Sunday, 20Aug06
Highlights: saying goodbye to Yogya, flying to Jakarta
My host family is going to a few weddings this weekend in Solo, and for the last few days, we’ve had upwards of 25 “guests” (brothers, sisters & cousins + their kids) sleeping on the floor & just about every open space in the house besides the garage.
I think the singing in the shower is what got me up & out of bed in the morning (= ha ha. Nothing that Indonesian Idol should know about just yet,,, but talent is brewing.
Saying goodbye to the Rochmadi family is hard. They’ve been so good to me! I’m going to miss them,,, and probably little Ojik the most. He always has a soccer jersey on (usually coordinated with the team he’s supporting that day), and is glued to my side when I’m home (= In this house, 20 minutes rarely passes without the sound of laughter coming from someplace. I’ll miss that. Even the predictability of mbak Yuti & the morning Gosip TV, followed by Indonesian Idol & Sinetron (the cheesy version of Telemundo soap operas)… ha ha.
My flight doesn’t leave until 6:30pm, so I had a little time between the family leaving for Solo (1pm), turning in my rental scooter (4pm), and heading off to the airport (5pm),,, so I joined Nina & her friends for lunch.
Later, Nina, Nana & I got into a big discussion about something or other,,, the nature of man, politics, or some such thing- I was probably in way over my head (= but it was fun kicking the subjects around,,, and most importantly- kept my mind off of saying goodbye until the last possible moment.
My flight to Jakarta (50min) was only 45 minutes late… it was the taxi ride to the hotel I was more worried about. The driver had to ask directions 4 times,,, and I probably wouldn’t have said a thing about it, until he missed a turn in a round-point,,, and instead of continuing around the circle, he threw the cab in reverse to get back to the turn,,, and then 10 minutes later hit the curb (I’m sure there’s a dent & missing paint…) as he was attempting to turn around.
Jakarta traffic is a form of chaos only the locals feel comfortable with. It’s like moving from the Midwest to Boston for the first time. Blinkers are never used, the lines in the middle of the road mean nothing, and the horn is a means of expressing yourself every 30 seconds. A quick “beep” means “I’m here”. A slightly longer “beeep” means “hey! Move over! I’m trying to get around you,,, slowpoke!”. And the ever-recognizable “beeeeeeeeeeeep” of anger is akin to calling someone a jackass. I heard all three on my way to the hotel… and I’m sure the last one was directed at us a few times.
He really had no idea where the hotel was… he just wanted the $10 fare so bad- he would have said anything at the curb of the airport.
Welcome to Jakarta!
Highlights: saying goodbye to Yogya, flying to Jakarta
My host family is going to a few weddings this weekend in Solo, and for the last few days, we’ve had upwards of 25 “guests” (brothers, sisters & cousins + their kids) sleeping on the floor & just about every open space in the house besides the garage.
I think the singing in the shower is what got me up & out of bed in the morning (= ha ha. Nothing that Indonesian Idol should know about just yet,,, but talent is brewing.
Saying goodbye to the Rochmadi family is hard. They’ve been so good to me! I’m going to miss them,,, and probably little Ojik the most. He always has a soccer jersey on (usually coordinated with the team he’s supporting that day), and is glued to my side when I’m home (= In this house, 20 minutes rarely passes without the sound of laughter coming from someplace. I’ll miss that. Even the predictability of mbak Yuti & the morning Gosip TV, followed by Indonesian Idol & Sinetron (the cheesy version of Telemundo soap operas)… ha ha.
My flight doesn’t leave until 6:30pm, so I had a little time between the family leaving for Solo (1pm), turning in my rental scooter (4pm), and heading off to the airport (5pm),,, so I joined Nina & her friends for lunch.
Later, Nina, Nana & I got into a big discussion about something or other,,, the nature of man, politics, or some such thing- I was probably in way over my head (= but it was fun kicking the subjects around,,, and most importantly- kept my mind off of saying goodbye until the last possible moment.
My flight to Jakarta (50min) was only 45 minutes late… it was the taxi ride to the hotel I was more worried about. The driver had to ask directions 4 times,,, and I probably wouldn’t have said a thing about it, until he missed a turn in a round-point,,, and instead of continuing around the circle, he threw the cab in reverse to get back to the turn,,, and then 10 minutes later hit the curb (I’m sure there’s a dent & missing paint…) as he was attempting to turn around.
Jakarta traffic is a form of chaos only the locals feel comfortable with. It’s like moving from the Midwest to Boston for the first time. Blinkers are never used, the lines in the middle of the road mean nothing, and the horn is a means of expressing yourself every 30 seconds. A quick “beep” means “I’m here”. A slightly longer “beeep” means “hey! Move over! I’m trying to get around you,,, slowpoke!”. And the ever-recognizable “beeeeeeeeeeeep” of anger is akin to calling someone a jackass. I heard all three on my way to the hotel… and I’m sure the last one was directed at us a few times.
He really had no idea where the hotel was… he just wanted the $10 fare so bad- he would have said anything at the curb of the airport.
Welcome to Jakarta!
posted by jonathan adventures at 6:14 AM
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