I’m going to wrap up my observations about the US vs. Indonesia in one post. First, I noticed that the United States seemed a lot more aggressive than Indonesia. In our first week visiting the US, we witnessed some road rage as a BMW driver yelled obscenities in heavy traffic at a taxi driver, and the taxi driver returned the favor. The BMW swerved violently at the taxi, and threw a water bottle at him, and more pleasantries were exchanged.

Also in the first week, while Denise and I were sleeping in, we heard a VERY loud shouting match somewhere in Edmonds. Two people were extremely angry at each other, and didn’t care if the whole neighborhood knew it.

And a week or so later, I was at a restaurant with friends, when two big burly men nearly came to blows over some perceived slight. One fellow mentioned his three Golden Gloves awards, and that the other fellow should shut up. I thought we were going to witness a boxing match right there.

The other thing that struck me is that the United States is more sexually charged, especially in media. I guess this should come as no surprise, but surprise me it did. I was watching MTV, when I saw a promo spot for their summer comedy programs. The theme is called “Balls Out Summer”, complete with video footage of skateboarders with their testicles (thankfully blurred/fuzzed) hanging out of their shorts.

Wow. Not to mention Sascha Baron Cohen aka “Bruno” landing thong-first into the face of Eminem at the MTV Movie Awards. I remember pondering, “What are Indonesians thinking about this?” when I remembered that MTV Asia would have different programming altogether.

Differences aside, it was great to be back in the US, and to visit family and friends. Just like it’s great to be back in Bandung now.

That said, I’m planning to post more regularly during the next 4 weeks. I’ve returned to Seattle/Lynnwood to visit family and friends, and I’ll be posting on my experiences and perceptions of the United States.

We arrived late last night, and today is my first day. I really do feel like a fish out of water. I’ve spent 23 of the last 24 months in Indonesia, so the US really seems like a foreign country to me, perhaps more than last year’s visit. It’s amazing to hear everyone around me speaking English, and correctly at that! I had an “Angry Whopper” from Burger King for lunch today, but oddly I felt happy, not angry, after eating it.

People of the Pacific Northwest, be grateful for your clean and good-smelling air! I cannot get over how great the air smells here. And where is the free wi-fi? It’s easier to find free wi-fi in Bandung than it is in Lynnwood!

More to come on my perceptions of this strange land called the USA…

Roughly every 50 pages there was a bright neon page (see pics below) that indicated the information was confidential and not to be disseminated to outside sources.

Yes, I know it’s from 1995, but some of those addresses could still be valid.  And doesn’t this constitute some sort of security breach?  This sort of information really shouldn’t be shipped to the other side of the world and sold in a bookstore.  I realize that in this day and age you can find anyone’s address on the Internet, but you can rest assured that police officers’ addresses are protected and not easily found.  If you were a former convict with a score to settle, this book could give you the information you needed to exact your revenge.

One thing which I would like to forget happened a couple of days ago.  I fell asleep on the couch with my laptop on (surprise!) my lap, and it slipped to the ground and the screen cracked.  Should be very expensive to repair, and who knows how long it will take.  Joy.  In the meantime, please email me at my gmail account until I get it fixed.

The wet season is about halfway through.  This season has positives and negatives.  It cools down the earth to the point where I need to wear a jacket in the evenings, and keeps everything lush and green.  The thunderstorms can be fun to watch too.  But it makes riding a motorbike tricky and messy, and often you just avoid leaving the house so you don’t get soaked.  The roads get torn up by the torrents rushing down the sides.  And it just changes your plans when it starts pouring.  So I’m sort of looking forward to the dry season, although it will be much hotter.

Hope everyone is doing well.

All throughout the day, I shared the great news with students, some of whom had already heard. We shared impromptu cheers of “OBAMA!!!” and talked about the results.

• http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2008/11/07/obama-victory-inspires-ri-youth.html (RI means Republic of Indonesia)
• http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2008/11/05/menteng-students-overjoyed-with-obama039s-win.html

It also makes me very happy to see teachers from other countries share in our joy. Russell and other teachers from England, Australia, and Canada have been very supportive. It’s a victory for them too. We toasted Obama’s win many times in the pub that night.

