This morning, Katie and I visited an Islamic Elementary school. Today is Saturday and here in Indonesia, almost all public schools run Monday through Saturday. UIN also had scheduled classes on Saturday but that changed last year, thankfully. Our connection to the school is a bit convoluted. A doctoral student at UIN has a friend whose wife is the headmistress of a newly-founded Islamic Elementary school. None of the students at this school had ever met a Westerner and she wanted to encourage the students to be more committed to learning English. She hoped that by meeting a Westerner, they might be a bit more inspired. I asked (read: forced) Katie to join me so that the students could see someone their own age, but also, and more importantly, I wanted Katie to see what an ordinary Indonesian, and Islamic, school looked like. To this point, Katie has only experienced International schools, which are quite different from Indonesian public schools.
The school has been operating for five years and so only has grades 1-5. In Indonesia, they are not called grades but classes. The school is an Indonesian Islamic public school. In Indonesia there are three streams of education. The first stream is made up of public schools that have no religious teaching included in their core curriculum. If there is religious teaching in this stream, it must include the teachings of at least two of the official religions of Indonesia, Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Confucianism. So, such a class would be something like a World Religions course. The second stream is made up of special public schools that include religious education in their core curriculum and so are Christian schools, or Islamic schools, etc. These schools are not required to teach other religions. The third stream is made up of private religious schools that are devoted primarily to religious education. These schools, which are almost all Islamic, are called pesantrans, or madrassa, and are led by a kyai, a religious teacher. Those who graduate from this third stream are generally not qualified to continue their studies in post-secondary institutions since their education is almost exclusively religious. Lately, however, in the face of declining enrollment, pesantrans have been including curriculum from the public school system so that graduates can be eligible to attend university.
The school we visited is an Islamic public school that mixes a public school curriculum with Islamic education, which includes learning to read and write Arabic, as well as memorizing the Koran. All the teachers have an undergraduate degree in education from one of the main universities here in Jogja. The students come from the neighbourhood. Tuition is Rp60.000 per month which translates to about $7CDN. This tuition includes lunch. Classes begin at 7am and finish at 2pm, with two breaks. The school has just over 40 students and includes both boys and girls. The school is building a new structure nearby since the building they are in now was damaged by an earthquake two years ago. Classes 1 and 2 have their own rooms, since they are larger groups, while Classes 3,4 and 5 share a single large room separated by dividers. Also in this room is the teachers' 'offices'. There is a play area in front of the school with several play structures but not much room.
We spent most of our time with Classes 3-5, who have the most English training. We began by introducing ourselves and having each of the children introduce themselves to us. This was great fun and filled with much laughing and giggling. Then I taught the students the song 'Mary had a little lamb'. After they were able to sing it by themselves, they sang 'Are you sleeping?', which they already knew. This was a bit of an odd experience for me because I could only think of the French version of the song. After we finished with these classes, we visited Class 2, who were busy learning how to write/draw Arabic. Up to this point, the girls had been very shy, pointing at Katie from a distance. But as it became clear that we were leaving, the girls swarmed around Katie, shaking her hand, and asking her all sorts of questions about where she lived and went to school. I know Katie felt awkward and conspicuous, but I hope she gained a bit better understanding of Indonesian life.
Our hosts were very generous and welcoming and we had a wonderful time. I am not sure how much good we did for the school, but I know that Katie and I received something special.
(See Webalbum for pictures.)
Phil
Friday, April 25, 2008
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
The End of Rainy Season
It is still raining. Apparently the rainy season is supposed to be done by the end of March but the humidity remains in the high 80s and it rains every day. One thing that has changed is that the nights are cooler, it may drop down to 26C or 27C, but during the day the temperature is still in the low 30s. In one part of our house, where we don't have fans running, the temperature is 31C.
For the most part, it isn't a big deal that the rainy season continues. One plans on the fact that it will rain late in the afternoon and perhaps in the evening. We try to walk as much as possible so if there is somewhere we have to go, we plan on doing it sometime earlier in the day. And I love thunderstorms. For a while, we had great thunderstorms three or four times a week. Around our place, there is very little wind so the rain falls straight down and creates a nice breeze around the house. The other day we had a thunderstorm that knocked out the electricity. While I sat on our back veranda the girls played in the rain. (The Indonesians are troubled that I let our kids play in the rain. They believe that getting rain on one's head leads to one having 'angin', which is usually translated as 'wind'. But in this case, 'angin' means something like a cold or flu or general internal distress. So there are many advertisements for medicine that cure 'angin', which doesn't mean what one might think if 'angin' means 'wind'. Anyways, the Indonesians don't like that our kids play in the rain and our helpers are not impressed with this aspect of my parenting skills. But the kids love it.) The rain was so heavy that it overflowed the gutters and flooded the back yard, making great puddles for the girls to splash in. If that was all, the rainy season would be great.
However, when it rains every afternoon, and the humidity is in the high 80s, and one air drys ones clothes, it means that clothes take more than one day to dry. I really am getting tired of wearing almost dry clothes. And it's a problem because Katie and Mia have school uniforms that are either dirty or not quite dry. Every morning I have to evaluate whether uniforms are dry enough or clean enough. I look forward to those days when our clothes dry the same day they are washed.
