I know it’s Thanksgiving Day (at least it was as I wrote this), so I just wanted to let everyone know how thankful I am. I am on the amazing adventure, on the other side of the world. There are times in the day when I get this surreal feeling about where I am in my life and what I am doing, and I almost have to pinch myself, just as a reminder that it’s real. I am teaching. I am Indonesia. I can’t believe the opportunity I have as I am learning how to be a better teacher (well, let’s be honest, I’m learning everything about teaching and then some, this being my first year and all, learning a new curriculum and, not to mention, all of the cultural differences). I am also meeting a ton of new people, learning school and life lessons from my new friends and colleagues and simply enjoying life. Yes, there are days when I miss home, family and friends, but luckily for me I have a phone with capabilities to text internationally to other ‘smart’ phones, and Facebook is always there for me with all of the really important details of my friends’ lives.
Okay, I know you’re all dying to know what I have been up to since Thailand. ☺
2. My school had an Open House event, which I wasn’t a part of due to a Maths Professional Development seminar I am a part of. From what I observed though, with preparations and such, is that it’s quite different than what I am used to. Typically, in the States, an Open House is a chance for a teacher to show-off the classroom, and students bring their parents to meet their teachers. Well, at my school it is more of a way to show off the school and all of its’ accomplishments in order to recruit more students, since it’s a private school. That was definitely a different set of expectations than I was used to.
3. I took a long weekend vacation to a place near Jakarta called the Thousand Islands. To the north of Jakarta, there are a couple hundred islands (I know, the name is a lie) where locals go to get away from the city. A small group of us decided that we needed a break from the city, too, so we booked a trip to one of the islands furthest away from Jakarta. We took a taxi to Ancol, which is where the port is, early Friday morning (this was back at the end of October when we had no school on a Friday for the Islamic holiday of Hari Raya Idul Adha). It was a 2-hour speed-boat ride to the island in a nice yacht. We had no idea what to expect, but we got away from the city, that was apparent. We were on Tidung Island, and we had paid for our 2-day/1-night accommodations before we left the port. Included, for around $90 USD, was a room for the six of us, and all of our meals. There were no hotels or restaurants on this island, because it is not classified as a ‘resort’ island. During one of the previously mentioned meals, which usually consisted of a homemade rice or noodle concoction, we decided that it was good that we had waited until this far into our stay to come out and stay on a secluded island, otherwise we would not have eaten or enjoyed the food. Anyways, we rode bicycles around the island and found an empty beach where we swam around the coral and laid around for a few hours on Friday. We made it back to our home stay for a late lunch/early dinner and were informed that we were being taken snorkeling. I knew it had been included in the price, so I was more than happy to break up the lazing around with something active. We took a boat out around some of the other nearby islands. It was my first time snorkeling, and I had a blast. It is amazing what is happening under the water and how far away action can be seen, especially near the bottom! The next morning, we were kicked out of our room by 9:30, so we took our stuff and found cover from the massive storm rolling in. Nicole and I took refuge under the roof of another home stay and wrote in our journals as it rained for over an hour. It was definitely the first taste of the rainy season we had seen, and it did not disappoint. It was an intense downpour for most of the time, but I didn’t mind since I had nowhere to be. We found out later that day that the rest of the group had ducked inside a local family’s house and proceeded to entertain the children by playing games with them and attempted translated conversations in Indonesian using a phrasebook. That was the extent of our short trip. A nice little vacation from the city, and no flight or long travel required.
4. Singapore! I know I mentioned Singapore early in my stay in Indonesia (the country I traveled to for one day while my visa was being processed, so I could come back into the country and legally work). Well, Danna, Nicole and I decided to take a Singaporean teacher, Mildred, up on her offer to tag along on her trip home. So, two weeks ago, we flew out after school on Friday and got into Singapore after midnight (the flight is less than two hours, but you do jump ahead one hour going there). We stayed at her parent’s house, and they were very hospitable. Mildred’s mom cooked us local carrot cake for breakfast (not what you’re thinking like in the States…it was a steamed flour mixture with veggies and eggs, but it was actually quite delicious). Then, Mildred showed us the basics of using the MRT (subway system), so we went off to explore the Botanical Gardens. We wandered around for a couple of hours before we heard threatening rumbles of thunder. Also, I found some beautiful green, open space where I would love to play Frisbee (maybe this weekend when I’m there again). We decided to head over to the area of the city/country/island (yes, it is all of those simultaneously) called Chinatown. There had been some gifts we wanted to buy the last time we were there. We wandered around shopping for the next few hours until Mildred met up with us again. She took us out to dinner at the Hawker Center where we ate a local dish Chicken Rice and washed it down with Sugar Cane drink. We headed over to the area called Marina Bay Sands.
The picture above is a new area built up recently with an upscale mall and neat architecture. The crazy building in the background is a casino in the basement, mall above, and the towers are apartments (the crazy thing sitting across on top is apparently a pool and restaurant, but we couldn't actually go up there to check it out).
We walked past the Merlion, the national symbol/monument of Singapore. We ended the evening by watching the nightly laser show at the water’s edge. It was a great, short artistic video displayed onto a stream of water acting as a screen, and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Sunday morning, we overslept (oops), so we only had about one hour at Sentosa beach, but it was glorious. We had not had time on the beach like that since Bali. The Singapore sun was super intense, and luckily we did not get rained on or too sunburnt. I am glad that Mildred invited us along, and I hope I can return her the favour one day when she comes to visit near my home.
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