Ok so am 15 hours, a world cup game and a nervous tummy away from starting work. My first few days in JTown have been interesting and expensive (mum- please bear in mind when you see my credit card statement that I have been buying work related clothing! except for the one drink at the four seasons where i was caught embarrassingly short on cash!!! :-) !!)
anyways, flew in to Jkt with Sam and Lauren (yes Heights people- Lauren Carter) and that was good cos it took my mind of feeling sad about Yogya and being nervous as I was around people excited about having a debaucherous Jtown weekend.
On Thursday we traipsed around in a million cabs looking for a hotel for the first night which was a pain in the proverbial. Something hilarious happened- we went to one hotel in Chikini and were rejected because they have a rule about unmarried opposite sex people staying in the same room. It was pretty hilarious. We ended up falling back on the Lonely PLanet option which was mediocre but was run by a very nice man who taught us how not to get ripped off by taxi drivers.
Anyways that night we went out to Plaza Senayan- a playground for the rich and ridiculous (one of many in this city) and all got haircuts. I needed a business-y style cut and wasn't prepared to risk my locks at Johnny Andrean- Indonesian wide chain cutter- so paid for a haircut that worked out to be about $A35. My Ibu Kos will hopefully never find out- she freaked when I paid $8 in Yogya- most Indonesians pay $1 or less. Anyway, we did that, then went out to the wine bar Vin+ and drank some Aussie red then watched England play in the bar Second Floor.
The next day I had to look for a kos, and made the mistake of waiting ages to start doing it. I fortunately came across the nicest taxi driver, certainly in Jkt and possibly the world, who then drove me around for 4 hours. All the places recommended by work unfortunately were full, although all proximate to the office- it's a shame, one of them was next door to the Iranian Ambassador's Residence.
Anyway roamed hi and lo, and after a lot of stress found the perfect place. However they couldn't give it to me straight away cos someone had put down a deposit. So I waited and then they called me back and said no it was definitely taken and I couldn't have it. I was very annoyed and stressed a) because it was perfect and I could have fitted half of yogya in my airconditioned hot water shower room and b) cos I had nowhere to sleep that night. Ended up going for option 2 which was at the time my distant 2nd choice. About $300 for the month, air con, tiny room, washing included and warm water. Turns out it was a good choice, I have cable tv in my room, free drinking water and a very helpful guy in the kos who is going to drive me on a motorbike to work and pick me up for $3 a day. He also set up my tv so that I can watch world cup! Woo hoo! So this is the reason when my first choice kos called me the next day and said "actually we do have a room we got it wrong" i said "no i am quite happy here thanks". oh and the other cool thing was, they reduced the rent for me in my kos to only $200 for the month because I am only staying 4 weeks. they were initially going to make me pay for the whole of july then took pity on me! for those of you who know about my dire financial situation and the fact I am NOT GETTING PAID while I am here will appreciate just how important that is!!!
anyhoo, thats the kos. it has worked out better, but the kos vibe here is way different to yogya, i have only seen 2 other people who live there- it's definitely a business type kos. oh and its mixed so there are boys and girls, and i can actually have my male friends come in my room without having to ask permission like in yogya- so thats nice cos my only 2 friends here are riskhy and ryan- who obviously are both boys.
so i have done a practice run up to the office, and it looks pretty plush. i went up on the saturday thinking i could get the elevator up, see the office and then leave stealthily and undetected. but my plan was foiled by the fact that two lawyers saw me gawking in the door! i went in and said hello, all in Indonesian, and said see u Monday and then left feeling stupid. Oh well, would have been stupider if I hadn't said hello.
Right, so this is already long enough, have to go home and read my Indo law book and try not to be too nervous about tomorrow and also think about watchin the world cup. am gonna be watching it solo in my kos.... bit lonely, but I would be an idiot to go out and watch it the night before starting work...... Come on Aussie! Post me some comments people!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sunday, June 18, 2006
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Some Kind of Ending
Well it's my last morning in Yogya. In about 90 minutes I will be leaving my kos for a flight to Jakarta and in 4 days I start work.
12 Hours Ago I finished a party with my kos family and the girls and they gave me a bunch of presents and all wrote really beautiful messages for me in a book. I had to give a speech which no doubt made absolutely no sense, but they all nodded and smiled so i guess they got the gist.
9 Hours ago I got home from final drinks at Bar Bintang with the crew who are still in Yogya (a lot of people have gone to Bali). Because the staff there know my name (shame on me) and I often joke about with them, they put on my favourite Bintang music namely Abbey Road by The Beatles and then my other favourite Bintang music 311! None of the heathens (!) I was with understood the magic of The Beatles so I pondered the longevity of that album while stirring sugar into my Lemon Tea. Yes that's right no beer for me. I start working on Monday gituloh!
15 Hours Ago I got home from the airport to say goodbye to Ben, who, in the next chapter of his ongoing story of impossible bad luck, broke his hand on Tuesday and was told by one of the Aussie doctors to "just go home mate" because of the seriousness of the break (on his right & writing hand) and the high risk of infection here.
36 Hours ago I had a hot shower at the Hyatt in one of the rooms of the AusAID staff- a theatre nurse whom I had never before met and who gave me use of her room for one hour while she had her final briefing-we then got taken out to dinner to thank us for our work. We are also getting some kind of letter acknowledging our contribution to the relief work, which will be on Federal Government letterhead and will no doubt be quite useful in the future.
So thats my last day and a half in Yogya. Too many goodbyes. And although I suppose it should get easier as I get older to say goodbye to people, I find terrifying the thought that some of the most interesting, intelligent and kind-hearted people that I now call my friends, by virtue of the situation in which we met, I will probably rarely see again.
Yogya has changed in the last 2 weeks btw. Which isn't surprising I suppose. But where before I could walk the length of Jalan Kaliurang and not see another single foreigner except maybe the odd Australian, now I see one every 50 metres. There are also so many SUV's on the road now it is staggering, each with a little white sign in the window identifying it as the vehicle of a particular NGO. There are 65 NGO's in Yogya, all working hard, all distributing aid and providing medical care and logistical assistance, many creating dependencies and tensions within local communities which will be very hard to dissolve when the NGO's pack up and go home.
The dilemma for all time- how to do it all properly. And from 2 conversations I have had with different people since Sunday, the United Nations really has no idea either.
Ok, so I am off to J-Town to find if the streets are paved with gold and see whether people actually do wear 3 piece suits in 32 degree 97 percent humidity. And Dad, I don't really know anyone in Jakarta so I am going to have to find a bar or something to watch the game in, either that or watch it in my new kos........... Iii-aaa.
12 Hours Ago I finished a party with my kos family and the girls and they gave me a bunch of presents and all wrote really beautiful messages for me in a book. I had to give a speech which no doubt made absolutely no sense, but they all nodded and smiled so i guess they got the gist.
9 Hours ago I got home from final drinks at Bar Bintang with the crew who are still in Yogya (a lot of people have gone to Bali). Because the staff there know my name (shame on me) and I often joke about with them, they put on my favourite Bintang music namely Abbey Road by The Beatles and then my other favourite Bintang music 311! None of the heathens (!) I was with understood the magic of The Beatles so I pondered the longevity of that album while stirring sugar into my Lemon Tea. Yes that's right no beer for me. I start working on Monday gituloh!
