Jenny’s Journies

Tuesday, 25 July 2006 @ 10:30am.

Recent Favorite Snack: emping (fried chips/crackers with a nutty flavor)

From The Jakarta Post:

“Jakartans told to duck under desks during quake” –> Apparently, I was not alone last week: “I thought it was my vertigo, since I suddenly felt sick and wanted to throw up. When I excused myself from the meeting, other participants said they felt the same. That was when I knew a quake had happened,” 40-year-old senior public relations officer Yudy Rizard told The Jakarta Post Tuesday.

“Experts criticize city spatial plan” –> I wish Jakarta had more green spaces!

Random Question: Why does each day seem slow, but months and years go by quickly?

Quote of the Day: “We learn and grow and are transformed not so much by what we do but by why and how we do it.” — Sharon Salzberg (O Magazine, The Power of Intention, January 2004)

Research Update: Alas, last Saturday’s focus group discussion was cancelled. Only one person showed up. Very confusing, especially given that the other focus groups went reasonably well. Looks like this coming weekend will be jam-packed!

Picture: Construction at the Boarding House

I think the construction may be completed soon. I could definitely do without hearing the hammering, pounding, sawing, etc. in the early mornings!

Thursday, 20 July 2006 @ 12:11pm.

As it turns out, earthquake tremors were felt in Jakarta yesterday late afternoon. I was busy at work and at some point felt a little sick to my stomach. I shook ever so slightly, but because I had been hard at work and hadn’t eaten in a while, I thought I was just “pusing” (dizzy). I continued working, even posting about the earthquake and tsunami that affected the southern coast of Java the other day, only to find out later that the office staff were surprised I was still at the office. We all had a good laugh about my confusion and if there’s another earthquake, folks now know to “cari Jenny” (look for Jenny). When I returned to the boarding house later in the evening, the family was watching the news, but said that they hadn’t felt a thing. I guess the shocks were felt stronger in other areas.

As a bit of background, the earthquake hit the Sunda Strait, 192 kilometers southwest of Jakarta. Today’s Jakarta Post says, “The Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG) said Wednesday’s earthquake measured 6.2 on the Richter scale.” The epicenter was 48 kilometers below sea level.

The bigger issue from yesterday evening was having to report a guy at the gym who was secretly taking pictures of people, especially women, with a handphone. I was furious! I went to the gym staff, but they initially seemed confused about what to do or say and actually took some time to figure out their gameplan. I don’t know if they found him and/or what happened in the end, but I sure hope he gets kicked out. That was just such disrespectful, sexist, and unsafe behavior!

And of course, on the way home it started to pour. It’s the dry season, but just my luck that it would rain that night!

Looking forward to a low-key day today…

Wednesday, 19 July 2006 @ 6:22pm.

Question of the day: Why can’t emergency information be relayed through the central government or scientists and the established local government leaders (e.g., neighborhood level RW and RT) and the vast system of mosques in Indonesia? There are mosques in virtually every area and there are usually megaphones for the call to prayer. Technically-speaking, couldn’t there be a coordinated system of handphones provided to or voluntarily supplied by local leaders who then they themselves or some other designated person communicate valuable information to the public over the megaphone system from the mosques? Hmmm… Is there a better, more efficient and effective, suggestion?

“Indonesia death toll passes 500″ (BBC)

“Tsunami death toll hits 341″ (The Jakarta Post)

“Experts their words after shock of Java tsunami” (The Jakarta Post)

Tuesday, 18 July 2006 @ 12:47pm.

An earthquake-triggered tsunami hit the southern coast of Java yesterday afternoon. Today’s Jakarta Post states, “A series of earthquakes, the strongest measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale — the U.S. Geological Survey put the quake at 7.2 — triggered a tsunami that reached as high as four meters along parts of the southern coast.” The towns of Pangandaran, Cilacap, and Kebumen, as well as Samas and Parangtritis beaches in Yogyakarta were especially affected. Pangandaran and the Yogya beaches in particular are popular with local tourists. I hope all of the families in those areas recover quickly and as well as possible.

“Dozens killed in Java tsunami” (The Jakarta Post)

“200 perish in Java quake, tsunami” (CNN)

“Java tsunami death toll increases” (BBC)

Saturday, 15 July 2006 @ 4:33pm.

The focus group discussion today was interesting, but unfortunately, it must be redone. I won’t get into details here, but essentially the participants didn’t match up on particular characteristics regarding their backgrounds or behaviors in the ways they should have. Looks like I’ll have to figure out what to do with the existing data and how to add a seventh group.

To get over the disappointment of today’s work, let me go on an unrelated tangent…

Last night, I rode on an ojek because the traffic was horrible in South Jakarta. It took me longer than usual to figure out who were ojek and who were not, however. Often there is a little sign posted and a group of men waiting around, but more and more one sees single drivers all over the place. There are currently no regulations regarding who can be an ojek, so anyone with a motorbike can essentially be for hire. Some ojek are responsible, i.e., they have licenses, drive carefully, and have helmets for themselves and passengers. For example, the ojek driver from yesterday provided a helmet (although it was pretty flimsy plastic!), drove relatively slowly, and made sure to slow down before any speed bumps. He appeared to be quite cautious and we didn’t squeeze through other motorbikes and cars as I’ve done before with other ojek drivers. He even raised his voice at a couple of young men who happened to bump the bike a little while we were waiting for a train to pass by on the tracks.

Read about ojek in Jakarta and concerns from the Organization of Land Transportation Owners (ORGANDA) here.

