yesthatstrue

[yesthatstrue]

pet tents!

I’ve been seeing a lot of cute dogs chilling in cute tents on instagram recently.  After looking into buying them, I realized that buying two tents for my two guys would be a little pricey.  The tents kind of look like this.. 

Cute but simple.. So I made them! 

First I processed some wood that a gardener friend cut for me.  I let them dry for 5-6 weeks (not long enough, but considering that I’m not using them for decoration or building, I was okay if they weren’t 100% dry), and then I stripped the bark. 

They were left pretty fuzzy, so I sanded them first with low-grit sandpaper, and then finished them with a finer grade. 

Originally the plan was to also seal them using a polyurethane wood treatment, but I had trouble finding one.  So, I’ll likely leave them natural for now and replace them next time we move, or I’ll stain them when I can get my hands on something cheap. 

After tying lashing for 4 poles, I measured the height of the opening triangle.  See my crude illustration below. 

A tied knot a the end of a cord, marking my desired height of the tent. Then, I fanned the cord out on a rectangular piece of fabric, making a half circle.  I cut out the half circle, then cut another small half circle off the top so it resembled a very thick doughnut.  Again, see my crude illustration. 

The small half circle at the top is where your poles will fit through the tent, so you could measure out in advance how much of an opening you need.  In my case, I just eye-balled the cut and then pinned how much of an overlap I wanted in order to tighten the hole as necessary.  

Finally, I sewed the top of the half circle together and arranged the fabric to drape over the poles the way that I wanted.  In the future I may sew small loops into the fabric for the poles to go through, but since I’m not sure how long I’ll be using these I left them as is for now.  

Overall there are no stability problems at all and the little guys enjoy hiding out in there!  I also really like the fabric I found.  They are a really heavy, woven fabric.  One is the color you see here, and the other is a chic black and white pattern.  

[yesthatstrue]

on returning

In December and January I took an unusually long holiday. It was necessary for me to arrive in Japan before the year’s end in order to renew my license, but flying back to Jakarta in early January proved rather expensive. So in total I was in Japan nearly three weeks - probably my longest holiday since becoming a working adult.

It wasn't really a "holiday" though. I did holiday things like coercing my in-laws into putting up their Christmas tree (which was no larger than a big-gulp), and I made Japanese new year foods (おせち).. But those are all things I would usually do, so they didn't feel particularly vacation-like.

We visited Nabana no Sato [なばなの里] - a local botanical garden with winter illuminations 

The Osechi [おせち料理] (Japanese new year foods) we made. 

And the tiny tree .. can you spot it?

I had to return to Jakarta for my dogs, I knew. But I made a mistake by staying away for so long. My life continued in Japan as if it had just been held in place by a bookmark. Everyone was as I left them, and I slide back into the routine a little too easily. 

Although technically my "real life" is in Jakarta now, coming back felt jarring. As I rode back to my house from the airport I kept questioning, "What am I doing here?" "What life choice led me to this place." "Am I interested in living here?" 

I lived in Japan for about 5 years. I visited my family numerous times over those years, but returning to Japan was never disorienting. Of course I always missed my family, and still do, but I felt as comfortable as a foreigner could in Japan.

I don't hate living in Indonesia. I might even like it. But after a year, I feel displaced, uninterested, and a little old.

This entry isn't meant to be negative; I have a lot of things for which to be grateful. I've experienced a lot of amazing things here, and I hope to travel and experience even more. My writing is just a bit of introspection. I'm not sure why I dislike living here, and why coming back to here felt so unnatural and dredged up so much reluctance. 

I think that Indonesia is a country with a lot to offer.  I think my life has been enriched by living here.  I also feel, however, that I am ill-suited for living here.  I don’t like being in charge of all the domestic aspects of our household.  I really dislike hot weather.  My paper-white skin reacts poorly to the intense UV radiation.  So I guess I’m good... Indonesia is good... We’re just not good together.

That being said, I’m going to take advantage of my time here, and I have some goals for 2018. 

Firstly, I’d like to use my time more wisely and pursue some hobbies that I might not normally be able to pursue.  Mainly a lot of crafting and designing ventures.  I’d also like to use my time for self improvement.  

So I think with this blog I’m going to try to start posting things that interest me, because trying to focus on just life abroad has led to a serious stagnation in posting.  Here’s to a fresh new year~

[yesthatstrue]

owning a dog in jakarta

Originally I was planning on writing something about owning a pet in Jakarta.  However, it’s become clear that the focus should really be on dogs specifically, because they really are treated exceptionally.  

According to some Muslim cultures, dogs are unclean and they should be avoided.  In order to better understand this idea I did a little research (emphasis on little).  It seems though that Muslim communities are not in total agreement on the subject.  Some mentions of dogs in the Quran are favorable, however the sentiment in Malaysia is strong enough to ban the use of the word “hot dog” (to avoid confusion concerning halal foods).

