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.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Monday, March 17, 2008
Mar 17
Sunday, as my usual, was a do-nothing day. Yesterday I slept in, ate a late lunch, exercised, and watched many of the DVD's I bought. I made one quick trip back to the mall because I need a book for my journey home since I finished all four I came here with. Finding an English book in an Indonesian store was not easy. I had less variety to choose from than you would find in a grocery store. I finally settled on a biographic fiction novel about the Zodiac killer in San Francisco. I also bought a Winnie the Pooh book for my daughter.
Today was back to work. We have one milestone left before I can say I accomplished everything on my trip to-do list - create a detailed design document that defines all the changes we are making to the software. I received a draft of that document in the early afternoon and, with the exception of restructuring the flow of the document and adding a few additional elements from other documents, it's complete. We have a design review with the architecture committee on Wednesday morning and that should be the end of it.
I also received the good news that I am returning home two days early. When we booked the trip, we were unaware of the four day holiday weekend this week (well, we in the US were unaware). My original plans called for me to leave on Saturday. Once I learned of the holidays, I put my name on a waiting list with the airline to move me to a Thursday departure. Today, I received word I am off the waiting list and have confirmed tickets...so I'm home on Thursday night, now (but don't call, I'll be exhausted).
On this trip, I've done what I can to pick up bits and pieces of the language - Bahasa. In Papua, we picked up many words like Ibu and Pak - (mrs. and mr.) - and I continued this trend in Jakarta. One of my favorite terms - mostly because the locals like hearing me use it - is "bule" (Boo lay). I am a bule (no, sis, it doesn't mean that).
Those of you who know me well understand my affinity for languages. Through the years, I've dabbled in Spanish, French, German, Chinese, Japanese, Yiddish and, now, Bhasan. Almost every language has a term for "bule". In Japan, its "Gaijin". The Jews use the term "Goy" or "Goyem". Mexicans use the term "Gringo". Basically, it means "foreigner", "outsider", "not one of us". Americans use "illegal immigrant"...but I digress.
In most cultures, this has no negative connotation - in fact, in many it's a positive. In Indonesia, being a bule has many benefits:
1) You don't wait in lines at restaurants
2) You get preferred seating
3) The government gives you preferential treatment on obtaining business licenses
4) The local police give you a "get out of jail free" card (at least that's what everyone calls the paper they gave me on my second day signed by the local police directorate - I haven't had to test it...nor do I want to)
5) You're automatically given deferential treatment
Of course, there is also "local price" and "bule price"... guess which is more. Nonetheless, everyone loves when I use self-depreciating humor while referring to myself as bule. Like "sorry, that was a bule mistake". Or, "I can't eat that, I'm a bule!" Or "Hati hati bule cawa" (Be careful of foreign men). Or, my favorite "Bule capade" (foreigner tired of waiting).
I think if I spent 3 months here I could converse in (broken) bahasa. But since "je parle francais comme un vache espangol" (I speak French like a Spanish cow) - believe me, the French die laughing when I say that - broken bahasa is prett good!
I've enjoyed every minute I've spent here - even the odd turns at the restaurants - but I am eager to return home and am glad we were able to change my flight. Two more days of Indonesian hospitality and I take to the skies to return to the competitive lifestyle of American capitalism.
Quick fact: Indonesia is the world's largest exporter of domestic labor.
(Big article in the Jakarta post today about thousands of the roughly 20,000 Indonesian domestic workers in Qatar wanting to leave because of abuse by their employers).
P.S. - Can the international media report on anything OTHER than the bad US economy, Eliot Spitzer, or Barrack Obama's preacher?? Geesh! The international edition of the WSJ had 22 articles on Bear Stearns today. Literally.
Today was back to work. We have one milestone left before I can say I accomplished everything on my trip to-do list - create a detailed design document that defines all the changes we are making to the software. I received a draft of that document in the early afternoon and, with the exception of restructuring the flow of the document and adding a few additional elements from other documents, it's complete. We have a design review with the architecture committee on Wednesday morning and that should be the end of it.
I also received the good news that I am returning home two days early. When we booked the trip, we were unaware of the four day holiday weekend this week (well, we in the US were unaware). My original plans called for me to leave on Saturday. Once I learned of the holidays, I put my name on a waiting list with the airline to move me to a Thursday departure. Today, I received word I am off the waiting list and have confirmed tickets...so I'm home on Thursday night, now (but don't call, I'll be exhausted).
