Jenny’s Journies

Friday, 30 June 2006 @ 6:56pm.

“What did you learn in your readings today?” asked Master Halcolm.

“We learned that a journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step,” replied the learners.

“Ah, yes, the importance of beginnings,” smiled Halcolm.

“Yet, I am puzzled,” said a learner. “Yesterday I read that there are a thousand beginnings for every ending.”

“Ah, yes, the importance of seeing a thing through to the end,” affirmed Halcolm.

“But which is more important, to begin or end?”

“Two great self-deceptions are asserted by the world’s self-congratulators: that the hardest and most important step is the first and that the greatest and most resplendent step is the last. While every journey must have a first and last step, my experience is that what ultimately determines the nature and enduring value of the journey are the steps in between. Each step has its own value and importance. Be present for the whole journey, learners that you are. Be present for the whole journey.” — Halcolm

(Source: Patton, Michael Quinn. Qualitative Research & Evaluation Methods (3rd Edition). Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, 2002, page 317. I highly recommend this book for those doing fieldwork whether in the U.S. or abroad.)

Thursday, 29 June 2006 @ 1:20pm.

“Poisonous chameleon snake discovered”: Did you know that 361 animal and plant species have been discovered in Borneo since 1996? What diversity!

“Religious platforms no sure bet at the polls”: Some interesting findings from the Electoral Education Network for People (JPPR).

“Police going online in search for pedophiles”: Indonesia is the first country in Asia to use the Child Exploitation Tracking System (CETS), a software system that combats the exploitation of children on the internet around the world.

“VP moots using women in Arab tourism push”: Ahhhh…the things that political leaders can say…

* For internet links to various Indonesian news sources (e.g., major newspapers), please click here. This link also provides province-specific news sites.

Wednesday, 28 June 2006 @ 11:50am.

Apparently, I blinked and five months have already passed! I’m trying to kick my research into high gear now. Wish me luck!

Monday, 26 June 2006 @ 3:03pm.

Everyone who knows me knows that I am a chocolate-lover. Some call it a weakness, but I don’t mind. My mother insists that this is completely natural for me since she was very fond of a particular Filipino dish - chocolate rice - during her pregnancy with me. She also says that the little birthmark on my left temple is a “chocolate mark.” I don’t need to have chocolate everyday. It’s more like I have a special appreciation of good chocolate when I encounter it. Some nice memories include:

* Hot chocolate with whipped cream at a diner in Oxnard, California when I was in the second or third grade.
* Chocolate silk pie at the Acrop (Acropolis Diner) in good ol’ Po-Town (Poughkeepsie), New York when I was a student at Vassar College.
* Chocolate-chocolate ice cream at Washtenaw Dairy (Washtenaw Milk & Ice Cream) in Ann Arbor, Michigan last year.
* Flourless chocolate torte at an Italian restaurant in Denver, Colorado last October.
* “Peace Corps” recipe brownies at a friend’s potluck in South Jakarta earlier this year.
* Dark chocolate torte (real Belgium chocolate!) and basil ice cream at Koi Restaurant in South Jakarta also earlier this year.
* Chocolate brownie ice cream dessert, which I think is called “Chocolate Heaven,” at the Hyatt in Central Jakarta earlier this month.

Growing up, the two best chocolate desserts were definitely my mother’s chocolate rice and my grandmother’s peanut butter cookies with chocolate kisses on top. Both recipes have been passed down through the generations and some of my earliest cooking memories are of me helping make these desserts.

While I am fond of chocolate, I do have great interest in and appreciation for non-chocolate desserts. First on my list is fresh fruit, of course! But putting that temporarily aside, I really like cheesecake. New York cheesecake is by far the best I’ve had. You know it’s going to be good when it comes served on its side. I also like icecream, especially if it’s strawberry, mango, or pumpkin pie flavor. The icecream is top-notch when it has pieces of real fruit in the case of strawberry or mango and chunks of pie for the pumpkin pie flavor. I also know a good rice pudding when I taste one and cinnamon dusted on top is a must. I love Chinese red bean buns (the wedding food kind) and Hong Kong bor-lor-bao (”pineapple” bun/baked roll). The latter isn’t made from pineapples, but rather the top of the bun looks like the surface of a pineapple. Then there’s the wonderfully simple and oh-so-tasty Chinese sugar donuts. Yummy! Oh, and who can forget Filipino coconut sweet rice? That’s a baked, sticky concoction made from glutinous rice, coconut milk, and sugar. I enjoy Mexican apple empanadas, too. When I was a child, this was a must-have on trips to swapmeets in Southern California. Finally, I really like fried bananas and pisang molen (another version of fried or baked bananas).

