Developing nations. Always a struggle.

One of the lessons you learn by living in a third world country is the importance of good infrastructure. Modern conveniences like air conditioning, cable TV and internet are nice. But choosing between those relatively modest technical advancements and good infrastructure, well, I’ll read a book and use a fan.


Roads and Transportation. I’ve discussed it several times on my blog. Traffic in Jakarta is bad. In Phoenix, most everyone lives in a neighborhood inside a one square mile block of streets. There is typically a grocery store either on one a corner of your neighborhood, or on the next one over. When you need groceries, you get in your car, drive for five minutes, get what you need, and come home. You’re probably gone no longer than twenty minutes. In Jakarta, just getting to the store, which is the same distance away, takes an hour.

Part of the problem is the number of vehicles on the roads – there are just too many. Most of the problem, however, can be directly attributed to the size of the roads, which are seldom more than one lane in each direction; the quality of the roads, because potholes the size of truck tires are common; and the lack of or poorly timed traffic signals. Rain only exacerbates the situation because of flooding. As main arteries flood (which are one lane in each direction), vehicles are diverted to other main arteries – further jamming them – or to even smaller roads and back alleys. On several occasions my driver has had to take a detour, and on one occasion he drove into the flood and stalled our vehicle.

Indonesia cannot join the industrialized world without first addressing their roads and rain water management issues.

Quality Water. We’ve never drunk water from our tap. We don’t use it for cooking, either – not even if we’re boiling it. I’m the only one in the family that will use it to brush my teeth. We used bottled water for anything that requires it to enter our body. I know some families that go so far as to use bottled water for bathing.

I’ve already experienced the intestinal issues that come from drinking third world water. I can safely drink the water – and eat the ice – in Mexico and Indonesia, thanks to my prior painful experiences with the bacteria. Locals don’t have a problem with it, either. But just because I can drink it, doesn’t mean I would. These pictures of water directly from our faucet after a rain storm a few months back illustrate why.

 

Consistent Power. Any city in the world that has power lines above the ground and receives inclement weather will experience the occasional power outage. Most people have flashlights or candles in their homes as a result. In Jakarta, we’ll get power outages for any reason at all. When we first arrived, we lost power three times in the first month, and there wasn’t a raincloud in sight any during any of the outages.

Tuesday morning, our day started with a power outage at 5 AM. Usually these outages last about thirty minutes and then their back. When we were without power for three hours, we called maintenance. They informed us we were the only ones in the complex without power. By the afternoon, they had finished restoring power to all of the air conditioning units (no central air, each room has its own unit) and most of the electrical outlets. By Wednesday noon, after drilling three holes in the cement walls and ceilings, they had restored all power and believe they have fixed the root cause – a leaking air conditioning unit that caused a short.

The power surge that occurred with the outage burned and destroyed a power converter, my wireless router, one baby monitor, and the charger for my phone. We have no internet at home yet. I can only get online at work and in the clubhouse in our complex.


Add reliable infrastructure the list of things we miss.

Finally....PICTURES!

I know, I know.  I've been promising these forever, and I haven't been blogging much at all lately.  It will change soon.

A few quick updates before providing the pictures:

1)  Our nanny did not return.  Her husband prefers her to be closer than twelve hours away by train, so she now stays in the village.  She was nice enough to refer a new nanny to us, who started this past Monday.  Not even near the quality, but we're working with her.  Hopefully she will improve.

2)  My wife won the bet, though I am protesting and claiming sabotage.  In the last week, though laundry was done, none of my workout clothes were ever washed.  I would have had to run in khakis!  Something is amiss.

And now, the pictures.  These are a variety of pictuers from the last several months.  You'll see our trip to Singapore's Universal Studios, the kids just hanging around the house, and us out and about in Jakarta.

Hope you enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The fasting is over

The week of Idul Fitri, the holiday that marks the ending of the fasting month of Ramadan, is an interesting time in Jakarta. Last year, my family was living in Singapore during the month of September, and I was commuting back and forth between Jakarta and Singapore, so we did not realize the full impact of the Idul Fitri holiday. Jakarta is a different city.


The month of Ramadan is a period of fasting and self-reflection for Muslims. They are unable to eat or drink anything from sunup until sundown. They are also advised to refrain from foul language, impure thoughts and smoking. The fasting is to help them better relate to those less fortunate themselves. Those unable to eat or drink whenever they want. Muslims believe this helps bring them closer to Allah.

Idul Fitri is, literally, the celebration at the end of fasting. In Indonesia, it is also known as Lebaron, and is a national holiday. All Indonesian companies are required to give a bonus equal to one month’s salary, with a minimum amount of $100, to their employees. Lebaron is a time for Muslim families to celebrate together by breaking the fast and praying together as a family. It is also a time for mudik, or the requesting of forgiveness from parents, elders and in-laws for past transgressions.