On this trip, I've done what I can to pick up bits and pieces of the language - Bahasa. In Papua, we picked up many words like Ibu and Pak - (mrs. and mr.) - and I continued this trend in Jakarta. One of my favorite terms - mostly because the locals like hearing me use it - is "bule" (Boo lay). I am a bule (no, sis, it doesn't mean that).
Those of you who know me well understand my affinity for languages. Through the years, I've dabbled in Spanish, French, German, Chinese, Japanese, Yiddish and, now, Bhasan. Almost every language has a term for "bule". In Japan, its "Gaijin". The Jews use the term "Goy" or "Goyem". Mexicans use the term "Gringo". Basically, it means "foreigner", "outsider", "not one of us". Americans use "illegal immigrant"...but I digress.
In most cultures, this has no negative connotation - in fact, in many it's a positive. In Indonesia, being a bule has many benefits:
1) You don't wait in lines at restaurants
2) You get preferred seating
3) The government gives you preferential treatment on obtaining business licenses
4) The local police give you a "get out of jail free" card (at least that's what everyone calls the paper they gave me on my second day signed by the local police directorate - I haven't had to test it...nor do I want to)
5) You're automatically given deferential treatment
Of course, there is also "local price" and "bule price"... guess which is more. Nonetheless, everyone loves when I use self-depreciating humor while referring to myself as bule. Like "sorry, that was a bule mistake". Or, "I can't eat that, I'm a bule!" Or "Hati hati bule cawa" (Be careful of foreign men). Or, my favorite "Bule capade" (foreigner tired of waiting).
I think if I spent 3 months here I could converse in (broken) bahasa. But since "je parle francais comme un vache espangol" (I speak French like a Spanish cow) - believe me, the French die laughing when I say that - broken bahasa is prett good!
I've enjoyed every minute I've spent here - even the odd turns at the restaurants - but I am eager to return home and am glad we were able to change my flight. Two more days of Indonesian hospitality and I take to the skies to return to the competitive lifestyle of American capitalism.
Quick fact: Indonesia is the world's largest exporter of domestic labor.
(Big article in the Jakarta post today about thousands of the roughly 20,000 Indonesian domestic workers in Qatar wanting to leave because of abuse by their employers).
P.S. - Can the international media report on anything OTHER than the bad US economy, Eliot Spitzer, or Barrack Obama's preacher?? Geesh! The international edition of the WSJ had 22 articles on Bear Stearns today. Literally.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Mar 15
Today was the Safari zoo. It exceeded my expectations. It is, bar none, the most amazing zoo I've ever been to. I was able to get up close and personal with animals like never before - and have the pictures to prove it. I took several pictures and then discovered I am at my quota for uploading photos to Flickr. So, I've only loaded the most relevant pictures that help illustrate today's events.
It has rained every day since I've arrived in Indonesia and today was no exception. Typically, the sky is partly cloudy in the morning, clouds roll in around midday, it rains in the afternoon and clears by evening. Today, the rain started early.
Traffic in Jakarta is usually clear on Saturdays. The rain, however flooded the streets - including the highways - and traffic was horrible. Driving to the Safari zoo should normally require 1 hour. It took us 2.5 hours. Part of the extra time was the result of us missing the exit we needed because the rain was coming down so hard we had next to no visibility and missed the sign. The rain continued until we arrived in the city in the mountains that has the Safari Zoo.
We stopped for lunch at a restaurant that overlooked the mountain valley. Breathtaking views of the mountain vistas and the lush jungle vegetation. We had another restaurant snafu. I ordered the spaghetti. The waiter took our orders and when he finally came back, he only had one order. He delivered and said "sorry, we're out of spaghetti". Didn't ask if I wanted something else, hadn't come back before hand to tell us there was no spaghetti. I guess he assumed that I wouldn't want to eat anything if there wasn't spaghetti. I eventually ordered a cheeseburger - which, when delivered, was really a piece of bologna on a bun with lettuce.
Though it had stopped raining when we arrived, we watched as a big storm climbed the mountain across from us and came rushing down the valley. When it rains here, it rains unlike anywhere else I've seen. It literally removes visibility. One minute, we're staring at a mountain with large houses, the next we're staring at a large mass of gray with no idea there is a mountain on the other side. The rain comes down so hard and in such large drops, it forms an impenetrable sheet of water and hides everything more than 500 yards away. (I have pictures, but chose not to load those).