I have been told that when the rainy season finishes, it won't rain again for four or five months. I remember there being no rain through September and most of October but given the climate I would be surprised if there was no rain for several months. In Nigeria we had dry seasons that lasted half the year and it literally did not rain for five or six months, but it was bone dry. It just seems too tropical for there to be no rain. And apparently it gets hotter. I hope the humidity drops so it is more comfortable in the shade. I can't say I am looking forward to higher temperatures with this humidity.
But all this interest in the weather is such a Canadian thing. Just like Nigerians, Indonesians aren't interested in the weather except if it is of the disaster sort. In large part this disinterest is due to the fact that there are only two seasons and very little variation. But I like a change in seasons and having weather. I found it a bit disorienting when I would realize that it was January or February and too hot to take a walk outside. On the other hand, the kids love the fact that they can just run outside and jump on their bikes.
For the most part, it isn't a big deal that the rainy season continues. One plans on the fact that it will rain late in the afternoon and perhaps in the evening. We try to walk as much as possible so if there is somewhere we have to go, we plan on doing it sometime earlier in the day. And I love thunderstorms. For a while, we had great thunderstorms three or four times a week. Around our place, there is very little wind so the rain falls straight down and creates a nice breeze around the house. The other day we had a thunderstorm that knocked out the electricity. While I sat on our back veranda the girls played in the rain. (The Indonesians are troubled that I let our kids play in the rain. They believe that getting rain on one's head leads to one having 'angin', which is usually translated as 'wind'. But in this case, 'angin' means something like a cold or flu or general internal distress. So there are many advertisements for medicine that cure 'angin', which doesn't mean what one might think if 'angin' means 'wind'. Anyways, the Indonesians don't like that our kids play in the rain and our helpers are not impressed with this aspect of my parenting skills. But the kids love it.) The rain was so heavy that it overflowed the gutters and flooded the back yard, making great puddles for the girls to splash in. If that was all, the rainy season would be great.
However, when it rains every afternoon, and the humidity is in the high 80s, and one air drys ones clothes, it means that clothes take more than one day to dry. I really am getting tired of wearing almost dry clothes. And it's a problem because Katie and Mia have school uniforms that are either dirty or not quite dry. Every morning I have to evaluate whether uniforms are dry enough or clean enough. I look forward to those days when our clothes dry the same day they are washed.
I have been told that when the rainy season finishes, it won't rain again for four or five months. I remember there being no rain through September and most of October but given the climate I would be surprised if there was no rain for several months. In Nigeria we had dry seasons that lasted half the year and it literally did not rain for five or six months, but it was bone dry. It just seems too tropical for there to be no rain. And apparently it gets hotter. I hope the humidity drops so it is more comfortable in the shade. I can't say I am looking forward to higher temperatures with this humidity.
But all this interest in the weather is such a Canadian thing. Just like Nigerians, Indonesians aren't interested in the weather except if it is of the disaster sort. In large part this disinterest is due to the fact that there are only two seasons and very little variation. But I like a change in seasons and having weather. I found it a bit disorienting when I would realize that it was January or February and too hot to take a walk outside. On the other hand, the kids love the fact that they can just run outside and jump on their bikes.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Wednesday, 26 March, 2008
Last week and this week we are on mid-term break and I had hoped to do some preparation for a course I will start teaching in April. However we had the retreat in Bali last week and just before we left for Bali I was asked to give a presentation today for a monthly forum organized by the Faculty of Theology. The topic I was given was 'The Philosophy of Plato'. I wasn't able to do any preparation before Bali and so I had to rush something together since we returned.
This event represents one of the dilemmas I have. I am at the university as a Philosophy professor but I am sent to the university by MCC, and so I am trying to satisfy both. The obvious problem is how giving a discussion on the philosophy of Plato can be understood within my role as an MCCer. I can feel the skepticism of many Mennonites with the idea of MCC supporting a Philosophy professor.
What has happened is that I recognize several issues that might overlap the interests of both UIN and MCC. One such issue is that of the peaceful relationship between religion and political life. I have been assigned a graduate course on Global Issues and one of those issues is that of religion and public life. This is the course I will begin teaching soon and so I have yet to see how the students respond, but the material I am putting together will explore the ways in which religion and political life can peacefully relate.
I am hoping that this is in line with the expectations of both UIN and MCC. UIN is a relatively progressive Islamic institution and so I am hoping that in my class we can explore the issue of religion and politics, an issue that is particularly sensitive for Indonesians as well as Muslims. I am hoping that this also lives up to the expectations MCC had for me in creating my position. Because my position is such an unusual one, both for UIN and MCC, I am feeling my way through this.
So, I had the topic 'The Philosophy of Plato'. I decided to focus on the discussion of justice and politics in The Republic. I think my spiel went well but I had some interesting questions. One set of questions had to do with the relationship of my discussion to the politics in Indonesia. I try very hard not to make any direct connections, but only give material and tools for people to do their own reflections. There is a deep skepticism about politics here with the feeling being that it is too corrupt and that people who might be able to contribute something positive, like the some of the people here at UIN, are ignored. I tried to encourage them that being a positive example of political involvement can make a difference.
