A funny note about the name "Angela" in Indonesia...

No one can get it right! Not that I mind... in fact, I get a real kick out of the many variations I get! I find it most with kids in the villages... In the village of Yenbeser, although it was always preceded by Kakak (or Ka, for short), which means big sister, I got at least 5 different names! I was called everything from "Chi" to "Enji" to "Angke" to "Angel"!

I guess maybe folks are wondering why I've got internet access, and am able to post about the first Kalabia trip if I'm supposed to be on it!?!

Well, as it turns out, there are two reasons... First, I had planned to come back to finish up a few factsheets and comic books that we need to produce this month, and so although I have prepared the content, I have to sit down with our Graphic Designer to do the layout. THEN, I find out that in order to renew my visa, I have to go to Jakarta! This hasn't been an issue until now, and the organization has been able to process it, while we just need to send some pictures and our passports... however, new legislation has been passed that now requires us to be physically present to collect our bio-data (have a picture taken and take our fingerprints) in order to renew the visa!

So, I'm off to Jakarta tomorrow... but hopefully will be returning as quickly as possible to finish up the other work, and then re-join the Kalabia!

Yenbeser - little town with a huge heart!



The first village Kalabia visited in 2009 was Yenbeser... a tiny village on Waigeo Island in the Dampier Strait area of Raja Ampat.







This picture shows a traditional little fishing craft (with the palm frond roof) sitting in the water out in front of the village... the small square stilted structures are the washrooms.



It is true that life is simple in a Raja Ampat village. But nature is good to these people... In Yenbeser, they can literally have their rice cooked already for dinner, and THEN go to the jetty to catch the fish! They have a veritable fish soup right around their simple pier.







Every morning we watched a Wobbegong shark hang out under the pier, following his daily ritual... and in the late afternoon, we watched rays (including manta and devil rays) swim only meters away from the Kalabia while it was docked in the village… the afternoon of the last day of the program, I slipped into the water alongside them, and swam with 12 devil rays! It was magical… I have never seen them swimming in formation as they were, and so close I could have reached out and touched them! (I didn't of course, because I didn't want to scare them off, and lose the moment!)



The kids that participated in the program were so enthusiastic that the program was a guaranteed success from the beginning.



It doesn't take any more than a note about the message from the village head to see that the program did indeed have an impact... not only on the students that participated, but on the entire community. He gave a touching speech at the closure of the 3 full days of activities; he noted how special, and how important the program is for the future, for the kids as well as the environment. The teacher said that he was very impressed with the team, as well as with the activities and the style of learning... "Even though it often seems like the kids are simply playing, they learned a great deal in only three days... as can be seen by their results (in the final evaluation)"... He said that he had been inspired by the program and the team, and that he has a renewed hope for his students, and increased expectations for them... he was astounded by the amount of material they were able to learn, and truly understand, in such a short time because of the experiential education approach. (He also mentioned that he is sure that all the students will receive top grades on their biology/science/local element exams (because they already did, through the Kalabia program))!



The school bell for the small three-room school house, which is run by two teachers who tend to use the typical autocratic teaching style common throughout Indonesia:





Most touching of all, and, truth-be-told, brought tears to my eyes as well, was that some of the kids were in tears as the Kalabia pulled away from the jetty to set sail for the next village... it's amazing that in just three days they had learned so much and made such a strong connection with the Kalabia team!



Two of the older kids even stowed away on-board and swam back to their village just to get a few last few minutes with Kalabia!



Here I am with two of the fabulous Kalabia facilitators, Warda & Dece... another fabulous facilitator, Mona, is taking the picture!


See you soon!

Off with the Kalabia!

I have been in endless meetings (I think the count was up at 13 days of meetings, 8 days STRAIGHT, then a two-day hiatus (for followup from the meetings), then back at it!)... but tonight I'm leaving with the Kalabia (Environmental Education Vessel) for a 20-day trip with educational programming in and around the Dampier Strait area of Raja Ampat.

Although it's going to be a jam-packed schedule (not only with the villages, but because slammed in the middle there are meetings with the government, a media trip, and several urgent educational products to be finished off).

Regardless, I'm happy to be getting out of Sorong, and into the field for a while!

This post is just to let you know: Don't think I've given up on blogging... I'll be back, but it won't be until the end of the month! But surely with some great stories to tell from the field.

