Monday, November 17, 2008
Video Roundup
Some videos I've been enjoying (many found through fellow bloggers whom I won't credit here):
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Go Vote
Go vote. Really. I don’t know what kind of persuading you need. Here in Oregon, they’ve made it about as easy as possible. You get a ballot in the mail and you just have to drop it off by 8pm tonight (too late to mail it back!). Drop-offs are all over the city. You have the amazing privilege of being involved personally in your government – something unheard of in many places around the world. Thousands upon thousands of men have died over the years to preserve that right for you. Exercise it, and thank God for the freedom we have in this country.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Work Stuff
Wow. So I failed pretty miserably at this “return to blogging” thing, huh? I had good intentions, really! When I have interesting things to write about, life is moving too fast to find the time or energy to blog. And when life is slow, well, there’s nothing interesting to write about. I have new respect for those professional bloggers who faithfully produce for the rest of us. And I’ve been a little…distracted…with most of my free time.
I haven’t really written anything about work since my trip to Indonesia, and that’s a fairly easy thing for me to ramble on about, so let’s start there. Things at MTI have been good, but we’re certainly feeling pressure from the economy. We’re completely dependent on people’s generosity, and when they’re worried for their own well-being, it’s (understandably) harder to give, especially substantially. It’s different than for a “normal” company, where we could sell more widgets or raise prices or something. The consumers of our services are not the ones paying for it, and there’s no fixed price. And the people most likely to support us in a big way are also the ones who stood to lose the most in the meltdown. So things have been tight. Budgets have been slashed, and it doesn’t appear to be over. They say markets always jump after an election, so hopefully we’re only a couple weeks away from a major turnaround. Of course it will probably crash hard again once that new president starts enacting Marxist programs, but that’s a post for another day.
Here are updates on some of the key projects I’m involved in:
Website Migration
This is the big one right now. We’re moving our website off Convio and to a platform we will be hosting in-house. This is a big deal for a number of reasons. One, bringing it in-house means we’re responsible for keeping it up now. As a major fundraising tool, that’s a little stressful. Two, it means every single page has to be re-created inside our new platform. There are over 500 pages on the current site. That’s a massive undertaking. Three, our webmaster left at the start of this project. Three of us have taken on the migration (one of whom was just named the new webmaster), but that also means we’re changing a lot of things. It’s good because none of us have the personal attachment to certain things on the site, but there’s so much we want to change we have to be careful about taking on too much work. Four, the new site will be a major improvement for our constituents. A major impetus for this change is to improve the donor experience on the web. This new platform (Blackbaud’s NetCommunity) integrates with our CRM (Blackbaud’s Raiser’s Edge) so we can link more information to the web. This will be a MAJOR plus to our donors. And finally, there are technical challenges. We chose to use another CMS along with NetCommunity, a product named Sitefinity. We found NetCommunity to be lacking in a lot of basic content management areas, and didn’t want to put undue burden on our content managers. So we’re building the bulk of the site in this other tool and all the CRM-integrated functions in NetCommunity. But it means we have multiple products to juggle and manage.
This was the big time-consumer before the website but has recently taken a back seat. For almost 30 years, inventory has been tracked on paper sheets and Excel spreadsheets. Not a problem for a while, but now that we process ship over $100 million in donated medical supplies annually, keeping track of the inventory has become more challenging. The decision was made to go with a computer-based system and I’ve been working on developing a friendly “face” for that system. The system is now in use in the warehouse, though just in its first (of three) phase. So there will be more work on that once some of these other projects die down.
Things are pretty tense here, though, with the economy being what it is. The kinds of people who generally give us the most money are also the types that lost the most in the market crash. So they have far less to be giving away. I know we’re not the only non-profit feeling the pressure. And most churches are too. I want to write about how important it is to continue giving in the midst of financial insecurity, but maybe that will be another post. Also, consider the risk of electing someone who wants to raise taxes on “the rich.” “That’s not me,” you may be thinking, “and they should pay more since they have more!” Well, socialism aside, think of all the things those “rich” support and make possible. Most of the humanitarian (and missional) work around the world is financed by people with resources. If the government starts taking more of their money away to fund ridiculous mandatory programs at home, you can forget about “saving the world.” I want to write more on this, too.
Thursday, September 04, 2008
Let's Try This Again
So…I haven’t posted anything here in about 2.5 months. There are a lot of reasons for this, most of which have something to do with lack of motivation. I’ve been writing online since 2001 (still working on the very manual import process), during which time I’ve taken three or four breaks. Sometimes you just need it. Plus, I see that I’ve now fallen off the link list on a number of other blogs, so I should have a much smaller reader base now. That’s probably good. It’s a little awkward when people at church/work/strangers come up to me and say they’ve been reading. I also have reason to believe there are few NEW stalkers in the mix (welcome), so I should probably provide some fresh fodder for judging me.
You’ll also notice I made some design changes. Still sticking with an out-of-the-box template (lazy), but it’s at least been updated to use some of the cool new Google sidebar thingies. So there’s that.
Anyway, there isn’t anything substantive in this post. It’s just here to let you know I’m going to try now. We’ll see how it goes.
You’ll also notice I made some design changes. Still sticking with an out-of-the-box template (lazy), but it’s at least been updated to use some of the cool new Google sidebar thingies. So there’s that.
Anyway, there isn’t anything substantive in this post. It’s just here to let you know I’m going to try now. We’ll see how it goes.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Quiet Revolutions, Josh White
The following is a quote from the jacket of the new Telecast CD "Quiet Revolution." I've never really cared much for their music or lyrics. My mom actually lent me this CD and pointed out the liner notes. So she really gets the credit here. I still don't care for the CD, but this short note of Josh's ties in with a lot that's been going on lately. Those things will eventually become posts here, but, for now, enjoy the note.
"Hebrews 12:2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
We want to change the world. We want to feed the poor. We want to care for the orphan and the widow. But I can’t help but wonder why it is, in the flurry of our countless activities and programs, why the vast majority of Christians still find themselves leading defeated lives. These causes we rally around – which are great things – may get done, and even effectively, but something seems to be missing.
I recognize this in my own life. It’s much easier to serve God than it is to know Him. It’s much easier to imitate than it is to be the genuine article. I am not Jesus and my feeble attempts at white-knuckling up Jacob’s ladder have always ended in absolute frustration. G. K. Chesterton’s words ring so terribly true: “Christianity is not tried and left wanting, it’s found difficult and not tried.”
At some point on the road of Christian effectiveness we have become so effective at changing the surface that the interior can go untouched and frankly, unnoticed. “Lord, I’ll change the world but please don’t change me!”
Is the root of this problem simply that we live with a cross-less Christianity and a Christ-less center?
We need a Quiet Revolution where we come before a holy and perfect God and say, “Lord, crucify in me everything that is unworthy of You. I accept the cross not only as a place where you died once but where I die daily.” Only then will we really live.
We need a quiet Revolution where the saving life of Christ so permeates our being that Jesus Christ Himself is allowed to Be Himself in us right now. And that equilibrium would be restored to our lives that we would once again find our center.
Jesus is not looking for decisions. He is looking for disciples. There is a lot of talk about the kingdom on Earth but pray we would begin to understand that to speak of a kingdom is to speak of a King. We must give the world not a weak imitation of what Jesus did but a tangible expression of what He is actually still doing in and through redeemed, surrendered vessels.
Are we ready to count the cost?"
