A lot of major milestones happened for us this year. Below are the most memorable events in the order they occurred:
January
Learned we were pregnant with our second child
Had to put down my beloved dog, China.
February
Made a trip out to Jakarta to finalize housing for our big move.
Began packing at home.
Completed our physicals for medical clearance and received all 13 of our shots
For the first time in my life, I had to declare a religion on my employment forms. The choices were Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu, Catholic or Protestant.
March
Visited Bali for the first time.
Spend a holiday in silence, confined to our hotel at penalty of jail time.
Visited a volcano for the first time, and played with wild monkeys.
Fed elephants for the first time.
Arrived at our new home in Jakarta.
April
Drove through flood waters deep enough to leave a wake (see Jakarta Living section).
My daughter had her first close encounter with wild animals.
Met Miss Indonesia
Had to deal with fears of swine flu while living in a third world nation.
When asked why our unit didn't have a dish washing machine, was informed "that is what your maid will be for".
May
Saw a dead (well, dying) person twitching in the street on the way to work
Learned we were having a son.
Defined expat categories.
June
Attended what I am sure was the first of many end of year school programs for my daughter
Our first and second overseas birthday parties.
Learned a lesson about the pursuit of money.
Adapted to life in Jakarta.
Learned what I love about America.
July
Attended my first contract signing with a labor union.
Visited Singapore for the first time.
Learned a sniper was killing my colleagues at our minesite.
Colleagues were injured when terrorists bombed the hotels I stayed in when traveling.
August
Witnessed my first Indonesian protest.
Participated in the olympics and put down my first dog, Guapo.
Laughed at a monkey who decided to then throw poop at me.
My daughter did the gyroscope
Experienced the start of my first fasting month.
Learned that the US has a lot of clout internationally
September
Experienced a major earthquake that damaged the walls in my office.
Moved my wife and daughter to Singapore until the birth of our son.
Experienced personal growth - Imagine that!!
Discovered how inspiring kids can be.
October
Moved myself to Singapore
Birth of my son.
November
Had an adrenaline rush
Had the highest fever of my life.
Visited Bandung and a sulphur lake.
December
Anniversary in Jakarta
Christmas in Jakarta
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Monday, December 28, 2009
Saturday, December 26, 2009
The natives are restive
It's been a nervous week for anyone with a quick anxiety trigger. In Papua, where we have our mine site, Indonesian police killed Kelly Kwalik, the purported leader of the Papuan Freedom Organization. Many believe he was the mastermind behind the recent killings and other mayhem around our mine site earlier in the year. After his death, many Papuans began to strike and/or demonstrate. We received security alerts advising us to avoid Timika, the small town containing the airport we fly into when visiting our site, due to potentially unsafe activity.
Then came the reports of increased security at Christian churches throughout Indonesia. For those of us who are new to the area, this was a bit surprising. I view Indonesia as a well blended melting pot of religious tolerance. Indonesia celebrates holidays from four religions and companies and employees alike have, by all accounts, displayed nothing but respect for religious differences. So, when I first read about enhanced security, I was concerned that something new must be raising alarms. Nope. This is fairly common practice and has occurred since at least 2001, from what I've read.
Like any normal person, when confronted with this information I decided to work on my golf game. The last two weekends I've spent Saturday mornings at a local driving range. My first outing was horrible. Today's actually went pretty well. I felt good when I finished hitting a round of 100 balls (hopefully I won't hit that many on the course).
Driving ranges in Jakarta are a little different than those in the US. The one I chose to visit, like many in the US, is not attached to a golf course and has two storeys. I was surprised to find that they also had caddies to take my clubs from the car to my reserved tee. More surprising was how they collect the balls. I'm accustomed to seeing a small, motorized vehicle that resembles a lawn-mower driving around the range collecting the balls. Here, several men wearing construction helmets and dressed in what look like large, heavily padded rain coats that hang to mid-calf wander around kicking the balls into several piles. Then a different man comes along with a large ball scoop and collects the balls for delivery to the tees. Instead of one person driving a machine, they have roughly 15 people running around in padded suits. When labor is cheaper than innovation, innovation doesn't occur.
Then came the reports of increased security at Christian churches throughout Indonesia. For those of us who are new to the area, this was a bit surprising. I view Indonesia as a well blended melting pot of religious tolerance. Indonesia celebrates holidays from four religions and companies and employees alike have, by all accounts, displayed nothing but respect for religious differences. So, when I first read about enhanced security, I was concerned that something new must be raising alarms. Nope. This is fairly common practice and has occurred since at least 2001, from what I've read.
