City Life
The hustle and bustle of the city begins to wear on you after a few days. Traveling from point A to point B across the city takes stamina even if you're not the one driving. There is a constant assault on your senses so much to see, so much to hear and every corner seems to host a different smell, a different feel. Riding on the bus gives you the chance to observe the crazy traffic without having to worry about the driving but it is also mind numbing just sitting there with the world spinning at a crazy space all around you! We've done a lit of sitting today as we travel to and from our school. I have a serious case of "car butt" and brain drain!
Today we visited SMA Negeri 8. This school is ranked in the top 5 schools in Jakarta. We had a great visit with Desi Kurniawati and the principal, Drs. Agusman Anwar, at the school. These are people making a difference under a leader with vision and a mission. They were SO eager to share their school and highlight their students and community. So glad I got to go!
These boys are working in the Biology lab alone. They are conducting a week long observation. Today they were in the lab observing, measuring, and recording results.
We headed to a local Padang food joint for a bite after our visit. The food here was great. Really pushing my limits with new ideas and foods. In a traditional Indonesian restaurant, food is brought out in small bowls that are stacked in the center of the table. Everyone chooses what they want and you're only charged for what you eat. The food was good and the people were friendly.
According to Wikipedia: "Padang food is the cuisine of the Minangkabau people of West Sumatra, Indonesia. It is among the most popularfood in Maritime Southeast Asia. It is known across Indonesia as Masakan Padang (Padang cuisine, in English usually the simpler Padang food) after the city of Padangthe capital city of West Sumatra province."
Glad for the experience! Could have done without the fish head tho!
Sooooo......to add to weird things one might see in a city of 12,000,000 - 20,000,000 (thanks to the US Embassy for that awkward range), while eating lunch, a child of 4 or 5 years old came in with his Dad. The child had a very graphic (and eerily weird) Chucky doll complete with bloody knife.
He earnestly played with the doll completely ignoring the adults at the table. Y'all, it was weird!!!
We also visited the US Embassy today. The English Language Program director said that the medical briefing would scare us to death. He wasn't joking! We learned that Dengue Fever is a virus that will cause "broken bone" like pain and if you have it, you will probably have to force the doctor to do a blood test to confirm and pray the hospital has Morphine for the pain. Don't eat fruit without a rind to be peeled off or you may end up with one of a million different critters that may not kill you but you'll sure with you were dead. And don't trust the water, especially from street vendors or you will end up with one or a host of those critters that will make you wish you were dead! And if you were to feel bad, be in excruciating pain, or have bouts of nausea or diarrhea, wait 48 hours and if you're not better (or dead already), go to doctor and fight for a blood test (and beg for drugs)! So to recap, don't eat drink, breath, wash, or eat like a local while here and you might just make it home alive!
To learn more about my Indonesian travels, check out the photos on my Facebook page !
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