"Hebrews 12:2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
We want to change the world. We want to feed the poor. We want to care for the orphan and the widow. But I can’t help but wonder why it is, in the flurry of our countless activities and programs, why the vast majority of Christians still find themselves leading defeated lives. These causes we rally around – which are great things – may get done, and even effectively, but something seems to be missing.
I recognize this in my own life. It’s much easier to serve God than it is to know Him. It’s much easier to imitate than it is to be the genuine article. I am not Jesus and my feeble attempts at white-knuckling up Jacob’s ladder have always ended in absolute frustration. G. K. Chesterton’s words ring so terribly true: “Christianity is not tried and left wanting, it’s found difficult and not tried.”
At some point on the road of Christian effectiveness we have become so effective at changing the surface that the interior can go untouched and frankly, unnoticed. “Lord, I’ll change the world but please don’t change me!”
Is the root of this problem simply that we live with a cross-less Christianity and a Christ-less center?
We need a Quiet Revolution where we come before a holy and perfect God and say, “Lord, crucify in me everything that is unworthy of You. I accept the cross not only as a place where you died once but where I die daily.” Only then will we really live.
We need a quiet Revolution where the saving life of Christ so permeates our being that Jesus Christ Himself is allowed to Be Himself in us right now. And that equilibrium would be restored to our lives that we would once again find our center.
Jesus is not looking for decisions. He is looking for disciples. There is a lot of talk about the kingdom on Earth but pray we would begin to understand that to speak of a kingdom is to speak of a King. We must give the world not a weak imitation of what Jesus did but a tangible expression of what He is actually still doing in and through redeemed, surrendered vessels.
Are we ready to count the cost?"
Sunday, June 08, 2008
Indo, Day 18: Airborne
There isn't a whole lot newsworthy about today (Saturday). I woke up at 4am to get my transfer tickets for a 6am flight to Tokyo. For all Singapore does right, there are some strange inefficiencies. Like the counter agent who took 10 minutes to check in each person in line. I never waited that long in Indonesia with people who didn't speak English!
The only possible problem that may have arisen is, despite my printed itinerary to the contrary, she insisted her system said I was going to Portland today. "No," I tried to correct her, "I'm going to Seattle today and Portland tomorrow. See the printout?" She just kept repeating that her system said I was going to Portland. I tried to explain how that didn't matter because my fight from Seattle to Portland isn't even on Northwest, so what her system said is kind of irrelevant so long as Alaska has it right. This created no small amount of confusion. She muttered something about rebooking me, and now I can only assume I have no flight to Portland tomorrow. But I guess we'll find out soon enough.
After that flight it was another to Seattle. Basically, I spent the entire day on a plane. No, really, an entire day. See, nothing really to write about.
I arrived in Seattle three hours after I took off (ugh), got to my hotel and tried to sleep. Didn't go so well.
I'm hear for a work event, which I'll write more about tomorrow.
The only possible problem that may have arisen is, despite my printed itinerary to the contrary, she insisted her system said I was going to Portland today. "No," I tried to correct her, "I'm going to Seattle today and Portland tomorrow. See the printout?" She just kept repeating that her system said I was going to Portland. I tried to explain how that didn't matter because my fight from Seattle to Portland isn't even on Northwest, so what her system said is kind of irrelevant so long as Alaska has it right. This created no small amount of confusion. She muttered something about rebooking me, and now I can only assume I have no flight to Portland tomorrow. But I guess we'll find out soon enough.
After that flight it was another to Seattle. Basically, I spent the entire day on a plane. No, really, an entire day. See, nothing really to write about.
I arrived in Seattle three hours after I took off (ugh), got to my hotel and tried to sleep. Didn't go so well.
I'm hear for a work event, which I'll write more about tomorrow.
Friday, June 06, 2008
Indo, Day 17: Finality
This was the last day in Indonesia. Most of the day was spent answering final questions and generally hanging around until it was time to go to the airport. It seems kind of strange to be leaving – I half expect to be flying back to Medan in four days, as has been my habit.
Thank you to everyone who has been praying for my health. I feel about 80% today and the flight to Singapore was uneventful, which was relieving. I still don’t feel like eating anything, but I should be able to find some “neutral” food here.
Singapore crashed on me like a wave. I remember it being nice, but now it appears opulent. My room in the transit hotel feels fit for royalty. Things are clean, the faucets produce a full stream of (potable) water, and there’s even HOT water! It’s quiet and smoke-free. I have been wondering what the transition would be like. I know I was only gone for 2.5 weeks, but I adjust to new places very rapidly. Going from electricity and water being luxuries to necessities is quite a jump.
But I can reflect on that later. I have to hit up the transit desk in four hours, so I better sleep.
Thank you to everyone who has been praying for my health. I feel about 80% today and the flight to Singapore was uneventful, which was relieving. I still don’t feel like eating anything, but I should be able to find some “neutral” food here.
Singapore crashed on me like a wave. I remember it being nice, but now it appears opulent. My room in the transit hotel feels fit for royalty. Things are clean, the faucets produce a full stream of (potable) water, and there’s even HOT water! It’s quiet and smoke-free. I have been wondering what the transition would be like. I know I was only gone for 2.5 weeks, but I adjust to new places very rapidly. Going from electricity and water being luxuries to necessities is quite a jump.
But I can reflect on that later. I have to hit up the transit desk in four hours, so I better sleep.
Thursday, June 05, 2008
Indo, Day 16: Sickly
Pray for me. I managed to get sick the day before I leave. I can’t complain, though: it’s been over two years since this has happened to me. It makes work hard, but I’m ok powering through that. Spending 20+ hours on a plane, however, will be slightly more…challenging…if the…explosive…nature of this affliction doesn’t get toned down a couple notches.
I think it was some undercooked meat for dinner last night.
The nausea-inducing anti-malarial meds don’t help.
I leave Friday at 8:30pm (GMT+7, 6:30am GMT-7).
(For Joe: it feels like everything on my insides wants to be on my outsides.)
I think it was some undercooked meat for dinner last night.
The nausea-inducing anti-malarial meds don’t help.
I leave Friday at 8:30pm (GMT+7, 6:30am GMT-7).
(For Joe: it feels like everything on my insides wants to be on my outsides.)
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
Indo, Day 15: Misc
There’s not a whole lot to say about today. I thought about skipping, but that sort of defeats the purpose. In the morning, I said goodbye to the Sigli/BA staff and (once again) headed to the airport. This time I met an enthusiastic local who was learning English and really wanted to practice with me (though he didn’t introduce himself that way) and a weathered British chap who seemed happy to be understood for a change. For someone who has been here a few times, he didn’t quite seem to get how it works. The flight was smooth and uneventful and soon I was back in Medan.
I’ll be here for the next two days before I start the long journey back home. Since I’ll be in one place for more than a day, I took the opportunity to do a little more sink laundry and prep for the layovers. I was also able to charge my camera battery, though I doubt there will be much to take pictures of before I leave. It’s amazing how quickly time has passed. It feels like a year ago I was in Portland, and I’ve almost forgotten about my time in Singapore and Tokyo. I don’t know if it is the constant moving around or the general intensity of my time here, but it feels like I’ve been here much longer than I have. Maybe I’m just adjusting well.
For lunch, most of the office went out to pizza…at a Pizza Hut. I can’t remember the last time I had their pizza, and this restaurant was WAY nicer than any Pizza Hut I’ve seen in the US. I joked around about not seeing a rice pizza anywhere. It was strange eating something without it, let alone semi-American. Of course the toppings were totally unique, but it still tasted a little like good old American pizza. It’s a fun group here…when I understand what they’re saying.