Like any normal person, when confronted with this information I decided to work on my golf game. The last two weekends I've spent Saturday mornings at a local driving range. My first outing was horrible. Today's actually went pretty well. I felt good when I finished hitting a round of 100 balls (hopefully I won't hit that many on the course).
Driving ranges in Jakarta are a little different than those in the US. The one I chose to visit, like many in the US, is not attached to a golf course and has two storeys. I was surprised to find that they also had caddies to take my clubs from the car to my reserved tee. More surprising was how they collect the balls. I'm accustomed to seeing a small, motorized vehicle that resembles a lawn-mower driving around the range collecting the balls. Here, several men wearing construction helmets and dressed in what look like large, heavily padded rain coats that hang to mid-calf wander around kicking the balls into several piles. Then a different man comes along with a large ball scoop and collects the balls for delivery to the tees. Instead of one person driving a machine, they have roughly 15 people running around in padded suits. When labor is cheaper than innovation, innovation doesn't occur.
Friday, December 25, 2009
Christmas
Christmas in Jakarta is not quite the same as it in the US. It's tropical, empty, and everything is still open as if nothing is going on. In the US, even the non-Christians and the "seasonal" Christians celebrate Christmas. In Jakarta, the expats go home, and the local Christians seem to treat it like any other day. One thing is very apparent - and is something the people who feel real animosity towards stores in the US that cater to Mexicans by speaking Spanish should recognize - businesses in Jakarta know that their is a big market for English-speaking foreigners who want to celebrate Christmas, and they cater to us. Businesses know their opportunities and do whatever is necessary to extract the available profit from them.
Even though our staff don't celebrate Christmas, and we gave them gifts for their holiday - Idul Fitri - in September, we still wanted to share the Christmas spirit with them. My wife made each of them a loaf of banana bread and put together a care package. The big spikey thing you see is durian, a favorite fruit of the locals that we think smells like garbage.
For us, Christmas Eve meant baking cookies and watching Disney's "A Christmas Carol". It also meant my first time putting together the "Santa" toys after our daughter went to sleep. Now I know why Santa has elves. The scooter we bought required some "adjustment" before I could actually assemble it per the instructions. I'm glad I had my own tools. Next year, I'm going to assemble at least a week in advance. I don't want to think what would have happened if it had been missing a part.
Even though our staff don't celebrate Christmas, and we gave them gifts for their holiday - Idul Fitri - in September, we still wanted to share the Christmas spirit with them. My wife made each of them a loaf of banana bread and put together a care package. The big spikey thing you see is durian, a favorite fruit of the locals that we think smells like garbage.
Christmas morning, my daughter was much more patient than I ever was. My wife and I were both awake before she was, but decided to stay in bed so she could come and "wake us up to go see if Santa came". When she did wake up, she wanted to take off her pajamas, get dressed, brush her hair and THEN go see if Santa came. Delayed gratification will serve her well when she gets older.
Merry Christmas!
6th Anniversary
On 23 December, my wife and I celebrated six years of marriage. Our anniversary tradition is to eat at the Melting Pot for dinner, and buy a traditional gift. Traditional gift for a six year anniversary is candy or iron. There are no Melting Pot's in Jakarta, and my wife does not play golf or eat sweets, so I was not in a good place heading into this week.
I thought of buying her some spinach because it is high in iron, but I didn't think that would be much appreciated. Then I remembered that when my father and sister were visiting, I found iron handicrafts of the local bicycle taxis and the horse-drawn carriages we see a lot at the birthday parties. I was still planning to look for something else - iron jewelry, flatware - but bought the handicrafts as a failsafe. On Monday, while I was at the gym, I thought of the perfect gift idea. My wife has been asking for a personal trainer to help her finish off the baby weight. Trainers help you lift weight - "pump iron". So that's what I bought and decided to give her the handicrafts for Christmas.
The day before our anniversary I finally found a restaurant that served fondue - at least the review of the restaurant said it served fondue. Even better, it was walking distance from our house - though we still used our driver.
The day of our anniversary, I stopped at the flower shop just outside our neighborhood. Like many places in Jakarta, you can haggle on the price. I like to haggle. I also always remember the first rule of negotiation - whoever gives a price first, loses.
