So I think it is safe to say that I fell way off the Indonesian blogging wagon and I probably will never get back on. I'm still eating delicious foods and meeting great people and taking rice field walks and enjoying my time here (and we maaaay have just gotten a new kitten but don't worry I'm not bringing it back to the US with me, it is Khadir's kitten), but I am up to page 300 of my dissertation and buried in translation projects so the blog just took a back seat. However, I made Khadir a new blog, which has pictures from his show, which was a major accomplishment that has absorbed a lot of both of our time and energy over the past couple of months. It was a huge success and I am incredibly proud of him!
Check in out!!!:
www.khadirsupartini.blogspot.com
Minggu, 22 April 2012
Jumat, 27 Januari 2012
Only in Indonesia
So I am in Jakarta this week and next doing fieldwork here, and it has been a whirlwind of interviews, parent visits, and etc. My host Ibu Any is a bighearted and connected woman who seems to know everybody in the autism world here. One day we were chatting and she said, "Well, you really need to meet Dr. Rudy. Contact his wife Lisa." Dr. Rudy was the first doctor to bring ABA (a form of behavioral intervention) to Indonesia. So Lisa and I text messaged back and forth, she was welcoming and excited and set up an appointment for me and said, "You can meet me outside the Cipinang Jail Thursday morning." The Cipinang Jail?
So, it turns out this famous doctor is involved with some issues with his ex-wife, where due to marital disagreements and perhaps hurt feelings she is "buying the law" and has had him imprisoned for the past eight years! However, because he is viewed as a respectable man and he is a man of means, he has been able to continue to see clients and practice from inside bars. I and another therapist friend met him in the visiting room, and as I interviewed him about his practice we were surrounded by "corruptors" (those caught taking bribes mostly, still a huge issue in many aspects of Indonesian government and business), Nigerian drug smugglers, and actual terrorists, including some of those responsible for the Jakarta Marriott bombing, according to Dr. Rudy's wife. They were eating with their families, bouncing newborn babies, and making out with visiting girlfriends. Even the few wives covered in black from head to toe, with only a small opening for their eyes, were cuddling with their husbands.
It was surreal to say the least, for me to be speaking with this charismatic and intelligent man dressed in full Muslim garb, who couldn't have been more gracious and friendly, speaking perfect English and debating esoteric autism intervention methods and behaviorism theory, while sneaking peeks at the other visitors and inmates.
So, it turns out this famous doctor is involved with some issues with his ex-wife, where due to marital disagreements and perhaps hurt feelings she is "buying the law" and has had him imprisoned for the past eight years! However, because he is viewed as a respectable man and he is a man of means, he has been able to continue to see clients and practice from inside bars. I and another therapist friend met him in the visiting room, and as I interviewed him about his practice we were surrounded by "corruptors" (those caught taking bribes mostly, still a huge issue in many aspects of Indonesian government and business), Nigerian drug smugglers, and actual terrorists, including some of those responsible for the Jakarta Marriott bombing, according to Dr. Rudy's wife. They were eating with their families, bouncing newborn babies, and making out with visiting girlfriends. Even the few wives covered in black from head to toe, with only a small opening for their eyes, were cuddling with their husbands.
It was surreal to say the least, for me to be speaking with this charismatic and intelligent man dressed in full Muslim garb, who couldn't have been more gracious and friendly, speaking perfect English and debating esoteric autism intervention methods and behaviorism theory, while sneaking peeks at the other visitors and inmates.
Senin, 09 Januari 2012
The Joys of Village Living
Khadir and I were relaxing and chatting when we heard somebody in the neighborhood sneeze. Khadir said, "Wait, there's more, when this guy sneezes it's never just once. I bet he's going to sneeze seven to ten times." We listened, and over the course of a minute, we counted him sneeze a total of eight times. Khadir said, "Sometimes if he gets fed up he sneezes the last sneeze like this: 'Ah-suuuuuu!!!!'" which loosely translates into, "Ass-hooole." I don't think I can recognize anyone's sneezes, except my Dad with his distinctive "Blee-ha."
