Tuesday, 26Sep06
Highlights: day #3 of fasting, paying utilities & conversation with Pak Fatchy, catching up the blog, Embassy, ticket to Bali & Yogya
I’m getting coaching from Nina everyday on getting through the fasting (= ha ha. She calls at 3a.m. and then again when mahgrib is sounded to break the fast (5:46 tonight)
Majors Budi & Sigit were also offering tips to get me through the day.
Apologies to all of you for taking so long to update the site! A lot has been happening these last few weeks… so much I love sharing with you guys! Just challenging to find the time to sit down & get as much of it across as I can. The details that make my adventures here so interesting,,, that I would surely miss if I waited too long to recount the whole experience of being here.
I paid the electric/cable TV bill today at our landlord’s house (Pak Fatchy),,, and mentioned that I was observing the fasting month as well. He was tickled- and before I knew it, we were waist deep in a 2 hour conversation about religion. (=
He likes an analogy between the 3 religions of the book (Christianity, Judaism & Islam) and economics… all begin with fundamental truths, as they have been revealed to us… and all develop over time to address changes that happen & new questions that appear. He keeps a copy of the Bible (al Kitab) with his Al Koran. Talking about religion here isn’t nearly as intimidating as I might have thought, from things I read; and there was no expectation to agree on every point. Good conversation.
On a no-traffic day it takes 20 minutes to get from my house to the Embassy. On a typical day it takes an hour.
I checked the last box off on my “check-in” process at the embassy today, meeting the GSO (General Services Officer),,, so 4 months into being here I am now officially checked-in. areas. Most of the things I was planning to do, (organize all my receipts & budget) I can do from there at night, and visit family & friends in Yogya while I’m at it!
The breaking of the fast came at 5:46,,, as I was walking around the streets of Kemang. I stopped at a warung on the side of the street & ate rice & sate.
I got a lot of smiles & “thank-you’s” from folks who heard me observing the fasting month. It feels nice that my small effort to respect & understand their religion is met with so much appreciation, even total strangers.
On my way home, I stopped at Blok M to see how much a trip to Bali & Yogya this weekend would cost. It’s always cheapest to fly Tue-Thur…
What’s that? $28 to Bali if I leave tomorrow? Then $17 to Yogya & $17 more to get back to Jakarta on Tuesday morning? I’ll take it! (=
I got to scratch the surface of Bali on my last trip 2 months ago, (which flew by) so I hope to see a few more
Highlights: day #3 of fasting, paying utilities & conversation with Pak Fatchy, catching up the blog, Embassy, ticket to Bali & Yogya
I’m getting coaching from Nina everyday on getting through the fasting (= ha ha. She calls at 3a.m. and then again when mahgrib is sounded to break the fast (5:46 tonight)
Majors Budi & Sigit were also offering tips to get me through the day.
Apologies to all of you for taking so long to update the site! A lot has been happening these last few weeks… so much I love sharing with you guys! Just challenging to find the time to sit down & get as much of it across as I can. The details that make my adventures here so interesting,,, that I would surely miss if I waited too long to recount the whole experience of being here.
I paid the electric/cable TV bill today at our landlord’s house (Pak Fatchy),,, and mentioned that I was observing the fasting month as well. He was tickled- and before I knew it, we were waist deep in a 2 hour conversation about religion. (=
He likes an analogy between the 3 religions of the book (Christianity, Judaism & Islam) and economics… all begin with fundamental truths, as they have been revealed to us… and all develop over time to address changes that happen & new questions that appear. He keeps a copy of the Bible (al Kitab) with his Al Koran. Talking about religion here isn’t nearly as intimidating as I might have thought, from things I read; and there was no expectation to agree on every point. Good conversation.
On a no-traffic day it takes 20 minutes to get from my house to the Embassy. On a typical day it takes an hour.
I checked the last box off on my “check-in” process at the embassy today, meeting the GSO (General Services Officer),,, so 4 months into being here I am now officially checked-in. areas. Most of the things I was planning to do, (organize all my receipts & budget) I can do from there at night, and visit family & friends in Yogya while I’m at it!
The breaking of the fast came at 5:46,,, as I was walking around the streets of Kemang. I stopped at a warung on the side of the street & ate rice & sate.
I got a lot of smiles & “thank-you’s” from folks who heard me observing the fasting month. It feels nice that my small effort to respect & understand their religion is met with so much appreciation, even total strangers.
On my way home, I stopped at Blok M to see how much a trip to Bali & Yogya this weekend would cost. It’s always cheapest to fly Tue-Thur…
What’s that? $28 to Bali if I leave tomorrow? Then $17 to Yogya & $17 more to get back to Jakarta on Tuesday morning? I’ll take it! (=
I got to scratch the surface of Bali on my last trip 2 months ago, (which flew by) so I hope to see a few more
posted by jonathan adventures at 10:57 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home