Late August in Indonesia means Ramadan. Ramadan means fasting from sunrise to sunset. At sunset, roughly 6 PM, everyone wants to be home with their family to break fast. This means they leave work at the same time I do. Thanks to the extra traffic, my five mile commute went from a twenty minute drive to a two hour drive. It's this time of year I finish two or three books per week.
August also means our daughter has returned to school. She is still at the age where this is an exciting proposition. Learning is fun for her. I really hope that never changes.
Our traveling is done now until we return to the US for a few weeks in October. We're taking advantage of the lull in travel to be more active. My wife and I have a bet. The loser is required to get up early with the kids both days on the weekends until the end of the year. The bet: who can run the most kilometers in 30 days. She has far more time available to run than do I, but I run at a 50% faster pace (8kph vs 12kph), so I think it is a fair bet. After five days, I'm in the lead by .25 km.
Finally, I need to get back to the golf instructor. I was hitting the ball very well, just slicing right. Yesterday, I went back to the range and couldn't hit the ball to save my life. I even broke the head off my driver! Now I need to replace a club I never really used. Hopefully, my instructor can determine what bad habit I've picked up.
I need to load some pictures. I'll do that tomorrow.
Showing posts with label ramadhan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ramadhan. Show all posts
Monday, August 23, 2010
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Sept 13 - Preparing for home
This was, by far, the most productive trip I've had to Indonesia. It's probably the most productive two-weeks I've had in my recent career. We accomplished everything I came here to accomplish, and I'm very comfortable with the outcome. What did it take? Me working in the office from 7:30 AM to 6 PM and then in the hotel from 8 PM until, on one occassion, 1 AM.
So, if you were wondering why I didn't blog every day on this trip as I did on my prior trips, now you know.
A few things I learned (or reminded myself of) on this trip:
1) Ramadan (or Ramadhan) is the Muslim Christmas. This is the holiest of times for them, and they celebrate it by fasting, giving gifts, celebrating family, and focusing on resisting temptation. I have a hard time turning away a bowl of ice cream each night.
2) Jakarta is a HUGE city crammed into a TINY area. When going 5 kilometers (about 3 miles for all you Americans) takes 45 minutes, you know you have traffic issues. This is a town without speed limits because the traffic itself prevents high speeds.
3) Peaceful plurality is achievable when you remove the notion that your beliefs are better than anyone elses. It also helps when the plurality occurs in pockets of homogeneity. The nation has 4 different religions, but each island has a dominant one that drives the government and culture for that island. If these were neighboring states, I bet the peace would be more tenuous.
4) Poverty and wealth can coexist - and often do. If anyone has been to Gross Pointe, Michigan, you've seen a mild version of what occurs here. In Jakarta, you can drive down a back alley, barely wide enough for two cars with their mirrors extended to pass each other, seeing throngs of people living at a subsistence level. In that same alley, there will be a 15 foot metal gate that, when it slides open, reveals a moderately guarded compound of 3500sf homes with personal swimming pools, shared playgrounds and tennis courts.
5) They don't get the NFL here. That really sucks. I missed the first full week of the only sport I pay attention to.
As one of my colleagues here said to me: "I'm really glad you came, but I'm really glad you are leaving". I'm really glad I came, but I'm glad to be going home.
So, if you were wondering why I didn't blog every day on this trip as I did on my prior trips, now you know.
A few things I learned (or reminded myself of) on this trip:
1) Ramadan (or Ramadhan) is the Muslim Christmas. This is the holiest of times for them, and they celebrate it by fasting, giving gifts, celebrating family, and focusing on resisting temptation. I have a hard time turning away a bowl of ice cream each night.
2) Jakarta is a HUGE city crammed into a TINY area. When going 5 kilometers (about 3 miles for all you Americans) takes 45 minutes, you know you have traffic issues. This is a town without speed limits because the traffic itself prevents high speeds.
3) Peaceful plurality is achievable when you remove the notion that your beliefs are better than anyone elses. It also helps when the plurality occurs in pockets of homogeneity. The nation has 4 different religions, but each island has a dominant one that drives the government and culture for that island. If these were neighboring states, I bet the peace would be more tenuous.
4) Poverty and wealth can coexist - and often do. If anyone has been to Gross Pointe, Michigan, you've seen a mild version of what occurs here. In Jakarta, you can drive down a back alley, barely wide enough for two cars with their mirrors extended to pass each other, seeing throngs of people living at a subsistence level. In that same alley, there will be a 15 foot metal gate that, when it slides open, reveals a moderately guarded compound of 3500sf homes with personal swimming pools, shared playgrounds and tennis courts.
5) They don't get the NFL here. That really sucks. I missed the first full week of the only sport I pay attention to.
As one of my colleagues here said to me: "I'm really glad you came, but I'm really glad you are leaving". I'm really glad I came, but I'm glad to be going home.
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