03 February 2006 @ 2:47pm. I went to the governor’s office today to “report.” I must return on Monday for another letter. One of the staff there remembered me from last summer, which was nice. She was actually chatty this time around. :) I also went to another government office in West Jakarta, which was an unexpected addition to the list of offices I have to visit. Apparently, I have to report at the West Jakarta office, get a letter, and then give copies to the local Pak RT (local-level official) and Kelurahan (another local-level official). I hope to do those things on Wednesday next week. Today I remembered my handkerchief, but my eyes hurt. People don’t usually wear sunglasses here, though. There are bike helmets with plastic fronts, which I sometimes get to use. Traffic was bad today, but not surprising. We drove on sidewalks today to avoid some of the traffic, which was a little fun. :) We also drove on some side streets, which were amazing. There were gigantic fancy houses on some of the streets and lines of palm trees, which made me think of scenes out of Hollywood movies. I asked who lived there, and the response was “officials.” Apparently, it pays to be in government.

My health and well-being seem to be intact for the most part. I finally found a gym, and for once, I was really excited to see a treadmill! There aren’t any parks to walk around or lots of walkable neighborhoods, so I have to exercise indoors. Food hasn’t been a problem. The heat can get to me in the afternoon, though. It’s not even the dry season yet! Mosquitos aren’t as rampant as when I lived in Yogyakarta, but still annoying. Perhaps they are more annoying lately for psychological reasons — a friend recently got dengue fever (low-grade version, but still serious) and so of course, the idea of getting sick from a bite is in the back of my mind. Supposedly, the day mosquitos are the carriers of dengue and the night mosquitos are the carriers of malaria (or is it vice-versa?). In any case, they’re bad news. I’m trying to stay really healthy to counteract any potential sickness.

As for my mental state, I’m pretty happy. I have a good support network here, especially at the Freedom Institute. I am still getting used to some of the “catcalls” from people on the street or comments said under someone’s breath, but sometimes it can be really hard. For example, I was fingerprinted at the police department the other day and was told by the fingerprinter that I was “very beautiful.” I said thank you, but wondered if he would have said that to all the women coming into the office or if there was a sense of exoticism present. In certain places I “pass” as Indonesian or mixed with Indonesian and in other places I stand out. A friend told me that Americans don’t just look different, we walk differently, too. :) Occasionally people attempt to speak Spanish or Italian to me. In general, when people find out that I am indeed mixed, but with American and Filipino, they smile and think it’s really cool or interesting. The exchanges I’ve had about my hair, skin, and body have been numerous. There are almost no boundaries. While I don’t mind most of the time, it can be wearisome, especially on a “bad day.” Just trying to keep things in stride for now…