I took this picture some time ago, but I thought I’d post it since it’s an artsy version of an ojek stop:

Friday, 14 July 2006 @ 1:05pm.

Though this has been a slow week so far in terms of “adventures,” I’m getting quite a bit done work-wise. I’m presently prepping for another focus group discussion tomorrow.

The following are some relevant quotes regarding my work:

FIELDWORK IN GENERAL: “Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

–> While I won’t forget the mistakes or strange occurrences (partly so I can avoid them), I try not to carry them around with me as dead weight.

CHALLENGES IN GETTING FROM POINT A TO POINT B: “Remember when life’s path is steep to keep your mind even.” — Horace (Roman lyric poet & satirist, 65 BC - 8 BC)

INTERVIEWS: “I love quotations because it is a joy to find thoughts one might have, beautifully expressed with much authority by someone recognized wiser than oneself.” — Marlene Dietrich (German movie actress, 1901 - 1992)

GETTING WORK DONE: “Biar lambat asal selamat” (”although late, it will be safe;” akin to “better safe than sorry” and “slowly, but surely”).

Wednesday, 12 July 2006 @ 3:58pm.

Making the news…

“Female students ordered to keep covered”: Young girls are told to wear long skirts to school in Makassar, South Sulawesi. This is another example of the “moral battles” occurring across the archipelago.

“Legislators blame Juwono for slow TNI reform”: This article talks about concerns over slow reforms for the Indonesian military.

“Citizenship law hailed by legislators, leaves others wanting more”: Read about some progress regarding citizenship status for particular groups in Indonesia.

“Law provides more inclusive definition of being Indonesian”: This article provides more details about the aforementioned citizenship laws.

“Mudflow victims making dirt-cheap bricks from the sludge”: After a gas well leak caused terrible mudflows in Sidoarjo, East Java, some entrepreneurs are trying to turn the mud into building material.

Monday, 10 July 2006 @ 6:23pm.

Last Saturday, there was a huge parade in Central Jakarta for Jakarta’s 479th birthday. Birthday celebrations have been going on for almost a month now actually, but usually the festivities are in North Jakarta, so it was a nice surprise to see the evening parade the other day. Here are some pictures:

This is the Garuda float:

Garuda is a mythical bird or bird-like creature that comes from Hindu mythology and is part of old Indonesian epic stories. Garuda is the legendary mount of Vishnu, a Hindu god. Garuda is an important, powerful symbol in Indonesia. It is on the Indonesian coat of arms for example. The national airline is also called “Garuda.”

The following float is sponsored by Indofood:

Indofood is a popular company in Indonesia. It is most well-known for its instant noodles. In February 2005, Indofood entered the Guinness World Records for “The Largest Packet of Instant Noodles” and also broke the record for “The Largest Serving of Noodles.” The latter involved cooking 30,000 packets of instant noodles.

Instant noodles are hugely popular here. They come in many different flavors - spicy, curry, shrimp, chicken, beef, special local flavors, etc. - and often come with several packets of seasoning, sweet soy sauce or oil, crunchy fried onion bits, and the like. Unfortunately, such food is not very healthy! Perhaps it’s not so bad, though, if you eat the noodles from a local vendor, who usually adds a boiled egg or chicken and some green vegetables… As a sidenote, would you believe there is a blog devoted to instant noodles?!? Click here to see it.

This picture is of a fancy float in the shape of a shrimp:

Shrimp is another popular food in Indonesia, though it’s much more common the closer one is to the ocean of course. There’s the shrimp one eats if it’s grilled, fried, or boiled, but there’s also shrimp paste and shrimp flavorings for different dishes and snacks (e.g., “krupuk” [shrimp-flavored crackers]).

Saturday, 08 July 2006 @ 4:55pm.

“I keep the subject of my inquiry constantly before me, and wait till the first dawning opens gradually, by little and little, into a full and clear light.” — Isaac Newton (English mathematician & physicist, 1642 - 1727)

I just finished the third focus group today. It was a larger group than expected - 13 participants(!?!) - and very interesting. Others commented that of course the women’s group would be larger and active: women are more “rajin” (diligent) apparently. The Muslim women came from a variety of backgrounds and were quite open with their opinions. I think my research will really benefit from the information they provided.

There are three focus group discussions remaining for this month. I hope they go as smoothly as possible.

Other than that, I am busy with other work-related tasks: interviewing, reading, note-taking, and improving my bahasa Indonesia slowly but surely.

05 July 2006 @ 6:23pm.

First, Happy 4th of July in the U.S.!

Third, here are some Indonesian proverbs (for a longer list, click here):

* “Ada gula ada semut.” (Where there is sugar, there are ants.)
Meaning: People tend to be attracted to what benefits them the most. –> This is one of the first ones I learned some time ago.

* “Bermain air basah, bermain api hangus.” (Playing with water, wet; playing with fire, burned.)
Meaning: Every action has its consequences.

* “Gajah mati meninggalkan gadingnya, macan mati meninggalkan belangnya, manusia mati meninggalkan namanya.” (An elephant that dies leaves its tusk, a tiger that dies leaves its stripes, a person who dies leaves his/her name.)
Meaning: Someone will be remembered by his/her accolades.

* “Ingin hati memeluk gunung, apa daya tangan tak sampai.” (The will of the heart is to hug the mountain, but the arm is not long enough.)
Meaning: This often refers to a person who does not have enough resources to do/accomplish his goal/wish.

* “Malu bertanya, sesat di jalan.” (Being embarrassed to ask will result in getting lost on the street.)
Meaning: Asking questions is the only way to learn.