15 Hours Ago I got home from the airport to say goodbye to Ben, who, in the next chapter of his ongoing story of impossible bad luck, broke his hand on Tuesday and was told by one of the Aussie doctors to "just go home mate" because of the seriousness of the break (on his right & writing hand) and the high risk of infection here.
36 Hours ago I had a hot shower at the Hyatt in one of the rooms of the AusAID staff- a theatre nurse whom I had never before met and who gave me use of her room for one hour while she had her final briefing-we then got taken out to dinner to thank us for our work. We are also getting some kind of letter acknowledging our contribution to the relief work, which will be on Federal Government letterhead and will no doubt be quite useful in the future.
So thats my last day and a half in Yogya. Too many goodbyes. And although I suppose it should get easier as I get older to say goodbye to people, I find terrifying the thought that some of the most interesting, intelligent and kind-hearted people that I now call my friends, by virtue of the situation in which we met, I will probably rarely see again.
Yogya has changed in the last 2 weeks btw. Which isn't surprising I suppose. But where before I could walk the length of Jalan Kaliurang and not see another single foreigner except maybe the odd Australian, now I see one every 50 metres. There are also so many SUV's on the road now it is staggering, each with a little white sign in the window identifying it as the vehicle of a particular NGO. There are 65 NGO's in Yogya, all working hard, all distributing aid and providing medical care and logistical assistance, many creating dependencies and tensions within local communities which will be very hard to dissolve when the NGO's pack up and go home.
The dilemma for all time- how to do it all properly. And from 2 conversations I have had with different people since Sunday, the United Nations really has no idea either.
Ok, so I am off to J-Town to find if the streets are paved with gold and see whether people actually do wear 3 piece suits in 32 degree 97 percent humidity. And Dad, I don't really know anyone in Jakarta so I am going to have to find a bar or something to watch the game in, either that or watch it in my new kos........... Iii-aaa.
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Ole Ole Ole Ole auss-ie auss-ie!
What a win!
My third to last night in Yogya and what a way to celebrate it. After the game we proceeded to terrify half of Yogya by driving all the way to Bintang on the bikes with flags waving, engines revving in third gear and horns beeping. You bloody beauty!
We watched the game in a big outside bar with all our Japanese friends. They were understandably vocal for the first half and a bit of the match, but sat there in dismay as we proceeded to tap three into the net! Good sports however, and we all shook hands at the end!
Anyways, am leaving for Jakarta on Thursday morning and start work on Monday which is very inconvenient timing given the Australian match on Sunday night. Still having mixed emotions about leaving Yogya and I am feeling quite nervous at the prospect of J-Town minus the safety net that all us Aussies take for granted here, but it will work out fine.
And I apologise to anyone who sat listening to ABC this morning-turns out the interview I did was on Radio Adelaide. I was so damned tired however I have no idea how it was........aduh! Selamat world cup!
My third to last night in Yogya and what a way to celebrate it. After the game we proceeded to terrify half of Yogya by driving all the way to Bintang on the bikes with flags waving, engines revving in third gear and horns beeping. You bloody beauty!
We watched the game in a big outside bar with all our Japanese friends. They were understandably vocal for the first half and a bit of the match, but sat there in dismay as we proceeded to tap three into the net! Good sports however, and we all shook hands at the end!
Anyways, am leaving for Jakarta on Thursday morning and start work on Monday which is very inconvenient timing given the Australian match on Sunday night. Still having mixed emotions about leaving Yogya and I am feeling quite nervous at the prospect of J-Town minus the safety net that all us Aussies take for granted here, but it will work out fine.
And I apologise to anyone who sat listening to ABC this morning-turns out the interview I did was on Radio Adelaide. I was so damned tired however I have no idea how it was........aduh! Selamat world cup!
Sunday, June 11, 2006
Flutterbies
I might be going out in the field with AusAID tomorrow so am posting this now in case I can't later- but sometime Tuesday morning I am doing an interview on ABC Adelaide. It is 6am my time (rather inconveniently early given that Australia play Monday night). That's all I know.
And btw- am well aware that "rationalisation" is incorrectly spelled on my previous entry. Serves me right for trying to use 6 syllable words with a hangover and an enormous sleep deficit. Salam!
And btw- am well aware that "rationalisation" is incorrectly spelled on my previous entry. Serves me right for trying to use 6 syllable words with a hangover and an enormous sleep deficit. Salam!
Saturday, June 10, 2006
Stars Align
It occurred to myself and my friends last night that it is only by a rare and rather fortunate twist of fate that one can sit, in a bar, in an earthquake zone, with an erupting volcano in the distance, with friends from all corners of the globe, drink beer, listen to Indonesian reggae and watch the World Cup. Some might call it an incarnation of their worst nightmare (hi mum!), I call it bloody cool.
Last night was a good night. Sad because it will be one of the last times I do that in Yogya, with that particular group of people (Turkey, Irelandia - you hear me?!) but also not sad, because if you have to leave a place behind, then this is the way you want to do it. Well, that is, excluding the thumping headache that I woke up with. Doing it all again tonight, but on lemon tea instead of Carlsberg. Eng-er-land!
Today I turned my bedroom into a little cinema for the kids in the kos. I had promised them before I left that I would take them to the cinema, but the earthquake sorted that one out, so the trade off was that I bought them a bunch of lollies chocolate and softdrink and we rented some films from the video shop and watched them on my laptop. Resa, Kotzar and Vikri- gorgeous little children who I am going to miss very much, at least for the next month while I am in Jakarta.
I am putting off going across the road to the supermarket to get a box to pack up my room because it is something I would rather not have to do. Alas, being overseas and living in Yogya is not the end in itself, it is the means, and now I its time pursue different means to move a little closer to the end. Does that even make sense? I am tired, and my brain understands it anyway......... it's my rationlisation of my situation to try and dull the blow of leaving behind good friends.
As for the chance to stay on here and work.... I have had a somewhat nebulous offer of work from a contact I have here. In Indonesia I feel that "somewhat nebulous" can be equated with what you and I know as "in-principle agreement"........ so will wait and see with that one.
Ok peeps, time to sleep sebelum piala dunia mulai lagi. That is before the world cup starts again.
Last night was a good night. Sad because it will be one of the last times I do that in Yogya, with that particular group of people (Turkey, Irelandia - you hear me?!) but also not sad, because if you have to leave a place behind, then this is the way you want to do it. Well, that is, excluding the thumping headache that I woke up with. Doing it all again tonight, but on lemon tea instead of Carlsberg. Eng-er-land!
Today I turned my bedroom into a little cinema for the kids in the kos. I had promised them before I left that I would take them to the cinema, but the earthquake sorted that one out, so the trade off was that I bought them a bunch of lollies chocolate and softdrink and we rented some films from the video shop and watched them on my laptop. Resa, Kotzar and Vikri- gorgeous little children who I am going to miss very much, at least for the next month while I am in Jakarta.
I am putting off going across the road to the supermarket to get a box to pack up my room because it is something I would rather not have to do. Alas, being overseas and living in Yogya is not the end in itself, it is the means, and now I its time pursue different means to move a little closer to the end. Does that even make sense? I am tired, and my brain understands it anyway......... it's my rationlisation of my situation to try and dull the blow of leaving behind good friends.