After lunch, we drove the remaining 8km to the Safari zoo. As you come up the final road to the zoo, every 20 feet there are road side stands that sell carrots
I thought nothing of it because there were similar shops that sold other fruit - pineapple, yams, oranges, bananas, etc. These, for some reason, focused on carrots.
When we arrived at the zoo, paid, and began our drive, it wasn't long before I discovered why they sold carrots. We drive through the first gate and are immediately confronted with wild animals. Elephants are lazily grazing just off the road to our left. A pack of zebras are huddled in the middle of the road directly in front of us. It had stopped raining, but there were still drops of rain on the windows. I wanted to get a clear, unobstructed picture of the animals so I rolled down my window. That proved to be a mistake. No sooner had I put the window down then I had two zebras with their heads inside my side of the car.
I finally got them out of the car and put the window back up. That was the closest I had ever been to a zebra. Closed windows didn't deter them, however. They, and then some of their friends, continued to sniff the windows, nibble at some of the plastic, and bite at the glass. Then, without warning, they left our car and ran behind us. The car behind us was feeding them carrots through windows they had opened just far enough to slide carrots through.
Now free from a herd of zebra, we continue up the road. Around the next turn, a pack of llama prance their way to the car, also seeking carrots. One stood directly in front of our car, forcing us to slow to a stop directly in front of it.
The zoo, like most zoos, is divided into several sections or exhibits. Each section is separated by large gates, but the gates are open so cars can drive through them. Large sections of cattle guard rails prevent the animals from crossing between exhibits.
Unlike other zoos where those exhibits contain the same animal, this zoo has several in the same area. Zebras with llama, elephants and water buffalo. Giraffe with hippos and monkeys. Deer with rhinos and ostriches. The only animals they separated into their own exhibits were the predators - lions, tigers and bears. The experience with the zebras and llamas continued with all sections of the park, except the predators.
When we arrived at the section for the lions, the gates are closed and doubled up, like a water lock. You drive up to the first gate and a warning sign reminds you that lions are, indeed, dangerous.
The gate opens, you drive into the lock, the gate closes behind you, the next gate opens, and you're now in with lions roaming freely.
The lions are not behind a fence, they are not behind bars. They are crossing the street in front of you. The same is true with the tigers. The warning sign for the tigers shows them leaping on the front of your car and advises you not to stop the vehicle. This is a zoo you would never see in the US. No one would insure it because we would allow the idiots who would exit the car, get maimed or die, to sue the zoo for negligence. Indonesia's approach is much better - social Darwinism.
The bears, however, were behind a barb wire fence. I'm guessing the bears had a history of smelling the carrots in the cars, coming up to the cars, and shaking them. The lions and tigers more or less ignored us - the bears had no choice.
At the end of the drive, the zoo had a special area for children to play. It included rides (carousels, trams), games, and a baby animals zoo. The restrooms (which, by the way, you have to pay to use) were in the baby zoo. I'm glad we went there because I had some awesome animal experiences. They had more then baby animals at the "baby zoo". They had a baby orangutan, a baby lion, a full grown white tiger, and a 9 year old jaguar (leopard)- all of which you could take your picture with for 10,000 Rupiah (about $1.50). I took pictures with all four.
If you ever get the opportunity to visit Jakarta, this is one experience you do not want to miss.
It has rained every day since I've arrived in Indonesia and today was no exception. Typically, the sky is partly cloudy in the morning, clouds roll in around midday, it rains in the afternoon and clears by evening. Today, the rain started early.
Traffic in Jakarta is usually clear on Saturdays. The rain, however flooded the streets - including the highways - and traffic was horrible. Driving to the Safari zoo should normally require 1 hour. It took us 2.5 hours. Part of the extra time was the result of us missing the exit we needed because the rain was coming down so hard we had next to no visibility and missed the sign. The rain continued until we arrived in the city in the mountains that has the Safari Zoo.
We stopped for lunch at a restaurant that overlooked the mountain valley. Breathtaking views of the mountain vistas and the lush jungle vegetation. We had another restaurant snafu. I ordered the spaghetti. The waiter took our orders and when he finally came back, he only had one order. He delivered and said "sorry, we're out of spaghetti". Didn't ask if I wanted something else, hadn't come back before hand to tell us there was no spaghetti. I guess he assumed that I wouldn't want to eat anything if there wasn't spaghetti. I eventually ordered a cheeseburger - which, when delivered, was really a piece of bologna on a bun with lettuce.
