Sunday, 26 March 2006. Yesterday was very nice. I went to a friend’s house in South Jakarta for a BBQ/potluck. I met some new people and had great conversations. We also watched a silly movie: “Old School.” It wasn’t a great movie, but sometimes you need to hear “Americanisms.” My friend has a large VCD collection, so I borrowed a few to watch later this week. VCDs are really popular here and widely available. The originals are quite good, but the pirated copies can be hit or miss. Prices are pretty reasonable for foreign and domestic films, too.
This morning I went to a demonstration. The demonstrators gathered at the roundabout near Plaza Indonesia, which is a popular place to have demos/protests. They were in support of the anti-pornography and pornographic action law. I didn’t stay for very long, though. I heard part of one speech, but then left. I felt like I stood out like a sore thumb in part because I was the only woman not wearing Muslim attire. I also didn’t have an assistant or friend with me, and it is usually easier to have a male present as a go-between, representative, and/or “protector.” I basically didn’t want my personal security or respectability to be called into question. In any case, I snapped a couple of pictures:
This banner is a call to legalize the anti-porn bill now.
This is a picture of the demonstration from a distance. I took the photo from a nearby pedestrian bridge.
Finally, here are some random notes:
1) Just when you are feeling down, life can present you with something of beauty: I saw two butterflies - one black and turquoise blue, the other black and yellow - that each had wings larger than my hands. They flew past me in downtown Jakarta. Who would have thought nature like that lived so close by?
2) While there are some very serious and negative things that can come along with “globalization,” I can’t help but appreciate that Starbucks is in town and sells decent cheesecake, Washington apples are sold in supermarkets, and American t.v. shows often air here.
3) My bathroom now has new tiles, but they aren’t level, so water sometimes spills out into the rest of my room.
4) The more I learn about Indonesian politics, the more I realize I don’t know anything… but this is probably true for most things, right?
5) Making friends here is really, really, really hard. Someone actually told me that it’s not just difficult for foreigners; it’s hard for Western-educated Indonesians to make friends here as well. I have been told and have personally experienced that it is relatively easy to make acquaintances and network, but deep, close friendships are rare. This makes me sad.