As for the chance to stay on here and work.... I have had a somewhat nebulous offer of work from a contact I have here. In Indonesia I feel that "somewhat nebulous" can be equated with what you and I know as "in-principle agreement"........ so will wait and see with that one.
Ok peeps, time to sleep sebelum piala dunia mulai lagi. That is before the world cup starts again.
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
Updatelah
Hmmm, just completed all my exams in a big chunk. Have one more big assignment to write in Indonesian now and then I am done.... 10 days till Jakarta and I am so disorganised it isn't funny.
On Sunday and Monday I made my interpreting debut with AusAID- don't get excited I was doing simple logistical stuff, unlike some of my compatriots who were in surgeries (i don't have enough faith in my abilities to do that). Anyway it was interesting, and the guys in the team (mainly men) are really top Aussies, hell ocker, and interesting to talk to. They also bribed us with Australian chocolate and paying for our lunch he he he.
Anyway my interpreting highlights have been as follows:
1) Having to explain to the naval commander running the field hospital (which is a half-finished basketball stadium) that he needs to do something about the people who are washing their clothes in the toilet out the back.
2)That he needs to do something about the raw sewerage emanating from a toilet in close proximity to the hospital, while I was pointing at said sewerage.
3) That he needs to stop helicopters from landing so close to the AusAID installment because it might cause severance of electrical cords (true) or cause dirt to enter the medical equipment (lie- but more effective in achieving desired outcome)
Anyways, this guy wearing navy uniform and loads of badges just stared at me like I was an upstart of a 23 year old Australian girl with average Indonesian and no uniform and what the hell was I telling him for. Which wasn't far from the mark. But the helicopters started landing further away.....
Anyway, my head feels distinctly fluish. Not surprising really.
My immediate problems in life are as follows- where am I going to find a shop selling suits in my size now that all the big malls in town have fallen down, where am I going to find shoes, and where am I going to find the one book in existence written in English on the Indonesian legal system which was impossible to find before the earthquake and it seems, will be more impossible to find now.
Aduh. Sampai nanti.
On Sunday and Monday I made my interpreting debut with AusAID- don't get excited I was doing simple logistical stuff, unlike some of my compatriots who were in surgeries (i don't have enough faith in my abilities to do that). Anyway it was interesting, and the guys in the team (mainly men) are really top Aussies, hell ocker, and interesting to talk to. They also bribed us with Australian chocolate and paying for our lunch he he he.
Anyway my interpreting highlights have been as follows:
1) Having to explain to the naval commander running the field hospital (which is a half-finished basketball stadium) that he needs to do something about the people who are washing their clothes in the toilet out the back.
2)That he needs to do something about the raw sewerage emanating from a toilet in close proximity to the hospital, while I was pointing at said sewerage.
3) That he needs to stop helicopters from landing so close to the AusAID installment because it might cause severance of electrical cords (true) or cause dirt to enter the medical equipment (lie- but more effective in achieving desired outcome)
Anyways, this guy wearing navy uniform and loads of badges just stared at me like I was an upstart of a 23 year old Australian girl with average Indonesian and no uniform and what the hell was I telling him for. Which wasn't far from the mark. But the helicopters started landing further away.....
Anyway, my head feels distinctly fluish. Not surprising really.
My immediate problems in life are as follows- where am I going to find a shop selling suits in my size now that all the big malls in town have fallen down, where am I going to find shoes, and where am I going to find the one book in existence written in English on the Indonesian legal system which was impossible to find before the earthquake and it seems, will be more impossible to find now.
Aduh. Sampai nanti.
Saturday, June 03, 2006
A Few Moments for Reflection
It has been to say the very least, the most challenging, emotionally testing and rewarding week of my life. The earthquake happened a week ago, and it feels like no time and all time have passed. The weirdest feeling.
ACICIS, through the donations we received, I estimate spent about 100million rupiah last week on sending aid to some of the most remote areas of Bantul and other areas of the province of Yogya. Which is approaching 15 thousand dollars. However because of exams, that unfortunately still must be completed, we have to stop work until Thursday at which point we are going to reassess what would best be done with the residual money, of which there is still a lot. The reason I know so much about the money is because I was put in charge of finance during the week, which was hilarious to me as I loathe accounting, but gave me a good focus and something that I could do properly and well.
So until next Thursday, no ACICIS related activities, but there are a few organisations that need interpreters including AusAID, so I might do a couple of shifts with them starting tomorrow.
We had our ACICIS final dinner last night at Parsley, and it was a good chance to unwind and relax with a beer and our close friends together. Somewhere in all the chaos, Lauren, Sam with Lestari (ACICIS employee) managed to find time to come up with awards for all of us. Alana won the Tequila award (for drinking the most free tequila at Hugo’s) Ben won the Bad Luck Award (for having Typhoid, losing wallets, having hundreds of dollars a watch and a ring stolen, and other miscellaneous bad luck) and I won the Turkchaser Award. If you don’t know what that means don’t ask. ;-)
To end the evening, Katrina (ex pat Aussie married to an East Timorese guy & living in Yogya) and I sang the Yogyakarta Blues that we composed on Thursday night. When I get the lyrics from Kat I will post them, although they are full of in-jokes and token Indonesian words, so y’all might not find em that funny……. We then commandeered the band and proceeded to sing for another half an hour. No-one paid any attention to us, but it was a good stress release.
Anyway, it has occurred to me coming to the end of my time in Yogya and given all that has happened that I really don’t want to leave. I am settled in well, my Indonesian would benefit from another 6 months here, and it is an easy place to live. If my internship in Jakarta doesn’t bear the kind of fruit I am looking for then I am going to look for work with an Aid Organisation here in Yogya, they have already started advertising so I am sure that there are going to be a lot of opportunities. Don’t worry mum, I will come home first. Anyway, nothing may eventuate, but I am going to try anyway and see what fate throws up out of the cracks in the road that weren’t there a week ago…………..
ACICIS, through the donations we received, I estimate spent about 100million rupiah last week on sending aid to some of the most remote areas of Bantul and other areas of the province of Yogya. Which is approaching 15 thousand dollars. However because of exams, that unfortunately still must be completed, we have to stop work until Thursday at which point we are going to reassess what would best be done with the residual money, of which there is still a lot. The reason I know so much about the money is because I was put in charge of finance during the week, which was hilarious to me as I loathe accounting, but gave me a good focus and something that I could do properly and well.
So until next Thursday, no ACICIS related activities, but there are a few organisations that need interpreters including AusAID, so I might do a couple of shifts with them starting tomorrow.
We had our ACICIS final dinner last night at Parsley, and it was a good chance to unwind and relax with a beer and our close friends together. Somewhere in all the chaos, Lauren, Sam with Lestari (ACICIS employee) managed to find time to come up with awards for all of us. Alana won the Tequila award (for drinking the most free tequila at Hugo’s) Ben won the Bad Luck Award (for having Typhoid, losing wallets, having hundreds of dollars a watch and a ring stolen, and other miscellaneous bad luck) and I won the Turkchaser Award. If you don’t know what that means don’t ask. ;-)
To end the evening, Katrina (ex pat Aussie married to an East Timorese guy & living in Yogya) and I sang the Yogyakarta Blues that we composed on Thursday night. When I get the lyrics from Kat I will post them, although they are full of in-jokes and token Indonesian words, so y’all might not find em that funny……. We then commandeered the band and proceeded to sing for another half an hour. No-one paid any attention to us, but it was a good stress release.