Evangelical Day

"Hari Raya Masuk Injil" is celebrated February 5th in Papua to commemorate the coming of Protestant Christianity to the province. Or, as I have also heard it put, the day the "Gospel entered Papua", or "Papuan Peace Day"!

I have always seen Christianity as an external entity in Papua... knowing that it was introduced here by foreign missionaries, however, having spent a considerable amount of time here, I really believe that Christianity is truly Papuan... they have certainly embraced it, and made it their own! I have been told that Christianity is seen as an agent of peace - that before "the gospel came to Papua", it was a land rife with violence due to warring between local tribal.

The island where this event occurred is called Mansinam, and is just off the coast of Monokwari, on the north coast of Papua -- it is here that German missionaries (Carel William Otto and Johan Gotlob) first landed in 1855! Apparently every five years a descendant from the missionaries' family actually returns to Papua to attend a special event... and this is that year!

Stink Meals

While in Sorong this time, I am staying at the "Je Meridien" Hotel (it’s actually a bit out of the way, across from the airport, several kilometers from the city centre). I don’t mind that it is a commute to the office and other areas of town, because it is clean, and quiet, and comfy (probably because it's still new)!



One thing that tickled my funny bone when I checked into my room and was reading the general rules of the hotel, was number 9 on the list: Please do not carry or consume the stink meals!!!! They are referring specifically to the Durian fruit (which really does have an offensive odour, and for me, taste too!), but I got a kick out of the translation!



(Sorry about the picture quality... my camera is having focusing issues in all-but perfect outdoor conditions)

Kalabia - The Team


This photo was actually taken over a year ago at the facilitator training for the Kalabia Program! I can't believe there isn't a better one around (and with the new spiffy uniforms, and together with our mascots, Tommy Teteruga and Karel Kalabia!)... but in the meantime... this is the FABULOUS gang of dedicated Kalabia Facilitators!



In this photo (l - r): Dece, Warda, Mona, Valend, Ange, Max, and Amal

Safe SeaFood

This widget is from The End of the Line (a documentary film I'm keen to see, but there aren't likely to be any screenings in Papua for quite some time, so I may have to wait!?).

For those of you who have ever wondered about how to become a more sustainable seafood consumer... this might be an easy place to start!

Lost in Translation

There are many pearl farms in the bird's head of Papua, and although most of their wares are exported internationally, some are for sale at the Sorong airport.



This is the sign advertising salt-water pearls and fresh-water pearls... the word for fresh-water in indonesian is "air tawar", however the word for bargain/trade/offer is also "tawar". I guess somebody just chose the wrong dictionary entry!?

Jalan-jalan with Uncle Bruce & Aunt Bobby

After getting slightly turned around finding my way to their lovely hotel in the morning, I picked Bruce & Bobby up and we got on the road for what was to be a full and fun-filled day of touring around Bali...

We started off in the general direction of the great sea temple of Ulu Watu, and did arrive there around mid-day after a quick visit to the post-office, and a side-trip to Dreamland Beach (which has huge developments in progress and unfortunately is nothing of the secret isolated dreamland it once was!?). The Pinctu statues, which would dwarf Goliath, were the most impressive thing about that area.




Ulu Watu -- Luhur Ulu Watu (literally "Heavenly Rock Headland") is one of the six sea temples of Bali. Teetering on sheer cliffs over the Indian Ocean on the most south-westerly point on the island, the temple's dramatic backdrop makes it feel like a place of immense importance. We didn't have any issues with the monkeys... but there are plenty of signs warning of their potential aggressive behaviour! I think it was siesta time, and with the intense heat, they were hiding out in the cool shade of the bushes. Ulu Watu was also B&B's introduction to geocaching! There was an Earthcache there which Bobby led us to like an expert gps-user (I realize that an Earthcache is not the best introduction to geocaching, since there is no actual cache... just a series of questions to find the answers to)! (Of course, we tried another one later in the day as well, at Tanah Lot, and it was a bust as well - I hope they'll get a chance to try another some time - especially with all the traveling they do, it'll probably take them to a lot of neat places they wouldn't otherwise know about!)









On the way to Tanah Lot we passed a few rice fields that were in the process of harvest... so we stopped to get a close-up view. Although I'm not much of a tour-guide for Bali (having only been here about a month myself!), at least I can speak the language and translate to ask questions of the people we met along the way! The rice they are currently farming in Bali is the new 'improved' species which yields three harvests per year (the traditional rice yielded only two, although they say it was of a better quality). Interestingly enough, migrant workers come from Java for the harvests, since they will work for lower wages than the Balinese!

