Jenny’s Journies

Wednesday, 30 August 2006 @ 3:43pm.

I’m in Yogyakarta now and having a good time. Unfortunately, all of my interviews so far have fallen through (e.g., they are either out of town or ill, and one person actually passed away a couple of weeks ago if you can believe it), but I am still getting a lot of work done at the Center for Religious and Cross-Cultural Studies (CRCS), which is part of the graduate program at Gadjah Mada University (UGM). They have a wonderful library on all things religion, so I’m finding a ton of texts related to my research project.

The best part about Yogyakarta is the people. I occasionally feel the need to pinch myself because most folks are polite, respectful, helpful, etc. In the four days I’ve been in town, I’ve only had three becak (three-wheeled covered bicycles) drivers call out to me, but nothing vulgar, just asking if I needed a ride. One did say “Halo Sayang” (”Hello Dear”), but I’ll take that over the bad stuff any day. The staff at CRCS are fabulous and even the poor photocopy guy who I have requested a million copies from still smiles each time I see him! As a side note, the only pitfall is that the CRCS library does not have a card catalog system, so I am just combing through the titles and table of contents to see what is relevant to my work. There is a general database on one computer, but a library staff person must be told the specific title to find something, so it’s not that useful for someone like me who doesn’t yet know the titles or authors’ names.

I’m also eating really well. The food here is good quality for a good price. For example, I ate at a little place called Cafe Ikan (Fish Cafe) on Jl. Yohanes last night for dinner and had very tasty, fresh bawal bakar (kind of grilled fish), cah kangkung (green veggies), lalap (dish of raw veggies and spicy sauce), rice, and jus mangga (mango juice) for the wonderful price of Rp. 15.000 (2-3 dollars). What a deal compared to Jakarta prices!

Yogyakarta, or Yogya (aka Jogja) for short, is much like how it was in 2004 when I visited briefly and in 2002 before I left after my stint as a volunteer teacher. There are a lot of the same small shops, motorbike traffic, and loud calls to prayer from the local mosques. There is a huge new mall, though, taking the place of the old Ambarrukmo Hotel, wider streets in certain areas, a different bus route, what appears to be fewer becaks and many more motorbikes, new or continuing construction projects, more KFCs (spicy chicken and rice anyone?), and I even passed by a pet store with various animals. The latter surprised me a bit because I heard dogs barking, noticed a golden retriever, and actually saw a man blowdrying a long-haired cat much to the cat’s displeasure (yeah, I did a double-take). While Yogya has its pluses, I must complain about the air pollution in the city. The buses seem to be spewing out even more and worse toxins. I have yet to see the amazing Mt. Merapi (low visibility because of cloud cover this time of year, but also because of pollution). The pollution hasn’t totally driven out the wildlife, though, as I have seen beautiful, large birds still nesting in the tall trees at the UGM campus.

I am staying at Wisma MM, a dormitory/hotel for students and visitors of UGM. It is a nice building and has good facilities (e.g., great beds, AC, breakfast included, clean bathrooms). The last time I saw the building was a few years back and it was only cement columns at the time. The only two complaints I have are (1) the walls can be thin so I can hear young people or families late at night or in the early morning, and (2) a mosque and its very loud speakers are next door so the calls to prayer are louder than usual, perhaps even more so because the caller is particularly energetic or spirited. I still recommend the place for other researchers and visitors, however.

Wednesday, 23 August 2006 @ 4:05pm.

Research:

I am in the process of planning my research trip to Yogyakarta (Central Java). Lining up interviews takes time and one never knows if they’ll actually happen, even after confirmations ahead of time. Since I will be gone next week, I may or may not get the chance to post news, but I’ll be sure to write after returning to Jakarta.

My focus groups are finished (yeah!), but I have yet to receive all of the transcripts. Once I get them, I’ll start organizing and processing the data.

I am now reading a book called “Write Your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes a Day” by Joan Bolker. The book is mainly about the psychology behind getting a dissertation done and it has useful advice for graduate students. I recommend it.

Random Personal Stuff:

* I did a crazy thing last night and entered myself into an indoor triathalon competition at my gym. It’s on Saturday, supposedly from 8am to 4pm, and will involve the treadmill, cross-trainer, and cycling. This being Indonesia or Jakarta or something else, I couldn’t find out the competition rules ahead of time. I will be told what’s what when I arrive. Hmmm… I wonder if it’s about fast times, endurance, or some combination of the two? I also asked if there were separate men and women’s contests, but again was told I would find out on Saturday. I was informed, though, that I didn’t have to finish if I got too tired AND not to worry because nothing would be a surprise. Okay… Good to know.

* I have been enjoying American cereal since last week. My family was nice enough to bring me some cereal since it’s cheaper in the States than here. It may sound silly, but there’s nothing quite like Frosted Mini-Wheats, even if it’s the generic brand!

* I’m learning more Indonesian slang. The linked site contains some sexual slang and swear words, so readers beware. My favorite words as of late are…

Banget means “very,” as in “bagus banget” (very good!). Its formal form is “sangat” or “amat.”

Gitu loh! is an exclamation phrase that is used for emphasis at the end of a sentence or it can mean “That’s it!” (e.g., “So what, gitu loh!”).

ABG (Anak Baru Gede) refers to teenagers between 12 and 17 years old. I’ve heard it in reference to kids who frequently hang out at malls.

Monday, 21 August 2006 @ 3:16pm.

It’s been a long holiday weekend for Indonesians. August 17th is Indonesia’s Independence Day. For a list of what generally happens, visit the site linked here.

