Blogs from Indonesia, Asia - page 603

Hello, We are leaving tonight for Bangkok. Lisa and Ben and their children, Daniel and Olivia, left last night and we will miss their company. We have Ay-lou looking after Jetson in the villa now, while we come to the internet cafe in Seminyak...... luxury. The Pearls and some of the gems are good and well priced here, so I am going to buy some to bring home and hopefully will come back to meet up with Lisa next year again if she would like to, to design and make some items for sale. I think I have some great ideas to run with. It has been great to be invited into her environment here and to see her skills at work. The people are very friendly, and although the tourism has dropped off, the inner ... read more

It has been a stellar month for inventions here in Banda Aceh. It just goes to show that necessity promotes progress...and with that, I present to you the top three most remarkable new inventions (patents pending) that will no doubt benefit thousands of people in Banda Aceh (not to mention the inventor herself): 1.) Hot Water - this amazing improvement on plain old water, will allow people to have their bucket "shower" in relative comfort, thereby solving the morning "shock and awe" routine. There are a number of other inventions that have resulted from this including instant tea and one-minute oatmeal. 2.) Fillet of Fish - Pulling fish bones out of your mouth is a constant occurance at meal time...choking on fishbones, unfortunately, is also common. The "fillet" technique cuts the fish into ready-to-cook pieces that ... read more

So, many have asked - "Erica, what exactly is your job?" Ah, good question. As you probably know, I work for an International NGO (Non-Government Organization). My job title is "Admin Systems Training Advisor" and it actually describes quite well what I do, but to most people it sounds complicated so I often say "Operations." You see, you can kind of break NGO work into two sectors 1.) OPERATIONS: administration, finance, and logistics (procurement & delivery of supplies) and 2.) PROGRAMS: direct services to our beneficiaries, for example, like our doctors who set up clinics and treat patients. I work on the Operations side of things. And here's exactly what I do: Admin In Aceh, my organization operates in 4 provinces employing 300 Indonesian (national) staff and 15 International (Expatriate) staff. That makes for a lot ... read more

On the weekend of New Years Jo, Me, Nerys, Remko and Erica went back to Sabang for some chill out time. I stayed in a slightly better Bungalow than my last visit (Although Jo was adamant that it was merely a hut “Bungalows don’t go on stilts!”). It got me thinking about how much else has changed since last time I was here, only 2 months ago. When I came here last time I had no ties, my life in a backpack. Now I’m back with a job, friends. On New Year’s Eve I thought aloud, “What did I do to get this lucky.” “Well it certainly wasn’t dancing like a crazy monkey.” replied Jo, charmingly, as usual. I’m not quite sure I agree with her. New Year’s Eve was cool. There were a big group ... read more

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 Sharia office in Banda Aceh, Natsir Ilyas, emphasized that his area must be cleared from trumpet sounds on New Year’s Eve and prohibited international NGO staff from having night parties. It is suggested that Banda ... read more