to ride your bike in Palembang, so people bring out all kinds of bikes. The kids are there to actually ride there bikes, but then there are lots of really cool people who just stand next to there bikes. There are different cliques too. Old school bikes, fixed gear bikes, nice road bikes, each group has there designated hang out spot along the track. I don't know if they groups have any beef with each other, but all the guys look pretty tough so I'd imagine so.
Mercy Fitness & Salon
Now I'll talk about my gym. Maybe sometime I'll profile all of the different characters I've met, but for now I'll just give an overview. The first two floors of the building are filled with chairs and beds for all sorts of salon/spa treatments, and then the gym is on the third floor of this lovely old un-airconditioned building. If I were to compare it to another gym, I'd say it's like average joe's gym from the movie Dodgeball, but it's an all women's gym. Which is really fun. These women come in all dressed in long pants/shirts, with head scarves, then dress down to shorts and a tank top and they are ready to go. They are still entertained by their bule member and I often get interrupted several times throughout my workout for photos. So there are hundreds of photos of me, gross and sweaty, somewhere out there in Indonesia. Also, whenever I show up I can hear both my name and the word bule and my name being shouted from the entrance up to the third floor where the gym is, so there is a nice welcoming crowd ready to greet me by the time I get up there, along with techno remixes to 80's hits.
The ladies in the gym are excited to talk to me and work out with me and all have really fun goofy personalities. Perfect for working out with. There are lots of weights/machines, a few cardio machines, some spinning bikes, and a TV. There is always some sort of Zumba-esque video playing, with different people joining in or dropping out as they like. Everyone is very welcoming and thoughtful, and they always want to give me a ride to or from the gym. There have even been a few minor arguments about who gets to take me. It's funny being such a novelty sometimes.
The instructor there is really excited to have me there, has shown me how to use everything in there, and makes my arms want to fall off. My first day there she gave me a ride home, after a detour to her own house where I took lots of pictures with her and her children (post-workout, so very sweaty). She has also asked me about becoming a fitness instructor. I briefly considered it, but didn't seem like a good idea for a multitude of reasons, most importantly I'm not allowed to do any outside work from Fulbright.
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