Everywhere I’ve gone, at least one person has asked me about the upcoming presidential election. They want to know who I think will win, Hillary or Obama. I didn’t realize that race had garnered so much international attention yet; it’s only the primaries! Of course it was hopeless to try explaining that we’re not even to the actual race yet, this is just intra-party bickering. (My money was always on Obama, since I can do math and see that Hillary can’t catch him on delegates. Other people finally started to see that and now he’s been declared the presumptive nominee.) No one seemed to have any questions about McCain. Bad sign for him, I guess. Our political system is crazy. Don’t believe me? Try explaining it to a foreigner.
It’s nice to be staying in a room devoid of insects.
Like I said, not a whole lot going on. Pretty much a transit day.
I’ll be here for the next two days before I start the long journey back home. Since I’ll be in one place for more than a day, I took the opportunity to do a little more sink laundry and prep for the layovers. I was also able to charge my camera battery, though I doubt there will be much to take pictures of before I leave. It’s amazing how quickly time has passed. It feels like a year ago I was in Portland, and I’ve almost forgotten about my time in Singapore and Tokyo. I don’t know if it is the constant moving around or the general intensity of my time here, but it feels like I’ve been here much longer than I have. Maybe I’m just adjusting well.
For lunch, most of the office went out to pizza…at a Pizza Hut. I can’t remember the last time I had their pizza, and this restaurant was WAY nicer than any Pizza Hut I’ve seen in the US. I joked around about not seeing a rice pizza anywhere. It was strange eating something without it, let alone semi-American. Of course the toppings were totally unique, but it still tasted a little like good old American pizza. It’s a fun group here…when I understand what they’re saying.
Everywhere I’ve gone, at least one person has asked me about the upcoming presidential election. They want to know who I think will win, Hillary or Obama. I didn’t realize that race had garnered so much international attention yet; it’s only the primaries! Of course it was hopeless to try explaining that we’re not even to the actual race yet, this is just intra-party bickering. (My money was always on Obama, since I can do math and see that Hillary can’t catch him on delegates. Other people finally started to see that and now he’s been declared the presumptive nominee.) No one seemed to have any questions about McCain. Bad sign for him, I guess. Our political system is crazy. Don’t believe me? Try explaining it to a foreigner.
It’s nice to be staying in a room devoid of insects.
Like I said, not a whole lot going on. Pretty much a transit day.
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
Indo, Day 14: Banda
This morning I finished up working in the Sigli office and prepared to head back to Banda Ache for my morning flight. Unlike Nias, when given the opportunity to ask me any technical questions or relate problems, the staff had nothing to say. Things run extremely well there. So we actually got out of town on time.
The anti-malaria meds made me sick again this morning. First time I’ve thrown up, though. Too bad I still have four and a half weeks on them. They really suck. Maybe I should take my chances with the malaria. I only have half a dozen or so bites – how many could be malarial?
The drive back to town was beautiful (and not raining this time), but I didn’t take any pictures to save my battery for Banda. So stupid of me to leave my charger in Medan! We got to the staff house, dumped our stuff, then Flora (the Sigli finance manager), the drive and I set out to see some of the relevant sites.
Our first stop was the beach that marks “ground zero” for the tsunami. It’s a really nice coastline that reminds me of Oregon. Much rockier than Nias or Sigli. Actually waves. It was nice. We walked along for a while and talked about the wave. Fifty feet! And the coastline was 1km farther out before the tsunami than it is now. You can still walk through a dirt plane made up of rubble that once was worker housing for the nearby cement factory. 150,000 people died here.
After the beach, we went and saw the two boats that made it over 5km inland and are stuck on top of houses. They’re too big to move, so they’ve become semi-permanent monuments. None of the pictures are great because I started using my cell phone camera which is markedly poorer.
From there we went to the mosque. This is the city were Islam first came to Asia, and they’re proud of their mosque. It’s the largest in the country, and has got to be right at the top of the list for Asia. Flora donned traditional garb to be allowed inside the complex. I’ve never received so many dirty looks in my life. A western man walking with a local in traditional clothing. Not a welcome sight. We walked around trying to take pictures, but then my battery finally died. Flora made a joke that maybe we should walk around seven times and the walls would fall down. It’s good to see Biblical humor transcend cultures.
We talked a little about being a Christian operating in a Muslim world. They get that we’re Christian, and I think they’re becoming ok with it. In Sigli they have to crop our logo to make the cross look more like a plus or just use the words. I don’t think anyone here is militant, and they want (need) our help, but apparently we still have to make some concessions. I don’t think that’s very fair.
I had previously asked if anyone knew where I could find a machete. I saw some guys using one in the bush, and thought it would be a sweet souvenir. “Machete” proved to be a difficult word to explain and translate, and they ended up taking me to a place with traditional ceremonial knives. It’s pretty close, but utterly non-functional. Not quite what I had in mind, but it still looks cool.
Dinner was at a little coffee house near the staff house. It’s too bad I don’t drink coffee, being as this is where it comes from and all. I’ve heard about the special blend here…apparently many coffee houses also run drugs, and sometimes the coffee and marijuana get a little, well, blended. This didn’t seem like that sort of establishment. The food was the highest quality I’ve had yet. Not necessarily the best tasting, but the most western-like in quality. What I mean is, well, for starters, the meat wasn’t raised on the premises. And it was actually plump, not forcing you to scrape what you can find off the bone. Like it was bred to be eaten. And served boneless! Ha! I felt spoiled not having to work at my food.
Afterward, Flora decided we would get back to the house via Death Taxi. If you remember from one of my first posts on this trip, most taxis here are motorcycle sidecars. But not like sidecars we have in the US that are enclosed. No, these are pretty much a seat and a floor with a bar on the side and in front. Very open air. If you’ll also remember how I characterized “driving” here (going/doing whatever the crap you want and using the horn to keep you alive), you’ll understand the Death Taxi moniker.
It was fun, though. We took a loop around the city to see some of it at night. The air (I almost called it fresh) felt great and relatively cool. And there were only a couple close calls (red light? What’s that mean?). I really regret leaving my charger in Medan as I could have gotten some great pictures.
All in all, a fun day, and fairly touristy at that. I wasn’t expecting to be shown around quite this much, but it was kinda nice. Tomorrow morning I head back to Medan (pray the airport doesn’t shut down again) for the final leg of this trip.
The anti-malaria meds made me sick again this morning. First time I’ve thrown up, though. Too bad I still have four and a half weeks on them. They really suck. Maybe I should take my chances with the malaria. I only have half a dozen or so bites – how many could be malarial?
The drive back to town was beautiful (and not raining this time), but I didn’t take any pictures to save my battery for Banda. So stupid of me to leave my charger in Medan! We got to the staff house, dumped our stuff, then Flora (the Sigli finance manager), the drive and I set out to see some of the relevant sites.
Our first stop was the beach that marks “ground zero” for the tsunami. It’s a really nice coastline that reminds me of Oregon. Much rockier than Nias or Sigli. Actually waves. It was nice. We walked along for a while and talked about the wave. Fifty feet! And the coastline was 1km farther out before the tsunami than it is now. You can still walk through a dirt plane made up of rubble that once was worker housing for the nearby cement factory. 150,000 people died here.
After the beach, we went and saw the two boats that made it over 5km inland and are stuck on top of houses. They’re too big to move, so they’ve become semi-permanent monuments. None of the pictures are great because I started using my cell phone camera which is markedly poorer.