The second set of questions had to do with the relationship of philosophical reflection on justice and the teachings of Islam. Here I have to tread even more carefully. I make very clear that whatever I say, I say as a philosopher not a Christian, and that I am in no position to comment on Islamic thought. I simply present the material to the best of my ability and leave it up to the Islamic scholars to figure out if or how it connects.
For example, I presented Plato's argument that it is better to suffer injustice than to risk acting unjustly. I was told that in Islam there are times when it is permitted to kill and asked how this fit Plato's argument. I responded that, for Plato, there were very few if any conditions under which one could justly kill someone, and I gave his reasoning. This seemed to be an acceptable response though it was clear very few were buying it. I always try to be clear that I am not commenting on Islam but rather providing arguments for various positions.
The other question I had was how God fits into Plato's philosophy. This is a tricky one because I don't think God does fit in, or at least God as those of us in the Monotheistic traditions consider God. I therefore try to balance between giving an accurate account of Plato and making sure he isn't summarily dismissed. There is a stereotype among many Muslims that Western philosophy is atheistic and so I regularly get asked how God fits into the material I am teaching. I have the personal answer I give as a Christian, but I don't give that answer when I am teaching and I certainly don't give it when I am teaching here. As to the answer I give in my classes here, I tend to deflect it by pointing out that this isn't a theology class but a philosophy class and so I give a philosophical answer. The students are rarely satisfied because they want a theological answer. I am not sure I am satisfied either but at this point it is the safest answer as far as I can tell.
So, I had my forum on Plato and I think it went pretty well. I am hoping that with these sorts of events as well as through my teaching, I will be able to build enough of a reputation so that I can make some sort of difference. And I am hoping that this difference is of a kind that will satisfy UIN, MCC, and Mennonites back in N. America.
Phil
This event represents one of the dilemmas I have. I am at the university as a Philosophy professor but I am sent to the university by MCC, and so I am trying to satisfy both. The obvious problem is how giving a discussion on the philosophy of Plato can be understood within my role as an MCCer. I can feel the skepticism of many Mennonites with the idea of MCC supporting a Philosophy professor.
What has happened is that I recognize several issues that might overlap the interests of both UIN and MCC. One such issue is that of the peaceful relationship between religion and political life. I have been assigned a graduate course on Global Issues and one of those issues is that of religion and public life. This is the course I will begin teaching soon and so I have yet to see how the students respond, but the material I am putting together will explore the ways in which religion and political life can peacefully relate.
I am hoping that this is in line with the expectations of both UIN and MCC. UIN is a relatively progressive Islamic institution and so I am hoping that in my class we can explore the issue of religion and politics, an issue that is particularly sensitive for Indonesians as well as Muslims. I am hoping that this also lives up to the expectations MCC had for me in creating my position. Because my position is such an unusual one, both for UIN and MCC, I am feeling my way through this.
So, I had the topic 'The Philosophy of Plato'. I decided to focus on the discussion of justice and politics in The Republic. I think my spiel went well but I had some interesting questions. One set of questions had to do with the relationship of my discussion to the politics in Indonesia. I try very hard not to make any direct connections, but only give material and tools for people to do their own reflections. There is a deep skepticism about politics here with the feeling being that it is too corrupt and that people who might be able to contribute something positive, like the some of the people here at UIN, are ignored. I tried to encourage them that being a positive example of political involvement can make a difference.
The second set of questions had to do with the relationship of philosophical reflection on justice and the teachings of Islam. Here I have to tread even more carefully. I make very clear that whatever I say, I say as a philosopher not a Christian, and that I am in no position to comment on Islamic thought. I simply present the material to the best of my ability and leave it up to the Islamic scholars to figure out if or how it connects.
For example, I presented Plato's argument that it is better to suffer injustice than to risk acting unjustly. I was told that in Islam there are times when it is permitted to kill and asked how this fit Plato's argument. I responded that, for Plato, there were very few if any conditions under which one could justly kill someone, and I gave his reasoning. This seemed to be an acceptable response though it was clear very few were buying it. I always try to be clear that I am not commenting on Islam but rather providing arguments for various positions.
The other question I had was how God fits into Plato's philosophy. This is a tricky one because I don't think God does fit in, or at least God as those of us in the Monotheistic traditions consider God. I therefore try to balance between giving an accurate account of Plato and making sure he isn't summarily dismissed. There is a stereotype among many Muslims that Western philosophy is atheistic and so I regularly get asked how God fits into the material I am teaching. I have the personal answer I give as a Christian, but I don't give that answer when I am teaching and I certainly don't give it when I am teaching here. As to the answer I give in my classes here, I tend to deflect it by pointing out that this isn't a theology class but a philosophy class and so I give a philosophical answer. The students are rarely satisfied because they want a theological answer. I am not sure I am satisfied either but at this point it is the safest answer as far as I can tell.
So, I had my forum on Plato and I think it went pretty well. I am hoping that with these sorts of events as well as through my teaching, I will be able to build enough of a reputation so that I can make some sort of difference. And I am hoping that this difference is of a kind that will satisfy UIN, MCC, and Mennonites back in N. America.