I knew I wanted to buy red roses. I pointed to the bundle of two dozen roses and waited for him to give me a price. Based on what I know roses cost in the US, and on my last experience at this flower shop, I was planning to counter any offer with a price of $20. His initial quote for two dozen roses was $10, which I felt fair, so I didn't bother negotiating.
Pictures below are of us in front of the restaurant and the roses.
I thought of buying her some spinach because it is high in iron, but I didn't think that would be much appreciated. Then I remembered that when my father and sister were visiting, I found iron handicrafts of the local bicycle taxis and the horse-drawn carriages we see a lot at the birthday parties. I was still planning to look for something else - iron jewelry, flatware - but bought the handicrafts as a failsafe. On Monday, while I was at the gym, I thought of the perfect gift idea. My wife has been asking for a personal trainer to help her finish off the baby weight. Trainers help you lift weight - "pump iron". So that's what I bought and decided to give her the handicrafts for Christmas.
The day before our anniversary I finally found a restaurant that served fondue - at least the review of the restaurant said it served fondue. Even better, it was walking distance from our house - though we still used our driver.
The day of our anniversary, I stopped at the flower shop just outside our neighborhood. Like many places in Jakarta, you can haggle on the price. I like to haggle. I also always remember the first rule of negotiation - whoever gives a price first, loses.
I knew I wanted to buy red roses. I pointed to the bundle of two dozen roses and waited for him to give me a price. Based on what I know roses cost in the US, and on my last experience at this flower shop, I was planning to counter any offer with a price of $20. His initial quote for two dozen roses was $10, which I felt fair, so I didn't bother negotiating.
Pictures below are of us in front of the restaurant and the roses.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Christmas Limericks and Scary Bedtime Rhymes
Adaptations. Parodies. Liberal poetic borrowing. Call it what you will, I call it fun!
I remember in the fifth grade, we had an assignment to write a Halloween limerick. I had a book with a limerick that read:
"There once was a monkey named Mast,
Who was so terribly fast
One day he grew sick
And being so quick
In less than a day, he passed."
I didn't have the patience, interest, or creativity to come up with my own at the age of 10, so I borrowed from it...heavily. Mine was:
"There once was a witch named Mast,
Who was so terribly fast
One day she grew ill
And took the wrong pill
And in less than a day, she passed."
I got an "A". After receiving my grade, I brought in the book so my teacher could read it to the class. When she read the poem about poor monkey Mast, she knew. I knew she would know. She didn't change my grade.
By the sixth grade, I was a big fan of Weird Al Yankovich. His "Eat it" mockery of Michael Jackson's "Beat It", inspired me to write my own - "Diet":
"You better run you better exercise now
'Cause you and your family, are looking like cows
And ever since your birth you been eatin' like a sow
So Diet Just Diet
Diet, Diet, Diet, Diet
Put down the fork, just try it"
Last week, my wife and I were discussing how my daughter continues to get bug bites while she sleeps. The mosquito netting we bought didn't help. They appear to be spider bites. That inspired this little ditty:
"The itsy, bitsy spider climbs up your leg at night
Out comes it fangs and leaves a nasty bite
When you cry out, it's sure to run away
But the itsy, bitsy spider will return again some day"
What if all nursery rhymes were that scary?
"Hush little baby, don't make a sound
I think the big monster is coming around
And if that monster finds you awake
He'll puncture your heart with an oily stake"
"Old Mother Hubbard
Went to the cupboard
Hoping to find some steak
When she arrived
All she found inside
Was a large, venomous snake!"
Maybe those were the nursery rhymes Stephen King heard as a child?
On the lighter side, I leave you with two limericks, one my classmate Jon wrote for our Halloween limerick assignment, the other I created tonight:
"There once was a monster named Harry
Who was big, fat, ugly and scary
He lived in a cave
Never bothered to shave
But always seemed happy and merry!"
"Santa arrives saying 'Ho Ho Ho'
The reindeer have his sleigh in tow
He'll leave you a gift
Then, really swift,
He'll be gone before you know!"
Merry Christmas!!
I remember in the fifth grade, we had an assignment to write a Halloween limerick. I had a book with a limerick that read:
"There once was a monkey named Mast,
Who was so terribly fast
One day he grew sick
And being so quick
In less than a day, he passed."
I didn't have the patience, interest, or creativity to come up with my own at the age of 10, so I borrowed from it...heavily. Mine was:
"There once was a witch named Mast,
Who was so terribly fast
One day she grew ill
And took the wrong pill
And in less than a day, she passed."