Though it had stopped raining when we arrived, we watched as a big storm climbed the mountain across from us and came rushing down the valley. When it rains here, it rains unlike anywhere else I've seen. It literally removes visibility. One minute, we're staring at a mountain with large houses, the next we're staring at a large mass of gray with no idea there is a mountain on the other side. The rain comes down so hard and in such large drops, it forms an impenetrable sheet of water and hides everything more than 500 yards away. (I have pictures, but chose not to load those).
After lunch, we drove the remaining 8km to the Safari zoo. As you come up the final road to the zoo, every 20 feet there are road side stands that sell carrots
I thought nothing of it because there were similar shops that sold other fruit - pineapple, yams, oranges, bananas, etc. These, for some reason, focused on carrots.
When we arrived at the zoo, paid, and began our drive, it wasn't long before I discovered why they sold carrots. We drive through the first gate and are immediately confronted with wild animals. Elephants are lazily grazing just off the road to our left. A pack of zebras are huddled in the middle of the road directly in front of us. It had stopped raining, but there were still drops of rain on the windows. I wanted to get a clear, unobstructed picture of the animals so I rolled down my window. That proved to be a mistake. No sooner had I put the window down then I had two zebras with their heads inside my side of the car.
I finally got them out of the car and put the window back up. That was the closest I had ever been to a zebra. Closed windows didn't deter them, however. They, and then some of their friends, continued to sniff the windows, nibble at some of the plastic, and bite at the glass. Then, without warning, they left our car and ran behind us. The car behind us was feeding them carrots through windows they had opened just far enough to slide carrots through.
Now free from a herd of zebra, we continue up the road. Around the next turn, a pack of llama prance their way to the car, also seeking carrots. One stood directly in front of our car, forcing us to slow to a stop directly in front of it.
The zoo, like most zoos, is divided into several sections or exhibits. Each section is separated by large gates, but the gates are open so cars can drive through them. Large sections of cattle guard rails prevent the animals from crossing between exhibits.
Unlike other zoos where those exhibits contain the same animal, this zoo has several in the same area. Zebras with llama, elephants and water buffalo. Giraffe with hippos and monkeys. Deer with rhinos and ostriches. The only animals they separated into their own exhibits were the predators - lions, tigers and bears. The experience with the zebras and llamas continued with all sections of the park, except the predators.
When we arrived at the section for the lions, the gates are closed and doubled up, like a water lock. You drive up to the first gate and a warning sign reminds you that lions are, indeed, dangerous.
The gate opens, you drive into the lock, the gate closes behind you, the next gate opens, and you're now in with lions roaming freely.The lions are not behind a fence, they are not behind bars. They are crossing the street in front of you. The same is true with the tigers. The warning sign for the tigers shows them leaping on the front of your car and advises you not to stop the vehicle. This is a zoo you would never see in the US. No one would insure it because we would allow the idiots who would exit the car, get maimed or die, to sue the zoo for negligence. Indonesia's approach is much better - social Darwinism.
The bears, however, were behind a barb wire fence. I'm guessing the bears had a history of smelling the carrots in the cars, coming up to the cars, and shaking them. The lions and tigers more or less ignored us - the bears had no choice.
At the end of the drive, the zoo had a special area for children to play. It included rides (carousels, trams), games, and a baby animals zoo. The restrooms (which, by the way, you have to pay to use) were in the baby zoo. I'm glad we went there because I had some awesome animal experiences. They had more then baby animals at the "baby zoo". They had a baby orangutan, a baby lion, a full grown white tiger, and a 9 year old jaguar (leopard)- all of which you could take your picture with for 10,000 Rupiah (about $1.50). I took pictures with all four.
If you ever get the opportunity to visit Jakarta, this is one experience you do not want to miss.
Mar 14
We made tremendous strides in our project today. The team has worked long hours the last two weeks to try to get ahead of the schedule so we have time to spare at the end of the project if necessary. This is how I prefer to run projects, so I am pleased that they have seen the merit in the process.
This evening, we went to the same restaurant my colleagues visited prior to our flight to Timika. "Cilantro's" is on the top floor of the tallest building in Jakarta. It is one of the nicer restaurants in the city. We had six people in our group and with dinner, drinks and dessert, the tab was under $150.
Restaurants out here suffer from poor customer service. I blame it on a culture of no tipping (some businesses even post signs that say "Thank you for not tipping"). Cilantro's was no different. Prior to placing my order, I clarified that the Thai Mango Salad was just that - a salad. Fruit and vegetables only. The waiter confirmed this to be the case. When the salad arrived, it had what looked like baked chips on the top. I asked what they were, and they replied "fish". I indicated they should take it back and I had no intention of paying for something they had lied to me about. They wouldn't, and I had to pay for it because I ordered it. We also ordered a steak dish. We ordered one, they billed us for two saying they brought us a large one (there isn't a large one on the menu).