From there we went to the mosque. This is the city were Islam first came to Asia, and they’re proud of their mosque. It’s the largest in the country, and has got to be right at the top of the list for Asia. Flora donned traditional garb to be allowed inside the complex. I’ve never received so many dirty looks in my life. A western man walking with a local in traditional clothing. Not a welcome sight. We walked around trying to take pictures, but then my battery finally died. Flora made a joke that maybe we should walk around seven times and the walls would fall down. It’s good to see Biblical humor transcend cultures.
We talked a little about being a Christian operating in a Muslim world. They get that we’re Christian, and I think they’re becoming ok with it. In Sigli they have to crop our logo to make the cross look more like a plus or just use the words. I don’t think anyone here is militant, and they want (need) our help, but apparently we still have to make some concessions. I don’t think that’s very fair.
I had previously asked if anyone knew where I could find a machete. I saw some guys using one in the bush, and thought it would be a sweet souvenir. “Machete” proved to be a difficult word to explain and translate, and they ended up taking me to a place with traditional ceremonial knives. It’s pretty close, but utterly non-functional. Not quite what I had in mind, but it still looks cool.
Dinner was at a little coffee house near the staff house. It’s too bad I don’t drink coffee, being as this is where it comes from and all. I’ve heard about the special blend here…apparently many coffee houses also run drugs, and sometimes the coffee and marijuana get a little, well, blended. This didn’t seem like that sort of establishment. The food was the highest quality I’ve had yet. Not necessarily the best tasting, but the most western-like in quality. What I mean is, well, for starters, the meat wasn’t raised on the premises. And it was actually plump, not forcing you to scrape what you can find off the bone. Like it was bred to be eaten. And served boneless! Ha! I felt spoiled not having to work at my food.
Afterward, Flora decided we would get back to the house via Death Taxi. If you remember from one of my first posts on this trip, most taxis here are motorcycle sidecars. But not like sidecars we have in the US that are enclosed. No, these are pretty much a seat and a floor with a bar on the side and in front. Very open air. If you’ll also remember how I characterized “driving” here (going/doing whatever the crap you want and using the horn to keep you alive), you’ll understand the Death Taxi moniker.
It was fun, though. We took a loop around the city to see some of it at night. The air (I almost called it fresh) felt great and relatively cool. And there were only a couple close calls (red light? What’s that mean?). I really regret leaving my charger in Medan as I could have gotten some great pictures.
All in all, a fun day, and fairly touristy at that. I wasn’t expecting to be shown around quite this much, but it was kinda nice. Tomorrow morning I head back to Medan (pray the airport doesn’t shut down again) for the final leg of this trip.
Monday, June 02, 2008
Indo, Day 13: Sigli
In the morning, I was awoken very, very early (5am) by the sound of wailing. It sounded like the zombies from a horror movie, moaning almost in unison. It took a few seconds for me to focus (5am, remember?), then I could clearly hear one voice clearly amplified over the others. Ah, prayer. I forgot I was in a Muslim city. In Medan, I have heard the calls to prayer many times over the loudspeakers, but never individuals responding. In BA, everyone is a Muslim, so everyone is praying. The sound came from everywhere. It was incredibly eerie. One voice over the loudspeaker sounds melodious, tens of thousands murmuring in unison is creepy. And heartbreaking. The Darkness is so thick here.
A couple hours later we left town on the three hour drive to the project site in Sigli. The countryside is very different from Nias or Medan. It feels more African to me. More plains and less dense vegetation than Nias, more mountains than Medan. At one point we even passed a small grove of pine trees that reminded me of home. Cows wander the streets (Corvallis?) and later on we saw some monkeys and even a small elephant that was being used to haul something. But I was quickly told that’s not a normal sight. I want to ride the elephant!
Sigli seems like a pretty nice place that would have been even nicer before the tsunami. The climate here is much more mild (we’re about as far north as you can get) which I’m enjoying. It rained a lot today, in a very Oregon sort of way. Cold, grey and heavy. I don’t know why that’s so refreshing. And, of course, “cold” is a very relative term. It’s still a Muslim community; at prayer times, as soon as you drive out of range of one mosque’s speakers, you pick up another. But it seems less so than BA. The influences are everywhere, though. In the architecture of the buildings (big domes on top) down to your behavior (shoes OFF!). We might as well be in the middle east with more palm trees.
The office is nice. It’s by far the cleanest building I’ve seen in Indonesia. Everyone takes their shoes off when entering, which helps a lot. Seriously, this place is spotless. Whoever they have cleaning it is doing an outstanding job. The staff are friendly and much closer to my age than any of my stops thus far. It’s been easier to joke around with this crew, and, if you know me, that’s important. Their computers have also been meticulously maintained, even though the staff know very little about them. “Don’t install software.” So they don’t. It’s nice to have users who listen.
Their Internet is coming off a wireless setup. The antenna looks very familiar. I’m wondering if it was setup as part of the tsunami relief effort. Remember when I did the emergency communications work after Katrina? There was a crew that did the same thing in Indonesia after the tsunami, and this equipment looks like what we were using. I haven’t been able to get an answer as to where it came from, but that’s my guess. Kind of brings things full-circle for me.
Both project managers I’ve worked with (first Esther and now Jenny) have liked to feed me. I thought I would lose some weight on this trip, but they’re always bringing me something new to try. At least with Jenny it’s delicious fruit drinks. Seriously, they taste like biting into the fruit. For dinner we had some fried noodles – I think that marks my first Indonesian meal (any meal) that didn’t contain rice. They were spicy and delicious and reminded me of noodles my cousin Leo used to make when we were kids. Noodles were one of the few things we could make unsupervised, and he had a special blend of peppers to keep it interesting. Burned your mouth but you couldn’t stop eating them! If I have any tolerance for spicy food, it’s due to him.
The hotel I’m staying in (they have a hotel here!) has the look of a place that before the tsunami was nice. The walls are brightly painted instead of white and stained. There’s intricate molding around the doors and ceiling. There’s even some cool multi-colored lights. But, like most things, it suffered a blow from the tsunami. It’s still nice, but has a certain…worn…feeling to it. Like it was abused. And it suffers from the overall infrastructure problems (power, water, etc.). It comes with a prayer rug and a sign that points to Mecca.
Speaking of the tsunami, I should probably comment on that. Sigli is one of the “ground zeros” for the wave. Not only was there an earthquake here (see the map in yesterday’s post), but this is one of the places there was a wave. They say it got to be around 12 meters high. They took me to the beach this afternoon. It was deserted. No one goes there anymore. The good news about this particular spot is that there were no houses close to the water, just salt flats and shrimp, uh, growing (?) areas. But you can still see the devastation. I’m mad at myself for leaving my camera charger in Medan, because as we were there, my battery light started blinking. I’m saving the rest of my shots for tomorrow when we’re back in BA and visit the main landing spot for the wave. I’ll write more about the tsunami then.
A couple hours later we left town on the three hour drive to the project site in Sigli. The countryside is very different from Nias or Medan. It feels more African to me. More plains and less dense vegetation than Nias, more mountains than Medan. At one point we even passed a small grove of pine trees that reminded me of home. Cows wander the streets (Corvallis?) and later on we saw some monkeys and even a small elephant that was being used to haul something. But I was quickly told that’s not a normal sight. I want to ride the elephant!