I got an "A". After receiving my grade, I brought in the book so my teacher could read it to the class. When she read the poem about poor monkey Mast, she knew. I knew she would know. She didn't change my grade.
By the sixth grade, I was a big fan of Weird Al Yankovich. His "Eat it" mockery of Michael Jackson's "Beat It", inspired me to write my own - "Diet":
"You better run you better exercise now
'Cause you and your family, are looking like cows
And ever since your birth you been eatin' like a sow
So Diet Just Diet
Diet, Diet, Diet, Diet
Put down the fork, just try it"
Last week, my wife and I were discussing how my daughter continues to get bug bites while she sleeps. The mosquito netting we bought didn't help. They appear to be spider bites. That inspired this little ditty:
"The itsy, bitsy spider climbs up your leg at night
Out comes it fangs and leaves a nasty bite
When you cry out, it's sure to run away
But the itsy, bitsy spider will return again some day"
What if all nursery rhymes were that scary?
"Hush little baby, don't make a sound
I think the big monster is coming around
And if that monster finds you awake
He'll puncture your heart with an oily stake"
"Old Mother Hubbard
Went to the cupboard
Hoping to find some steak
When she arrived
All she found inside
Was a large, venomous snake!"
Maybe those were the nursery rhymes Stephen King heard as a child?
On the lighter side, I leave you with two limericks, one my classmate Jon wrote for our Halloween limerick assignment, the other I created tonight:
"There once was a monster named Harry
Who was big, fat, ugly and scary
He lived in a cave
Never bothered to shave
But always seemed happy and merry!"
"Santa arrives saying 'Ho Ho Ho'
The reindeer have his sleigh in tow
He'll leave you a gift
Then, really swift,
He'll be gone before you know!"
Merry Christmas!!
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Poverty, cryology, and Christmas in Jakarta
After a prolific posting period, my submissions have suddenly slowed. To some extent, this is because the perfunctory aspects of life lack entertainment value. How interesting is to hear we woke up, prepared for work/school, completed our day, and then went to bed? It's not. After nine months of being here, any groundbreaking, culturally revealing events are also likely to be fewer.
That said, I am going to try and post more often. At least 3 times per week.
As anyone who has visited a developing nation, or read my blog for any length of time, knows, beggars are a common sight on the streets. I've heard all sides of the debate on whether or not one should reward their begging behavior. If your incentive is to give your "spare" money to those less fortunate while simultaneously encouraging positive behavior, the best thing to do is give a known beggar some money when they are not begging - for example, while they sit on the sidewalk taking a break. This rewards the behavior we want - no begging.
For the most part, that is what I do. It is more difficult when the beggar is a 5-year-old child standing at your door singing or, as in the case of last week, standing in front of your car pointing at you so they know you see them. When two young girls, no older than seven, approached our car, I gave one the folded up bills of spare change I typically have on me (about $2 USD worth) and the other a bag of candy. That's when it got interesting.
While we still waited for traffic to start moving again, we were able to observe their behavior given the new situation they found themselves in. One had cash, the other had a good that could be exchanged for cash. The rational thing to do would be to evenly split the cash and the candy. That's not how it went down. The child who had received the cash obviously placed a larger value on the candy than did the child who had received the candy (that, or she did not know the value of the money she had received). It was also obvious the one who received the candy was more interested in obtaining the cash than having the sweets.
They conversed. They examined the contents of the bag. They negotiated. The young child with money reached in, grabbed the entire wad of cash I had given her, gave it to the other girl, and then they split the candy. Economic theory at work. It was fascinating to watch.
While my family was visiting, I took time off work. This afforded me the opportunity to do some of the daily activities with my daughter that I am not normally able to do. Walking her to school, going to swim lessons. Her swim lessons are at the only one of the three pools in our complex I had never been to. It also is the only pool with a diving board. I was surprised to see my daughter jumping from the diving board without fear. Head first, feet first - it doesn't matter to her. It's just water, after all. I have some video of it that I will post once I have time to edit it so it is small enough to post.
Christmastime in Jakarta is surprisingly festive. They have decked the malls with boughs of holly, Christmas trees, and even have parades through hall. Santa Claus is omnipresent. At Pacific Place, one of the many high-end malls, they had carolers singing while a snow machine dropped snow flakes from the skylights on the eighth floor. It made for a beautiful, wintry moment in Jakarta.