Phil
Sunday, March 23, 2008
MCC Team Retreat - Bali 03/08
We have just returned from an MCC retreat on the island of Bali. The goal of MCC retreats is to provide an opportunity for MCCers to get away from their assignments and build relationships with other MCCers that they might not otherwise see. In the case of MCC, there are people working in Papua, Java, and Aceh, places that are far from each other. Retreats usually have a guest speaker and in our case it was Lawrence and Shirley Yoder. Lawrence and Shirley have a long history of working in Indonesia with MCC and Lawrence has written two books on the Mennonite church in Indonesia.
We stayed in a nice hotel that caters primarily to backpackers. Our kids loved the pool and spent as much time in the pool as we allowed. While we adults were meeting, the kids had their own program. For the most part we stayed at the hotel though we did do some walking around Lovina. Two excursions were arranged, one to see dolphins and the other to see a Hindu temple set on an island in the middle of a lake, but we didn't go on either.
There was also a talent show night where Katie sang a song about peace. On our last evening there, the owners of the hotel brought in some Balinese dancers to entertain us. Katie says that the best part of the dancing was how the ladies used their eyes and face as part of the dancing. Another part of the show was two men dressed as monkeys who did a monkey dance. The children were encouraged to participate and enthusiastically chased the 'monkeys'.
A cold bug was going round the kids and Raina picked it up towards the end of the week. She is still coughing and has a fever.
We arrived early in Denpasar for our flight home so we spent a bit of time visiting Kuta Beach, the main tourist area in Bali. We didn't actually get to the beach, it was too hot, but spent our time eating lunch and walking around the shopping district.
We are back in Jogja where the rainy season lingers on. I am on a mid-term exam break and won't begin lecturing until the beginning of April. However, I have been asked to give a talk on Wednesday to a Philosophy/Theology club at the university. The invitation came just before we left for Bali so I am not quite prepared but hopefully I will have enough time over the next day or so to work something up.
Mia's birthday is also coming soon. As soon as she turns five, she can enter Kindergarten at school. Right now she goes to school Mon, Wed, and Friday in a pre-school program that is only half-day. This makes transportation very complicated. We car pool with another family who live near us. Having to make an extra trip to pick up Mia takes up a lot of my time. However, when she starts Kindergarten, she will join the schedule of the other kids. She loves school and is very much looking forward to going to school every day.
As for Katie, she now has braces. Her teeth have been coming in crooked and we wondered how it would work with our being in Indonesia. We were very fortunate to find an Indonesian orthodontist here in Jogja and Katie is now using a retainer. Hopefully in a year she will have train-tracks. The bonus is that it is much cheaper to have it done here.
Sara continues to grow. She spends her time at home playing with the helpers. She is still adjusting to all the changes and for example when we traveled to Bali, she clung to me most of the time. She is healthy and with no strangers around, she talks without stopping.
As for Lori, I will try and encourage her to write about herself. Her work responsibilities are not yet clearly defined and she continues to try and navigate the expectations people have for her. But I won't say anymore.
While we enjoyed the retreat, we also enjoy being home here in Jogja.
Phil
We stayed in a nice hotel that caters primarily to backpackers. Our kids loved the pool and spent as much time in the pool as we allowed. While we adults were meeting, the kids had their own program. For the most part we stayed at the hotel though we did do some walking around Lovina. Two excursions were arranged, one to see dolphins and the other to see a Hindu temple set on an island in the middle of a lake, but we didn't go on either.
There was also a talent show night where Katie sang a song about peace. On our last evening there, the owners of the hotel brought in some Balinese dancers to entertain us. Katie says that the best part of the dancing was how the ladies used their eyes and face as part of the dancing. Another part of the show was two men dressed as monkeys who did a monkey dance. The children were encouraged to participate and enthusiastically chased the 'monkeys'.
A cold bug was going round the kids and Raina picked it up towards the end of the week. She is still coughing and has a fever.
We arrived early in Denpasar for our flight home so we spent a bit of time visiting Kuta Beach, the main tourist area in Bali. We didn't actually get to the beach, it was too hot, but spent our time eating lunch and walking around the shopping district.
We are back in Jogja where the rainy season lingers on. I am on a mid-term exam break and won't begin lecturing until the beginning of April. However, I have been asked to give a talk on Wednesday to a Philosophy/Theology club at the university. The invitation came just before we left for Bali so I am not quite prepared but hopefully I will have enough time over the next day or so to work something up.
Mia's birthday is also coming soon. As soon as she turns five, she can enter Kindergarten at school. Right now she goes to school Mon, Wed, and Friday in a pre-school program that is only half-day. This makes transportation very complicated. We car pool with another family who live near us. Having to make an extra trip to pick up Mia takes up a lot of my time. However, when she starts Kindergarten, she will join the schedule of the other kids. She loves school and is very much looking forward to going to school every day.
As for Katie, she now has braces. Her teeth have been coming in crooked and we wondered how it would work with our being in Indonesia. We were very fortunate to find an Indonesian orthodontist here in Jogja and Katie is now using a retainer. Hopefully in a year she will have train-tracks. The bonus is that it is much cheaper to have it done here.
Sara continues to grow. She spends her time at home playing with the helpers. She is still adjusting to all the changes and for example when we traveled to Bali, she clung to me most of the time. She is healthy and with no strangers around, she talks without stopping.
As for Lori, I will try and encourage her to write about herself. Her work responsibilities are not yet clearly defined and she continues to try and navigate the expectations people have for her. But I won't say anymore.
