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Published: November 24th 2013
Hi!
I haven’t posted an update in a while. Since I was home in October, I didn’t feel the need to post anything too urgently. It was great to see everyone again and squeeze in a lot for the short time I was home. The wedding went well and the last minute preparations too. It was nice to spend thanksgiving with family yet, and experience cooler weather with little rain and lots of sunshine. I was super excited to wear my knee high boots and did so every day I when was home! It was such a wonderful break from sweating and wearing sandals all the time. I really appreciated breathing that fresh Canadian air – such a difference from South-East Asia! Let me re-phrase: such a difference from where I’m currently living. Depending on where you travel around here, the air quality can differ.
The Friday before the start of October break, after work I first went out for dinner with friends and then got my nails done with some people. We were all leaving for holidays the next morning and wanted to relax a little before we had to go home and finish
up the last bit of packing. As we sat there being pampered, we started talking with the workers and it turned into a personal Bahasa lesson. These ladies were writing key words down on scrap paper for us to take with us to study and everything!
The way the schedule played out, I lucked out with having three short weeks in a row upon my return!
Week one: I flew back mid-week after the holiday
Week two: Worked two days and then accompanied the Grade 9 class on their retreat for three days at a resort. We hung out at the pool, did a photo rally, played sports, various card games, etc.
Week three: Another Islamic Holiday on November 5 – a mid-week break. Remembrance Day isn’t a holiday here so I counted this Islamic Holiday as my Remembrance Day off even though it wasn’t a long weekend like it was for you at home.
Halloween landed over the Grade 9 retreat. To be honest, it came and went so quickly that I kind of forgot about it until I saw pictures on Facebook. Halloween
is not celebrated here at all – there’s no costumes hanging up in stores, no bulk candy on sale etc. For the North American families and some of the Australian and New Zealanders, they dressed up and had their own trick or treat event so that the kids wouldn’t miss out. Instead of having stores decked out with Halloween gear, evidence of Christmas has already started at the end of October in the Malls. In some stores, the music started too. Now every store is decked out. Starbucks has recently started selling their Christmas drinks. Hmmm….one of my favorite times of the year! I suppose the malls back home are similar.
On the way home from the retreat, we stopped at KFC and Starbucks. KFC had compiled several take-out boxes of chicken and rice for us all to eat on the charter buses. The sticky rice was wrapped like and had a similar shape as a burger would. It was a new experience to eat a bite of plain sticky white rice like you would a burger and then a bite from your chicken. I wasn’t’ sure what the KFC chicken would be like as I never
eat it back home. I mean I’ve eaten KFC before, but have always been skeptical of KFC’s food. It’s certainly never been my first fast food choice. My friend and I however, were pleasantly surprised at the amount of meat that were on the chicken pieces and the meat quality. It definitely was one of the best KFC experiences I have had.
On the Islamic Holiday at the beginning of November, a bunch us were planning on going to a nearby tourist attraction, but it was advised against as it would be overcrowded with families. So we decided to go another time. Instead, I had a relaxing day at home, got things done, planned more of my trip to Thailand coming over Christmas break, went for a hot stone body massage and enjoyed some street food prior to going.
Earlier in November our school celebrated Bulan Bahasa . We actually celebrated it for a month . The Bulan Bahasa performance was the final event to cap it all off. There was a lot of dancing, a drama performance etc. Anyone could have volunteered to dance and be a part of
the entertainment. When I got the email, I really wanted to join, but dance practice conflicted with my volleyball practices. Next year however, I will try again and see if it’s possible as it looked like it was a lot of fun.