Jumat, 06 Januari 2012
Is the New York Times trying to Steal My Thunder?
Or do I just have my finger on the pulse of the most awesome things in the world?
Check this out:
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2012/01/04/science/Borneo.html
Check this out:
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2012/01/04/science/Borneo.html
Kamis, 05 Januari 2012
Kalimantan
I am back from my trip to Kalimantan with Khadir, Alyssa and her husband Jason, and it was great! Of course, the highlight of the trip was seeing orangutans up close, at rehabilitation centers located in the Tanjung Puting National Park in East Kalimantan. We got to hang out within feet of these guys up close during feedings and walk beside them on park trails. We saw mothers with their tiny monkey babies, as well as cheeky adolescents. One was heading down a trail with us when he spontaneously did six somersaults in a row.
We also got the rare treat of seeing the "kings" of the orangutans. This first guy, Doyok, was a very selfish king, and while he was eating the rambutan and other female orangutans came to share, he sat on top of his food so that they couldn't get at it.
The other king, the king of kings, Tom, was a more benevolent leader and yet at the same time fear-inspiring. His arrival at the second camp, Camp Leakey, was met with much nervous excitement by our guides. He was promptly given a big bowl full of soupy slop, which he gulped down, but unlike Doyok he was willing to share. He kindly patted a baby orangutan on the head, and temporarily held another one while their mothers ate, and then proceeded to basically strut around showing off his amazing cheeks and back muscles. It was like seeing the Yeti. Or perhaps, hanging out with Chewbacca if you knew that the wookie had an explosive and unpredictable temper. One of the guides said he had seen Tom grap a wild boar by the leg and swing him into the ground until he was dead. Having just seen a wild boar, I knew this was no mean feat so I kept a respectful distance.
The orangutans were not the only wildlife we saw. There were also MAYBE a crocodile (something definitely crocodile-like moving in the water), exotic birds including hornbills and kingfishers, and all other manner of monkeys including wild probiscus, silver-tailed macaques, and gibbons. Or, a gibbon. I only saw this guy but I was totally enamoured of his spooky look and long spidery fingers.
When we weren't busy gazing at wildlife, we were relaxing on the boat that was carrying us by river to the park. The water was a natural jungle-black, if I understand correctly because it was filled with jungle tannins, so the water looked black from a distance, clear if you peered right at it, but turned everything inside a mystical glowing amber color. But basically, we kicked back, and Khadir taught me how to strategize my chess game.
After three days on the river we headed to Banjarmasin, a city in Central Kalimantan that Alyssa chose for our next destination. Banjarmasin was not your typical tourist city, reminding me kind of a booming frontier town, with luxury hotels thrown up to accommodate foreign investors, miners, and other people coming to cull Kalimantan of its natural resources, and little else. We did see some interesting things, including a night market seeming to specialize in sexual tonics (stumbled upon by accident!), a restaurant that also happened to sell luxury watches and a particular brand of pantyliner, a very low-fi diamond mine, and a precious jewel market.
Banjarmasin is also famous for its floating market; called "the city of a thousand rivers," there are centuries old settlements along the banks, where there used to be no streets at all and all trade and travel was done via water. We visited the market, and passed many people having their morning baths and doing their morning laundry off the backs of their houses on stilts along the way. When we arrived, sellers paddled up to our boat and offer us fruits and snacks and hot tea.
It is difficult to tell in this picture, but one of these small boats paddled up to a huge tanker and was doing business via pulley rope with a couple of sailors leaning over the side.
Also, what's that you say? An example of Banjarmasin modernist architecture? No, that's a gigantic building, of which they were many, providing homes for the birds that make the nests that are then sold at a pretty penny across China and Southeast Asia for birds-nest soup. You can see small openings where the birds come in and out to build and visit these nests.