While we enjoyed the retreat, we also enjoy being home here in Jogja.
Phil
Monday, February 25, 2008
Singapore
We had to leave Indonesia in order to renew our visas, so we traveled to Singapore. Unfortunately, the day we arrived was also the last day of the Singapore Air Show and so most of the hotels were full. We ended up in a seedy hotel in the red-light district. Walking to the subway was an experience in the middle of the afternoon so we made sure to use taxi when we returned in the evening. Fortunately, we were able to find a better hotel downtown for the next two nights. The hotel was very close to Orchard Rd., which is the famous shopping street of Singapore. Walking down Orchard Rd. was quite an experience, with mall beside mall. And most of the malls had large boutique stores such as Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Cartier, Prada, etc.
What we did appreciate were the book stores. I was able to buy a few books for my work at the university while Lori was able to buy books for Katie's school. Books are one of the main things that we miss here in Indonesia. My university's library is very limited and Katie's school's library is in pretty sad shape. It is very difficult to find English language books here and so any chance to buy books is important.
We had hoped to visit the zoo but circumstances conspired against us and it didn't work out. We got our visas and flew back to Indonesia this morning. Lori and I both agreed that it was nice to be home and it was even more interesting that we now feel that this is home.
What we did appreciate were the book stores. I was able to buy a few books for my work at the university while Lori was able to buy books for Katie's school. Books are one of the main things that we miss here in Indonesia. My university's library is very limited and Katie's school's library is in pretty sad shape. It is very difficult to find English language books here and so any chance to buy books is important.
We had hoped to visit the zoo but circumstances conspired against us and it didn't work out. We got our visas and flew back to Indonesia this morning. Lori and I both agreed that it was nice to be home and it was even more interesting that we now feel that this is home.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
My Walk to Work
Most days I walk to work. I try to be in my office every morning during weekdays and occasionally in the afternoon. I dislike walking to work in the afternoon since it is either too hot or raining. Walking to school takes me about 20 minutes, which is reasonable earlier in the morning but by noon can be a bit much. We have a car so I could drive but I enjoy the exercise as well as getting to know our neighbourhood.
My walk takes me through a small alley past Chorus, our local Mini-mart store. Apparently it also has a recording studio but I am not sure what that means. Following the alley, I come out on to Jalan Gejayan, one of the main North/South roads in Jogja. Crossing this, I walk down a small street that has a nice hotel, Pura Artha, on it. Occasionally we go to this hotel to swim in their pool.
At the end of the street, I turn down a smaller alley. I don't know the name of this street but I call it Jalan Kunci, or Key street. Half the street is taken up with small stalls where you can have keys cut. As far as I can tell, all the stalls offer identical services. This isn't unusual here in Indonesia. For example, it isn't unusual to find, grouped together, a dozen or so Nokia stores all selling the same Nokia products. My guess is that someone owns the land and, instead of having one big store, divided the property up into small units. Labour is very cheap so the owner employs a large number of young people who hopefully will lure in friends and acquaintances. If I didn't know someone, I am not sure how I would choose one store over another.
On Jalan Kunci, I also pass our local video store that sells pirated DVDs. It is very difficult to find legal DVDs in Indonesia, and in fact I am not sure whether any DVDs here are legal. When I am talking about legal, I am not talking about legal under Indonesian law, which is extremely generous when it comes to copying material, but legal in the sense of being a copy that was made according to the conditions originally fixed to the DVD. For example, some DVDs sold here are labeled as 'Original', but what this means is that someone copied it from a legal DVD. This would be opposed to those DVDs which come from digital recordings made by someone sitting in a movie theatre. We have a few of these and it is not uncommon to see people blocking the camera as they move about the theatre. The movies that I am reasonably certain are legal come in a VCD format. The disadvantage of this is that the format requires multiple discs for a single movie and there are no extra features. Also, the choice of movies available on VCD seems to be rather idiosyncratic so we rarely find movies we want on VCD. It used to bother me that we had pirated DVDs, but then I found that the store has a number X-Files seasons for sale, so now it doesn't bother me so much.
Following this alley to its end, I come out on Jalan Solo. It isn't actually called Jalan Solo but Indonesians have a very annoying habit of changing the name of a road every few blocks. Within a span of a few kilometers, this street has a half dozen names and I can't remember the names nor which parts of the road they name. It seems that a significant number of Indonesians have the same problem so roads will often have a name that won't show up on an official map but is the commonly known name. This street, for example, is the main highway between Yogyakarta and Solo so people will refer to it as Jalan Solo.
At first, crossing Jalan Solo was a bit intimidating. Jogja has a tremendous number of motorcycles. I am not sure if 'motorcycle' is quite right since they are more like scooters having no clutch. Here, these vehicles are called 'bebeks,' which is Indonesian for 'duck'. It seems that many vehicles here are referred to by animal names, so we drive a Zebra, friends of ours drive a Kijang (deer), and one can drive a Panther as well. However, a real motorcycle, that is one with a clutch, is a man's bike. What makes bebeks so popular is that they are relatively cheap so families will often have one or two around for quick trips or for kids in school. Since Jogja is a university town, the place is flooded with these bikes. And flood is an appropriate term. Motorcycles don't obey traffic laws so when one drives a car in Jogja one first watches for other cars, and then for bikes. The bikes move around cars like a wave moves around your legs at the beach. As long as one doesn't do anything sudden, the bikes will move around your vehicle without problem, adjusting to your movement. Driving in Jogja was quite intimidating at first because there are just so many bikes and they fill up any empty space on the road. But now I have gotten used to driving here, using the rule that if I have an accident with a bike, at least I won't be hurt. This isn't true if I am walking, so crossing was a bit of an adventure. However, now I have raised my risk tolerance and am relatively comfortable dodging bikes.
