Category: Indonesia Blog Posts

  • December 19–Hope Springs Eternal from the Smell of a Corpse

    I have avoided putting many of these on my posts. Just the Puntai Panjang beach video with garbage on the beach. I put these here so you can get an idea of what I am seeing and why meeting Burmansyah and his family was a big deal . Of course, this is not EVERYWHERE, but…

  • December 16-18–Graduation, Flowers in the Yard, and How to Know You Have a Firm Mattress

    Not much happening over the last few days. I went to a graduation party Monday given by the university education department. All the students sing!! Student Singing at Graduation in Indonesia I took some time to take pictures of plants in my backyard. You might recognize some of them as plants we have at home.…

  • December 14–Starts with a Rat and Ends with a Beach!

    I got up this morning to find a large trail of ants streaming past the outside of my living room door. Guess what! It was a dead rat–I really do mean a rat and not a mouse. A cat got him! He was not there last night. The cat and the ants made quick work…

  • December 12–Tracing the Impact of Coal Mining–Yep, we are ending our mining–they are just beginning

    Thursday I spent the day with a biology professor (ichthyologist), who is studying the impact coal mining is having on the local river. I went with him and 2 of his students to complete a water quality test at 4 places on the river. What an adventure!!! So much happened–I hope you will scroll down…

  • December 11–Home for the Next 6 Months

    I have been thinking a lot about my posts. I want to make sure anyone reading this understands what I post here is through my personal lens. Others who have the same adventure would see things in a different way. So as you read my posts remember this is my perspective. Today I thought I…

  • December 10–Leaving Jakarta and Arriving in Bengkulu

    Sorry. I have not been in touch. I have not had internet since I left Jakarta!!! Jakarta has this really cool ride share program–no not UBER!!! Instead they have GoJack or Grab. These are predominantly motorcycles/scooters that give you a ride. They do have cars, but most people use the scooter version. I thought I…

  • December 8 Jakarta

    Jakarta has a great way to bring the community together. They have Car-less Sunday on the main street from 5:30am to 11:00am. It is great. People are out running, biking, walking, and purchasing from street venders. This is wonderful! The main highway is closed to cars and open only to pedestrians. I ran this morning.…

  • December 7–Made it to Jakarta

    Made it to Jakarta. The airline lost my luggage, but it showed up the next day. Friday I spent with AMINEF–Fulbright working on securing the research visa. This process is more complicated and involved than I imagined. I feel for those who travel to other countries. I am staying at Grand Sahid Jaya. The hotel…