I'm heading to Sabang for New Year's weekend. It's an island about 40 minutes away by ferry where they don't really enforce Sharia (Islamic) law. There's no running water and generator-only electricity, but there IS: beer, parties on the beach and diving/snorkeling around the amazing coral reefs. I've been there once before so i put some pics up to give you a sneak peek. I'm glad to be leaving Banda for this holiday weekend. A letter was issued to all aid agencies here this afternoon from the Head of Islamic Sharia office in Banda Aceh. Here's an excerpt: "Head of Islamic [View Full Entry]

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Today is the one-year anniversary of the tsunami. It's been an emotional time for many of our local staff, and there's been quite a few that have gotten sick the past couple of weeks. Some of our employees lost their entire families, some lost their parents and some are still living in temporary shelters (tents). I've been here for 2 months but the scale and horror of the tsunami is still difficult to comprehend. When driving around, you can see enormous boats and other things that were carried inland by the waves but are too big to remove now. Every few [View Full Entry]

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I hosted a holiday party this past weekend at my house and, if I do say so, it was so much fun! Stats for the party: • 23 people from 11 different countries • We sang Xmas carols (not quite DePiero family style - more british pub drinking style) • Lots of dancing (latin of course, but Robbie Williams too - sorry richie) • 17 Swapped gifts - far too civilized. We played by British rules, not Sicilian. Interesting gifts: blow up spiderman balloon; Sphere handbook • About 5 or 6 Indonesian friends showed up - the first Christmas party for [View Full Entry]

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I'm in a work meeting right, but the presentation is entirely in Indonesian, so I don't feel too bad about doing other, ahem, work. I have been trying to learn the language and I actually feel like I'm making quite a lot of progress in the 7 weeks I've been here. It's not a difficult language - there are no verb tenses or conjugations, so pronouns (he, she) and time-sensitive words (yesterday, tomorrow) are crucial. After all those years in NY, it's fun to be the foreigner for once. I get to mispronounce things in a cute way, smile and elicit [View Full Entry]

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What a great weekend! What does a great weekend involve here? The same as everywhere...having coffee with friends, exploring the surroundings, shopping, spontaneous motorcycle rides and sensual head massages from transvestites in clandestine "hair salons." The best part of the weekend? The traditional Acehnese dance rehearsal we were privileged to see this morning. One of my co-workers, who used to be a member of the troupe, arranged a special performance just for me and my housemates. After the performance, I talked with the dancers and showed them some salsa moves. I am the self-appoi [View Full Entry]

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Hi everyone, Ahhhhhhhh....it's Saturday. It's been a long and very busy week at work. Today I plan on doing nothing more than buying some fruit, maybe scouting the stalls near the mosque for something I can use as Christmas decorations and possibly a nap. The sky is a shade of white/gray - not common for early morning, so I don't feel bad about not running off to the beach. We had an earthquake last night and I actually felt it! We've had a good handful since I arrived last month, but I haven't felt them...mainly because NYC is a great place [View Full Entry]

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What an excellent bash this was! The 3rd Fall Brunch Extravaganza/Going Away Party/Birthday Party. The pictures speak for themselves. [View Full Entry]

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