Universitas Islam Negeri is on Jalan Solo. The campus is made up almost entirely of new buildings. The campus itself is almost 50 years old but there was an earthquake recently that destroyed or severely damaged most of the buildings. The building my office is in is not quite finished but in use. The main construction project on campus is a new mosque. The old mosque was very well-known and a tremendous amount of effort was put into trying to save it, but the damage was too extensive and it was demolished. The new buildings are nice and many of the rooms, including my office, have air conditioning. However, the building where I teach my undergraduate course only has one classroom with air conditioning. Needless to say I will be trying to avoid teaching anymore undergraduate courses.
I try to walk as much as possible but I am not sure how long I will keep this up. With all the vehicles on the road, and people's apparent interest in contributing as much exhaust fumes as possible into the atmosphere, air quality is very poor. I have noticed that my lungs and throat are not as healthy as I would prefer. However, I usually enjoy the walk and the interesting bits of Indonesian life that I see.
Phil
My walk takes me through a small alley past Chorus, our local Mini-mart store. Apparently it also has a recording studio but I am not sure what that means. Following the alley, I come out on to Jalan Gejayan, one of the main North/South roads in Jogja. Crossing this, I walk down a small street that has a nice hotel, Pura Artha, on it. Occasionally we go to this hotel to swim in their pool.
At the end of the street, I turn down a smaller alley. I don't know the name of this street but I call it Jalan Kunci, or Key street. Half the street is taken up with small stalls where you can have keys cut. As far as I can tell, all the stalls offer identical services. This isn't unusual here in Indonesia. For example, it isn't unusual to find, grouped together, a dozen or so Nokia stores all selling the same Nokia products. My guess is that someone owns the land and, instead of having one big store, divided the property up into small units. Labour is very cheap so the owner employs a large number of young people who hopefully will lure in friends and acquaintances. If I didn't know someone, I am not sure how I would choose one store over another.
On Jalan Kunci, I also pass our local video store that sells pirated DVDs. It is very difficult to find legal DVDs in Indonesia, and in fact I am not sure whether any DVDs here are legal. When I am talking about legal, I am not talking about legal under Indonesian law, which is extremely generous when it comes to copying material, but legal in the sense of being a copy that was made according to the conditions originally fixed to the DVD. For example, some DVDs sold here are labeled as 'Original', but what this means is that someone copied it from a legal DVD. This would be opposed to those DVDs which come from digital recordings made by someone sitting in a movie theatre. We have a few of these and it is not uncommon to see people blocking the camera as they move about the theatre. The movies that I am reasonably certain are legal come in a VCD format. The disadvantage of this is that the format requires multiple discs for a single movie and there are no extra features. Also, the choice of movies available on VCD seems to be rather idiosyncratic so we rarely find movies we want on VCD. It used to bother me that we had pirated DVDs, but then I found that the store has a number X-Files seasons for sale, so now it doesn't bother me so much.
Following this alley to its end, I come out on Jalan Solo. It isn't actually called Jalan Solo but Indonesians have a very annoying habit of changing the name of a road every few blocks. Within a span of a few kilometers, this street has a half dozen names and I can't remember the names nor which parts of the road they name. It seems that a significant number of Indonesians have the same problem so roads will often have a name that won't show up on an official map but is the commonly known name. This street, for example, is the main highway between Yogyakarta and Solo so people will refer to it as Jalan Solo.
At first, crossing Jalan Solo was a bit intimidating. Jogja has a tremendous number of motorcycles. I am not sure if 'motorcycle' is quite right since they are more like scooters having no clutch. Here, these vehicles are called 'bebeks,' which is Indonesian for 'duck'. It seems that many vehicles here are referred to by animal names, so we drive a Zebra, friends of ours drive a Kijang (deer), and one can drive a Panther as well. However, a real motorcycle, that is one with a clutch, is a man's bike. What makes bebeks so popular is that they are relatively cheap so families will often have one or two around for quick trips or for kids in school. Since Jogja is a university town, the place is flooded with these bikes. And flood is an appropriate term. Motorcycles don't obey traffic laws so when one drives a car in Jogja one first watches for other cars, and then for bikes. The bikes move around cars like a wave moves around your legs at the beach. As long as one doesn't do anything sudden, the bikes will move around your vehicle without problem, adjusting to your movement. Driving in Jogja was quite intimidating at first because there are just so many bikes and they fill up any empty space on the road. But now I have gotten used to driving here, using the rule that if I have an accident with a bike, at least I won't be hurt. This isn't true if I am walking, so crossing was a bit of an adventure. However, now I have raised my risk tolerance and am relatively comfortable dodging bikes.