Sigli seems like a pretty nice place that would have been even nicer before the tsunami. The climate here is much more mild (we’re about as far north as you can get) which I’m enjoying. It rained a lot today, in a very Oregon sort of way. Cold, grey and heavy. I don’t know why that’s so refreshing. And, of course, “cold” is a very relative term. It’s still a Muslim community; at prayer times, as soon as you drive out of range of one mosque’s speakers, you pick up another. But it seems less so than BA. The influences are everywhere, though. In the architecture of the buildings (big domes on top) down to your behavior (shoes OFF!). We might as well be in the middle east with more palm trees.
The office is nice. It’s by far the cleanest building I’ve seen in Indonesia. Everyone takes their shoes off when entering, which helps a lot. Seriously, this place is spotless. Whoever they have cleaning it is doing an outstanding job. The staff are friendly and much closer to my age than any of my stops thus far. It’s been easier to joke around with this crew, and, if you know me, that’s important. Their computers have also been meticulously maintained, even though the staff know very little about them. “Don’t install software.” So they don’t. It’s nice to have users who listen.
Their Internet is coming off a wireless setup. The antenna looks very familiar. I’m wondering if it was setup as part of the tsunami relief effort. Remember when I did the emergency communications work after Katrina? There was a crew that did the same thing in Indonesia after the tsunami, and this equipment looks like what we were using. I haven’t been able to get an answer as to where it came from, but that’s my guess. Kind of brings things full-circle for me.
Both project managers I’ve worked with (first Esther and now Jenny) have liked to feed me. I thought I would lose some weight on this trip, but they’re always bringing me something new to try. At least with Jenny it’s delicious fruit drinks. Seriously, they taste like biting into the fruit. For dinner we had some fried noodles – I think that marks my first Indonesian meal (any meal) that didn’t contain rice. They were spicy and delicious and reminded me of noodles my cousin Leo used to make when we were kids. Noodles were one of the few things we could make unsupervised, and he had a special blend of peppers to keep it interesting. Burned your mouth but you couldn’t stop eating them! If I have any tolerance for spicy food, it’s due to him.
The hotel I’m staying in (they have a hotel here!) has the look of a place that before the tsunami was nice. The walls are brightly painted instead of white and stained. There’s intricate molding around the doors and ceiling. There’s even some cool multi-colored lights. But, like most things, it suffered a blow from the tsunami. It’s still nice, but has a certain…worn…feeling to it. Like it was abused. And it suffers from the overall infrastructure problems (power, water, etc.). It comes with a prayer rug and a sign that points to Mecca.
Speaking of the tsunami, I should probably comment on that. Sigli is one of the “ground zeros” for the wave. Not only was there an earthquake here (see the map in yesterday’s post), but this is one of the places there was a wave. They say it got to be around 12 meters high. They took me to the beach this afternoon. It was deserted. No one goes there anymore. The good news about this particular spot is that there were no houses close to the water, just salt flats and shrimp, uh, growing (?) areas. But you can still see the devastation. I’m mad at myself for leaving my camera charger in Medan, because as we were there, my battery light started blinking. I’m saving the rest of my shots for tomorrow when we’re back in BA and visit the main landing spot for the wave. I’ll write more about the tsunami then.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Indo, Day 12: Stuck
Today started like so many others on this trip: at the airport. This flight was later in the morning, so I at least got to sleep in a little. Even though this is a domestic flight, the airline operates out of the domestic terminal (the distinction isn’t as major as it sounds). And, once again, I thoroughly enjoyed the comical airport security routine. They’re more concerned with making sure you pay all the fees and taxes than you take anything dangerous on the plane. The metal detector beeped for every person walking through, but there was no one on the other side to do anything about it. And this is the international terminal!
For an exciting twist, my flight was delayed indefinitely. Another plane had mechanic problems on the runway (shocker) and is stuck, preventing any flights from landing or departing. Nothing like being trapped in a smoky airport at lunchtime with no food and no idea when you’ll leave. I can’t even understand the overhead announcements!
It ended up being just over six hours later that the runway was clear and my plane arrived. Theo came back to the airport and got me, so at least I didn’t have to wait it out there. I think the airline handled the situation about as well as they could. Right around the time we should have landed, they provided airline boxed meals to everyone. I don’t know if we would have gotten these in the plane or not, being as it’s only an hour-long flight, but the fact that they actually provided food for us was refreshing. You don’t hear about that sort of thing in the US!
The flight is to Banda Aceh (BA), a very significant city both in Indonesia and in Asia. To say it’s a Muslim city would be as redundant as saying Vatican City is Catholic. Locals proudly call it the “port to Mecca.” It’s where Islam first entered Asia. Sharia Law is in effect. This is the real thing. It is also significant because of the tsunami. BA was the closest city to the epicenter, and of all locations hit by the resulting tsunami, BA was the worst. Over 150,000 people died and parts of the city are still submerged. BA is still flooded with NGOs, however, and our project is (another) three hour drive out of the city to Pidie.
Consistent with every stop thus far, my arrival was marked by a blackout in the city. So I didn’t really see much of it on the way to the staff house. We’ll spend the night there, then drive to Sigli, where the project is, in the morning.
Thankfully the power came on after only two hours or so.
Indo, Day 11: Family
Despite wishing I could stay in GS a little longer, I had to leave for the airport bright and early. Much earlier than my flight, in fact because that’s when the van was running. Arriving at the, uh, airport, I waited in line for about 30 minutes before being told I was on the NEXT flight and to come back in 20 minutes. So apparently there IS more than one flight a day! I met an Aussie bloke in the line who was on a four week surfing vacation with a couple mates. They’ve been pretty much everywhere in Indonesia. I need to learn how to surf and come back here. We chatted for a while – I think being the only white people in the place drew us together. That and the English.
Checking in is a process of exchanging your handwritten ticket for a handwritten boarding pass. On the way down, I had to pay a weight surcharge for my bag. I guess domestic flights have a lower weight limit, or maybe it had something to do with our tiny plane. I was wondering if I would slip by since there’s really no electricity in the airport and they might have a scale. But there it was. No power, lights, fan, computer or anything else you would expect to see at a check-in desk, but they had their scale! Anything to make a buck I guess. Funny thing was, I looked at the only screen on the thing, and it was shot. No numbers. But the guy working it was still dutifully writing weights on the luggage tags and sure enough I had to pay extra. Maybe it’s based on size or maybe he’s really good at guessing weights. Either way, when I didn’t have exact change, the guy called what I had “close enough.” That’s not shady.
After paying the airport tax, I moved over to the waiting room. I walked through a metal detector and past a x-ray machine, but neither was operational due to the lack of power. This is part of the joke of airport security. I could walk through a place like that with explosives, get on a plane to Medan. From Medan, I could cross over to the international terminal. If the guys happened to be watching the screen as my stuff went by and saw anything, so long as it looked high-tech enough and you talked fast, they wouldn’t stop you. From there, I could get on a plane to anywhere. Not to make any of you nervous fliers more nervous…just something to think about the next time you’re practically strip searched in the US.
The flight back to Medan was an uneventful as such flights are. The skies were clearer than they were on the way out, and I got a much better look at the country. It’s beautiful, mostly uninhabited. At one point we could see a large mountain jutting out of the surface of the island (Sumatra, not Nias). I’m not used to seeing mountains that aren’t in mountain ranges. This was literally a sheer face of rock, nothing else to it. As such, there was nothing growing on it. Just the rock.
Arriving at the domestic “terminal” of the Medan airport, I got to see another side of it. It appears that there may have been a much larger airport behind the current airport at some point, but most of this building was destroyed. A couple guys were working on it, so I don’t think it’s a high priority. Near the end of the runway there were a couple planes up on blocks. Yeah, just like old cars. They had to have been there for some time, as the grass was starting to overtake them. I wish I could have taken a picture, but we were being herded along. Maybe on my next flight.