Indonesia seems to be somewhere in the middle, but leaning aggressively towards the anti-dog sentiments.  As a foreigner here, I experience no outward ill-will from local people.  Fear, instead, is the reaction we encounter the most.  Grown men and women 6 times the size of my dog have recoiled, and sometimes cried out, when my guy has strayed a little too close.  Some of their reactions are genuine, and some are exaggerated for their friends.  But all of the reactions seem based in a very real unfamiliarity with dogs.  

Since most of the dog-owners in the city are either foreigners or wealthy Indonesians, there is a thriving dog-subculture.  Shops that allow dogs are always crowded, and there is a weekly meetup on Sunday mornings.  Everyone we’ve meet through such events has been so friendly.  So as a foreigner, it’s not as hard as one might imagine to own a dog here.

However, there is a dark underbelly to the welfare of dogs here.  It’s why despite my good experiences, I can’t call Jakarta or Indonesia “dog-friendly.” 

First, although I’ve only experienced fear, some Indonesian dog owners I’ve met say they have experienced open hostility and animosity.  Their neighbors complain about their dog to the point where their landlords offer an ultimatum.  They have stones thrown at them and their dog while on walks.  General clouds of negativity.  

The dog meat trade is also quite active in parts of the country.  The rescue from which we received our guy lobby local governments to help shut down the trade.  According to their studies, the dog meat trade isn’t just an ethical issue, but also one of public health as it contributes to the spread of rabies in Indonesia.  

We decided to adopt because that was our life plan.  Marriage > dog > kids (maybe)  We also decided that we couldn’t put our life on hold just because we were moving.  Who knows where his company could send us next.  Our best bet is just to work our plans around our geography.  So we did.  However, I’m not sure adopting a dog in Jakarta is for everyone.  

If you have extra time and money, please consider giving a cutie a home.  But if you don’t have extra of either it will be difficult.  Many foreign people live in apartments, so you’ll need to walk the dog often.  Dog goods are pricey compared to the US or Japan, especially if you don’t want to feed your dog the cheapest kibbles filled with wheat and fillers. 

[yesthatstrue]

on the hijab.

When I came here I wasn’t expecting myself to become so enamored with the hijab.  I have a bit of a complex feeling about wearing one to begin with, and I don’t just mean hijabs. Sheitels, habits, scarves .. they’re all a little suspect in my book.  On one hand, a feel like a woman is entitled to be as modest as she desires, and I fully can understand the desire to be modest before god.  On the other hand, men aren’t compelled to be modest in the same way.  Why is only a woman’s hair immodest?  I feel like beneath the reasonable cultural explanations for women’s head coverings, there is a sneaky fetishism of woman as well as the implication that men can’t control themselves.  

So, I’m on the fence about the whole thing, but since I am not Muslim, I’m not quite qualified to have an opinion on the subject and I shelve my ideas.  My love for the hijab has come from a point of pure fashion.  They look fabulous! 

Last weekend we went to a local mall, and happened upon a competition called Hijab Icon. All of the women were wearing gorgeous, obviously custom designed hijab, so we assumed it was a design contest.  I think that was part of the competition, but the second round saw the young girls showing off talents.  Some of them sang, and others did readings (from what I couldn’t tell you.)  So I think perhaps it was more of a Miss Hijab kind of competition.

A poster for the event that details the prizes for winning.  First gets you about $150, a trophy, a certificate and a goodie bag. 

The designs were a lot different than what you see on the streets.  Some of them were reminiscent of Renaissance garb, and others looked like white bridal gowns.  All of them looked like princesses ♡

These woman are proving that modesty doesn’t have to lack glamour or femininity.  I wish I would have brought my camera so that I could have taken some really good shots of my favorite garments. 

After coming home, I searched for the judges, as their hijab were stunning as well, and I fell into a hijab Instagram rabbit hole. 

@aliahsayuti

@kiaaminta

@bellaalvianita

@syam.photography

Just a disclaimer: most of the linked instagrams are those of Indonesian models. It's not common to see such elaborate hijab on the street. However, many people do in fact wear very fashionable hijab. Just not quite as fancy! It might also be prudent to note that some Muslim women object to such hijab, saying that they don't properly embody the goal of modesty. But imo, having a little fun isn't a sin ~

What do you think of hijab?  

[yesthatstrue]

why i haven’t been active

I haven’t posted any updates on my life here in a while.  The main reason is because I’ve been in an uninspired state that can be traced back to my recent trip to Hawaii.

I was married in Hawaii in May and spent almost three weeks there.  Being there made me quite viscerally not want to return to Indonesia.  I think everyone has that feeling of not wanting to return from vacation, but in this case it was more than that. 

Hawaii and Indonesia could be seen rather similarly.  They are both island territories.  Both are host to various volcanoes (Indonesia homes over 150 active volcanoes), both have colorful sandy beaches (we saw green sand in Hawaii and Indonesia has pink sand beaches).  However, there is a disturbing difference between the two, and that’s how they treat the environment.  There are no plastic bags to be found on the Big Island.  We drove large stretches of highway and very little trash littered the landscape.  The water was crystalline, teeming with fish and sea turtles.  Of course, no area is entirely free from pollution, and I know that Hawaii faces a growing plastic problem that strangles the reef life there - sometimes quite literally.  Tourism in Hawaii also threatens the reefs and sea life there. 