Finally, I'm going to agree with my friend at Right Point that you should buy and read Robert Begam's new courtroom thriller Long Life?: A Journey into the Unknown World of Cryonics
puts an interesting spin on the topic of cryology. If you have someone join Walt Disney in the freezer, before they have died of natural causes, have you committed murder? Is the person truly dead if you can bring them back to life? Read the book for the answer (buy it using the link provided).
That said, I am going to try and post more often. At least 3 times per week.
As anyone who has visited a developing nation, or read my blog for any length of time, knows, beggars are a common sight on the streets. I've heard all sides of the debate on whether or not one should reward their begging behavior. If your incentive is to give your "spare" money to those less fortunate while simultaneously encouraging positive behavior, the best thing to do is give a known beggar some money when they are not begging - for example, while they sit on the sidewalk taking a break. This rewards the behavior we want - no begging.
For the most part, that is what I do. It is more difficult when the beggar is a 5-year-old child standing at your door singing or, as in the case of last week, standing in front of your car pointing at you so they know you see them. When two young girls, no older than seven, approached our car, I gave one the folded up bills of spare change I typically have on me (about $2 USD worth) and the other a bag of candy. That's when it got interesting.
While we still waited for traffic to start moving again, we were able to observe their behavior given the new situation they found themselves in. One had cash, the other had a good that could be exchanged for cash. The rational thing to do would be to evenly split the cash and the candy. That's not how it went down. The child who had received the cash obviously placed a larger value on the candy than did the child who had received the candy (that, or she did not know the value of the money she had received). It was also obvious the one who received the candy was more interested in obtaining the cash than having the sweets.
They conversed. They examined the contents of the bag. They negotiated. The young child with money reached in, grabbed the entire wad of cash I had given her, gave it to the other girl, and then they split the candy. Economic theory at work. It was fascinating to watch.
While my family was visiting, I took time off work. This afforded me the opportunity to do some of the daily activities with my daughter that I am not normally able to do. Walking her to school, going to swim lessons. Her swim lessons are at the only one of the three pools in our complex I had never been to. It also is the only pool with a diving board. I was surprised to see my daughter jumping from the diving board without fear. Head first, feet first - it doesn't matter to her. It's just water, after all. I have some video of it that I will post once I have time to edit it so it is small enough to post.
Christmastime in Jakarta is surprisingly festive. They have decked the malls with boughs of holly, Christmas trees, and even have parades through hall. Santa Claus is omnipresent. At Pacific Place, one of the many high-end malls, they had carolers singing while a snow machine dropped snow flakes from the skylights on the eighth floor. It made for a beautiful, wintry moment in Jakarta.
Finally, I'm going to agree with my friend at Right Point that you should buy and read Robert Begam's new courtroom thriller Long Life?: A Journey into the Unknown World of Cryonics
puts an interesting spin on the topic of cryology. If you have someone join Walt Disney in the freezer, before they have died of natural causes, have you committed murder? Is the person truly dead if you can bring them back to life? Read the book for the answer (buy it using the link provided).
Monday, December 14, 2009
Catching up
It's been a while since I've posted an update. I'd like to say that visiting family, work demands, and other commitments kept me busy. They have, but the real reason I haven't posted is I've just been lazy. So, let me get everyone caught up.
My father and sister arrived from the on 5 December. I took the day off work so I could meet them at the airport. After a quick trip back to the house to drop off the luggage, we all went to Hacienda for dinner and then crashed for the evening. They'd had a long day, I'd had a long week.
Saturday we all went to Taman Safari. The drive there and back is always horrible, but the park never gets old. We've never actually been to everything there, so there is always something new. We stopped in the small town we drive through so I could buy fruit. The carrots offered by the dozens of stands on the main road leading to the zoo are sufficient for the deer and other cloven hoofed beasts, but the monkeys, bears and elephants require a slightly more delectable meal. For the monkeys - which, by the way, are wild, not part of the zoo - I bought oranges. For the bears I bought mangoes. I surprised everyone in the car by buying watermelons for the elephants. The elephants loved the watermelons, and the crowd loved watching us feed them.
While driving through the lions area, I rolled down our window and growled at them...really, more like a ROAR!! Surprisingly, they didn't like that. They literally stalked our car until we left. I think we all feared they may actually attack us and that the windows may not be sufficient defense against such an attack.