Back in the hotel in Medan, I got to take a real shower! This bathroom is a lot like the one in GS, except instead of a bucket, there’s running water. But the shower area is still just in the room (different from my last room in Medan) and you use a handheld showerhead. I did a little laundry in the sink, but just enough to get me to my next stop. The rest will take too long to dry, and I’m just here overnight.
The afternoon was spent with Theo’s family. We had lunch and talked about a great deal of things, many of which I would classify as “internal” and probably not appropriate to print here. He’s a man with an incredible breadth of experience in many places and it’s been good to talk with him. This ended up going through dinner, which we had in “downtown” Medan, at their equivalent of a boardwalk (sans water). The kid waiting on us was wearing a shirt emblazoned with “Germany” and the Nazi logo. He had no idea what it said/meant, but it was a little awkward. We were walking past the shops on the way back to the car when we came across one of those infamous Asian DVD stores. We stopped in to see if they had the latest Indiana Jones which came out the day I started this trip, much to my extreme displeasure. Sure enough, they did, and only a dollar! I grabbed a couple movies for the trip home, since I’m almost done with the reading material I brought.
But now it’s time for bed. In the (late) morning, I leave for Banda Aceh – a fascinating city I’ll post more on later – and a drive to our project in Pidie. I hear it’s quite a bit more civilized than Nias, but am still not quite sure what to expect.
Checking in is a process of exchanging your handwritten ticket for a handwritten boarding pass. On the way down, I had to pay a weight surcharge for my bag. I guess domestic flights have a lower weight limit, or maybe it had something to do with our tiny plane. I was wondering if I would slip by since there’s really no electricity in the airport and they might have a scale. But there it was. No power, lights, fan, computer or anything else you would expect to see at a check-in desk, but they had their scale! Anything to make a buck I guess. Funny thing was, I looked at the only screen on the thing, and it was shot. No numbers. But the guy working it was still dutifully writing weights on the luggage tags and sure enough I had to pay extra. Maybe it’s based on size or maybe he’s really good at guessing weights. Either way, when I didn’t have exact change, the guy called what I had “close enough.” That’s not shady.
After paying the airport tax, I moved over to the waiting room. I walked through a metal detector and past a x-ray machine, but neither was operational due to the lack of power. This is part of the joke of airport security. I could walk through a place like that with explosives, get on a plane to Medan. From Medan, I could cross over to the international terminal. If the guys happened to be watching the screen as my stuff went by and saw anything, so long as it looked high-tech enough and you talked fast, they wouldn’t stop you. From there, I could get on a plane to anywhere. Not to make any of you nervous fliers more nervous…just something to think about the next time you’re practically strip searched in the US.
The flight back to Medan was an uneventful as such flights are. The skies were clearer than they were on the way out, and I got a much better look at the country. It’s beautiful, mostly uninhabited. At one point we could see a large mountain jutting out of the surface of the island (Sumatra, not Nias). I’m not used to seeing mountains that aren’t in mountain ranges. This was literally a sheer face of rock, nothing else to it. As such, there was nothing growing on it. Just the rock.
Arriving at the domestic “terminal” of the Medan airport, I got to see another side of it. It appears that there may have been a much larger airport behind the current airport at some point, but most of this building was destroyed. A couple guys were working on it, so I don’t think it’s a high priority. Near the end of the runway there were a couple planes up on blocks. Yeah, just like old cars. They had to have been there for some time, as the grass was starting to overtake them. I wish I could have taken a picture, but we were being herded along. Maybe on my next flight.
Back in the hotel in Medan, I got to take a real shower! This bathroom is a lot like the one in GS, except instead of a bucket, there’s running water. But the shower area is still just in the room (different from my last room in Medan) and you use a handheld showerhead. I did a little laundry in the sink, but just enough to get me to my next stop. The rest will take too long to dry, and I’m just here overnight.
The afternoon was spent with Theo’s family. We had lunch and talked about a great deal of things, many of which I would classify as “internal” and probably not appropriate to print here. He’s a man with an incredible breadth of experience in many places and it’s been good to talk with him. This ended up going through dinner, which we had in “downtown” Medan, at their equivalent of a boardwalk (sans water). The kid waiting on us was wearing a shirt emblazoned with “Germany” and the Nazi logo. He had no idea what it said/meant, but it was a little awkward. We were walking past the shops on the way back to the car when we came across one of those infamous Asian DVD stores. We stopped in to see if they had the latest Indiana Jones which came out the day I started this trip, much to my extreme displeasure. Sure enough, they did, and only a dollar! I grabbed a couple movies for the trip home, since I’m almost done with the reading material I brought.
But now it’s time for bed. In the (late) morning, I leave for Banda Aceh – a fascinating city I’ll post more on later – and a drive to our project in Pidie. I hear it’s quite a bit more civilized than Nias, but am still not quite sure what to expect.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Indo, Day 10: Rest
The power stayed on all night! It's funny the things you start to get excited about when you have nothing to start with. What's more, it rained quite a bit throughout the night, cooling the air even more. But it was no less humid. It's a bizarre feeling when there's cool air, but it's still incredibly humid. It is neither refreshing nor annoying, but it is also both.
Walking to the office in the morning, I pass groups of kids walking to school. They always stop and greet me with "good morning, sir." I think they're proud of their English. The older kids, and some adults, on motorcycles just stare. But I smile and keep on my way. The early morning fog is beautiful in the valleys. Makes for a nice walk.
The plan was to eat breakfast then head into the main town, Gunung Sitoli (GS), for the night. It's an early morning flight, and with our village being a couple hours away, this made more sense. But, of course, as I'm getting ready to leave, people start coming forward with problems for me to look at. So we got a late start.
Esther and ended up leaving late in the morning for GS. Along the way she pointed out some of the projects they have going in the community. Distributing vats for collecting rain water and health education for mothers and babies are the two big ones. They're going to be starting up a child survival project that will include some actual clinics for children under 5. That's Esther's specialty.
GS feels like a huge city compared to where we were in the interior of Nias, but it's still that same tiny town made up of shacks I flew into four days ago. The particular hotel they arranged for me is really quite nice. I think it was a popular stop for the surfing crowd (Nias had world-renown surfing before the tsunami) as it has a lot of that feel. The grounds have little grass huts scattered around for eating or whatever. There's a dock that goes out into the ocean - oh yeah, GS is on the coast. It was so refreshing to walk out there and smell the salty ocean air.
The room itself is the nicest thing I've seen in Nias. The tile floor has a large crack, a reminder of the earthquake that devastated the island. The bed has one of those roll pillows down the middle which I've seen a lot of here. I don't think they like bed-mates touching. There's actual windows...well, plastic wrap over the holes...keeping the room (mostly) insect free. My only disappointment was not seeing a ceiling fan. But, given where I'd been, this was still going to be amazing. Then I saw it. High on the 12' wall was my very own AIR CONDITIONER! It doesn't get very cold, but it does just enough to get some of the humidity out.
The bathroom is in standard form for Nias (and elsewhere in Indonesia, I think), but much cleaner than what we had in the village. It's a tiled room with a drain that is literally a bath room. Although there is a showerhead on the wall, it doesn't work (no running water, remember?). There's a sink and a western style toilet (no more squatting!). The corner contains the all important giant plastic garbage can filled with rain water and a small pot. The principle is simple: wherever you need water, use the pot to get it there. Flushing the toilet? Dump lots of water in the bowl. Taking a shower? Use the pot to throw water on yourself. Yep, just standing right there in the room. The drain and temperature take care of the excess water. And since UNICEF decided the rain water here is potable, it's also used for drinking. But I'm avoiding that step.
