Television in Jakarta is horrible. On the plus side, this means I read a lot more (see below). On the downside, it means I am missing the only sport I have an interest in - the NFL. What passes for sports here is Soccer, Cricket and Formula One auto racing. Occasionally I am able to catch an Australian rules football game, or even a rugby match, though I can't quite appreciate these sports like I can those I grew up with.
Before boarding my flight from Singapore back to Jakarta, I bought two books: "The Richest Man in Town" and "Outliers". Each book I read in their entirety in less than 2 days. Great books. Anyone who aspires to have great success, or wants to be an entrepreneur, must read "The Richest Man in Town". "Outliers" is the third book by Malcolm Gladwell - his first two books being "The Tipping Point" and "Blink". I think "Outliers" should be required reading for anyone with children.
Shootings started up again at our mine site this week. We had one on Wednesday, and another on Saturday morning. Even with the presence of 600 military troops, the capture of whomever is attacking our buses and employees remains elusive. What remains to be seen is if the continued tension will cause people to break, or will they begin to accept it as just another hardship of living in Papua and working in a mine.
The fasting is nearly over. The devout have been fasting for over three weeks. It appears that by the third week, lack of consistent food and water takes its toll. Traffic jams are much louder with blaring horns. People are more apt to criticize the behavior of others. Jakartans are just more on edge. Oh, and traffic is still outrageously bad.
Showing posts with label fasting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fasting. Show all posts
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Monday, August 31, 2009
What does September bring?
The saying goes: April showers bring May flowers......and Mayflowers bring Pilgrims!
Well, September in Jakarta brings fasting, illness and expats. It seems everyone around me is falling ill. The cubicles outside my office resonate with the sound of hacking and coughing. For some, I think it is a dry cough of dehydration. A side effect of forgoing drink during the fast. For others, I have learned, it comes from poor diet during the fasting month.
Prior to the fasting, an expat friend of mine told me that many people have tremendous difficulty balancing their blood sugar during this time. They exacerbate the situation by breaking fast with sweet drinks and cakes instead of real food. The Friday before fasting began, my company even sent out a memo reminding everyone of good dietary habits during the fasting month. On my ride home today, my driver was sneezing and coughing. I asked him if he was catching a cold. He told me that he had forgotten to eat rice - a staple of his diet - for the last three days because he has had nothing but cakes! The fasting seems to be taking a toll on everyone. I fully understand how it can teach the suffering of the poor and provide a better understanding of their plight.
The flip side of fasting is the arrival of the large, loud, gluttonous expats. They are the ones you see walking down the street eating an ice cream cone as all the people fasting conserve energy under the shade of a lean-to. Our neighborhood is filled with kids playing in the streets, the tennis courts, and the playgrounds into the early evening. The gym is more crowded, the pool always has someone in it. Many people had told us that expats disappear for the summer and for Christmas. Well, they're back. Summer must be over.
Well, September in Jakarta brings fasting, illness and expats. It seems everyone around me is falling ill. The cubicles outside my office resonate with the sound of hacking and coughing. For some, I think it is a dry cough of dehydration. A side effect of forgoing drink during the fast. For others, I have learned, it comes from poor diet during the fasting month.
Prior to the fasting, an expat friend of mine told me that many people have tremendous difficulty balancing their blood sugar during this time. They exacerbate the situation by breaking fast with sweet drinks and cakes instead of real food. The Friday before fasting began, my company even sent out a memo reminding everyone of good dietary habits during the fasting month. On my ride home today, my driver was sneezing and coughing. I asked him if he was catching a cold. He told me that he had forgotten to eat rice - a staple of his diet - for the last three days because he has had nothing but cakes! The fasting seems to be taking a toll on everyone. I fully understand how it can teach the suffering of the poor and provide a better understanding of their plight.
The flip side of fasting is the arrival of the large, loud, gluttonous expats. They are the ones you see walking down the street eating an ice cream cone as all the people fasting conserve energy under the shade of a lean-to. Our neighborhood is filled with kids playing in the streets, the tennis courts, and the playgrounds into the early evening. The gym is more crowded, the pool always has someone in it. Many people had told us that expats disappear for the summer and for Christmas. Well, they're back. Summer must be over.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Day of un-fasting
Ying and Yang. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. He giveth and He taketh away.
Fasting removed the vendors from our streets, and put the cars on it. During the fast, Muslims wake around 3 AM and eat before 5 AM. No point in sitting around the house, so they head into work. Because fasting ends around 6 PM, they want to get home in time to break fast. This means they leave the office at 4 PM. My 45 minute commute from office to home took 90 minutes today. My understanding is this only lasts the first week, and then everyone heads back to the village and clears the streets.