Anyway, it has occurred to me coming to the end of my time in Yogya and given all that has happened that I really don’t want to leave. I am settled in well, my Indonesian would benefit from another 6 months here, and it is an easy place to live. If my internship in Jakarta doesn’t bear the kind of fruit I am looking for then I am going to look for work with an Aid Organisation here in Yogya, they have already started advertising so I am sure that there are going to be a lot of opportunities. Don’t worry mum, I will come home first. Anyway, nothing may eventuate, but I am going to try anyway and see what fate throws up out of the cracks in the road that weren’t there a week ago…………..
Thursday, June 01, 2006
Update
Hey ppl,
Stuff we have been doing summarised below.
Dear ACICIS supporters, family and friends,
This is an update from the ACICIS office in Yogyakarta as of Thursday, June 1.
Firstly, on behalf of all the ACICIS students working on post-earthquake relief efforts in Yogyakarta, we sincerely thank you all for your wonderful support.
We would like to update you on what we have done so far, and what we intend to do.
Firstly, we wish to acknowledge that we are not an aid organisation. Your donations are not tax deductible, firstly because we are not working as an organisation but as a group of individuals associated with ACICIS. We understand and appreciate that you have donated because you know us as individuals, or you have been passed on information from other people you trust. We thank you for your confidence and wish to keep you informed as to where your money is going.
Secondly, because we are not set up organisationally to do this work, we are currently gathering information about several organisations we think are already best placed to carry out effective medium-term relief efforts. Obviously we will need to stop at some point and pass on any remaining money. So, today we met and made a plan for the next week all ACICIS students currently in Jogja were invited to attend. We will keep working until tomorrow (Friday) night to carry out activities already in process. We will break from Saturday to Wednesday to study and complete exams. On Thursday we will meet again with fresh energy and new information to decide how to proceed.
In summary, relief efforts so far have been:
Days 1-2 (Saturday and Sunday) Individual efforts by ACICIS students.
Day 3 (Monday) Gathered at ACICIS, those who were there pooled information about what was needed, pooled all available cash, bought medical supplies, divided up and delivered to medical posts same day. Bulk food bought along with toiletries, fuel and water and divided into 50 household packs (one big box each). Used motorbikes to deliver medical packs and rice. One night delivery of other supplies by truck to a village at Terbah.
Day 4 (Tuesday) Record keeping system developed. Start using money donated to Phil s account. Two early morning deliveries of remainder of packs made up the day before. Information feedback from deliveries about more appropriate supplies. Made new bulk food and equipment orders (tents, fuel...). Received bulk medical supplies order made the day before. Delivered back out to medical posts and villages.
Day 5 (Wednesday) Refining record keeping and organisation. Decided to combine efforts with a relief post in the south of the city who are very well organised. Two deliveries to them to distribute. Several bulk supply loads bought and picked up by others to deliver, or delivered ourselves to villages we knew were in need. Another truckload of bulk food bought. Cross checking with other organisations information re needs line up. Students also working with the university on translation tasks.
Day 6 (Thursday) Reassessment of situation. Meeting reviewed all previous efforts. Assessed financial situation and medium term plans. At least $5,000 spent so far, and it appears that at least that amount will be spent today and again tomorrow. Hundreds of different kinds of packs and other supplies delivered to at least 15 different villages to be distributed to scores of families, and scores more delivered directly to families wherever possible. Other supplies delivered to about 25 other places over the course of the week as supplementary efforts and via other contacts. Hard to evaluate numbers of people we have reached. Decided now to focus on the 3 villages we have good contacts in, that we know have not yet received other assistance. Today to be spent on delivering and organising pick up of bulk food that is here. More bulk supplies of rice, tarps, cooking oil and kerosene being bought now. Supplies like tarps are no longer available in Jogja and we are sending trucks elsewhere.
Plan for Day 7 (Friday) Focus on shopping - buy more bulk supplies with the money we have.
Saturday to Wednesday We are taking an official break, studying for and sitting exams. In the meantime, low key efforts over the 5 days will deliver existing supplies, and other contacts will pick up and deliver. We will also do some more information gathering to identify several options for use of any remaining funds.
Thursday 8 June Meeting to regather and reassess.
**
Once again, thank you all so much for your support. As you can understand, the situation is potentially quite stressful. The devastation to be seen is shocking, but the people affected are showing amazing resiliance and patience. We are only one small group amongst many thousands of people - from larger international aid organisations to local NGOs and temporary networks - who are all working to the best of their abilities. Whilst the need is still huge and will be for some time, the urgency is abating. Your help has made a difference up until now there were villages who had still received no government or official aid assistance. This accords with information from other groups.
With regard to further donations, we advise that whilst the work we have done to date has been useful, we cannot sustain these efforts and there are other groups that are better organised and in a position to continue to be effective. We are currently seeking alternative options for donations, and will provide you with a list you can choose from as soon as possible. Donations still being received into Phil s account will be used to fulfil requests as long as we have the energy and people. Remaining funds will be channelled into other organisations to be determined next week.
We will continue to keep you informed of our activities and decisions.
Yours sincerely
ACICIS Students in Jogja
Stuff we have been doing summarised below.
Dear ACICIS supporters, family and friends,
This is an update from the ACICIS office in Yogyakarta as of Thursday, June 1.
Firstly, on behalf of all the ACICIS students working on post-earthquake relief efforts in Yogyakarta, we sincerely thank you all for your wonderful support.
We would like to update you on what we have done so far, and what we intend to do.
Firstly, we wish to acknowledge that we are not an aid organisation. Your donations are not tax deductible, firstly because we are not working as an organisation but as a group of individuals associated with ACICIS. We understand and appreciate that you have donated because you know us as individuals, or you have been passed on information from other people you trust. We thank you for your confidence and wish to keep you informed as to where your money is going.
Secondly, because we are not set up organisationally to do this work, we are currently gathering information about several organisations we think are already best placed to carry out effective medium-term relief efforts. Obviously we will need to stop at some point and pass on any remaining money. So, today we met and made a plan for the next week all ACICIS students currently in Jogja were invited to attend. We will keep working until tomorrow (Friday) night to carry out activities already in process. We will break from Saturday to Wednesday to study and complete exams. On Thursday we will meet again with fresh energy and new information to decide how to proceed.
In summary, relief efforts so far have been:
Days 1-2 (Saturday and Sunday) Individual efforts by ACICIS students.
Day 3 (Monday) Gathered at ACICIS, those who were there pooled information about what was needed, pooled all available cash, bought medical supplies, divided up and delivered to medical posts same day. Bulk food bought along with toiletries, fuel and water and divided into 50 household packs (one big box each). Used motorbikes to deliver medical packs and rice. One night delivery of other supplies by truck to a village at Terbah.