We arrived at Tanah Lot just in time for a sunset that was not to be (although we were treated to a beautiful deep red eye in the sky just before it slipped over the horizon, the clouds prevented us from seeing the glorious post-card picture Tanah Lot). It also happened to be high tide, and we can now understand where Tanah Lot got it's name (literally "Land in the middle of the sea"): the temple itself is seated on a rock out-cropping that is isolated by the sea at high tide... but we enjoyed the view of it, and B&B bought some beautiful kites (or as Bruce called them, his 'new packing challenges'!).

On the way home we stopped for a sea-side dinner in Jimbaran, the traditional fishing village that has turned into THE fresh sea-food dining area of Bali. Our table was literally less than 15 meters from the surf, and B&B spoiled me to a delicious lobster and squid (and chicken) dinner.

I guess you can tell by the length of this entry that it was a fabulous day - so enjoyable hanging out, and visiting all day. How exciting to meet up with family so far from home! I can't wait 'till B&B plan their next trip, and perhaps come back to visit again! We should be getting a house of our own soon, with an extra room (nudge nudge wink wink hint hint), to entice more family to come visit!

It was after 12 when I arrived home to the news that my departure to Sorong was the next morning. Having not yet packed for the trip, and with a few loose-ends to tie up before leaving, needless to say, I was a little short on sleep by the time I was off to the airport at 6 am!!! Luckily I got a super-comfy hotel room for my transit in Makassar, and arrived in Sorong fit-as-a-fiddle!


B&B even introduced ME to something new: the ginger fizz... yummy!




P.S. Bobby, I hope you haven't been getting eaten alive by mosquitoes... I found your bug spray in my bag on the way to the airport!

Best shampoo advert yet!



Isn’t this the best shampoo advertisement? No shiny locks, smooth or curly, black or blonde... and in a country where 90% of the population is muslim, i'm sure this marketing technique is quite successful! And besides... are any of us really fooled into thinking that if we use a brand of shampoo sporting a picture of a gorgeous head of hair on the label, that we'll miraculously be transformed!?

What gives...???

Two of the teachers from Realia Language school in Jogja (the school where Martin and I started our Indonesian adventures) came to Sorong to provide English classes to CI staff. (This was way back in June, I think - and I have been meaning to post this pic since then!)



Anyway, we were not very clued-in when we invited Tutut and Wawan out for dinner in Sorong... to Malioboro Warung (our favourite on the tembok)! Malioboro is the name of probably the most famous street in Jogja, where great shopping (and food) is to be found! Oops... we pretended it was in an effort to make them feel at home! Haha!

I got totally fed up with just blobbing on the beach, listening to podcasts and taking pictures of Martin surfing… so I'm getting myself a body board, and I’m learning as well! I certainly can’t do any of the fancy tricks that Martin does, but at least I’m out there getting a little exercise, and enjoying the thrill of catching the odd wave!



I would have liked to continue on with my long-boarding (which all began with a lesson with the girls back in Jaco, CostaRica about 4 years ago!), but unfortunately the waves on Bali are just too packed with people, and I'm afraid I'll crash into all the other novices!

HASH!

Martin and I went with our friend Helen to our very first "Hash" on Saturday afternoon... and WHAT A BLAST!

The Hash House Harriers have been around for decades, apparently, but before coming to Indonesia I had never heard of it! The Bali group is a very interesting cross-section of people... all into getting out into the 'real' Bali, getting some exercise, and having some wacky, silly, fun... and not to mention, a few beers!

The route for the run, marked with shredded paper, was up, down, and all around; across rice paddies and drainage ditches, past local baths and temples, through back alleys and fields of sweet-smelling flowers for temple offerings; we waded through rivers, and clambered up slippery slopes! It absolutely POURED rain as well, so we were soaked within minutes, and it sometimes washed away the trail-marking-paper, but it kept us nice and cool! One time we passed by one communities women's traditional bath, there was a lady having her afternoon 'mandi', and amiably asked us if we would like to join her! (I guess we probably looked a site - covered in mud!) The scenery was absolutely stunning, and the false markers to throw you off-course only added to the fun!

