I've really gotta work on my awful sales technique!
So I slept in today, since we were heading to a discussion panel about disaster risk management hosted by the Jakarta Foreign Correspondents Club. It cost us 50,000 rupiah and was in a super fancy hotel. The panel was interesting, but the speakers tended to pack information onto the slides and their talks did seem to lack structure, was confusing. What really annoyed me was that we ran out of time to schmooze, which was one of the main aims of GOING - maybe it was a good thing though since my business cards didn't get printed in the end. I also went to the bathroom just before lunch, and when I came back there was no food left - some people had sat by the food through the entire two hour discussion and just eaten. PIGS!
After this those of us who hadn't been able to eat went to spend more money at the University canteen, which was again a great meal (although not as good as the satay!) and then we got on the big bus to head to a Unilever-supported 'green' community, that used compost, restored garbage to useable, sellable products and so on. It was a very cute little community, with tiny winding streets and colourful houses, and printed fabrics drying on the balconies. There was a group of 50 year old women who greeted us at the gates by singing, cheering and clapping - it was a bit overwhelming! We were then proudly shown how to compost, which I found very comical, since in New Zealand, compost is a very common, un-spectacular thing. We had some speeches, a song and dance from the women (who had ibu-ibu power, our LO Debbie told us, or maternal, aunt-type power, with the force of a wagging finger, a disappointed look and nagging.
After they gave us a box of treats, including STICKY RICE (saya suka!) we were asked to make comments about the village by the Unilever PR girl. It was very forced and I kind of resented it, but the people were obviously very proud of their work and very excited to have Westerners visit, so I said it was very nice and that the ibu-ibu had performed amazingly. They seemed pretty pleased, and mobbed me when we were leaving for about 50 photos - seriously, 20 women dressed in white with fake flowers pinned all over them, hugging me for a photo, and insisting on shaking my hand. I felt famous. My LOs told me off for keeping the bus waiting, but it was worth it man. I bet I'm on their walls at home, beaming kindly down on their future generations...
Ahem. Excuse me. So, we headed home, with me trying to nap on the bus, since EVERYONE has been telling me I look tired for about a week - sheez! Then I picked up some groceries and headed home, to start studying and confirm my attendance to the island this weekend. Except, when Helena and I were studying, and definitely not eating ice cream while watching DVDs, the Ozzies told us the trip is off, because the boats only leave at 6:45am every morning, so they don't want to catch the boat at that time on Sunday morning (I don't really want to either, but I was SO keen to get out of Jakarta.)
So Bahasa test tomorrow, and I'm not really prepared (oh dear) to be tested on two weeks of jam packed material. Horribleness! I also have to pitch story ideas, and then karaoke 'til the sun comes up. Til then,
Bye!
LESSONS LEARNT 14:
- Ibu-ibu power is strong
- Two weeks is not enough time to learn Bahasa! This is ridiculous!
- When someone is tired, don't tell them they look tired. It's putting salt on the wound.
- I need a break! Le sigh. I will just have to explore Indonesia some more. Life is hard, ay?
Dear Alex, you look tired.
ReplyDeleteYou are famous! I knew it. I knew I'd seen you face somewhere before. Perhaps staring at me from someone's wall?
You don't have ibu-ibu power yet but you have composting power (knowledge= power) and you have the power of Alex, which is quite powerful in its own Alex-type way. So awesome that the bus had to wait for YOU! Did they just photograph you? Ha, I can see the scenes you describe so vividly, it's awesome (in my head: I'm not spying on you, I couldn't afford the retina cameras)
This post is a little incoherent. I am tired, also I just damaged my elbow by doing air-guitar slightly too enthusiastically. Thus, typing is difficult and slow, leaving me more time for my thoughts to wander.
Anyway,, as I keep saying I LOVE your writing so thank you so much for going to all the effort of writing every day! Such dedication. I managed to write every day for the first day I was in Chile. So I have one jet-lagged page f writing from my six weeks there and it boils down to "just arrived, haven't seen anything yet' and then swearwords about the airline. You are already doing 12 times better than me, also your writing is classy and interesting. I hope you get to go out of Jakarta sometime soon and have a lovely weekend!
We miss you! Yes, both of your friends.
AND your mum.