Day 4 (Tuesday) Record keeping system developed. Start using money donated to Phil s account. Two early morning deliveries of remainder of packs made up the day before. Information feedback from deliveries about more appropriate supplies. Made new bulk food and equipment orders (tents, fuel...). Received bulk medical supplies order made the day before. Delivered back out to medical posts and villages.
Day 5 (Wednesday) Refining record keeping and organisation. Decided to combine efforts with a relief post in the south of the city who are very well organised. Two deliveries to them to distribute. Several bulk supply loads bought and picked up by others to deliver, or delivered ourselves to villages we knew were in need. Another truckload of bulk food bought. Cross checking with other organisations information re needs line up. Students also working with the university on translation tasks.
Day 6 (Thursday) Reassessment of situation. Meeting reviewed all previous efforts. Assessed financial situation and medium term plans. At least $5,000 spent so far, and it appears that at least that amount will be spent today and again tomorrow. Hundreds of different kinds of packs and other supplies delivered to at least 15 different villages to be distributed to scores of families, and scores more delivered directly to families wherever possible. Other supplies delivered to about 25 other places over the course of the week as supplementary efforts and via other contacts. Hard to evaluate numbers of people we have reached. Decided now to focus on the 3 villages we have good contacts in, that we know have not yet received other assistance. Today to be spent on delivering and organising pick up of bulk food that is here. More bulk supplies of rice, tarps, cooking oil and kerosene being bought now. Supplies like tarps are no longer available in Jogja and we are sending trucks elsewhere.
Plan for Day 7 (Friday) Focus on shopping - buy more bulk supplies with the money we have.
Saturday to Wednesday We are taking an official break, studying for and sitting exams. In the meantime, low key efforts over the 5 days will deliver existing supplies, and other contacts will pick up and deliver. We will also do some more information gathering to identify several options for use of any remaining funds.
Thursday 8 June Meeting to regather and reassess.
**
Once again, thank you all so much for your support. As you can understand, the situation is potentially quite stressful. The devastation to be seen is shocking, but the people affected are showing amazing resiliance and patience. We are only one small group amongst many thousands of people - from larger international aid organisations to local NGOs and temporary networks - who are all working to the best of their abilities. Whilst the need is still huge and will be for some time, the urgency is abating. Your help has made a difference up until now there were villages who had still received no government or official aid assistance. This accords with information from other groups.
With regard to further donations, we advise that whilst the work we have done to date has been useful, we cannot sustain these efforts and there are other groups that are better organised and in a position to continue to be effective. We are currently seeking alternative options for donations, and will provide you with a list you can choose from as soon as possible. Donations still being received into Phil s account will be used to fulfil requests as long as we have the energy and people. Remaining funds will be channelled into other organisations to be determined next week.
We will continue to keep you informed of our activities and decisions.
Yours sincerely
ACICIS Students in Jogja
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Donations from outside Australia
Hi
Further to what I wrote earlier today- people who want to donate from e.g England or Japan can make a tranfer to the following account. In fact anyone can do this if they want- we have opened up a special account at an Indonesian bank.
The main detail you need is the SWIFT CODE and ACCOUNT NUMBER which is for International transfers-
That is - BNINIDJAXXX
Account Number - 0102938973
Bank office - BNI (Bank Nasional Indonesia) UGM Yogya
The account name is- Sdr Samuel Maxim Icklow
Another good day today - lots of blankets, kerosene and food being sent to remote areas. Loads of NGO's have started arriving too.
Further to what I wrote earlier today- people who want to donate from e.g England or Japan can make a tranfer to the following account. In fact anyone can do this if they want- we have opened up a special account at an Indonesian bank.
The main detail you need is the SWIFT CODE and ACCOUNT NUMBER which is for International transfers-
That is - BNINIDJAXXX
Account Number - 0102938973
Bank office - BNI (Bank Nasional Indonesia) UGM Yogya
The account name is- Sdr Samuel Maxim Icklow
Another good day today - lots of blankets, kerosene and food being sent to remote areas. Loads of NGO's have started arriving too.
Donations
To people who already donated to my personal account thankyou. People who are donating to the general account of the Director can you please either tell me via a comment on the blog or using my email.
This is a request from the Director so we have some degree of accountability about where the money is coming and going.
Thanks.
This is a request from the Director so we have some degree of accountability about where the money is coming and going.
Thanks.
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Aid 5
Ok, so far from friends and family I have received $400. Other ACICIS students are receiving similar amounts, so multiply that by 40 and you have a lot of money. We have sent out more convoys today and they are being well received, we have even been thanked on the radio.
The account details to donate money are in the post below.
Thanks everyone for your care and concern. I am fine. But there are a lot of people who aren't.
The account details to donate money are in the post below.
Thanks everyone for your care and concern. I am fine. But there are a lot of people who aren't.
Panic at the End of My Street
This was about five minutes after the first screams of "Tsunami". I was terrified that if there was another aftershock people would come streaming up my street and overtake my kos. It is the tallest building in the street.
Monday, May 29, 2006
I am Ok - Breathe On Sister Breathe On
Hello everyone. First you all know, through my dad that I am ok. Saturday morning privided 2 of the most terrifying experiences of my life- first 57 seconds of magnitude 6 earthquake and 2 hours later, crazy panic as people fled from an imaginary tsunami. it wasn't clear at first how severe the damage was, and I did contemplate leaving on Saturday afternoon. However, yesterday I headed out with some friends to Bantul. We spent a lot of our own money on buying food, water, medicine to take to the people down there who have lost everything. The pattern of devastation is random, buildings stand with no damage next to piles of rubble. I went to a refugee camp and what I saw was so sad. However amongst all the horror the people down there are still smiling. Aid is filtering through and international NGO's are getting in slowly. Sadly, the Indonesian Government response is, as yet, not very visible.
Today we have set up emergency response convoys to start sending medicine down to Bantul and also to Prambanan and Klaten which are badly damaged. Between us we put together 12 million rupiah or about $1500-1700 dollars. By we I mean the ACICIS students, along with other international students here. We have put together a letter which i have attached to this post with account details should you wish to donate some money. Rest assured every single cent will go toward helping people, as our only interest in asking for this money is to help the community that has been so generous with us while we have lived here.
I just got back from the hospital and donating blood. They are in desperate need of blood. Circumstances at the hospital are mixed. There are people in the corridors and walkways, but all seem to have water and food and none seemed to be in pain. It was surprisingly clean, and people are calm.
As for the rest of Yogya, people are getting back to normal. Shops are open, and in my area at least, there is hardly any damage. And of course, I have my exams starting tomorrow. Though I am not sure what standard our teachers are expectin given that all the international students are pretty much out in the field helping people.
Will try to upload some photo's and elaborate more on what has happened. Rest assured- I am fine, I am healthy, I am now able to go to sleep without leaving the door open and light on and my kos is a fortress where I feel very safe. Luv you all, miss you all. Please read the letter below.
Dear Friends and Family
As you would all already know, Yogyakarta and surrounding areas have been severely affected by a major earthquake early Saturday morning. Medical supplies, water and food are severely lacking in those villages which have still not been able to receive emergency assistance.
There are currently many emergency efforts being organized. If you have already donated thank you! – you have probably already saved some lives.