Universitas Islam Negeri is on Jalan Solo. The campus is made up almost entirely of new buildings. The campus itself is almost 50 years old but there was an earthquake recently that destroyed or severely damaged most of the buildings. The building my office is in is not quite finished but in use. The main construction project on campus is a new mosque. The old mosque was very well-known and a tremendous amount of effort was put into trying to save it, but the damage was too extensive and it was demolished. The new buildings are nice and many of the rooms, including my office, have air conditioning. However, the building where I teach my undergraduate course only has one classroom with air conditioning. Needless to say I will be trying to avoid teaching anymore undergraduate courses.
I try to walk as much as possible but I am not sure how long I will keep this up. With all the vehicles on the road, and people's apparent interest in contributing as much exhaust fumes as possible into the atmosphere, air quality is very poor. I have noticed that my lungs and throat are not as healthy as I would prefer. However, I usually enjoy the walk and the interesting bits of Indonesian life that I see.
Phil
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Life in Jogja
Well, we have arrived in Jogja. We moved on my birthday, perhaps not my first choice for things to do on my birthday. But the opportunity was there and we had to take it or wait till later in January.
Because the move was very sudden, the house was not exactly ready for us. Many of the screens on the windows were either damaged or simply gone so the house was a bit buggy. It took about two weeks to have the screens repaired and so during that time we were eaten alive by mosquitoes. We live beside a field with lots of garbage on it, so there are plenty of mosquitoes in the area. We have tried to clean up our backyard so at least in this area we can be outside without too much trouble.
Our house is very nice. It has quite a bit of open space so we can get a nice breeze going through. It also lets the kids play inside when it is raining. We have three bedrooms, storage room, smallish kitchen, an office, and a dining room/living room. Our washroom has both a bak, a traditional Indonesian water reservoir for bathing, as well as a shower with hot water. The house came with a water heater but it is only for the shower. The back yard is walled in. It isn't large but there is enough room for the kids to play. Because it was neglected for a while, we are still trying to fix it up. We also have a guest house that is not attached to the house. It has one large room and a washroom.
We haven't been communicating as much as we would have liked over the past month for several reasons. First, we spent a week in Bali. We spent five days in the north of Bali, at a hotel near Lovina. The beach there was a fishing beach and not really suited for swimming. However, the area was beautiful and not nearly as developed as around Denpasar in the south. Our hotel was right by the ocean with a nice Balinese restaurant by the beach. The pool was great and the kids made full use of it.
Speaking of the pool, the second reason why communication has been limited is that our camera went into the pool. Early in our stay at Lovina, we were coming back from supper when Sara fell into the pool. I jumped in after her and she was fine, but the camera went in with me. The camera has not recovered so I only have a few pictures from the very beginning of our trip and no pictures of our house. I had hoped to be able to repair the camera but the nearest service place is in Jakarta so I am afraid I will have to buy another camera.
Back to Bali, we decided to spend the last two nights in Sanur, near Denpasar. We were in a small hotel a few minutes walk from the beach. The beach was much nicer but the kids preferred the pool. Sanur/Denpasar is very developed for tourism and I didn't like it nearly as much as Lovina. However, others didn't share my opinion. Sanur has a very nice boardwalk along the beach with small shacks set up to sell tourist stuff. If one isn't firm enough, the sellers can be quite aggressive and annoying. Sanur/Denpasar is also more expensive and so we were almost paying Western prices for lodging and food. In the end, we had a very relaxing time and wonderful recovery from months of language study. We will be back to Bali in March for MCC team retreat.
We returned to Jogja and began to organize our life here. Katie is now attending Yogyakarta International School (YIS). YIS is much smaller than Mountainview in Salatiga, with all classes being combined. Katie's class is gr.3-5 combined with 16 students. The school uses an Australian curriculum and most of the students are children of business people. The school has a much lower profile than Mountainview. Mountainview is set up like a walled compound with multiple security gates for entry. YIS, on the other hand, is made up of several renovated houses, so that it is difficult to even recognize it as a school. Because it is an international school, there is security, but with a much lower profile than Mountainview. We aren't sure whether this makes YIS safer, but one thing in its favour is that there are much bigger more inviting targets than YIS. Mia started pre-school last week. We had thought of holding off till September, but it was obvious that she was ready for school. Both Katie and Mia are enjoying YIS and making friends there.
Lori's position was never clearly defined. However, she has decided to help Universitas Kristen Duta Wacana (Christian University Duta Wacana) with the administrative aspect of developing a Master's program in theology. Lori will be using many of the skills she developed at U. of Toronto and is excited by the prospect of working with faculty. UKDW is a small university with a peace program that MCC has been supporting.
I have just started teaching at Universitas Islam Negeri (State Islamic University). UIN is a large university that offers degrees in a variety of disciplines including the hard sciences, social sciences, as well as in Islamic law (Sharia). My appointment is in the graduate program, which is primarily oriented towards Islamic law, Islamic economics and philosophy. This semester I am teaching a doctoral course called Global Issues. A Muslim professor will teach the first half using an Islamic perspective, focusing on issues like globalization and human rights. I will teach the second half, starting in April, focusing on the relationship between religion and politics and society. I am also teaching in the undergraduate faculty of Islamic Theology, an Intro to Philosophy course. I am teaching this course with another professor, Dr. Fatima, who has her Ph.D. from an Australian university. We get along well and our first class was a wonderful experience. It was also obvious that my understanding of Indonesian needs improvement. Many of the students come from pesantrans, or Islamic boarding schools. I am very interested to find out how they respond to me and what I teach.