Oh yes, and did I mention... as 'virgin' Hashers, we had to do a "Down Down" (ie chug a beer) in the middle of the ceremonial circle as part of our initiation!?! Haha!

I think we may become members, and take up 'hashing'! - the main thing about it that attracts me is the same as geocaching - it takes you to all kinds of places you would never otherwise know about!

Sorry no pics to accompany this post, but I'm glad I didn't take my camera, since it rained the entire time! And, as a side note, it hasn't stopped raining since, and some of the worst flooding yet this year has been seen today! I feel badly for Bruce and Bobby on their tropical vacation to Bali - they're waiting for it to stop raining!

Banana leaf Bungkus

My favourite way of getting food "to go" is in the traditional style, often still used by smaller warungs (vendors)... they use a banana leaf to wrap your food in....




No plastic - yay! I feel that the major problem with plastics garbage in tropical countries is actually due to this tradition... it was fine to simply toss your banana leaf after consuming your food, or whatever was wrapped in it in the past, but with the advent of plastics, and NO socialization/education, people are simply ignorant to the fact that a banana leaf degrades in days whereas a plastic bags takes hundreds of years... so they keep tossin'!

Paket tude bakar…

Our recent short visit back to Manado made us reminiscent of our time there… One of our favourite foods, and in fact the first traditional Manadonese meal we had upon our arrival in Manado back in June 2006, is this simple packet deal.

Grilled fish (in this case, Tude, which I have no idea of the translation for!), rice, garlic kangkung (my favourite veggie in Indo, I call it water-spinach or morning glory in Enligh), and dabu-dabu (my favourite sambal ("hot sauce") in Indonesia hands-down).




Martin (and anyone else in the restaurant, actually) usually make fun on me while eating my fish, since I am little slow at shifting through the bones to get at the meat… and because I remove everything that isn’t meat (ie. skin, etc)… but I enjoy it just the same!


During our recent visit, Manado seemed to be unusually abuzz… but this seemed to be more than just the hustle-and-bustle of Christmas… and, as we found out upon our departure, it was… the present is coming tomorrow! The road from the airport was being widened to twice it’s usual size, and the police and military were doing drills for the escort around town; the usual advertisements for cup-a-noodles and cigarettes along the road from the airport into town were covered over with banners proclaiming Manado’s love for their president, and how proud they are to be his people, etc!

New Year's Day!

What a different scene the beach in Sanur was on the first day of 2009! Usually this area is called 'sleepy Sanur', because it's so laid back, but not the other day! It was PACKED with people... mostly locals by the look of it, but lots of foreign tourists as well...



HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL! Hope it is full of peace, love and happiness!

Dragonfruit - revisited!

In this previous post, I discovered dragonfruit for the first time in Asia...

Even since then, I have lived in complete ignorance that Dragonfruit is actually a cactus fruit! Having never seen it still attached to the plant! Well... it's all starting to make sense now! So now I know, and so do you!

Beachy Christmas

The weather was wonderful... sun with a nice breeze to keep from roasting... and the best part, as far as Martin was concerned, were the waves!

We spent part of Christmas day, and the few days after, on a beach not far from our current lodgings... Martin just couldn't get enough of the surf, even with his skin literally peeling away from his feet because of blisters from his new set of fins!




I enjoyed the beach-time as well... I got my dose of vitamin D, caught up on some podcasts and read an entire book on the Balinese culture and way of life, and even managed to take a few pictures of Martin in the waves.... and although we were on a fairly quiet beach (some surfers, but certainly no other tourists, and very few locals), I still enjoyed watching the variety of activity that was going on all around!


























Of course, even with limited clientele, the fried-things vendor shows up, displaying his wares on the back of his motorcycle!

Christmas Trees

One day when I was running a few errands around the town of Sorong, it seemed to me that on every street corner I saw a fabulous little Christmas display... there were trees decorated in all different manner, creche scenes, banners, etc! Unfortunately I didn't have my camera with me, and the next day, when I went around to try to capture some of these unique Christmas displays, I could only find one... This Christmas tree was at the local motorcycle taxi stand... made by the members of it's cooperative to commemorate the holiday!



Arriving in Bali, of course, there were a whole different species of displays... and on an island of Hindus, Christmas is of course, purely commercial, and put on for those visitors that might be celebrating! These Christmas trees were in front of one of the largest malls in Southern Bali.