Jenny’s Journies

Tuesday, 26 September 2006 @ 12:03pm.

Recent happenings:

* Ramadan (Muslim fasting month) started on Sunday. Life and work slows down dramatically. Most folks are exhausted by late afternoon. I have heard that it takes about a week for people to get used to the change in eating schedules and types of food. For more information about Ramadan, particularly in the Jakarta and expat context, please click here.

* Suddenly found out that my survey questions cannot go out until November or so (i.e., after Ramadan is over), meaning that I now have to go through the process of trying to extend my visa. Wish me luck with the long and expensive process!

* Went to Chili’s Restaurant for a treat yesterday evening. Had a fresh house salad and cream of mushroom soup. Food poisoning likely. Not a happy camper.

* Have been helping Achenese student applications for Master’s programs in the U.S. It’s really great that there are fellowship opportunities available to help future leaders learn valuable skills that will help rebuild post-tsunami Aceh.

* Demonstrating students have yet to return to protest at the Freedom Institute.

* Congratulations to family and friends scattered across the U.S. and Australia who have celebrated birthdays, had anniversaries, recently gotten married, are pregnant, had babies, moved to new cities, and/or changed careers. Such big good news all in a short time period!

Friday, 22 September 2006 @ 2:30pm.

There is never a dull day here. Sometimes the excitement comes in little packages, but yesterday it came in a large one…

Late yesterday afternoon, a little after 3pm, I was in one of the back offices of the Freedom Institute and heard some sounds outside. The secretary and I went out into the driveway to see what the sounds were, but were quickly ushered back into the building. Staff immediately closed the gates as a group of around 50 (maybe more or less; it was hard to tell) students began to protest in front of the building. The police were called and they arrived in less than 15 minutes. The students shouted very loudly, shook the gates, waved blue flags, and demanded to see Pak Rizal, the head of the Freedom Institute. Apparently, they were upset with comments Rizal made on a television news program the night before about the World Bank, IMF, globalization, and the like. They wanted “clarification.” Rizal offered to meet with representatives of the group, which called themselves ISMAD (short for “Indonesian Student Movement Against Debt”). Unfortunately, the students refused to have a discussion. They wanted Rizal to address all of them outside, but of course, this was not a safe option. The group eventually disbanded after about an hour, but claimed to return. I don’t mean to speak too soon, but they have yet to return today.

While I do sympathize with the student protestors’ concerns about debt in developing countries, the role of the World Bank and IMF in the economy, and protecting the poor and minorities, I do not understand why they were not willing to discuss these issues in depth. Why scare staff and researchers with shouting? Why not just join or co-sponsor a dialogue/discussion, which the Freedom Institute has been completely open to and supportive of doing in the past? Sure, the Freedom Institute has its own agenda (e.g., supporting free markets, liberalism, and democracy), but they are open to debating the pros and cons of any particular topic. What’s a bit ironic is that the free library here probably has more books that are anti-globalization, pro-poor, pro-justice, etc. than neoliberal or neoconservative texts! Yes, all institutes have their own biases and positions, but at least in the case of the Freedom Institute they are willing to sit down and talk about such matters in a safe, comfortable environment.

One thing that frustrated me was that I am trying my best to conduct objective, social science research about political participation, but instead of me having the chance to speak with students about their concerns and represent a myriad of voices, I had to stay out of view because no one knew how they would react to my status as an American. I think protests and demonstrations have their merit, but safety cannot be disregarded.

Here are three images that an office staff person took yesterday:

Wednesday, 20 September 2006 @ 10:37am.

Monday’s loooonnnng power outage was frustrating at first, especially since I was working on my computer and actually making progress, but I eventually gave in and tried to be positive. I read plenty of newspapers and magazines on the porch, took some notes, and chatted with office folks while I waited for the power to come back on. Too bad it was very hot outside! Luckily, the power returned just before the Freedom Institute was to have its evening public seminar, “Exploring Freedom of Expression in the Islamic World.” It’s a good thing, too, since it would have been a shame had the discussion been cancelled. The two main speakers (one Indonesian and one European) discussed freedom of speech and expression in the context of the Danish cartoon controversy.

The following issues came up during Monday’s discussion at the Freedom Institute:

- free speech versus community respect
- role of technology (e.g., internet, text messages) in spreading information, controversy, and mobilizing participation
- accumulated frustrations and victimization
- symbolism
- textual interpretations
- conspiracy theories
- self-censorship
- whether the mass media is a luxury and/or tool for elites or the majority (e.g., freedom of expression for whom?)
- public policies regarding majority and minority populations

The discussion was particularly relevant given Pope Benedict XVI’s recent comments on Islam and Prophet Muhammad, which upset certain groups. Several media reports suggest that Muslims here in Indonesia have generally taken a “Be patient, forgive, and move on” attitude regarding the Pope’s remarks. For example,

Forgive and move on, NU says

Ary Hermawan, The Jakarta Post, 20 September 2006 (online), Jakarta

Nadhlatul Ulama chairman Hasyim Muzadi called on Indonesian Muslims on Monday to accept Pope Benedict XVI’s apology for offending Muslims, saying it was “an obligation” according to Islamic teachings.