The only other change at the office was the erection of privacy screens in the cafeteria so that casual wanderers by don't see anyone eating. I was a little surprised to see the little street vendors peddling bottles of water at 4:30. As 6 PM approached, the vendors started flooding the streets and selling food in take-out containers to the cars stuck in traffic. I would be interested to know if this time of year is as lucrative for the local merchants as Christmas is for retailers in the US.
Fasting removed the vendors from our streets, and put the cars on it. During the fast, Muslims wake around 3 AM and eat before 5 AM. No point in sitting around the house, so they head into work. Because fasting ends around 6 PM, they want to get home in time to break fast. This means they leave the office at 4 PM. My 45 minute commute from office to home took 90 minutes today. My understanding is this only lasts the first week, and then everyone heads back to the village and clears the streets.
The only other change at the office was the erection of privacy screens in the cafeteria so that casual wanderers by don't see anyone eating. I was a little surprised to see the little street vendors peddling bottles of water at 4:30. As 6 PM approached, the vendors started flooding the streets and selling food in take-out containers to the cars stuck in traffic. I would be interested to know if this time of year is as lucrative for the local merchants as Christmas is for retailers in the US.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
The Fasting Begins
Saturday marked the start of the Muslim holiday of Ramadan. Ramadan is the fasting month and is a time for Muslims to better understand the plight of the poor by experiencing what hunger and thirst feels like. For the next month, Muslims will refrain from drinking, eating, and smoking from sunup to sundown. The official start and end of the day is announced for each region by the local religious leader.
Non-Muslim are asked to be sensitive to our Muslim colleagues who are fasting by not eating or drinking in front of them. The streets are already clear of the food vendors, many of whom would lose their customer base if they tried to sell food during the day. Even the restaurants have installed curtains that they will keep closed during the day so people walking on the street cannot see patrons inside the restaurant eating. Driving by a McDonalds with drawn curtains always seems a bit odd.
As a manager, I have to recognize that many on my staff are rising around 4 AM, or earlier, to eat as much as they can before the day begins. They will then refrain from eating all day until around 6 PM, when they will "break fast" and have a meal with other Muslims. Because of the long commute times, most employees just remain at the office and the break room becomes a loud cafeteria atmosphere after 6 PM. Fatigue can be a concern during the fasting month, so we try to maintain a tranquil, low stress environment (I wish I could to this all year!).
The real key to supporting Muslims during Ramadan is to not ask them to fast longer than they have to. This means recognizing that my driver will need a drink and some food around 6 PM, and scheduling my day around that need. Same thing is true with late-night meetings at work - plan on stopping so the Muslims can break their fast.
Ramadan will culminate with Lebaran, or Idul Fitri. This is a two day holiday at the end of the fasting and is the biggest Muslim holiday of the year. Those that can afford it 'pulang kampu', which means - "return to village", or, more directly, go home and visit the family. 70% of my staff will be off that week, and we plan our project schedules around it.
Non-Muslim are asked to be sensitive to our Muslim colleagues who are fasting by not eating or drinking in front of them. The streets are already clear of the food vendors, many of whom would lose their customer base if they tried to sell food during the day. Even the restaurants have installed curtains that they will keep closed during the day so people walking on the street cannot see patrons inside the restaurant eating. Driving by a McDonalds with drawn curtains always seems a bit odd.
As a manager, I have to recognize that many on my staff are rising around 4 AM, or earlier, to eat as much as they can before the day begins. They will then refrain from eating all day until around 6 PM, when they will "break fast" and have a meal with other Muslims. Because of the long commute times, most employees just remain at the office and the break room becomes a loud cafeteria atmosphere after 6 PM. Fatigue can be a concern during the fasting month, so we try to maintain a tranquil, low stress environment (I wish I could to this all year!).
The real key to supporting Muslims during Ramadan is to not ask them to fast longer than they have to. This means recognizing that my driver will need a drink and some food around 6 PM, and scheduling my day around that need. Same thing is true with late-night meetings at work - plan on stopping so the Muslims can break their fast.
Ramadan will culminate with Lebaran, or Idul Fitri. This is a two day holiday at the end of the fasting and is the biggest Muslim holiday of the year. Those that can afford it 'pulang kampu', which means - "return to village", or, more directly, go home and visit the family. 70% of my staff will be off that week, and we plan our project schedules around it.
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