Cooks who know Indonesian can check out the following blog:
Resep: Joy of Cooking

Even if you don’t know Indonesian, you may want to check out the site to see the food pictures. My favorite section is under “Makanan Kecil” (literally “small food,” meaning “snacks”). There you can find pictures of jajanan pasar (market snacks) and kue tradisional (traditional cakes and cookies). I like Bika Ambon in particular.

Sunday, 25 June 2006 @ 5:54pm. FGD #2 completed. Today we had 6 participants. Though one had to leave early, it was still a really good discussion. I like the focus group discussion method because it allows for participants to give opinions in a social context. The participants get to consider their opinions in light of other opinions. They can build on or change their comments after hearing what others say. The group context allows for support and dissent in a comfortable environment as well. Like any research method, there are cons, of course, but overall, I think I am getting some good information.

Yesterday, I heard that there might be a huge gathering of NU (Muslim organization) supporters at the Monumen Nasional (National Monument) or Monas for short. I went there and saw lots of families relaxing and having fun, but I don’t know if they were from NU or not. There were no other organized activities beyond a few soccer games and a rollerblading club. Perhaps I either went at the wrong time or NU met in a different part of the large park complex. My favorite part of the walk was seeing tons of children flying inexpensive, little kites. I had to watch out, though, because the children were everywhere and not all of them could manage the kites well. Too cute!

I snapped a few pictures while I was walking around. Here is one of Monas itself:

The obelisk/torch is said to be around 137 meters tall and the top flames are covered in 35 kilograms of gold. Construction began in 1962, I think, by President Sukarno, but it wasn’t finished until 1975 under President Suharto. There is a museum on the bottom floor and a viewing center at the top, but I haven’t visited yet.

The following is a picture of a decorated horse-drawn carriage, of which there are many to choose from, that families can ride in around the Monas complex:

Here are kids playing soccer near Monas:

On my walk back, I saw this statue across from Monas:

Finally, in the spirit of acronyms, which Indonesians love to use, here are few others that might be of interest:

BPS - Biro Pusat Statistik (Central Bureau of Statistics)

DPR - Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat (Legislative Assembly/House of Representatives)

KKN - (1) Korupsi, Kolusi, dan Nepotisme (corruption, collusion, and nepotism), and it can mean (2) Students’ mandatory “volunteer” work in the countryside during their university years

KTP - Kartu Tanda Penduduk (Indonesian identity card)

S-1 / S-2 / S-3 - Stratum 1, 2, and 3 (undergraduate, master’s, and doctorate programs)

SRSS - “sudah rusak sebelum selesai” (”already broken before it’s finished”), e.g., construction project

UUD - Undang-Undang Dasar (government laws), but it is jokingly used as Ujung-Ujungnya Duit (”in the end, it’s money that matters”)

Friday, 23 June 2006 @ 4:16pm.

The lyrics below are from one of my recent favorite artists. It is quite applicable to my experiences in Indonesia so far.

“Just A Ride” by Jem

Life, it’s ever so strange
It’s so full of change
Think that you’ve worked it out
Then BANG
Right out of the blue
Something happens to you
To throw you off course
And then you

Breakdown
Yeah you breakdown
Well don’t you breakdown
Listen to me
Because

It’s just a ride, it’s just a ride
No need to run, no need to hide
It’ll take you round and round
Sometimes you’re up
Sometimes you’re down
It’s just a ride, it’s just a ride
Don’t be scared
Don’t hide your eyes
It may feel so real inside
But don’t forget it’s just a ride

Truth, we don’t wanna hear
It’s too much to take
Don’t like to feel out of control
So we make our plans
Ten times a day
And when they don’t go
Our way we

Breakdown
Yeah we breakdown
Well don’t you breakdown
Listen to me
Because

It’s just a ride, it’s just a ride
No need to run, no need to hide
It’ll take you round and round
Sometimes you’re up
Sometimes you’re down
It’s just a ride, it’s just a ride
Don’t be scared
Don’t hide your eyes
It may feel so real inside
But don’t forget it’s just a ride

Slowly, oh so very slowly
Accept that
There’s no getting off
So live it, just gotta go with it
Coz this ride’s, never gonna stop

Breakdown
Don’t you breakdown
No need to breakdown
No need at all
Because

It’s just a ride, it’s just a ride
No need to run, no need to hide
It’ll take you all around
Sometimes you’re up
Sometimes you’re down
It’s just a ride, it’s just a ride
Don’t be scared now
Dry your eyes
It may feel so real inside
But don’t forget enjoy the ride

(from http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/jem/justaride.html)

Tuesday, 20 June 2006 @ 6:48pm.

“The only thing constant in the world is change. That’s why today I take life as it comes.” — India Arie in “Growth”

This is probably the main lesson I’ve learned (repeatedly) here in Indonesia. I already knew it to be true back in the U.S., but here I feel it even more.