“As long as it (the Pope’s remarks) was made out of negligence, we are obliged to accept the apology,” Hasyim said on the sidelines of a religious leaders conference at the NU office.

The conference, held by the Indonesian Conference for Religion and Peace (ICRP), was also addressed by Cardinal Julius Darmaatmadja of the Indonesian Bishops Conference (KWI).

Hasyim said the regret was “enough” and further resentment from the Muslims would only justify the pope’s statement. “If the rage continues, perhaps what the pope said is true,” he said.

Thursday, 14 September 2006 @ 3:38pm.

Nothing particularly exciting or unusual has happened as of late. I’ve been taking things easier this week. I have been working with a software program called “Endnote.” The program is really useful for organizing bibliographies and notes. I’m in the process of logging all of the books and materials that crowd my desk and cubical area. I feel like a librarian of sorts.

Here are some random observations that have popped into my head:

* The parking folks (usually men) who watch motorbikes sometimes put pieces of cardboard on the motorbike seats so that they do not get too hot from the sun.

* Mobile fruit vendors often have slices of melon, papaya, mango, etc. in small individual bags so passersby can get an affordable, portable snack.

* Poor children can play soccer without a professional ball; they shape lots of tied-up plastic bags into a makeshift ball instead. They also create pull-toys out of old plastic bottles, bottle caps (for wheels), and string.

* Feather dusters are made from real feathers here (ducks, chickens, and the like).

* Banana leaves and old newspapers are often used for wrapping takeaway food. Hopefully, this form of recycling doesn’t die out.

Monday, 11 September 2006 @ 4:43pm.

On the fifth anniversary of September 11th, I am sad, but still hopeful for the future.

News from the U.S.:

“Nation marks fifth anniversary of 9-11″

“President joins U.S. in somber tributes on 9/11 eve”

“September 11th Commemorations, 2006″

News from Indonesia:

“‘Pesantren’ prays for peace on anniversary of attacks” –> Sorry this link is not working as of late. You can do a search for the article at www.thejakartapost.com.

Thursday, 07 September 2006 @ 4:35pm.

Even though I have been studying Indonesian for some time now, I still get tripped up by words that sound similar. For instance, I still take an extra second or so to process:

kering (dry)
keringat (sweat)
keriting (curly)
keringanan (lightness or relief)

There’s actually even more words that sound like the ones above!

And then there are the words that have a slight variation in spelling, but mean very different things. For example, tahan means “to endure, put up with, last, or hold out,” but tahanan means “resistance, opposition, obstruction, arrest, or detention.”

Sometimes I run into problems when there are English words that have taken on different spellings in Indonesian. Examples include:

dobel (double)
stepler (stapler)
supsidi (subsidy)

The initial encounter, particularly if in written form, tends to throw me off because I’m thinking in “Indonesian spelling,” but I find that the words make sense after I say them outloud.

I recommend the article “Halo Bos! English borrowings in Indonesian” if you are interested in learning more about the relationship between English and Indonesian. I liked the mention of “false friends,” which are words that sound English or are English, but have a different meaning in Indonesian. For example, “Kentucky” (in a variety of spellings) means “deep fried chicken,” “melon” is really “cantaloupe” here, and “piss” is just a different spelling for “peace.” I was so confused the first time I saw “Piss Salon,” but am now at ease.

My most recent language challenge was in the taxi on the way to the airport last week in Jakarta. The dialogue went like this:

Jenny: Saya mau ke bandara. (I want to go to the airport.)

Taxi Driver: Apa? (What?)

Jenny: Bandara. Bandara Soekarno-Hatta. (Airport. The Soekarno-Hatta Airport. *Note: I also pointed to the sign on his windshield, which stated that his taxi was an express service to said airport.)

Taxi Driver: Uh… [very confused look on his face]

Jenny: Airport?

Taxi Driver: Oooohhhh, bandara.

Jenny: Ya, saya sudah bilang itu. (Yes, I already said that.)

Taxi Driver: [no response, just laughs]

Why the taxi driver understood “airport” when I said it, but not “bandara,” but then responded with the word “bandara” confuses me.

All in all, though, I usually get a good laugh out of my mistakes and I tend to have a good sense of humor when Indonesians make mistakes with English. Better to laugh and learn than get frustrated and slowed down, right?

Monday, 04 September 2006 @ 4:15pm.