Finally, we just had internet access installed in our house. Our application had been in some mysterious process for three weeks, but it eventually happened. Hopefully Lori and Katie will be moved to contribute as well to this blog. I am also hoping to have a new camera soon so we can put up pictures of our new home and Yogyakarta, but for now I will post a few pictures from Bali.
Phil
Because the move was very sudden, the house was not exactly ready for us. Many of the screens on the windows were either damaged or simply gone so the house was a bit buggy. It took about two weeks to have the screens repaired and so during that time we were eaten alive by mosquitoes. We live beside a field with lots of garbage on it, so there are plenty of mosquitoes in the area. We have tried to clean up our backyard so at least in this area we can be outside without too much trouble.
Our house is very nice. It has quite a bit of open space so we can get a nice breeze going through. It also lets the kids play inside when it is raining. We have three bedrooms, storage room, smallish kitchen, an office, and a dining room/living room. Our washroom has both a bak, a traditional Indonesian water reservoir for bathing, as well as a shower with hot water. The house came with a water heater but it is only for the shower. The back yard is walled in. It isn't large but there is enough room for the kids to play. Because it was neglected for a while, we are still trying to fix it up. We also have a guest house that is not attached to the house. It has one large room and a washroom.
We haven't been communicating as much as we would have liked over the past month for several reasons. First, we spent a week in Bali. We spent five days in the north of Bali, at a hotel near Lovina. The beach there was a fishing beach and not really suited for swimming. However, the area was beautiful and not nearly as developed as around Denpasar in the south. Our hotel was right by the ocean with a nice Balinese restaurant by the beach. The pool was great and the kids made full use of it.
Speaking of the pool, the second reason why communication has been limited is that our camera went into the pool. Early in our stay at Lovina, we were coming back from supper when Sara fell into the pool. I jumped in after her and she was fine, but the camera went in with me. The camera has not recovered so I only have a few pictures from the very beginning of our trip and no pictures of our house. I had hoped to be able to repair the camera but the nearest service place is in Jakarta so I am afraid I will have to buy another camera.
Back to Bali, we decided to spend the last two nights in Sanur, near Denpasar. We were in a small hotel a few minutes walk from the beach. The beach was much nicer but the kids preferred the pool. Sanur/Denpasar is very developed for tourism and I didn't like it nearly as much as Lovina. However, others didn't share my opinion. Sanur has a very nice boardwalk along the beach with small shacks set up to sell tourist stuff. If one isn't firm enough, the sellers can be quite aggressive and annoying. Sanur/Denpasar is also more expensive and so we were almost paying Western prices for lodging and food. In the end, we had a very relaxing time and wonderful recovery from months of language study. We will be back to Bali in March for MCC team retreat.
We returned to Jogja and began to organize our life here. Katie is now attending Yogyakarta International School (YIS). YIS is much smaller than Mountainview in Salatiga, with all classes being combined. Katie's class is gr.3-5 combined with 16 students. The school uses an Australian curriculum and most of the students are children of business people. The school has a much lower profile than Mountainview. Mountainview is set up like a walled compound with multiple security gates for entry. YIS, on the other hand, is made up of several renovated houses, so that it is difficult to even recognize it as a school. Because it is an international school, there is security, but with a much lower profile than Mountainview. We aren't sure whether this makes YIS safer, but one thing in its favour is that there are much bigger more inviting targets than YIS. Mia started pre-school last week. We had thought of holding off till September, but it was obvious that she was ready for school. Both Katie and Mia are enjoying YIS and making friends there.
Lori's position was never clearly defined. However, she has decided to help Universitas Kristen Duta Wacana (Christian University Duta Wacana) with the administrative aspect of developing a Master's program in theology. Lori will be using many of the skills she developed at U. of Toronto and is excited by the prospect of working with faculty. UKDW is a small university with a peace program that MCC has been supporting.
I have just started teaching at Universitas Islam Negeri (State Islamic University). UIN is a large university that offers degrees in a variety of disciplines including the hard sciences, social sciences, as well as in Islamic law (Sharia). My appointment is in the graduate program, which is primarily oriented towards Islamic law, Islamic economics and philosophy. This semester I am teaching a doctoral course called Global Issues. A Muslim professor will teach the first half using an Islamic perspective, focusing on issues like globalization and human rights. I will teach the second half, starting in April, focusing on the relationship between religion and politics and society. I am also teaching in the undergraduate faculty of Islamic Theology, an Intro to Philosophy course. I am teaching this course with another professor, Dr. Fatima, who has her Ph.D. from an Australian university. We get along well and our first class was a wonderful experience. It was also obvious that my understanding of Indonesian needs improvement. Many of the students come from pesantrans, or Islamic boarding schools. I am very interested to find out how they respond to me and what I teach.
Finally, we just had internet access installed in our house. Our application had been in some mysterious process for three weeks, but it eventually happened. Hopefully Lori and Katie will be moved to contribute as well to this blog. I am also hoping to have a new camera soon so we can put up pictures of our new home and Yogyakarta, but for now I will post a few pictures from Bali.
Phil
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