The wild cats at the petting zoo were much more our speed. The lion cub was nearly asleep as my father and sister held it for their pictures. The leopard - the full grown leopard - was definitely awake, and apparently in the mood for tasting humans. It spent much of its time licking their arms. The sandpaper tongue actually drew blood on my dads arm. Good think it didn't try a little nibble. The full grown white tiger wasn't in the mood for licking, but it wasn't in the mood for pictures either. It was rather ornery. The "smile" on my father's and sister's faces had a subtle hint of nervousness and they exited quickly once the picture was taken.
The other new experience for me was actually petting one of the kangaroos. On our last visit, one came and stood right next to me, but wouldn't let me pet it. This time, I was able to reach out and touch it. The fur is soft as velvet.
Sunday we went to a children's production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I wasn't sure how good it would be, or if my daughter would enjoy it. Luckily, the musical itself was pretty good, and my daughter loved it. She really got into it and was visibly sad when Charlie didn't have a ticket in his first candy bar. The production was a bunch of expat children aged 5 - 10. We'll probably go to the next one they do.
Monday we toured Jakarta. I asked around the office for areas of the city that would be a good representation of the "Jakarta Experience". We were able to visit areas of the city I had never seen before. We went to Sunda Kelapa, which is a port in Old Jakarta. It's a journey back in time to 100 years ago. The boats used for shipping out of Sunda Kelapa are the same wooden boats that they used in the 19th century. The original Indonesian headquarters of the Dutch East India company is still in use.
Nearby the old port is a neighborhood of extreme wealth and a 7-star hotel under construction. These homes are as large as the White House and have million dollar yachts tied to a dock in the back. I asked my driver who lived in them. He said "the mafia". Apparently crime really pays in Jakarta.
After a quick tour of the city, we visited Cafe Batavia, a famous Jakartan restaurant frequented by expats. It's located on a square of one of the original Dutch forts. The interior of the restaurant is decorated with black and white photos of Hollywood celebrities. The menu is a fusion of Asian and Western foods. I ordered the black pepper steak ribs, hoping it would be like the Sapi Lada Hitam I enjoy so much - it was okay, but not like my normal black pepper beef. My dad, every the adventurous foodie, ordered a salmon sandwich.
My dad left on Wednesday morning. Wednesday night we took my sister salsa dancing at Hacienda. My wife and I watched while she tore up the floor with some of the locals. Friday night, our community hosted a party at the club house. There was traditional Balinese dancing, music....and Mexican food. Interesting combination, but it worked.
Saturday my company's President Director hosted a holiday gathering at his home. My sister watched the kiddies while my wife and I dressed in our best Batik-wear and attended the party. The company choir sang Christmas carols - and they were absolutely phenomenal. Then they had professional singers perform and lead the attendees in dancing. I made the mistake of dancing in my chair to one of the Latin beats. The singer saw me, and during the Cha Cha, pulled me up in front of the entire party and had me dance with her. When we finished, the other expats came over and thanked me for, as they put it, "Taking the grenade for the group". I guess one of the expats has to dance or sing at the party to make it complete.
It is now Monday and my sister has left. Our house is back to normal and we have no visitors on the horizon until January when my father-in-law will visit for two weeks. During his visit we'll take a quick trip to the location I've been looking forward to ever since we arrived: Borobudur. Borobudur is a 9th century Buddhist monument and a World Heritage site. I am hoping to stay at this hotel just outside Yogayakarta.
The rest of this month we'll have four-day work weeks. This Friday is a major Muslim holiday. The following Friday's are Christmas and New Years. We do not have Christmas Eve off. We have no plans, and we see that as a blessing. It was good to see everyone. We're also glad everyone is gone and we have time to ourselves again.
One last thing. My daughter, at age 3, counts to 39 in English, 10 in Spanish and 5 in Indonesian. She knows all her letters and numbers by site, and has started writing many of them. My son, at 4 weeks old started lifting his head. At 5 weeks, he started rolling over. At 7 weeks, he won't sleep through the night, but he can lift himself up on his forearms and roll over from front to back at will. Should be an interesting twenty years or so.
My father and sister arrived from the on 5 December. I took the day off work so I could meet them at the airport. After a quick trip back to the house to drop off the luggage, we all went to Hacienda for dinner and then crashed for the evening. They'd had a long day, I'd had a long week.
Saturday we all went to Taman Safari. The drive there and back is always horrible, but the park never gets old. We've never actually been to everything there, so there is always something new. We stopped in the small town we drive through so I could buy fruit. The carrots offered by the dozens of stands on the main road leading to the zoo are sufficient for the deer and other cloven hoofed beasts, but the monkeys, bears and elephants require a slightly more delectable meal. For the monkeys - which, by the way, are wild, not part of the zoo - I bought oranges. For the bears I bought mangoes. I surprised everyone in the car by buying watermelons for the elephants. The elephants loved the watermelons, and the crowd loved watching us feed them.