For those of you who would like to make a direct contribution now, we at ACICIS (Australian Consortium for In Country Indonesian Studies) in conjunction with other international students are currently coordinating an emergency response effort to organise direct relief to the most remote villages which are currently receiving little assistance. We are purchasing supplies that we think are most needed, based on information from those of us who have visited those areas, and advice from other contacts here.
At this stage, we believe supporting ACICIS directly is the most effective way to support our efforts because we have a committed team of young Australians on the ground, with language skills, knowledge, and local contacts. We are also coordinating our efforts with other groups and organizations.
ACICIS students are spending all the personal cash we currently have in our bank accounts, but are desperately in need of more. If you are in a position to donate funds, it would be greatly appreciated. A few Australian dollars can make a big difference.
The easiest way for us to get cash to buy medical and other emergency relief supplies is for you, our family and friends, to make transfers directly to our Resident Director’s account in Australia. This avoids unnecessary fees for transferring to foreign accounts, and avoids the confusion of receiving transfers to a number of different accounts. Phil King, the Resident Director, will be able to supply an account statement to show that all funds arriving into this account have been spent in the next few days.
The details of Phil’s account are as follows:
Philip King
Illawarra Mutual Building Society (IMB)
BSB: 641 800
Account No: 200171941
Keep in mind the time lag on bank transfers- at least one day, so please make the transfer as quickly as possible. We would appreciate if you could forward this email to those you think may want to help.
Yours faithfully
Adelle
Today we have set up emergency response convoys to start sending medicine down to Bantul and also to Prambanan and Klaten which are badly damaged. Between us we put together 12 million rupiah or about $1500-1700 dollars. By we I mean the ACICIS students, along with other international students here. We have put together a letter which i have attached to this post with account details should you wish to donate some money. Rest assured every single cent will go toward helping people, as our only interest in asking for this money is to help the community that has been so generous with us while we have lived here.
I just got back from the hospital and donating blood. They are in desperate need of blood. Circumstances at the hospital are mixed. There are people in the corridors and walkways, but all seem to have water and food and none seemed to be in pain. It was surprisingly clean, and people are calm.
As for the rest of Yogya, people are getting back to normal. Shops are open, and in my area at least, there is hardly any damage. And of course, I have my exams starting tomorrow. Though I am not sure what standard our teachers are expectin given that all the international students are pretty much out in the field helping people.
Will try to upload some photo's and elaborate more on what has happened. Rest assured- I am fine, I am healthy, I am now able to go to sleep without leaving the door open and light on and my kos is a fortress where I feel very safe. Luv you all, miss you all. Please read the letter below.
Dear Friends and Family
As you would all already know, Yogyakarta and surrounding areas have been severely affected by a major earthquake early Saturday morning. Medical supplies, water and food are severely lacking in those villages which have still not been able to receive emergency assistance.
There are currently many emergency efforts being organized. If you have already donated thank you! – you have probably already saved some lives.
For those of you who would like to make a direct contribution now, we at ACICIS (Australian Consortium for In Country Indonesian Studies) in conjunction with other international students are currently coordinating an emergency response effort to organise direct relief to the most remote villages which are currently receiving little assistance. We are purchasing supplies that we think are most needed, based on information from those of us who have visited those areas, and advice from other contacts here.
At this stage, we believe supporting ACICIS directly is the most effective way to support our efforts because we have a committed team of young Australians on the ground, with language skills, knowledge, and local contacts. We are also coordinating our efforts with other groups and organizations.
ACICIS students are spending all the personal cash we currently have in our bank accounts, but are desperately in need of more. If you are in a position to donate funds, it would be greatly appreciated. A few Australian dollars can make a big difference.
The easiest way for us to get cash to buy medical and other emergency relief supplies is for you, our family and friends, to make transfers directly to our Resident Director’s account in Australia. This avoids unnecessary fees for transferring to foreign accounts, and avoids the confusion of receiving transfers to a number of different accounts. Phil King, the Resident Director, will be able to supply an account statement to show that all funds arriving into this account have been spent in the next few days.
The details of Phil’s account are as follows:
Philip King
Illawarra Mutual Building Society (IMB)
BSB: 641 800
Account No: 200171941
Keep in mind the time lag on bank transfers- at least one day, so please make the transfer as quickly as possible. We would appreciate if you could forward this email to those you think may want to help.
Yours faithfully
Adelle
Friday, May 26, 2006
Polygamy in the Key of White Knickers
OK- I am only going to offer you an abbreviated version of the mountain story to supplement my 11 ½ steps to mountain climbing heaven/hell, as we did it nearly a week ago and I have other stuff to talk about.
Basically what happened was this. We left at 1pm to head in the direction of Mount Ungaran by AC’d bus. We arrived at 4pm in a little town at the foot of the mountain and changed transport to mini-vans. They were rather useless transport as with 10 Aussies in each they continuously stalled on the steep bits (being a mountain that was most of it) and we had to unload, run up the hill and get back in.
We stopped at base camp 1 to focus on the mammoth task ahead, drink coffee, eat instant noodles and rest. It started to absolutely p down with rain at this point which was a rather depressing prospect- scaling a mountain in torrential rain, erm no thanks. Anyway, it stopped about half an hour before set off time. We then climbed for three-four hours (the easiest bit by far) until we got to Base Camp 2 which is a kampung/village half way up the mountain. It’s a shame I will only ever see it by night as it sounds pretty interesting- don’t ask me why but there are 60ppl who live there- and if a baby is born someone has to leave, and if someone dies someone has to move there. Don’t ask why I have no idea- all I know is it is an easy place for the Indonesian Government to conduct population census.
Anyway we stayed there until abt 1.30 am. I had about an hour’s sleep, and several coffees, and more instant noodles. We then set off in our two groups hiking up the mountain. I should mention here that I was listening to music all the way up, on the first leg it was a combination of Madonna and Hottest 100 2005. On the second leg I was listening to an 80’s mix given to me by Ray, and was as such scaling cliffs with such classics as Grease Is The Word, Now That We’ve Found Love by Heavy D & The Boyz (yes hello keith), as well as classics from Tiffany, Bananarama, The Cars, Duran Duran and New Order. I am not sure because I had a backpack on my back, but it is likely that people trekking behind me launched such projectiles at my back as Tango wafer biscuits and Silver Queen chocolate wrappers. They probably reached breaking point when I started singing Ghost Busters. Oh my goodness, and how could I forget, Power of Love by Huey Lewis and the News was in the mix too. (I am listening to it right now hence the absent minded additions to the list!) Hey mum, what is the song that goes “"Oh I-I, I'd do anything that you want me too-oo-ooo, but I can’t go for that, no can do, no, I can’t go for that, can’t go for that, no can do”. I am sure Aunty Helen or Uncle Kevin will know if you don’t. That’s in the mix too. Such a comprehensive memoir of 80’s cheese.
Anyway, back to the mountain. So this leg was tough. Lot’s of climbing up rocks. Lots of lactic acid. It wasn’t aerobically tough, but physically tough. And the worst bit is, the Indonesian strategy for keeping us moving was to say “only 15 minutes more”. When they continually say it for the last 2 hours of the climb, it induces murderous thoughts of death by strangulation…… whoops, did I write that. Only kidding. It makes you love them even more.