The shower/bath thing was amazing. Bathing before was somewhat fruitless because the humidity almost immediately undid whatever you accomplished. But here, with the lower humidity and AC in the room, it felt wonderful. It's rather remarkable how a clean head can make you feel a million times better. New clothes that aren't bathed in permethrin and DEET both smell and feel great! Simple things, I know, but they make a difference.
I decided to take full advantage of the situation and do something I haven't done yet in Indonesia: don a t-shirt and shorts and lounge. Time to be a tourist. I went out to one of the little grass huts over the water (see pictures) to spend some time reading and talking to God. It was incredible. The weather is perfect. The humidity is low, but it's still warm. There are far fewer insects, so I don't need repellent. The sound of the waves crashing into the support posts, the smell of the ocean, the serenity of the whole place was incredible. It brought me such inexpressible joy to be sitting there, enjoying this beautiful retreat. It's funny how at any other time I would have thought of this setting as rustic, but now it feels like the lap of luxury. I would totally vacation here and spend the whole time sitting out on that little platform over the water. So peaceful. I stayed there until dark.
Is the water warm? For being on the equator...yeah...it doesn't get any warmer than this!
I've been a little wary of ordering food on my own again, after my last attempt got me nowhere close what I was trying to order. But I was hungry (turns out I accidently skipped lunch), so I gave it a shot. The people here are great. The waiter was a college kid and talked with me a little about why I was here. A couple Frenchies from another NGO sat down a table away and greeted me. The menu was very easy to understand, and I wound up with the most wonderful Indonesian fried rice I have run into yet. Maybe I was starving, but it was exceptional. And the fruit juice the kid recommended, I don't remember what it was, but it was right. And it's all so cheap! The room is 200,000 rupiah and dinner was like 27,000. If it wasn't so hard/expensive to get here, I would be all over this place. Forget Bali. It's cheaper than a hostel.
Except, you know, all the death and destruction everywhere outside this little pocket....
But this pocket has refreshed me and brough termendous joy. And for that, I am immensley thankful. My ride to the airport just got bumped up another hour, so I best be getting to bed.
Walking to the office in the morning, I pass groups of kids walking to school. They always stop and greet me with "good morning, sir." I think they're proud of their English. The older kids, and some adults, on motorcycles just stare. But I smile and keep on my way. The early morning fog is beautiful in the valleys. Makes for a nice walk.
The plan was to eat breakfast then head into the main town, Gunung Sitoli (GS), for the night. It's an early morning flight, and with our village being a couple hours away, this made more sense. But, of course, as I'm getting ready to leave, people start coming forward with problems for me to look at. So we got a late start.
Esther and ended up leaving late in the morning for GS. Along the way she pointed out some of the projects they have going in the community. Distributing vats for collecting rain water and health education for mothers and babies are the two big ones. They're going to be starting up a child survival project that will include some actual clinics for children under 5. That's Esther's specialty.
GS feels like a huge city compared to where we were in the interior of Nias, but it's still that same tiny town made up of shacks I flew into four days ago. The particular hotel they arranged for me is really quite nice. I think it was a popular stop for the surfing crowd (Nias had world-renown surfing before the tsunami) as it has a lot of that feel. The grounds have little grass huts scattered around for eating or whatever. There's a dock that goes out into the ocean - oh yeah, GS is on the coast. It was so refreshing to walk out there and smell the salty ocean air.
The room itself is the nicest thing I've seen in Nias. The tile floor has a large crack, a reminder of the earthquake that devastated the island. The bed has one of those roll pillows down the middle which I've seen a lot of here. I don't think they like bed-mates touching. There's actual windows...well, plastic wrap over the holes...keeping the room (mostly) insect free. My only disappointment was not seeing a ceiling fan. But, given where I'd been, this was still going to be amazing. Then I saw it. High on the 12' wall was my very own AIR CONDITIONER! It doesn't get very cold, but it does just enough to get some of the humidity out.
The bathroom is in standard form for Nias (and elsewhere in Indonesia, I think), but much cleaner than what we had in the village. It's a tiled room with a drain that is literally a bath room. Although there is a showerhead on the wall, it doesn't work (no running water, remember?). There's a sink and a western style toilet (no more squatting!). The corner contains the all important giant plastic garbage can filled with rain water and a small pot. The principle is simple: wherever you need water, use the pot to get it there. Flushing the toilet? Dump lots of water in the bowl. Taking a shower? Use the pot to throw water on yourself. Yep, just standing right there in the room. The drain and temperature take care of the excess water. And since UNICEF decided the rain water here is potable, it's also used for drinking. But I'm avoiding that step.
The shower/bath thing was amazing. Bathing before was somewhat fruitless because the humidity almost immediately undid whatever you accomplished. But here, with the lower humidity and AC in the room, it felt wonderful. It's rather remarkable how a clean head can make you feel a million times better. New clothes that aren't bathed in permethrin and DEET both smell and feel great! Simple things, I know, but they make a difference.
I decided to take full advantage of the situation and do something I haven't done yet in Indonesia: don a t-shirt and shorts and lounge. Time to be a tourist. I went out to one of the little grass huts over the water (see pictures) to spend some time reading and talking to God. It was incredible. The weather is perfect. The humidity is low, but it's still warm. There are far fewer insects, so I don't need repellent. The sound of the waves crashing into the support posts, the smell of the ocean, the serenity of the whole place was incredible. It brought me such inexpressible joy to be sitting there, enjoying this beautiful retreat. It's funny how at any other time I would have thought of this setting as rustic, but now it feels like the lap of luxury. I would totally vacation here and spend the whole time sitting out on that little platform over the water. So peaceful. I stayed there until dark.
Is the water warm? For being on the equator...yeah...it doesn't get any warmer than this!
I've been a little wary of ordering food on my own again, after my last attempt got me nowhere close what I was trying to order. But I was hungry (turns out I accidently skipped lunch), so I gave it a shot. The people here are great. The waiter was a college kid and talked with me a little about why I was here. A couple Frenchies from another NGO sat down a table away and greeted me. The menu was very easy to understand, and I wound up with the most wonderful Indonesian fried rice I have run into yet. Maybe I was starving, but it was exceptional. And the fruit juice the kid recommended, I don't remember what it was, but it was right. And it's all so cheap! The room is 200,000 rupiah and dinner was like 27,000. If it wasn't so hard/expensive to get here, I would be all over this place. Forget Bali. It's cheaper than a hostel.
Except, you know, all the death and destruction everywhere outside this little pocket....
But this pocket has refreshed me and brough termendous joy. And for that, I am immensley thankful. My ride to the airport just got bumped up another hour, so I best be getting to bed.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Indo, Day 9: Wilderness
This morning I was woken up by a loud CLICK as the power flicked off. Staring up through my mosquito net, I could see the precious ceiling fan starting to wind down. Excellent. Not that it made a huge difference anyway. Every inch of my body was sticky with a mixture of sweat and DEET. By the time I leave this island, it will have been three days without running water or electricity that's on more than off. Or a shower; that's going to feel good. I have a good start to a beard going, something utterly new to me. The only thought running through my head as I assessed my current situation was the namesake of this blog: how DID I end up here?