While driving through the lions area, I rolled down our window and growled at them...really, more like a ROAR!! Surprisingly, they didn't like that. They literally stalked our car until we left. I think we all feared they may actually attack us and that the windows may not be sufficient defense against such an attack.
The wild cats at the petting zoo were much more our speed. The lion cub was nearly asleep as my father and sister held it for their pictures. The leopard - the full grown leopard - was definitely awake, and apparently in the mood for tasting humans. It spent much of its time licking their arms. The sandpaper tongue actually drew blood on my dads arm. Good think it didn't try a little nibble. The full grown white tiger wasn't in the mood for licking, but it wasn't in the mood for pictures either. It was rather ornery. The "smile" on my father's and sister's faces had a subtle hint of nervousness and they exited quickly once the picture was taken.
The other new experience for me was actually petting one of the kangaroos. On our last visit, one came and stood right next to me, but wouldn't let me pet it. This time, I was able to reach out and touch it. The fur is soft as velvet.
Sunday we went to a children's production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I wasn't sure how good it would be, or if my daughter would enjoy it. Luckily, the musical itself was pretty good, and my daughter loved it. She really got into it and was visibly sad when Charlie didn't have a ticket in his first candy bar. The production was a bunch of expat children aged 5 - 10. We'll probably go to the next one they do.
Monday we toured Jakarta. I asked around the office for areas of the city that would be a good representation of the "Jakarta Experience". We were able to visit areas of the city I had never seen before. We went to Sunda Kelapa, which is a port in Old Jakarta. It's a journey back in time to 100 years ago. The boats used for shipping out of Sunda Kelapa are the same wooden boats that they used in the 19th century. The original Indonesian headquarters of the Dutch East India company is still in use.
Nearby the old port is a neighborhood of extreme wealth and a 7-star hotel under construction. These homes are as large as the White House and have million dollar yachts tied to a dock in the back. I asked my driver who lived in them. He said "the mafia". Apparently crime really pays in Jakarta.
After a quick tour of the city, we visited Cafe Batavia, a famous Jakartan restaurant frequented by expats. It's located on a square of one of the original Dutch forts. The interior of the restaurant is decorated with black and white photos of Hollywood celebrities. The menu is a fusion of Asian and Western foods. I ordered the black pepper steak ribs, hoping it would be like the Sapi Lada Hitam I enjoy so much - it was okay, but not like my normal black pepper beef. My dad, every the adventurous foodie, ordered a salmon sandwich.
My dad left on Wednesday morning. Wednesday night we took my sister salsa dancing at Hacienda. My wife and I watched while she tore up the floor with some of the locals. Friday night, our community hosted a party at the club house. There was traditional Balinese dancing, music....and Mexican food. Interesting combination, but it worked.
Saturday my company's President Director hosted a holiday gathering at his home. My sister watched the kiddies while my wife and I dressed in our best Batik-wear and attended the party. The company choir sang Christmas carols - and they were absolutely phenomenal. Then they had professional singers perform and lead the attendees in dancing. I made the mistake of dancing in my chair to one of the Latin beats. The singer saw me, and during the Cha Cha, pulled me up in front of the entire party and had me dance with her. When we finished, the other expats came over and thanked me for, as they put it, "Taking the grenade for the group". I guess one of the expats has to dance or sing at the party to make it complete.
It is now Monday and my sister has left. Our house is back to normal and we have no visitors on the horizon until January when my father-in-law will visit for two weeks. During his visit we'll take a quick trip to the location I've been looking forward to ever since we arrived: Borobudur. Borobudur is a 9th century Buddhist monument and a World Heritage site. I am hoping to stay at this hotel just outside Yogayakarta.
The rest of this month we'll have four-day work weeks. This Friday is a major Muslim holiday. The following Friday's are Christmas and New Years. We do not have Christmas Eve off. We have no plans, and we see that as a blessing. It was good to see everyone. We're also glad everyone is gone and we have time to ourselves again.
