Monday, August 30, 2010

Bucket List

Climb a volcano: check. A large group of ETA's went on a trip to a small town about 3 hours away from Bandung (where we are currently staying and where we will be staying until September 17), to do some hiking. We arrived in the town on Saturday afternoon and checked into the Terta Merta motel, a stark contrast to the 5-star Sheraton we are currently staying in in Bandung. The upside was that each room had it's own hot spring tub fueled by the nearby volcanoes; however, the hot spring tub also served to flush the squat toilet which stood nearby. Needless to say, we did not use our hot spring tub.

Sunday brought a day of climbing beginning at 6 am. A small group of us (me included) decided to brave the nearby volcano unaided, while the majority of the group paid a tour guide to drive them to another volcano a little further away. For an inexperienced climber, it was quite intense or susa (difficult) (6 hours up and 4 hours down), with little or no trails, and thick volcanic gravel paths left by a past eruption. All of this was well worth it to see two beautiful waterfalls and a view for miles from the top. I was able to pass out in my clean Sheraton bed last night with the feeling of not only physical exhaustion, but also of accomplishment. I will post pictures as soon as I can! Selamat jalan (good-bye) for now.

Friday, August 27, 2010

Some Like it Hot

Hot- the only adjective used by our coordinator to describe Pekanbaru, my home for the next 9 months. Considering that she is Indonesian and used to the heat, I may be a little worried. While I will not actually be living in Pekanbaru until the third week of September, I have been told a little about the city. Pekanbaru is a large town/city, and the school I will be teaching in is very large. My accommodations will be dorm-like, with a bedroom, bathroom (with western toilet) and small kitchen, kind-of like a rented room. Much different than the 5-star hotels that we have been used to for the past week, and which we will be living in until September 17th. I will be teaching English in a Muslim vocational school to 10th grade students for the first three months, and 11th grade students for the last 3 months. It will be a challenge considering that each grade has about 300 students (split between classes) and that I am used to teaching a much younger set. However, I believe that everything happens for a reason; so, I will make the best of this experience to strengthen my skills as a teacher.

Sunday, August 22, 2010

3 International Flights Later...

I am finally in Jakarta!! After 22 hours in the air and an overnight stay in Singapore, we have made it! It seems like I have been waiting for this for so long and now that it's finally here I can hardly believe it. All of the other ETA's in the group are very friendly and I have been doing my best to remember every one's name (there are 44 of us), with little success. Our orientation period lasts until September 17th, so hopefully by then I will have it nailed down.

My placement on Sumatra still stands, and I found today that I will have a travel buddy there with me, which allays my fear of being alone in the jungle! So far I have only seen Indonesia out of the bus window on the drive from the airport to our hotel, and I have to say that Jakarta is a very smelly, dirty city with a lot of shanty housing. I am going out exploring later, so I will have to let you know if I find anything different. I will be updating this as often as possible as I found out more information; but, so far, so good.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Visa Vice

Well, yesterday's trip to Washington was interesting to say the least. We arrived at the embassy at nine o'clock only to be informed that they do not open until ten o'clock because of Ramadan. After killing an hour, we returned so I could be told that I did not have the correct paperwork. Luckily, there were two other girls, Mia and Hannah who are also Fulbrights and leaving Friday, in line behind me. Between the three of us we were able to figure out what we needed to do and apply for our 30-day visas, which we were assured would be turned into 9 month visas upon our arrival. I am truly thankful for their help. After approximately 4 hours of driving and 1 hour in the embassy, I have been informed that my visa will be ready for pick-up this Thursday between ten and one. I won't feel completely de-stressed until my passport and visa are back in my hands, but at least for now I know that I have done all that I can do.

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Slight Change of Plans

All of the past Fulbright recipients who I've talked to have told me that working with the American Indonesian Exchange Foundation (AMINEF) can be extremely frustrating, and I have to say that I now totally agree. I found out this past Friday, that I not only need to obtain my visa from the Indonesian embassy in Washington D.C.; but, that my assignment in Indonesia has been changed. I have been assured that my visa can be processed in one day, so tomorrow it's off to Washington!

As for my assignment, I will no longer be on the island of West Papua in the town of Kuala Kencana. Apparently, AMINEF was unable to obtain teaching permits for any English teaching assistant for that location. So, we have now been moved to the other side of the country to the island of Sumatra, and the city of Pekanbaru. As for the details of my stay I can honestly say that I know as much as you; but, as soon as I get there I hope to be more informed. I am excited about the change, since it seems like I'll have more freedom to explore the island and to travel. I've included a map so you can see exactly where I will be located, and as soon as I know anything I'll be sure to post! 4 days to go!

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

10 Days and Counting

Welcome to my blog! I have created this site in order to keep everyone posted during my 10 month stay in West Papua, Indonesia. So far I know that I will be leaving on Friday, August 20th at 10 am from Washington Dulles airport. From Washington Dulles I will travel to Chicago, Tokyo, Singapore, and finally Jakarta. After an orientation period in Jakarta (Indonesia's capital), I will travel to the island of West Papua where I will be living in a town called Kuala Kencana. During my stay in Kuala Kencana I will become a teaching assistant, teaching English as a foreign language to junior high students at an Indonesian school. I will make sure to keep this site updated on my whereabouts as I set off on my Indonesian adventure.