Nias is like an extreme breed of camping. There are buildings, but they provide little more than shelter from the rain (for you and whatever else may want to hide). They're really just a roof and walls. Windows are holes open to the outside and doors don't really close. Consistent with my description from yesterday, the house where I spent the night looked like something out of Hurricane Katrina. And you sleep in a mosquito net, even though you're inside. There are still plenty of insets and other critters (lizards, mice, larger bugs) that you don't want joining you. In the bathroom, besides the squatting toilet, is a large vat of collected rain water for both flushing said toilet and splashing on your face, etc. Food is scarce. Last night we had some chicken (which I'm pretty sure was raised in the back - isn't living with poultry where Bird Flu came from?). Each breast, wing, leg, etc. was only about 2" - not the giant genetically engineered pieces we have in the US. Two small pieces of chicken and some rice. But I'm adapting well and haven't even been all that hungry in the first place.
A little geography: Nias is the island with the big green arrow, and you can see Medan, where the main country office is, on the opposite side of Sumatra. My next stop will be in the Piede province at the tip of Sumatra. The capital city, Jakarta, is down on Java.
Being so close to the equator accounts for most of the climate. Being an island is the rest. It's hot and humid here, you've already heard me say that. This morning we were blessed (in my mind, maybe not that of the locals) with a torrential downpour that lasted a couple hours. It has a wonderful cleansing effect on the air. Now it's about perfect out.
I've been working up on the roof, which has become just about my favorite spot in Indonesia. It's covered, so it's safe in the rain. The tin roof makes it almost deafening. But the view is spectacular. I'm looking out over a lush, well, rainforest. I really wish the pictures did a better job showing it, but the perspective is hard to capture. My excuse has been the satellite I'm working with requires a clear shot of the sky, something you can't get indoors.
Thank you to everyone who's been praying for me. I can feel it in a very tangible way. This is a miserable place, but I've been far from miserable being here. And the staff, which aren't from here either, seem to be doing quite well given the harsh environment. There's very little I can do for them on the technological side - I mean, fixing the power is the biggest need they have, and I can only recommend a bigger generator. In some ways, it's been very relaxing. There's so little here to get distracted with. I love just sitting up on the roof working, thinking, or talking to God. I've been wrestling with a lot of things lately, and it's been nice to have this space. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not going to hesitate to leave! And that shower is going to be incredible! But, for now, this is a very peaceful place to be.
Talking with the staff has been fun. They're a little unclear as to what I do and why I'm here. I share a certain amount of that confusion! It was important for me to come and see the site and conditions so we (back in the US) can better provide solutions to them. But a day would have been enough. Flights are on Wednesday and Saturday though, so we have some time to spend together. And they don't get many visitors this far out. Most of the staff visiting Indonesia make it as far as Medan, maybe Piede. So it's been fun. They've been amazingly hospitable.
Esther, the project manager, is a fiery little Pilipino doctor who retired into this job. She was going for a position in Medan or Nias, she didn't really know which, and accepted Nias without ever visiting here. Ha! She gets the joke now. Her job covers more than managing the projects...I think she's also the office mom. She's the best cook out here and tries to keep everyone else in line. Not an easy job. She reminds me of my grandma, complaining about the incompetent help. They don't know how to slice a watermelon? What use are they?!?
We had a good talk at lunch today about the disaster response world in general, and specifically Myanmar and China. It was interesting to hear the frustrations from someone on the field. She's not the kind of woman to take no for an answer, and has sure tried her hardest to get in to Myanmar, without much luck. A number of the staff here (Indonesia, not Nias) were hoping to get in as they're not American and some are even Asian. But the embassy hasn't budged, despite saying every day on CNN how they're now letting "everyone" in.
Nias is like an extreme breed of camping. There are buildings, but they provide little more than shelter from the rain (for you and whatever else may want to hide). They're really just a roof and walls. Windows are holes open to the outside and doors don't really close. Consistent with my description from yesterday, the house where I spent the night looked like something out of Hurricane Katrina. And you sleep in a mosquito net, even though you're inside. There are still plenty of insets and other critters (lizards, mice, larger bugs) that you don't want joining you. In the bathroom, besides the squatting toilet, is a large vat of collected rain water for both flushing said toilet and splashing on your face, etc. Food is scarce. Last night we had some chicken (which I'm pretty sure was raised in the back - isn't living with poultry where Bird Flu came from?). Each breast, wing, leg, etc. was only about 2" - not the giant genetically engineered pieces we have in the US. Two small pieces of chicken and some rice. But I'm adapting well and haven't even been all that hungry in the first place.
A little geography: Nias is the island with the big green arrow, and you can see Medan, where the main country office is, on the opposite side of Sumatra. My next stop will be in the Piede province at the tip of Sumatra. The capital city, Jakarta, is down on Java.
Being so close to the equator accounts for most of the climate. Being an island is the rest. It's hot and humid here, you've already heard me say that. This morning we were blessed (in my mind, maybe not that of the locals) with a torrential downpour that lasted a couple hours. It has a wonderful cleansing effect on the air. Now it's about perfect out.
I've been working up on the roof, which has become just about my favorite spot in Indonesia. It's covered, so it's safe in the rain. The tin roof makes it almost deafening. But the view is spectacular. I'm looking out over a lush, well, rainforest. I really wish the pictures did a better job showing it, but the perspective is hard to capture. My excuse has been the satellite I'm working with requires a clear shot of the sky, something you can't get indoors.
Thank you to everyone who's been praying for me. I can feel it in a very tangible way. This is a miserable place, but I've been far from miserable being here. And the staff, which aren't from here either, seem to be doing quite well given the harsh environment. There's very little I can do for them on the technological side - I mean, fixing the power is the biggest need they have, and I can only recommend a bigger generator. In some ways, it's been very relaxing. There's so little here to get distracted with. I love just sitting up on the roof working, thinking, or talking to God. I've been wrestling with a lot of things lately, and it's been nice to have this space. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not going to hesitate to leave! And that shower is going to be incredible! But, for now, this is a very peaceful place to be.
Talking with the staff has been fun. They're a little unclear as to what I do and why I'm here. I share a certain amount of that confusion! It was important for me to come and see the site and conditions so we (back in the US) can better provide solutions to them. But a day would have been enough. Flights are on Wednesday and Saturday though, so we have some time to spend together. And they don't get many visitors this far out. Most of the staff visiting Indonesia make it as far as Medan, maybe Piede. So it's been fun. They've been amazingly hospitable.
Esther, the project manager, is a fiery little Pilipino doctor who retired into this job. She was going for a position in Medan or Nias, she didn't really know which, and accepted Nias without ever visiting here. Ha! She gets the joke now. Her job covers more than managing the projects...I think she's also the office mom. She's the best cook out here and tries to keep everyone else in line. Not an easy job. She reminds me of my grandma, complaining about the incompetent help. They don't know how to slice a watermelon? What use are they?!?
We had a good talk at lunch today about the disaster response world in general, and specifically Myanmar and China. It was interesting to hear the frustrations from someone on the field. She's not the kind of woman to take no for an answer, and has sure tried her hardest to get in to Myanmar, without much luck. A number of the staff here (Indonesia, not Nias) were hoping to get in as they're not American and some are even Asian. But the embassy hasn't budged, despite saying every day on CNN how they're now letting "everyone" in.
Later that evening, there was a going away dinner for the man who has been managing the water sanitation (watsan) project. All the staff were here. We hung out for a couple hours and stayed up "late" (10:30) talking and answering quesitons about the US.
Tomorrow I leave for the main "city" on Nias, then early Saturday catch a flight back to Medan.
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