So all and all, it was an interesting trip. Perhaps the best part was getting a chance to spend time with Alyssa! Who knew two old Ardsley pals could reconnect in the rivers and swamps of Borneo.
Khadir got sick on December 31, and we DID think we were going to die on the plane ride home, but it was an enjoyable and unconventional way to ring in the New Year. It was also interesting for me to see another side of Indonesia, one that was raw and opportunistic as opposed to the dense intricate settled world of Java.
We also got the rare treat of seeing the "kings" of the orangutans. This first guy, Doyok, was a very selfish king, and while he was eating the rambutan and other female orangutans came to share, he sat on top of his food so that they couldn't get at it.
The other king, the king of kings, Tom, was a more benevolent leader and yet at the same time fear-inspiring. His arrival at the second camp, Camp Leakey, was met with much nervous excitement by our guides. He was promptly given a big bowl full of soupy slop, which he gulped down, but unlike Doyok he was willing to share. He kindly patted a baby orangutan on the head, and temporarily held another one while their mothers ate, and then proceeded to basically strut around showing off his amazing cheeks and back muscles. It was like seeing the Yeti. Or perhaps, hanging out with Chewbacca if you knew that the wookie had an explosive and unpredictable temper. One of the guides said he had seen Tom grap a wild boar by the leg and swing him into the ground until he was dead. Having just seen a wild boar, I knew this was no mean feat so I kept a respectful distance.
The orangutans were not the only wildlife we saw. There were also MAYBE a crocodile (something definitely crocodile-like moving in the water), exotic birds including hornbills and kingfishers, and all other manner of monkeys including wild probiscus, silver-tailed macaques, and gibbons. Or, a gibbon. I only saw this guy but I was totally enamoured of his spooky look and long spidery fingers.
When we weren't busy gazing at wildlife, we were relaxing on the boat that was carrying us by river to the park. The water was a natural jungle-black, if I understand correctly because it was filled with jungle tannins, so the water looked black from a distance, clear if you peered right at it, but turned everything inside a mystical glowing amber color. But basically, we kicked back, and Khadir taught me how to strategize my chess game.
After three days on the river we headed to Banjarmasin, a city in Central Kalimantan that Alyssa chose for our next destination. Banjarmasin was not your typical tourist city, reminding me kind of a booming frontier town, with luxury hotels thrown up to accommodate foreign investors, miners, and other people coming to cull Kalimantan of its natural resources, and little else. We did see some interesting things, including a night market seeming to specialize in sexual tonics (stumbled upon by accident!), a restaurant that also happened to sell luxury watches and a particular brand of pantyliner, a very low-fi diamond mine, and a precious jewel market.
Banjarmasin is also famous for its floating market; called "the city of a thousand rivers," there are centuries old settlements along the banks, where there used to be no streets at all and all trade and travel was done via water. We visited the market, and passed many people having their morning baths and doing their morning laundry off the backs of their houses on stilts along the way. When we arrived, sellers paddled up to our boat and offer us fruits and snacks and hot tea.
It is difficult to tell in this picture, but one of these small boats paddled up to a huge tanker and was doing business via pulley rope with a couple of sailors leaning over the side.
Also, what's that you say? An example of Banjarmasin modernist architecture? No, that's a gigantic building, of which they were many, providing homes for the birds that make the nests that are then sold at a pretty penny across China and Southeast Asia for birds-nest soup. You can see small openings where the birds come in and out to build and visit these nests.
So all and all, it was an interesting trip. Perhaps the best part was getting a chance to spend time with Alyssa! Who knew two old Ardsley pals could reconnect in the rivers and swamps of Borneo.
Khadir got sick on December 31, and we DID think we were going to die on the plane ride home, but it was an enjoyable and unconventional way to ring in the New Year. It was also interesting for me to see another side of Indonesia, one that was raw and opportunistic as opposed to the dense intricate settled world of Java.
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