To accomplish mudik, the roughly eight million transitory inhabitants of Jakarta pulang kampung (return to village). The roads leaving Jakarta to the various villages in the island of Java are clogged. A picture in the local paper provided an aerial view of the mass exodus. What looked like a huge crowd at a rock concert was actually motorcyclists on one of the main highways leaving town. Most of those returning to their villages are the day-laborers, maids, and nannies of the wealthier residents of Jakarta.

The departure of the help compels the wealthier members of Jakarta to seek ‘escape’ in the many hotel resorts in Singapore, Jakarta and Bali. The middle class, who typically have house-staff but cannot afford to escape to a resort, will either continue working or stay home and do the work typically performed by their house staff. Some members of my team have a maid or nanny or both. It’s interesting to hear how upside down their life becomes when the hired help disappears for a week.

For us, this time has proven very quiet and tranquil. With half the city gone, we have encountered very little traffic. We’ve never seen Jakarta like this. It’s eerie, in some respects. Our help, too, has returned to their villages. This has had a larger affect on my wife than me. She now picks up laundry, cleaning and dishes duty and is full-time with the kids during the day.

It has also allowed some touching and humorous stories around the house, both coming courtesy of our four-year-old daughter, and both involving washing dishes. On our first day without the maid, the dishes had already piled up. Without the nanny, the kids were starving for attention. I took baby duty and my wife took dishes duty. Our daughter was caught in the middle and decided to help out mom with the dishes. This was a big event for our daughter – the first time she was helping with the chores. Comfortable she knew how to wash and then dry, my wife moved on to other chores in the kitchen. When our daughter discovered she was washing alone, she turned to my wife and complained: “Hey! You aren’t helping! Who do you think I am, Cinderella?”

The second unforgettable moment occurred yesterday. My wife had just put our son down for his morning nap and our daughter wanted to play with mommy – a rare opportunity to have mom all to herself. Unfortunately, my wife explained, there were dishes to be done and play would have to wait. Disappointed, our daughter sulked away. Heartbroken, my wife rushed to finish the dishes so she could spend some quality alone time with our daughter. A few minutes later, our daughter was back. She was wearing her apron and carrying her step stool, ready to help mom at the sink. I only wish I could have been there to see my wife’s face.

The Idul Fitri holiday is only two days, but the festivities and vacations last a week. On Monday, life will return to normal; so will the traffic. The only thing we don’t know at this point is whether our nanny will return from her village. Her husband has found a job, and wants her to live with her in the village, instead of twelve hours away in Jakarta. Her income as a nanny is not as important now that he has found work. We hope she will return, though have accepted that she likely will not.

Catching up

I've started and stopped this entry several times in the last few days.  I've been struggling to find anything to say.  Part of the problem is I've been spending all my free time playing an online game, much to my wife's annoyance.  I finally asked tonight:  Is it better to have a hobby with no tangible benefit that keeps me at home and is free, or a hobby that has me away from home and costs money, but has a tangible benefit.  For the sake of argument, think online games vs. rock climbing or running.  At the moment, mostly due to ease of involvement, I've chosen the former.

A few updates I can provide:

My son is not quite saying words, but he is making his intentions clear.  He points at the things he wants, or the direction he wants you to take him.  He is also very mobile.  He stands on his own and walks with assistance.  It won't be long before he is walking on his own.  He also has taken to blowing kisses and waving at any smiling Indonesian woman.  I swear he'll grow up to marry an Asian woman.

My daughter has a new best friend, and a new "husband".  The new friend comes from the US.  Her father is a US Marine and her mother is from Australia.  Oddly enough, he grew up in Holland and went to Grand Valley State and graduated the same year I did.  His folks still live there.  Their daughter is the same age as ours and they have a son who is a few months older than our son.  He's here on a one year program the Armed Services offer for select enlisted men and women to spend a year traveling a country to learn the language and the customs as preparation for Embassy work.  Cool program.

The rain has been relentless.  It's rained every day, all different times of the day.  Luckily, no flooding yet.  It has made for extremely long drives home.  You don't know traffic until you've spent 45 minutes to go 2 miles.

Ramadan ended last week and the Idul Fitri holiday kicked off.  For us, this means no staff.  Our nanny went back to her village, or "pulang kampung", last week Friday and our maid left this week Wednesday.  They do not return until 20 September.  Well, if they return at all.  Our nanny may not be coming back.  Her husband found a job in their village and has insisted she stay home now.  She plans to try to negotiate with him.  One of our drivers seems to think she'll be back.  I don't.  Wives listen to their husband's demands around here.

Last week also marked the first time I've been able to review a prototype of the game I invented for the iPhone.  I am very excited.  We haven't spent much time on the graphics yet, but all the logic required for the game to work is functioning.  I think we are about 1 month from launch.  If you have an iPhone, or know someone who does, I'm going to ask that you spend the $1 we'll be selling it for to help us reach the best seller list in its first week.