I don’t know what prompted it, but I was thinking about “resilience” today. Merriam-Webster Online defines “resilience” as “an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change.” The mind and heart can do some amazing things, and in the face of adversity - manmade or natural - people can be quite strong, especially here in Indonesia. Somehow despite various problems with institutions, disasters, health, etc., people manage to survive and in some cases eventually thrive. I wonder where the source of such resilience comes from… Is it religion? Family? Individual personalities? Cultural? Or that there is no other choice but to move on? Maybe it has something to do with a survival mechanism that is wired into our brains?

On a somewhat different note, I’m not a scientist, so am perhaps more easily fascinated by what the mind is capable of. Sometimes the brain is quite mysterious to me, so I was pretty impressed to read the following:

The Human Mind

Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!

(taken from http://www.personalitytest.net/funtest/humanmind.htm)

Sunday, 03 September 2006 @ 4:20pm.

I arrived safely in Jakarta Friday night. I had received a call the day before departure from Lion Air stating that my plane would leave earlier than scheduled. I got to the airport early, but lo and behold, there were no changes. I ended up waiting quite a long time for the flight. It can be so frustrating that the flight itself is only one hour, but one can spend ages in the airport waiting room! Traffic into the city was really bad, so I opted to take the bus from the airport to Gambir Station (train and bus station in Central Jakarta) to save some money. The bus ride wasn’t bad, and I recommend it for travellers who do not have much luggage. From Gambir Station, I took a bajaj to my boarding house. Not the safest means of transportation, but I wanted to get home sooner and smaller vehicles like bajaj can squeeze between cars if needed. While it only took me 30 minutes last Sunday to get to the airport via taxi, it took me 2-2.5 hours to get home on Friday because of bumper-to-bumper traffic.

Highlights of my Yogyakarta trip:

* Playing cards (of the Winnie-the-Pooh variety) with a little girl named Tata at a local warung (food stall) while I waited for takeout.

* Creambath at Tom Salon, which boasts “student prices.” A few days later, I tried a facial, but um, while the first half was really relaxing, the latter half was painful, so I’d only recommend it for the brave!

* Cafe Ikan dinner (mentioned in previous posting).

* Meeting with the two new Shansi Program teachers at Gadjah Mada University. After September 11th, 2001 a bunch of U.S. colleges stopped sending volunteer teachers to Yogyakarta. This saddened me and others very much. I’m so glad to see that the Shansi Program (based at Oberlin College) has decided to restart in Indonesia. Now if only my alma mater, Vassar College, would do the same with its old volunteer teacher program.

* Dinner at Milas - potato burger, green beans and carrots, mango juice, and a pineapple/banana/honey/coconut crepe. Yummy! (As a sidenote, their little handicrafts shop and the main building was damaged during the May earthquake and has yet to be re-opened. Milas hopes to open that area soon. It continues to do its good works in the community, though, so that’s really great!)

* Data, data, and more data at the Center for Religious and Cross-Cultural Studies (CRCS) library. Yes, it’s true, that was a highlight of the trip.

* Meeting with colleagues at CRCS and the Center for Security and Peace Studies. They were most kind and helpful.

* Watching JogjaTV, which is a local television station showcasing the arts, music, food, and people of Yogyakarta.

* Walking around the Gadjah Mada University campus. It’s huge, though! I liked seeing students out and about, especially after classes were finished (e.g., skateboarding, rollerblading, running (some barefoot!), martial arts, study groups, and discussion clubs).

Here are a few Yogyakarta pictures…

The following is a photo of the main mosque at Gadjah Mada University:

The mosque is a nice after-class hangout for many students. There are booksellers in the front selling interesting texts in Indonesian and Arabic as well.

This is the Post-Graduate Program building at Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta:

I spent quite a bit of time there since it houses the CRCS office and library. As an FYI for researchers, there is free wireless internet on the second and third floor of this building.

This is a picture taken from the steps of the front of the Post-Graduate Program building:

Here’s another view taken from the front of the building:

And a random Jakarta picture before I forget:

Here is an overdue picture of me after competing in an indoor triathalon at my gym in Jakarta:

It turned out that the competition consisted of the treadmill, Precor/cross-trainer, and bicycle. We were required to spend 20 minutes on each machine on pre-set programs. The inclines and speeds varied, making for quite a challenge. We were not allowed any breaks in-between machines or any pauses while on the machines. While I did well enough running and cycling, it was my first time on the particular Precor machines at the gym. I therefore didn’t get very far on that machine, whereas the other women had had a lot more experience. I am proud of myself for finishing the competition, though, and I did get a free t-shirt. We all laughed, however, because the t-shirts were male U.S. sizes so all of us were swimming in them. Unfortunately, my “small” shirt didn’t shrink when I washed it. Oh well!