The rainy season has arrived. It typically rains once a day for an intense period of time and then it dries right up. You often can see dark clouds rolling in and hear thunder in the distance. Teaching PE classes outside and once a week coaching volleyball on the outdoor courts, I have had to learn how to read the weather – when to rally everyone back indoors or call a practice short. I am still very much a newbie at this and rely on my gut feeling – so far I’ve been right on target! The aerial view of the clouds rolling in not to mention the lightning bolts from my high rise apartment is incredible. Whenever thunder is heard, it’s likely accompanied with lightning and when the rain drops start to fall you know it’s about to poor. It is common to see people pull over on their motorcycles and scoopies
to take out their rain gear – huge ponchos that cover both them and a good portion of their bikes. A few weeks back I was sitting in my office working. It was a bright day but very quickly it turned really dark outside. I could hear some thunder and see the rain begin to fall. A few seconds later without warning, the rain was POURING down. It was such a cool thing to witness – going from a few drops to sheets of rain. I was unable to see much out my window at this point. It reminded me of how rain progresses in some movies – a few drops and then a huge downpour. Even though typically they say it rains about once a day in the wet season, the past week has been gorgeous! No rain and the skies are blue! This is the first time I’ve seen the skies like this since I moved to Jakarta. Usually its bright, with thick cloud/smog, but these days, I feel like it could be a bright sunny summer day at home. In fact, the other day when I was walking with my friend to work, we commented on how
it felt like we should be going camping or so this weekend. From my apartment windows I have had the most amazing sunsets and I can see mountains and volcanoes in the distance! Last night I was able to see the moon and some stars in the sky as well. It’s funny how much you appreciate those things when you aren’t used to seeing them much anymore. I must say I really don’t mind the rainy season – at least not yet! The scenery is absolutely stunning.
Even though the season here has changed for us, we still miss the familiarity of the fall colours, leaves falling off the trees, pumpkin spice lattes, tall knee high boots, cozy sweaters and scarves and everything else fall brings. A bunch of us got together and had a harvest dinner party. We each brought a fall dish to share. We tried cranking up the AC to make it more fall like. I made a fondue Turkey from a photo I once saw. You are supposed to use candy corn as the nose, but I had to improvise with mine!
Typhoon Haiyan that devastated the Philippines
earlier this month hit close to home in this community. I have several Philippinian co-workers here who were all affected by the storm somehow. I fact, I work very closely with one. Both him and his wife’s families were okay, but they lost everything and relocated. In response, the school held a day where people showed their support by wearing the colour red and donate money to the Red Cross.
The adventure of trying out new restaurants continues. The last few Sundays a group of us have tried different places in the city from Chili’s to California Pizza Kitchen TGI Fridays. Over the last little while I have also purchased pots and plants for my place. I love having house plants and it makes the place feel more complete. My friends and I recently discovered a karaoke place nearby! We’ve had fun singing our hearts out after going out for dinner.
Last weekend a shopping trip was organized to Kemang . It was the annual Christmas shopping trip. A bunch of us loaded up into a taxi bus and headed out. We stopped for coffee first
Mmmm....Food!
The only place where you can get a decent burger in Jakarta: TGIFridays! Our restaurant choices are motivated by strange things here, but I enjoyed the first burger that I've had in 4 months.and then hit up with shops with a lunch break in between. I didn’t purchase much, but I did get a few items: three small reindeer made from brush metal , a storage box and a simple white serving dish shaped as a leaf. Since I will not be around my place for the Christmas holidays I decided to put up the décor one month before I leave for Thailand. I decided to use my advent calendar as a countdown to my departure date rather than to Christmas. I will be able to eat my first treat this coming Thursday!
This past Thursday I was a guest story teller in my friend’s grade 2 class. They are currently learning about different kinds of stories and I volunteered to read one of my favorites. I had a few in mind but after discovering another friend of mine had the “Green Eggs and Ham” by Dr. Seuss book, I decided to read this one. I loved it! The kids were super excited for me to read to them. I coach most of them basketball twice a week so they are familiar with who I am. I had one girl
come running up to me saying “Miss Janis, just so you know it’s Suzy , I got a haircut. It’s still me, don’t be confused” - I tried hard not to burst out laughing. It was such a cute and innocent moment. I hope to read to them again soon and next time it’ll be Robert Munsch.
I’ve been to the movie theatre a few times here. The first being with a bunch of people where we all piled into a few taxies, grabbed Starbucks before the show and dinner afterwards. This was in the regular seats like you would at home. This past week however on Thursday night a small group of us wanted to watch The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. The eight of us were able to buy tickets for a later showing at the premiere theatre at the mall right across from where we live. The regular theater is right beside this one, but the premiere offers a very luxurious experience. They have assigned seating so that when you order food and drinks, the staff are able to serve it directly to you. The seating in the theatre are all lazy
boy reclining seats – it’s motorized so all you have to do is press a button, sit back and enjoy! There are blankets and pillows as well for your personal use and comfort. It was a great way to spend a Thursday night!
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