One last thing.  On the right side of my blog, I have links to other blogs.  A good friend of mine has recently rebranded his blog to PeterFaur.com.  It is a great blog that I check out several times a week.  I recommend you do too.

Wurfeltod

Object of Game:

To complete as many dice combinations as possible in 20 turns.

Materials:

6 dice
Score sheet

Number of Players:

2 or more.

Turns:

Every player receives 20 turns to attempt to achieve all of the dice combinations. A player’s turn begins by rolling all 6 dice. At the end of each turn, a player must select an available dice combination. A combination cannot be booked twice.

After the first roll, the player will decide either to set dice aside and try to achieve an available combination, or take zero (0) on an available combination and end their turn. If a player decides to attempt an available combination, the following rules apply:

1) Player must set aside at least one die each roll in order to continue rolling. This includes the first roll.
2) Once a die is set aside, it remains set aside and cannot be included in further rolls.
3) After any roll, a player can stop and book an available combination.
4) When a player books a combination, if a die from the final roll is not included in the selected combination, player must also book a Wurfeltod.
5) If, after the final roll, there are no available combinations, player must take a zero (0) on an available combination AND book a Wurfeltod.

EXAMPLE:

After rolling 1-1-2-3-4-4, the player sets aside 1-1-4-4, and rolls the dice with 2-3. On the second roll, the player gets 4-5. Player sets aside the 4 and can either claim the 4-4-4 combination, claim the two pairs combination, or roll the final die again (the 5) hoping for another 4 or a 1. Player rolls the 5 and gets a 3 resulting in a final dice combination of 1-1-4-4-4-3. This has four eligible combinations – one pair, two pair, 4-4-4, and total of dice. If the player opts to book one pair, two pair, or 4-4-4, they will receive points for those, but must also book a Wurfeltod because the final roll – the 3 – did not contribute to any of these combinations. If the player books “total of dice”, the 3 would be included in this combination, and the player does not need to book a Wurfeltod. If none of those four combinations are available, the player must select a combination to book as a zero (0), and also book a Wurfeltod.

Scoring:

50 pts Any Pair
50 pts Two Pair
100 pts 1 1 1
100 pts 2 2 2
100 pts 3 3 3
100 pts 4 4 4
100 pts 5 5 5
300 pts 6 6 6
500 pts +25 Sum Total
750 pts Four of a kind
800 pts Three Pairs
850 pts Two Triplets
900 pts Four of a kind + any pair
1000 pts Five of a kind
1000 pts 5 Die Straight
1500 pts Sequential Pairs
2000 pts Six of a kind
2000 pts 6 Die Straight
Face Value Total of dice x 10 (you get this option twice)
-250 pts Wurfeltod

Winning:

The winner is the player with the most points at the end of 20 turns.

A Visit from the U.S.

With my boss visiting from the U.S. and my wife's birthday both happening this week, I have had just one dinner at home.  Interestingly, the restaurants I've eaten at each night have had a common theme:

Tuesday - the apartment
Wednesday - Social House
Thursday - Elbow Room

Friday (today), I tried to book us at Hacienda (Spanish for "ranch"), hoping to keep the theme going, but they were fully booked.  So, we're going to Benihana's instead, and breaking the trend.

In addition to the many work projects, a key topic of discussion during my boss's visit is what happens to me when my assignment completes in April.  Technically, my official assignment paperwork is open ended.  The verbal agreement we had before my family moved here was a two year commitment.  Regardless, our lease runs out on 06 April and we'll have to do something before then.

When we first agreed to move to Jakarta, the plan was I would return to my same role after my assignment completed.  That was before the economic crisis.  That was before we outsourced a large portion of our technology division.  That was before two major changes to the organization chart.  In short, a lot has changed and the job I left no longer exists.

Before we left Phoenix, and even several times while I've been here, I joked that my assignment was to work myself out of a job.  My theory was that if I did a bad job in Jakarta, they'd fire me; if I did a good job, they'd move all the work here and there wouldn't be a job to go back to.  My joke is no longer very humorous.

Where it stands today, my boss has expressed he would like it if we remained here another two years and I have told them that is not an option for my family.  I know I have demonstrated my value and I am confident we will come to a compromise that works well both for my family and the organization. 

I anticipate my final role will require extensive travel back to Jakarta, at least initially.  Although not ideal because of the time away from family, it allows us to be based in Phoenix while I still contribute maximum value to my company.

Whatever the outcome, I know two things:

1)  This has been a great opportunity.  I've grown professionally and personally as a result of my time in Jakarta.  I've learned a lot about working interculturally, Muslims, Indonesia, and myself.  I will never regret coming here.

2)  My family is moving back to Phoenix next year.  Tentatively, my family moves in January and I will join them in April, depending on the demands of my work projects.

I'll keep everyone posted as we finalize the plans.

(And, yes, I realize I still owe some pictures.  I hope to get to it this weekend).