http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/kschnell/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from kschnell en-us Fri, 25 Dec 2009 01:59:27 +0000 Fri, 25 Dec 2009 01:59:27 +0000 Hello againSorry I have done such a poor job of updating my blog. I just returned from a whirlwind trip to the States I visited nine states for ten medical school interviews in two and half weeks. It was quite a trip.As far as I know the interviews went well. While I am a bit worse for the wear I am excited to be back and reimmersing. I think the hardest part of the adjustment to life in Bont http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/blog-346387.html Hello again Pancakes are a hit in Bontang. A couple of weeks ago some teachers came to my house and cooked for me. I wanted to contribute so I offered to make them pancakes the only simple ldquoAmericanrdquo food I could think to make without an oven. The teachers loved them and word spread about a delicious ldquotraditionalrdquo American food. Last Friday the teachers came over to m http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Indonesia/Kalimantan/Bontang/blog-324048.html Greetings from Borneo My return to the jungle has reminded that I am well really in the jungle. When I opened my door upon returning from my trip lizards scurried up the walls and a salamanderlike creature halfslithered halfcrawled across the floor. The lizards donrsquot bother me but I was lessthanpleased with my new salamander friend. As such I took a plastic container and tried to http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Indonesia/Kalimantan/Bontang/blog-322541.html Hello all The internet is up and running at my school so I can post pictures yeahLetrsquos see I just returned from a weeklong trip to Java. All of the ETAs had to go to Jakarta to give fingerprints signatures ect. for our residency permits. Many of the ETAs including myself then extended our trips to spend a bit of time exploring Java.I spent one night is Jakarta a sprawling pollut http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/blog-321182.html Hello All I am settling into life in Bontang. I know where to buy my groceries how to work my washing machine and where to find drinking water at school. As in orientation my days start at 6am. School begins at 7 and many students are there until 5 or 6 in the evening. My days end anywhere from noon to 5pm.At school I have been introducing myself to classes and observing lessons. Students h http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Indonesia/Kalimantan/Bontang/blog-317102.html Hello all I just walked to an internet caf in the rain from my new home in Bontang. Thus far everything is going well. My house is very nice I have air conditioning hot water and a washing machine. Everyone at the school I am going to be working at has been very friendly. My counterpart in particular has been very helpful. He took me shopping showed me around the school and gave me a to http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Indonesia/Kalimantan/Bontang/blog-315150.html Well tomorrow I am off to my home for the next nine months. It is going to be a bittersweet moment I am excited to get settled into Bontang but sad to leave the friends I have made. It is amazing what trips like this can do for friendships I feel like I have known many of the other Fulbrighters for more than two weeks.I realize I have been a bit slow on updating my blog. Orientation was infor http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Indonesia/Java/Bandung/blog-313854.html Hello all I hope everything is going well back in the States. I am a little bit more than a week into my orientation in Bandung East Java. Bandung is a large city a couple of hours south of Jakarta. It is a bit polluted but the weather is fantastic because we are up in the mountains.We drove through Jakarta to get to Bandung and I as struck by the sharp contrast between Jakarta and Dar es Sala http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Indonesia/Java/Bandung/blog-311479.html Hello again I have arrived in Indonesia...and was welcomed by three medical school secondary applications. I am safe and sound I will write more later.Kerry http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Indonesia/Java/Bandung/blog-307327.html Hello all I have made it safely to Singapore and am waiting to get on my plane to Jakarta. My trip here was smooth and uneventful. I spent last night in a luxury hotel in downtown Singapore life is pretty good Singapore is an unbelievably nice countrycity. The downtown was clean organized and very easy to navigate. We arrived last night at around midnight Singaporean time 11am in Minnesot http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Singapore/Changi/blog-306992.html