One can see lots of red and white flags, bunting, and decorations throughout Jakarta now. Signs with “Dirgahayu RI (Long live Indonesia!)” are around as well. The following picture is one example of patriotism near where I work:

The streets look a lot cleaner, too, since neighborhood associations often organize kerja bakti (clean up of the local area).

I watched the flag ceremony at the National Palace live on television and heard the “Declaration of Independence.” To learn a little more about the Indonesian Declaration of Independence, click here. Though it’s only a couple of sentences, it was a big statement for the country and its people.

To read the President’s “State of the Nation Address,” click here.

Though Independence Day is usually a festive occasion, read this article regarding how sadness has shrouded the holiday this year.

Wednesday, 16 August 2006 @ 11:41am.

I have not been able to email or blog for a couple of weeks since I was traveling with family. I did squeeze in some time for interviews and focus groups, though, as the research must go on.

Here are some highlights:

BOGOR (a couple of hours by train outside of Jakarta)

I took a lot of pictures of the different orchids and other flowers at the Bogor Botanical Gardens, but this is one of my favorites because it is so unusual:

We took an angkot (public opelet/minibus) to see the Batu Tulis (Written Stone), which is said to have mystical meaning and power. We almost missed the place because there were no large signs and the stone is in a very small building. Unfortunately, there are no placards or information sheets, so we didn’t get a good sense of the stone’s history. We also saw a family lunching in front of the stone, which apparently was not considered disrespectful:

JAKARTA:

Here is a picture of the inside of Senayan City, a new mall/business building/apartment complex. A lot of the spaces are still unoccupied or reserved. The AC was on full blast, so it was pretty chilly walking around:

We went to Senayan City specifically because we had heard of J.Co Donuts. There are some cool frosting flavors like green tea, chocolate banana, tiramisu, chocolate and chocolate crispy cereal, and mango. Their donuts are like the ones by Krispy Kreme, so much so, that it’s hard to tell the difference. Krispy Kreme will have none of this, of course, so they have reserved space right across from J.Co and will open soon:

We went to the National Monument and here is a view from the second floor. We went all the way to the top, where there was a wonderful breeze, and saw some nice views of the city (the pollution was not that bad that day so we were lucky):

MEDAN (big city in North Sumatera):

Medan has a mainly Christian and Muslim population, but we happened to see a small Hindu Temple. We saw a group of children doing their prayers, which was beautiful and funny at the same time (e.g., some of the little boys clearly took shortcuts). This picture shows some of the statues on the walls of the building (no pictures were allowed inside the temple):

TUK TUK (very small town on Samosir Island in Danau Toba [Lake Toba] - North Sumatera):

The Batak people are known for their elaborate gravesites. The graves vary in size, decoration, and color, depending on one’s finances:

Here is a picture of an old Batak house. The house belongs to the guide who took us hiking up the side of a mountain in search of a waterfall (as a sidenote, he did the hike barefoot!):

Here is the dry waterfall. It had flowing water the previous day because of the rain, but had dried up by the time we hiked up there. We didn’t mind, though, as the hike was hard enough and slippery rocks would have made for a dangerous trip:

This picture is of a fancier Batak house:

Here is Danau Toba (Lake Toba) - very blue and very nice:

For more information on Danau Toba, click here.

In case you didn’t know…

The Jakarta Post (Monday, July 31, 2006)

Obituary:

Daniel S. Lev, an American political scientist who spent years doing research in the country and become an authoritative commentator on Indonesia has died. He was 72.

Lev died after a battle with lung cancer in Washington on Saturday night local time (Sunday afternoon in Jakarta).

The retired University of Washington professor is survived by a wife and two children.

Lev was no stranger to academics in the country and his numerous studies on Indonesia, especially those on the country’s politics, religion, law and culture, have been influential here.

Lev started his research on Indonesia in the early 1950s and has since worked with scholars, journalists, reformers and the military to further the cause of human rights in the country.

He began his teaching career at the University of California, Berkeley, and went to the University of Washington in the 1970s.

He retired from that university in 1999, after years as a political science professor and researcher. He also established the university’s political-science honors program.

The fruit of his decades-long study was memorialized in a collection of his classic essays published in 1990 by the Institute for Social and Economic Research, Education and Information (LP3ES) titled Law and Politics.

During his decades of research on political conflict in Southeast Asia and Indonesia, Lev accumulated dozens of boxes filled with notes, documents and books, which he recently gave to young scholars in Indonesia.

Last June, Lev shipped the bulk of the materials to the Jakarta-based Center for Study of Law and Policy (PSHK), a non-governmental organization set up by 30 young lawyers who research legal reform.

Lev also embraced the language and culture of Indonesia and was fluent in Indonesian.

He often spoke with colleagues in Indonesian, and much of the material he sent back — his own writings and those of others — is in the language.

Lev’s passing has saddened many of his friends and colleagues in Jakarta.

“He (Lev) deeply loved Indonesia. He always kept an eye on the country and gave critical insight, especially regarding legal problems, selflessly,” acting chairman of the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute, Patra M. Zein, said.

Bivitri Susanti of PSHK said that to honor Lev, the NGO would name its library after him. “We had hoped to officially open it before Pak Dan’s passing. But it’s too late now. We are very sad,” Bivitri told the Post.

Friday, 11 August 2006 @ 4:33pm. Hi all! I’ve been away in North Sumatera, so I haven’t had the chance to post to this blog in a while. Once I catch my breath and settle back in, I’ll write a more complete update.