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Published: September 1st 2008
Mosque
SemarangI am thrilled to be writing the first blog entry from our new home in Semarang, Indonesia. My first week here has been a complete and total blur.
It was extremely difficult to wrench ourselves away from the beauty of the Perhentian islands. En route we spent one brief night in KL, which only made us want to stay longer.
Our endless purgatory of air travel finally ended as we slid into Semarang airport late last Saturday night. After a turbulent flight through a thunderstorm from KL to Singapore, I almost didn't think I could make it through another two flights. Thankfully, two Singapore Slings in Changi airport set me straight, and we enjoyed a very pleasant flight on Garuda, changing planes in Jakarta.
As we approached Indonesian Immigration, we were met with a gigantic billboard, plastered with the mugshots of convicted drug traffikers, reading, "Welcome to Indonesia. The Penalty for Drug Traffikers is Death." Gulp. Thankfully, we met no suspicious activity, and breezed through customs and onto our connecting flight.
In Semarang, we were immediately welcomed by our new employer and his family, including wife and two young daughters. It was late, and had begun to
drizzle slightly. We hoisted out bags into the back, and climbed in the SUV, sitting next to one of the young girls. She hadn't seen a foreigner up close before, and didn't seem to know how to react during the hustle and bustle, and in such close proximity to us new arrivals. Her large brown eyes wide with confusion, began giggling and screaming nervously. When we were later along alone in the solice of our temporary housing, I joked to Craig that within our first five minutes in Semarang, I had already managed to scare a small child!
On our first full day in the city they took us on the grand tour. We were taken to Sam Poo Kong, the largest Chinese temple in Semarang, and founded by Zheng He on one of his voyages from China. We were also driven to the old quarter, full of decrepit colonial warehouses. This part of the city is actually below sea level, and prone to flooding during the rainy season.
The layout of Semarang is extremely chaotic and disjointed. The old town sits near the harbor, while the "new town" is situated in the surrounding hills. Both our
house and school are located on the higher ground, which is much cooler than the lowlands. Since things are so spread out, navigating the city, especially on public transportation, is going to prove to be a huge challenge.
The first thing tht stuck me about the city, aside from the incredible choas on the road due to hundreds of buses, cars, and motos competing for space no the winding streets, was how colorful everything is. All over the city colorful flags flutter along the roadside; some are leftover from Indonesia's Independence day celebrations on August 18. still more are advertisements for some of the country's 38 political parties. Everywhere are crumbling Dutch colonial buildings, labrynths of alleys, a sea of corrugated and tiled rooves, and thick patches of palms and bouganvillea.
We ended up starting work immediately, and most of our first week was spent at the school, and transitioning into our new house.
We are teaching at a private elementary school, officially opened this year. As they are still recruiting students, the class sizes are very small. However, given the rambunctious energy levels of the students, they more than keep me on my toes. Craig is
teaching Writing, and Oral English to children ages 7-13 years, while I am responsible for Reading classes to all students, as well as general English to pre-K to Kindergarten (ages 2-5). For me, working with such a young age group is proving to be extremely challenging. How do I even began to teach children so small something as complex as a foreign language? For the time being, any amount of exposure seems to foster a positive learning environment, so I've been chattering non-stop to the confused tots, trying to teach them some new vocab words. I have been incorporating a ton of art projects to help me accomplish this...which generally results in paint and glue all over the walls, desks, and me...but it has been a lot of fun and a great learning experience.
People have been extremely kind and welcoming thus far. It is especially challenging for us, since Semarang receives few foreign tourists, very few people speak English, and we have no basis in any Indonesian language. Thankfully, through sheer necessity, we have managed to pick up a few words of Bahasa, and everyone has been very patient with us. Though Bahasa is Indonesia's official language, there
Street Scene
Chinatown, Semarang are thousands of dialects spoken all over the diverse archipelego. In Central Java, many people speak Javanese in addition to Bahasa. We were told that it is not easy to learn, given its complex pronunciation and grammar, and many different forms of addressing people depending on their social status and relationship to you. The students at our school are all taught Javanese (in addition to Bahasa, English, and Mandarin Chinese), but some of our coworkers, primarily those from Jakarta and other large cities in the west, cannot speak it.