Tuesday, 20 June 2006 @ 1:48pm.

I had my first focus group discussion (FGD) on Saturday (17 June 2006). Though in the end only four people attended (despite confirmation from eight), it was still a quality discussion. My assistant/moderator and I have learned from a couple of mistakes and hopefully things will go smoother with the next FGD. For example, we have to better strategize with regards to jam karet (rubber time) so that we can start and finish at the “right” times. Specifically, it can be hard to know if you say meet at noon, whether people will come promptly at noon or if they will be late 30 minutes to 1.5 hours.

Yesterday there was a power outage from 10am to 1pm in my neighborhood. Let’s just say I wasn’t able to get much done.

Because I felt a cold coming on last weekend, I took two packets of jamu (traditional medicine) the first day, two packets of the komplit (complete) version the next day, and the third morning took another regular packet. The komplit version had several packets: mixes for tolak angin (”push away the wind,” i.e., fight the cold), ginger tea, ginsing pills, honey, and another ginger-like substance. It was some of the worst tasting stuff I have ever encountered. I can’t describe the taste, but trust me, it was bad. Perhaps people just get used to the taste? I don’t know if it was the placebo effect (e.g., “If it tastes this bad, it must be good for me.”) or if the herbs really did their thing, but I don’t think my cold symptoms were as bad at they might have been had I not taken the medicine. For instance, I didn’t have a terrible stuffy nose, headache, fever, etc. - more like very low-grade versions instead. I decided to try the jamu this time since I needed something to work fast and get me through the focus group discussion in particular. I have tried cold/flu medicine here before, but it usually made me tired or wasn’t fast enough, whereas I had heard through the grapevine that jamu would be much better and healthier.

Friday, 16 June 2006 @ 5:19pm.

RECENT LIKES:

* Little kittens at my boarding house (hope these street cats will be healthy)
* T-shirts on passersby: “Have faith” and “Eat vegetables”
* Email function on the Picasa2 photography software program
* The word “asyik,” which means “passionate,” “to be infatuated,” “busy,” “occupied,” “absorbed,” or “eager.”
* Post-it Notes
* Folders
* Buttered toast
* Stewed nangka (jackfruit) in coconut milk
* Plenty of books to read

RECENT (OR PERPETUAL) DISLIKES:

* Certain bus stops that smell heavily of urine
* Smoke-belching pollution-causing buses
* Spit in so many places on pathways
* Missed opportunities!
* Limited ATM withdrawal amounts
* Bad television reception or no reception at all
* Loud, early-morning construction outside my boarding house room
* Feeling run-down mentally and physically
* Plenty of books to read (not enough time or not enough motivation)

Wednesday, 14 June 2006 @ 2:40pm.

Here is a random assortment of photographs that should have been included in earlier posts, but alas, my computer was getting fixed at the time in the U.S.

This is the PKS “One Man, One Dollar” Campaign/Demonstration (07 May 2006):

A culinary adventure at Pulau Sepa (13 May 2006):

One of the docks at Pulau Sepa (13 May 2006):

This is a picture of friends at Julie’s farewell lunch at Bakerzin in Plaza Senayan (20 May 2006):

Here is the fancy Plaza Senayan on a crowded day (20 May 2006):

Birthday Bash at Batula (03 June 2006):

Regarding a question or two about Batula, here is a short review:

Batula is located at Jl. Adityawarman 41 (near Pasaraya Blok M and behind the PLN building) in South Jakarta. There are two floors. The first floor has three sections: one area with plenty of tables, which serves as the restaurant part; another section that has a stage and tables in the front, as well as a bar nearby; and the third section is the open kitchen, which also happens to have a couple of small foosball tables (i.e., not the standard, large American kind) close by. The second floor has a larger bar, a comfy lounge area with couches, one large pool table, and its windows look out onto the first floor stage area. There is a chalkboard near the pool table to put your name on the waitlist if there are other people playing. The staff are very friendly and one of the waitresses was quite funny, too. For example, when trying to convince a friend to buy a Corona, she said, “You can even take the bottle home.” I think she was implying it could be a souvenir. When we were there, a band played blues and rock for an hour or two. They were surprisingly good. It wasn’t too loud, so we could all still carry on our conversations. Later in the evening, a DJ started playing dance/techno music. This music was a bit louder than the band. I liked the overall atmosphere, especially since there was no pressure to drink if folks didn’t want to drink. Staff suggested fruit drinks or dessert instead. For those who are cost-conscious, prices in general started around Rp. 30,000 for food and drinks. A tab can add up pretty quickly, but the music, pool, and company may balance it out. Finally, the particular Saturday that we went was relatively quiet (meaning there were not a ton of people present), perhaps because Batula is still new. Therefore, I recommend that you go with one or more friends.