So we got to the puncak, the top, at about 4.30am. Apparently for the last half an hour everyone in the first group who was already at the top could hear me squawking and/or singing 80’a music. It’s nice to know my voice carries that far! It wasn’t overly cold at the top, but the problem is that you are doused in sweat and that makes the wind feel freezing. I deliriously changed my clothes, and at this point, a clean pair of white knickers that I didn’t even know I had in my backpack fell out, and were discovered at the door of the tent by our Indonesian guides, whom I found out hours later, threw them around for a while and then threw them onto a nearby tree. Delightful. Anyway, we watched sunrise, ate more instant noodles, drank Milo, coffee and other goodies, and at about 8am (no sleep for me) commenced the descent.
All I will say about the descent is this- 3 and a half hours, ½ dense jungle, ½ on a path on the edge of a cliff suitable for passage by such animals as goats and dogs, not people, 100% of the path made of clay, me falling over so many times I lost my sense of humour and almost cried (if it wasn’t for Ryan I would have probably set up a camp there and stopped descending, living a solitary mountain life forever), last half an hour descending in torrential rain, a hand covered in leeches after touching some weird plant. It was tough. I am now in a position to reflect on the descent and say that it has somehow strengthened my character, however there are now 5 days, a 90 minute reflexology massage and a "night out" between me and the mountain.
Anyway, it was good, although I threw away the yellow jacket that you may have seen in the photo’s because it resembled the loin cloth of a mud-wrestler. Lucky I bought it second hand for $1.
So that was that.
Oh I forgot to mention that the night before on the Friday night, myself and the band (as yet unnamed) played 4 songs at Bintang (Passenger-Powderfinger, Holy Grail again, Ku Tak Bisa and Steal My Kisses- Ben Harper). As a consequence I had a mild hangover on the climbing day because of the confidence beer I drank prior to singing….. hehehe.
Since last weekend a few things have happened. A week has passed. I have just three weeks left in Yogya. I had my last class for uni and have exams next week. I completed my 1500 word assignment for International Security, excerpted below. (Yes, I am not just here climbing mountains and singing in bars……. I actually know how to write stuff!) Although according to Agnes, my assignment bore the hallmarks of a student who has tried hard to make the best of their limited vocabulary. I am still unsure if that is a compliment or an insult…… Last night I ate in a restaurant owned by the leader of Polygamy in Indonesia. I am not sure what you do to become the leader of polygamy, aside from having 4 wives, but nonetheless that was what the menu said.
Polygamy is an interesting issue to talk about here. Nearly everyone here thinks that men who use the Koran as justification for having multiple wives is mis-interpreting the actions of the Prophet Mohammed, whom I believe took his other wives because they were widowed and therefore he was doing them a good deed by protecting them from stigma that existed at the time. Hardly anyone agrees with it, and it is hard to carry out I think, while still being true to the Koran which demands that each wife be treated exactly equally in terms of love, maintenance, companionship etc. Anyway, the restaurant guy clearly thinks he can do it, although no-one I speaks to thinks he can.
Ok enough random ranting.
To my wonderful, one-of-a-kind grandparents who have just set off on their round the world trip. Selamat jalan, hati-hati, I love you lots and have an absolute ball.
And I am going to start copying Keith and Becky and do “what I am listening to”:
Haste 80’s mix (at this very moment, Phil Collins- Invisible Touch), Portishead-Dummy, Massive Attack-Blue Lines, random drum and bass, and some hot Indo trance.
And this is the proof I can "do Indonesian"
Menurut Buzan, Weaver & de Wilde “security is about survival”. Tegasnya, proses sekuritisasi akan terjadi kalau pemerintah nasional (atau aktor sekuritisasi lain) mengatakan bahwa ada ancaman atau existential threat untuk sesuatu yang harus dilindungi, yaitu referent object.
Esei ini akan mempertimbangkan isu terrorisme dan cara isu ini sudah disekuritisasikan antara Australia dan Indonesia. Terutama, tindakan-tindakan dan kebijaksanaan pemerintah Australia sebagai securitising actornya dalam hubungan dengan existential threat ini akan diperhatikan. Walaupun referent object di Australia yang menghubungkan terrorisme masih kurang jelas, kalau kita melihat speech actnya yang sudah dilakukan oleh Pemerintah Australia, proses analisis ini menjadi lebih sederhana. Dengan kata lain, speech act yang dikatakan oleh Pemerintah Australia mengungkapkan fokus dan tujuan-tujuannya.
Basically what happened was this. We left at 1pm to head in the direction of Mount Ungaran by AC’d bus. We arrived at 4pm in a little town at the foot of the mountain and changed transport to mini-vans. They were rather useless transport as with 10 Aussies in each they continuously stalled on the steep bits (being a mountain that was most of it) and we had to unload, run up the hill and get back in.
We stopped at base camp 1 to focus on the mammoth task ahead, drink coffee, eat instant noodles and rest. It started to absolutely p down with rain at this point which was a rather depressing prospect- scaling a mountain in torrential rain, erm no thanks. Anyway, it stopped about half an hour before set off time. We then climbed for three-four hours (the easiest bit by far) until we got to Base Camp 2 which is a kampung/village half way up the mountain. It’s a shame I will only ever see it by night as it sounds pretty interesting- don’t ask me why but there are 60ppl who live there- and if a baby is born someone has to leave, and if someone dies someone has to move there. Don’t ask why I have no idea- all I know is it is an easy place for the Indonesian Government to conduct population census.
Anyway we stayed there until abt 1.30 am. I had about an hour’s sleep, and several coffees, and more instant noodles. We then set off in our two groups hiking up the mountain. I should mention here that I was listening to music all the way up, on the first leg it was a combination of Madonna and Hottest 100 2005. On the second leg I was listening to an 80’s mix given to me by Ray, and was as such scaling cliffs with such classics as Grease Is The Word, Now That We’ve Found Love by Heavy D & The Boyz (yes hello keith), as well as classics from Tiffany, Bananarama, The Cars, Duran Duran and New Order. I am not sure because I had a backpack on my back, but it is likely that people trekking behind me launched such projectiles at my back as Tango wafer biscuits and Silver Queen chocolate wrappers. They probably reached breaking point when I started singing Ghost Busters. Oh my goodness, and how could I forget, Power of Love by Huey Lewis and the News was in the mix too. (I am listening to it right now hence the absent minded additions to the list!) Hey mum, what is the song that goes “"Oh I-I, I'd do anything that you want me too-oo-ooo, but I can’t go for that, no can do, no, I can’t go for that, can’t go for that, no can do”. I am sure Aunty Helen or Uncle Kevin will know if you don’t. That’s in the mix too. Such a comprehensive memoir of 80’s cheese.
Anyway, back to the mountain. So this leg was tough. Lot’s of climbing up rocks. Lots of lactic acid. It wasn’t aerobically tough, but physically tough. And the worst bit is, the Indonesian strategy for keeping us moving was to say “only 15 minutes more”. When they continually say it for the last 2 hours of the climb, it induces murderous thoughts of death by strangulation…… whoops, did I write that. Only kidding. It makes you love them even more.