Semarang is the capital of Central java. Though its population is around 2 million, we are told by our coworkers from Jakarta that it is a very quiet city, at least by comparison. Apparentally, the term "Javanese" refers primarily to those in Central and Eastern Java. Jakarta and West Java, though still sharing the island, are considered a separate entity in terms of culture. Javanese culture is quite conservative, and many practice local religions based on animism in addition to Islamic, Christian, and Buddhist faiths. According to our friends, the Javanese are very superstitious and often practice a strict set of rituals.
The religious diversity of Indonesia is fascinating.
Rooves
Semarang Although primarily Muslim, we have already met people who have families practicing Buddhism, Taoism, Christianity, Catholicism, and Islam. Many of the people we have met come from backgrounds of mixed faith, though they claim it is still often difficult for family members to accept inter-religious marraiges.
Yesterday we went sightseeing with some girls from work. One of them grew up in Semarang, and thus kindly acted as our tour guide. Our first stop was the crowded Ciputra mall, one of Semarang's four shopping centers. Next, we took cycle-rickshaws to Chinatown.
Supposedly, Semarang has one of the largest Chinese populations in Indonesia. We first visited a Buddhist temple, painted red, accented in gold, and adorned with glowing red lanterns. I really enjoyed the temple, mainly because it felt like such an active part of the community. There was a central altar as well as two adjoining coutryards containing smaller altars. Everywhere was the scent of burning incense and candles, and coins and plates of fruit had been left as offering.
We then visited a friend of our coworker, who lived in the area. Her family are Chinese Taoists, and own a warehouse where they live and store goods. Once
Nasi Ayam
Chinatown Night Market, Semarang the sun set, the weekend night market began; food vendors and plastic tables lining the narrow street. We went to a fortune teller, who allegedly could read our personality simply by examining our facial features. Our friends translated his analysis for us...which basically boiled down to the fact that I love spending money, and Craig loves saving it. In spite of this difference in financial management, he assured us while taking drags from a cheroot cigarette, we were a perfect match. Then we settled down to eat, cold avacado and mango shakes and "ayam goreng", or chicken rice, served with tofu in a banana leaf. It was a really fun night, though on the way home we got caught in a torrential downpour and were completely soaked by the time we reached our house.
I am eager to explore more of the city. We are already starting to learn to take some of the public transit, orange "bemo" vans with benches in the back that drop you off at specified locations. In all honesty, it is much more convenient than Seattle's bus system!
Today is a holiday to mark the beginning of the Ramadan fasting, and then tomorrow
Lantern
Chinese Temple, Semarang back to work. For Muslims, Ramadan will last for one month, terminating in the Idul Fitri holiday. They fast during the daylight hours, but after sunset the streets come alive and the roadside restaurants begin to fill up. Not only do they abstain from eating during the day, but drinking as well...continuing working in the swealtering heat without a drop of water. Only the very young, very old, pregnant women, and those who are sick are exempt.
So thus far we are enjoying the challenge, settling in, and slowly getting our bearings. I can't wait to began traveling farther afield, so look for many more updates to come. Cheers!
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Nani
non-member comment
Informative Semarang
Hello Hannah, I'm Nani from KL. I'll be coming to Semarang for work this weekend and for the next 2 months. Kinda excited and thrilled too of not knowing what s gonna be like overthere. By reading your blog about Semarang has relieved me a bit ( a least) and also photos added kinda interesting (hopefully) too about this place. Well maybe Im just too used living in the city ;) Thanks for the info really helps me to prepare myself once Im there. Cheers, N