Tomorrow I am going to the Safari Zoo. The concept of it is very exciting, so I have high expectations and am really looking forward to the trip.
This evening, we went to the same restaurant my colleagues visited prior to our flight to Timika. "Cilantro's" is on the top floor of the tallest building in Jakarta. It is one of the nicer restaurants in the city. We had six people in our group and with dinner, drinks and dessert, the tab was under $150.
Restaurants out here suffer from poor customer service. I blame it on a culture of no tipping (some businesses even post signs that say "Thank you for not tipping"). Cilantro's was no different. Prior to placing my order, I clarified that the Thai Mango Salad was just that - a salad. Fruit and vegetables only. The waiter confirmed this to be the case. When the salad arrived, it had what looked like baked chips on the top. I asked what they were, and they replied "fish". I indicated they should take it back and I had no intention of paying for something they had lied to me about. They wouldn't, and I had to pay for it because I ordered it. We also ordered a steak dish. We ordered one, they billed us for two saying they brought us a large one (there isn't a large one on the menu).
Tomorrow I am going to the Safari Zoo. The concept of it is very exciting, so I have high expectations and am really looking forward to the trip.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Mar 13
My project has had setbacks, breakthroughs, and small advances in the last few days. First, when I arrived at the office on Monday, I learned that my local project coordinator, and the person in charge of managing the code, are both in the hospital with Typhoid Fever. One of our architects was out for most of the month of December, part of January, and even some of February with the same ailment, so I'm not expecting these employees back any time soon. Don't worry, I've been vaccinated against it, and it's not contagious.
Most of the project I'm working on is very basic: change the timestamp on transactions, change the tab order, add a field. One change, however, is large and complicated. That is the focus of the majority of my conversations on this project, and several different iterations of documentation. Yesterday, we finally cleared all aspects of the project through design. For the first time on this project, I have full confidence in its success. I'd always had faith in the people. Now I have faith in the project.
When I left Michigan to attend ASU, my dream was to pursue a career in international business. Specifically, I wanted to specialize in mergers and acquisitions. It took me 11 years, 7 companies, and 5 mergers, but I'm finally living my dream. Everyone I work with is intelligent. Everyone I work with is focused on doing their best. It's a far cry from the temp jobs I had in banking. Back then, the concept of "Instant Messaging" was sending "net send" requests from a command prompt. One of the guys I worked with sent "dork" as a net send, but sent it to the wrong computer. The woman sitting at the computer who actually received the "dork" message, had just made a mistake and thought the computer was deriding her. Seriously. It still makes me laugh. I worked with people who would surf porn sites at work. I worked with people who would spend 4 hours a day calling her boyfriend in Israel on the company phone. Not anymore.
I truly enjoy working with everyone in Indonesia, and I'm doing a job that I love. There are challenges, there are issues I wish I did not have to deal with, and there are opportunities that I could not get in any other job at any other company.
If only I could get my wife and daughter to come with me on these longer trips......
Most of the project I'm working on is very basic: change the timestamp on transactions, change the tab order, add a field. One change, however, is large and complicated. That is the focus of the majority of my conversations on this project, and several different iterations of documentation. Yesterday, we finally cleared all aspects of the project through design. For the first time on this project, I have full confidence in its success. I'd always had faith in the people. Now I have faith in the project.
When I left Michigan to attend ASU, my dream was to pursue a career in international business. Specifically, I wanted to specialize in mergers and acquisitions. It took me 11 years, 7 companies, and 5 mergers, but I'm finally living my dream. Everyone I work with is intelligent. Everyone I work with is focused on doing their best. It's a far cry from the temp jobs I had in banking. Back then, the concept of "Instant Messaging" was sending "net send" requests from a command prompt. One of the guys I worked with sent "dork" as a net send, but sent it to the wrong computer. The woman sitting at the computer who actually received the "dork" message, had just made a mistake and thought the computer was deriding her. Seriously. It still makes me laugh. I worked with people who would surf porn sites at work. I worked with people who would spend 4 hours a day calling her boyfriend in Israel on the company phone. Not anymore.
I truly enjoy working with everyone in Indonesia, and I'm doing a job that I love. There are challenges, there are issues I wish I did not have to deal with, and there are opportunities that I could not get in any other job at any other company.
