Mar 19

Today is my last day in Jakarta. Tomorrow morning, quite early, I leave the hotel, board a plane, and head back to the US. I'll be in the air nearly 21 hours, but arrive in Phoenix 9 hours after I leave...gotta love the time change! I should be home with a few hours left in the day before I need to go to bed. That, of course, is the good news.

The bad news - I think I have a head cold. I've gone the whole trip surrounded by people hacking, and coughing, and throat clearing. I thought I had made it without getting what they had. After a late night last night and then an early morning today, I think I made myself susceptible. I left work today early so I could come back and pack, but I ended up taking a 2 hour nap. I woke up still groggy, and my throat feeling worse. Thankfully, I brought medicine for just this scenario, so I should still have a good flight.

Thanks to the return of one of the guys who was out sick with Typhoid, I have completed every task I came here to do. The main point of the project - software development - is underway and is progressing nicely. I have high confidence in the team, and the team leader, and am not too concerned about the project failing at that point. There is still much to do, and it will be two or three more weeks before I will relax and have high confidence in my project's success.

I took time today to reflect back on my project and verify there were no open issues or questions I needed to resolve before my departure. The reflection illuminated the fact that I am way outside my comfort zone on this project - not in terms of end product, but in terms of process. Due to the compressed timeframe, the late assignment of resources, the odd dates of my travel in relation to the project plan, and the confusion over documentation - the key communication tool of the project - I have had to react to the situation instead of proactively plan for eventualities. We are on track and moving forward due to the superb work of the team and individuals more so than any project management process or tools I've been able to use. I feel I am still 2 weeks behind the curve, but I feel I can close that gap next week and start proacting again by April. Time will tell.

Jakarta, and my entire Indonesia trip, has once again been enjoyable, enlightening, challenging, and a lot of fun. I owe tremendous thanks to the generosity of my hosts at each location for devoting their time and attention to ensuring I had a fun and productive trip. Their hospitality and professionalism always makes these long trips away from family bearable.