On Wednesday, I really wished that I could be in the US for just one day. Here’s why:

When we returned to Bandung on Monday, we found that the rainy season had begun in earnest. It now rains every day. On and off, ALL DAY. Which is nice and peaceful, and cools down the air. But it also makes running errands challenging (or impossible), and it can be tricky to time the ride to school. Overall though, it’s a nice change. I’m sure I’ll feel differently in a couple of months.

We just got back from an epic beach trip to Batu Karas with six of our friends (who are also teachers). It took me months to plan and involved considerable stress and negotiation. In the end it was totally worth it, as we spent four full days and had a blast.

Batu Karas is rapidly becoming one of my favorite places on earth. It has already become my favorite beach, beating out the likes of Fiji, Bali, SoCal, and beaches from my childhood in Haiti. Idyllic and secluded, it’s situated in a perfect cove, with waves suitable for the beginning surfer, but fun enough for the more experienced. Soft black sand everywhere. Three or four warungs serving cheap & fresh seafood, and a chill beach deck. Friendly local surfer dudes. Nothing really to do except swim, sunbathe, relax.

We swam and tried to surf, with varying degrees of success. We played chess and drank rum, wine, beer, tea, and coffee (not all at once). We had fresh seafood feasts - shrimp, squid, grilled fish, etc. We ate some mushrooms, the local specialty.

I had a mystical experience communing with the stars and the universe while lying on the beach at night. I’ve never seen so many stars in my life, nor been so relaxed. Went night swimming in a trance, swimming with thousands of twinkly little bioluminescent plankton that were floating in the bathwater-warm sea. Stayed up until the early hours of the morning, listening to my friends play guitar on the beach and making up songs while we sang and laughed.

And now, here I am back in Bandung, missing it more than I expected to. It almost feels painful, like a loss of some sort. Batu Karas has taken on special significance for me… almost a place of healing. Definitely a magical place. Can’t wait to go back.

(Timbuk 3)

Let me just say for a moment that I have the best job in the world. I spend my days surrounded by young people who are full of energy - both students and fellow teachers. Thankfully I have enough energy to match (and sometimes surpass) theirs.

Me with some of the other teachers

Me with a great class

Most of my classes are filled with raucous laughter, as my students are simultaneously exposed to my weirdness and to new ideas and new modes of thinking. We have a blast learning a new language while playing games and chatting about silly topics. In the teacher’s room it’s more of the same, albeit on a (slightly) more mature scale. I really like just about everyone I work with.

When I think back to my last job, and how frustrated and alone I felt, how unhappy I was, all I can think is “What took me so long?!”

These days I usually start work around 11am or noon, and finish around 7:30pm, occasionally later. At the end of the day, although I’m physically tired, I’m also full of a peculiar energy that comes from challenging my mind and the minds of my students all day.

I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

And, for the record, although I have experienced some “drama” with some folks here, the overwhelming majority of the people I know & hang out with are really cool people… good friends indeed.

1. If you are speaking your 2nd language and you can’t remember or don’t know a word, don’t “get stuck behind it”. Use other words that you do know, to try to “explain your way around it”. Try to describe it, and chances are good that the person you’re speaking to will understand, and will tell you the missing word.
   

   “I was walking down the street and I saw uh… uh… what’s the word? uh… uh… (WRONG)

   “I was walking down the street when I saw this… big vehicle with many wheels… and many seats… (RIGHT)

2. When you are speaking your 2nd language and you learn a new word, try to use it in context immediately. Here’s an example of the wrong & right ways to do this:
   

   A: “I was walking down the street when I saw this… big vehicle with many wheels… and many seats…”

   B: “A bus.”

   A: “Oh, right. That. So I got on it and went to the…” (WRONG)
   A: “Oh, right. So I saw a bus, and then I got on the bus and went to the…” (RIGHT)

3. If you use a translation dictionary (book or electronic), realize that they are not perfect, and will not explain everything completely. Every language has subtle nuances, common usage, and exceptions that cannot be fully understood by using a dictionary. Furthermore, many words cannot be translated directly, and have no counterpart in other languages. When they say that “jokes don’t translate”, it is partly because humor is largely based on cultural references, but also because jokes often contain puns, phrasal verbs, or idioms. These parts of speech almost never translate well. For example, if someone is playing loud music and you look in your translation dictionary for the words “turn”, “it”, and “down”, you are likely to get a strange look in return.

Hope this provides food for thought. Let me know any additional ideas.