If only I could get my wife and daughter to come with me on these longer trips......
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Monday, March 10, 2008
Mar 9 and 10 - A tree falls in the forest
Blogging is an interesting enterprise. On the one hand, I blog because I like to write. Writing, as an exercise, helps me to gather my thoughts, reflect on my day or, when I write fiction, is an outlet for my creativity. On the other hand, I use this particular blog to communicate my continued safety and share my experiences with family and friends. As I reread my blog (and sometimes edit where necessary), I see "0 comments" on nearly every post. No one emails me regarding my experiences, either.
As I blog, I often feel like an actor on a stage looking out at a darkened auditorium. I know the audience is out there - even though I can't see them - because they come up to me on the street a few days or weeks later and ask if I will perform again, or they comment on my performance. While they are in the auditorium, however, I hear nothing. No cheers, no jeers, no applause, no booing. So I ask the question:
"If a person blogs on the internet, and on one reads it, do they really blog?"
March 9:
Similar to last Sunday, I spent this Sunday by myself excercising, reading, and watching movies. I bought some really good DVD's and have been pleasantly surprised at the quality of the movies. So far, the only one that was a waste was "Sweeny Todd", a Tim Burton film. I fell asleep watching it and it was the middle of the afternoon. I actually turned it of about 2/3 through because it was just a waste of time. I started my last book, so I'll definitely need to buy a new one before the weekend.
I have only 8 business days left in my trip. I'm here until Sat, 3/22, but 3/20 and 3/21 are national holidays (Easter) and no one is working. I tried to get an earlier flight, but everything is sold out.
This evening, I went to dinner with the tech lead for my project at the Jakarta Hard Rock cafe. Prices for that restaurant are no different here than anywhere else. I even contributed to the Indonesian economy by buying a $13 shot glass.
I encountered an interesting new issue - well, interesting to me, anyway. I have been unable to send email from my personal account while at the hotel. I am receiving email just fine, but every time I try to send an email, I get an error message telling me they think I am spam, or their servers are down. I did not have this issue my prior trip or evern earlier in this one. I contacted customer support via their 24 hour online chat. The first guy ended the conversation immediately after I told him the issue. The second guy told me to change my password because spammers were using my account. While the first one was obviously useless, the second one, as it turns out, was equally clueless.
Finally, on my third try, spoke with someone who had a clue. Indeed, my emails were being considered spam. Not, however, because of my account. The issue was the hotel's internet provider. Like most hotels, the Ritz doesn't provide you internet from their network, they work with a local provider (ISP) and you use their network (after paying a hefty fee). Apparently, in the week while I was gone, the ISP used by the hotel became flagged as a spammer by my ISP. When I access the internet from the hotel, I get an IP Address from the ISP. My ISP recognizes my computer as being from a spamming agency, and starts denying my emails. So, now, the only way I can send emails from my personal account is to first access my company's network, get an IP address from that, and THEN send the emails. What a mess.
The odor of my suitcase has diminished slightly, but I still don't want to walk near it.
My new Ritz neighbors are quite loud during their amorous activities. Luckily, they don't last very long.
Mar 10
Today was a very productive day. A rare day where I have absolutely no downtime at the office. The project is moving along quite nicely, despite some early hiccups. We're still not where I would like to be and we have a long way to go, though I'm comfortable with where we stand.
I had an interesting conversation with two of our architects, today. One of them was out most of December with Typhoid Fever, and we received notice today that one of the other members of the team now has Typhoid fever. This lead to a discussion of what shots I received before coming out here. For the record, I received the following shots/vaccinations:
- Hepatitis A (no need for Hepatitis B because I did those vaccinations a few years ago)
- Japanes Encephalitis
- Polio
- Tuberculosis
- Typhoid Fever
- Rabies
- Tetanus
They also gave me Cipro (yes, the anthrax drug) for GI issues, and pills to take to prevent Malaria that I have had to take 2 days prior to my trip to Papua and for 7 days after leaving.
The rest of the conversation went like this:
ARCH1: Who gave you those?
ME: The company our company sent me to prior to my trip
ARCH1: When I went to the US, they did not give me anything
ME: You don't need any vaccinations for a trip to the US
ARCH2: That is because they do not have vaccinations for Al Qaeda, terrorists, etc.
Interesting perspectives. We're scared of developing nations because of the "diseases". Developing nations are scared of us because everyone wants to attack us, our school shootings, etc. I wonder who has, statistically, the greater argument?
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