One last thing. My daughter, at age 3, counts to 39 in English, 10 in Spanish and 5 in Indonesian. She knows all her letters and numbers by site, and has started writing many of them. My son, at 4 weeks old started lifting his head. At 5 weeks, he started rolling over. At 7 weeks, he won't sleep through the night, but he can lift himself up on his forearms and roll over from front to back at will. Should be an interesting twenty years or so.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Why the "Big 3" is now the "Detroit 3"
This article was intended to make us feel sorry for people displaced in the current economy. To a degree, I do. In my career, I've been on every side of a layoff. I've survived a layoff, I've been laid off, and I've had to choose who to let go. None of them are pleasant. Being laid off can completely destroy self-confidence for years. Laying someone off and knowing they don't find a job for a year can cripple you with guilt. It's bad on all sides.
What this article really told me was why GM needed a federal bailout. They were paying $100,000 a year to a heavy machine operator. A guy who had nothing but a high school diploma and 26 years experience. Ten years ago when a fork lift driver made a $1 million endownment to the University of Detroit, I had the same concern about GM's viability, and its relationship with the union.
In a union job, 26 years experience meant overtime, seniority bonuses, annual raises, etc. It also meant a company that could not be competitive with countries, like Indonesia, that can pay mere fractions of that amount for the same skill set. Unions have destroyed our urban industrial complex. That's who you blame for the mess in the US.
Unions in other countries are reasonable. In Japan, when mass transit drivers were upset and wanted to negotiate their contract, they didn't strike. Their form of civil disobedience was to simultaneously blow the horns of their trains at the same time for seven minutes. No work stoppages. No strikes. The unions partner with the businesses and know if there is no revenue, there is no money, and no one wins.
Back to the poor sap who is working several fast-food jobs to make ends meet. He should sue his union. He should sue them for taking a protectionist stance that protected their revenue stream (his dues), but not his job. He should sue them to fund his retraining now that the job he was paying them to protect is gone.
Ultimately, he also needs to look inwards. The best protection from a recession is an education. If you want job security, don't pay a union for it, pay a university or community college. Job security comes from in-demand skills. Job security comes from a constant, driving curiosity that continuously improves your skills and increases your value over time. Fungible skills are the cornerstone of economic viability.
Don't blame CEO's making tough decisions to keep their company viable. Don't blame investment bankers doing what they are paid to do - take risks in pursuit of high returns. Blaming others just gives you an excuse to be bitter and do nothing.
Take a positive approach. Do what so many people I know, including myself, have done when they have lost their jobs. Learn a new skill. Educate yourself. Stop worrying about what you used to have and focus on what you can have. Make your avocation your vocation.
Most of all, stop complaining. It never solves anything and just makes everyone around you miserable.
What this article really told me was why GM needed a federal bailout. They were paying $100,000 a year to a heavy machine operator. A guy who had nothing but a high school diploma and 26 years experience. Ten years ago when a fork lift driver made a $1 million endownment to the University of Detroit, I had the same concern about GM's viability, and its relationship with the union.
In a union job, 26 years experience meant overtime, seniority bonuses, annual raises, etc. It also meant a company that could not be competitive with countries, like Indonesia, that can pay mere fractions of that amount for the same skill set. Unions have destroyed our urban industrial complex. That's who you blame for the mess in the US.
Unions in other countries are reasonable. In Japan, when mass transit drivers were upset and wanted to negotiate their contract, they didn't strike. Their form of civil disobedience was to simultaneously blow the horns of their trains at the same time for seven minutes. No work stoppages. No strikes. The unions partner with the businesses and know if there is no revenue, there is no money, and no one wins.
Back to the poor sap who is working several fast-food jobs to make ends meet. He should sue his union. He should sue them for taking a protectionist stance that protected their revenue stream (his dues), but not his job. He should sue them to fund his retraining now that the job he was paying them to protect is gone.
Ultimately, he also needs to look inwards. The best protection from a recession is an education. If you want job security, don't pay a union for it, pay a university or community college. Job security comes from in-demand skills. Job security comes from a constant, driving curiosity that continuously improves your skills and increases your value over time. Fungible skills are the cornerstone of economic viability.
Don't blame CEO's making tough decisions to keep their company viable. Don't blame investment bankers doing what they are paid to do - take risks in pursuit of high returns. Blaming others just gives you an excuse to be bitter and do nothing.
Take a positive approach. Do what so many people I know, including myself, have done when they have lost their jobs. Learn a new skill. Educate yourself. Stop worrying about what you used to have and focus on what you can have. Make your avocation your vocation.
Most of all, stop complaining. It never solves anything and just makes everyone around you miserable.
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