So we got to the puncak, the top, at about 4.30am. Apparently for the last half an hour everyone in the first group who was already at the top could hear me squawking and/or singing 80’a music. It’s nice to know my voice carries that far! It wasn’t overly cold at the top, but the problem is that you are doused in sweat and that makes the wind feel freezing. I deliriously changed my clothes, and at this point, a clean pair of white knickers that I didn’t even know I had in my backpack fell out, and were discovered at the door of the tent by our Indonesian guides, whom I found out hours later, threw them around for a while and then threw them onto a nearby tree. Delightful. Anyway, we watched sunrise, ate more instant noodles, drank Milo, coffee and other goodies, and at about 8am (no sleep for me) commenced the descent.
All I will say about the descent is this- 3 and a half hours, ½ dense jungle, ½ on a path on the edge of a cliff suitable for passage by such animals as goats and dogs, not people, 100% of the path made of clay, me falling over so many times I lost my sense of humour and almost cried (if it wasn’t for Ryan I would have probably set up a camp there and stopped descending, living a solitary mountain life forever), last half an hour descending in torrential rain, a hand covered in leeches after touching some weird plant. It was tough. I am now in a position to reflect on the descent and say that it has somehow strengthened my character, however there are now 5 days, a 90 minute reflexology massage and a "night out" between me and the mountain.
Anyway, it was good, although I threw away the yellow jacket that you may have seen in the photo’s because it resembled the loin cloth of a mud-wrestler. Lucky I bought it second hand for $1.
So that was that.
Oh I forgot to mention that the night before on the Friday night, myself and the band (as yet unnamed) played 4 songs at Bintang (Passenger-Powderfinger, Holy Grail again, Ku Tak Bisa and Steal My Kisses- Ben Harper). As a consequence I had a mild hangover on the climbing day because of the confidence beer I drank prior to singing….. hehehe.
Since last weekend a few things have happened. A week has passed. I have just three weeks left in Yogya. I had my last class for uni and have exams next week. I completed my 1500 word assignment for International Security, excerpted below. (Yes, I am not just here climbing mountains and singing in bars……. I actually know how to write stuff!) Although according to Agnes, my assignment bore the hallmarks of a student who has tried hard to make the best of their limited vocabulary. I am still unsure if that is a compliment or an insult…… Last night I ate in a restaurant owned by the leader of Polygamy in Indonesia. I am not sure what you do to become the leader of polygamy, aside from having 4 wives, but nonetheless that was what the menu said.
Polygamy is an interesting issue to talk about here. Nearly everyone here thinks that men who use the Koran as justification for having multiple wives is mis-interpreting the actions of the Prophet Mohammed, whom I believe took his other wives because they were widowed and therefore he was doing them a good deed by protecting them from stigma that existed at the time. Hardly anyone agrees with it, and it is hard to carry out I think, while still being true to the Koran which demands that each wife be treated exactly equally in terms of love, maintenance, companionship etc. Anyway, the restaurant guy clearly thinks he can do it, although no-one I speaks to thinks he can.
Ok enough random ranting.
To my wonderful, one-of-a-kind grandparents who have just set off on their round the world trip. Selamat jalan, hati-hati, I love you lots and have an absolute ball.
And I am going to start copying Keith and Becky and do “what I am listening to”:
Haste 80’s mix (at this very moment, Phil Collins- Invisible Touch), Portishead-Dummy, Massive Attack-Blue Lines, random drum and bass, and some hot Indo trance.
And this is the proof I can "do Indonesian"
Menurut Buzan, Weaver & de Wilde “security is about survival”. Tegasnya, proses sekuritisasi akan terjadi kalau pemerintah nasional (atau aktor sekuritisasi lain) mengatakan bahwa ada ancaman atau existential threat untuk sesuatu yang harus dilindungi, yaitu referent object.
Esei ini akan mempertimbangkan isu terrorisme dan cara isu ini sudah disekuritisasikan antara Australia dan Indonesia. Terutama, tindakan-tindakan dan kebijaksanaan pemerintah Australia sebagai securitising actornya dalam hubungan dengan existential threat ini akan diperhatikan. Walaupun referent object di Australia yang menghubungkan terrorisme masih kurang jelas, kalau kita melihat speech actnya yang sudah dilakukan oleh Pemerintah Australia, proses analisis ini menjadi lebih sederhana. Dengan kata lain, speech act yang dikatakan oleh Pemerintah Australia mengungkapkan fokus dan tujuan-tujuannya.
Last Day of Lectures
Sophie (from Germany) and I pretend to study on the last day of Uni, whilst actually checking out the World Cup Timetable and organising a party at which we can gratuitously slander the efforts of the opponents of our respective nations..........
Actually, I am lying, we were contemplating the finer points of the memper-kan affixation...
Anyway, it was the last day of uni on Wednesday, and we celebrated accordingly later that night..........he he he.
Actually, I am lying, we were contemplating the finer points of the memper-kan affixation...
Anyway, it was the last day of uni on Wednesday, and we celebrated accordingly later that night..........he he he.
Monday, May 22, 2006
Five and a Half Reasons NOT To Climb A Mountain
1) Over 36 hours with only one hour of "sleep" and 11 hours of climbing.
2) It's bloody cold at the top.
3) Leeches
4) Trekking down 7Km of slick, wet clay is actually not very good fun, especially when you have not slept for 24 hours.
4.5) Trekking down 7Km of slick, wet clay is actually not very good fun, especially when you are exceptionally uncoordinated and spend the majority of the 7Km falling over, and/or sliding down on your backside.
5) There is a lot of pain the next day.
5.5) It is not a good way to prepare for writing a 1500 word assignment, in Indonesian, that is due the day after you get home.
Will tell the whole story when I have finished all my exams and assignments. Glad I did it, but my new philosophy on mountain climbing is "Yes, it's an option...... but not one that I end to choose again." Ha ha ha. I suppose you aren't surprised. I have some cool photo's though!
2) It's bloody cold at the top.
3) Leeches
4) Trekking down 7Km of slick, wet clay is actually not very good fun, especially when you have not slept for 24 hours.
4.5) Trekking down 7Km of slick, wet clay is actually not very good fun, especially when you are exceptionally uncoordinated and spend the majority of the 7Km falling over, and/or sliding down on your backside.
5) There is a lot of pain the next day.
5.5) It is not a good way to prepare for writing a 1500 word assignment, in Indonesian, that is due the day after you get home.
Will tell the whole story when I have finished all my exams and assignments. Glad I did it, but my new philosophy on mountain climbing is "Yes, it's an option...... but not one that I end to choose again." Ha ha ha. I suppose you aren't surprised. I have some cool photo's though!
Five Reasons To Climb A Mountain
1) Nice view from the top
2) Good for the muscles
3) Happy feelings of accomplishment
4) Pleasant group bonding experience
5) Did I mention the nice view?
2) Good for the muscles
3) Happy feelings of accomplishment
4) Pleasant group bonding experience
5) Did I mention the nice view?
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Merapi and Me
This is the volcano that is currently erupting!
And in other news I am climbing a mountain this weekend. I will surely die I am so unfit!
And in other news I am climbing a mountain this weekend. I will surely die I am so unfit!
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