Even so, anything in Hawaii pales in comparison to Indonesia.  In fact, one of our diving guides informed us that a lot of the plastic found in the Hawaiian waters drifts over from Asia, and Indonesia is one of the biggest contributors.  Every single day I witness drivers mindlessly throwing trash out their windows.  Streets are covered in an array of used bottles, tissues, and whatever other kind of trash you can imagine.  Beaches surrounding Jakarta are no better. 

In my opinion, at the root of the problem is education.  Kids living on the street aren’t considering pollution, and their parents are certainly more concerned with their next meal than with the long-term effects of pollution on their environment.  And on a larger scale, a lack of funding in public transportation causes the streets to be clogged with cars and old, sputtering buses day in and day out.  Often these cars and buses wouldn’t pass emission regulations in other countries.

So, while one can understand why in a country where the poverty line is $25 a month, and still tens of millions live below that, the education on pollution and conservation is behind, it’s still disheartening.

After coming back from Hawaii, I caught myself thinking that Indonesia could be just as beautiful as the Hawaiian Islands if conservation and sustainability were more prevalent.  It will be a long road, but I have hope that as poverty and education in Indonesia are addressed, the issues plaguing the environment here will improve. 

Here are a few articles I recommend for further reading

A piece from the Guardian about trash scavengers. An older article, but interesting and still relevant.

A blog post from NatGeo about a sustainability summit held in Jakarta.  It touches on some things I mentioned about improving infrastructure, and talks about the future potential in geothermal energy production. 

An short op-ed from the Jakarta Globe from a conservation scientist on why conservation is difficult in Indonesia. His conclusions are interesting, because he does not think low incomes or corruption are the main reasons. 

Not an article, but a nonprofit I’d like to recommend.  They are currently campaigning to free captive dolphins in Bali, and are trying to educate against keeping monkeys for entertainment and horses for carriage rides. 

[yesthatstrue]

two days in bandung

Last weekend was a three day weekend in Indonesia.  Both of us were anxious to get out of Jakarta.  Three days is fairly short though, so we stuck close and headed to Bandung.  Bandung is to the west of Jakarta, and is the country’s second most populated city.  A quick google search reveals that Bandung is popular for outlet shopping, hot springs, and nature, including scenic views of its several volcanoes.  I really wanted to visit Kawah Putih - a milky crater lake located to the southeast of the Bandung.  However, it being a three day weekend, we predicted that traffic would be insane.  So we structured our plan around central Bandung (this time).

We left at 3:30am.  The drive is about 150 km - less than 100 mi.  We assumed that by leaving so early, we would be able to bypass some of the infamous traffic.  We assumed wrongly.  The trip totaled over 7 hours, and we arrived after 11:00.  Traffic in and around Jakarta is no joke.  

After arriving, we first wanted to work up a sweat and get out into nature.  In Japan we spent a lot of time outdoors.  By comparison, I feel a little trapped in Jakarta.  Traveling by car is practically a necessity.  I tried walking about 2 km to a nearby restaurant last week.  It was arduous because the road lacks crosswalks and sidewalks, and the sheer volume of exhaust fumes made me gag.  So I go from my high-rise to my classes by car ... then on the weekends to the mall by car ... Way too much time spent in some kind of an air-conditioned (not complaining about that part) box.  So in Bandung, I personally was looking forward to our time outdoors more than anything else.  

There were a lot of wild monkeys in the park, and they were all photogenic. 

Day 1 we trekked through Djuanda Forest Park.  It was a great hike, and you can read in more detail about Djuanda Forest in my upcoming post about it.  In the afternoon we tried our hand at bargain hunting at Bandung’s most famous outlet - Rumah Mode.  To be honest, I was a little disappointed with the shopping in Bandung.  I’m also going to make a separate post about factory outlets in Bandung, which I’ll link here later. 

We had planned on eating dinner at one of the many restaurants located to the north of Bandung that offer a great view of the city.  Unfortunately, traffic made that entirely impossible.  We sat in an unmoving car for almost an hour before we hopped out and walked to a well-known mall in Bandung - Paris Van Java. The mall was very lovely and there was a good selection of places to eat, but we didn’t come all the way from Jakarta just to end up in another mall.  Luckily we found a place with beer and a live band, and the night was saved.  The band was surprisingly good and played a nice eclectic mix of songs.  After their set ended we attempted to go home, only to again be thwarted by traffic!  We had to wait ages for our driver to escape the mall parking.  Eventually we made it back to our guesthouse and into bed. 

The next day we headed to the Geology Museum in downtown Bandung.  I’ll be honest; 90% of the reason I came here was to see dinosaur bones, and I did.  So overall I was really pleased with the museum.  Despite being a Saturday there were many class-trips obviously taking place, and somehow I got a little involved in them, taking pictures and shaking hands.  All the students were super cute, but it left leaving the museum a little difficult.  

Yaaayy t-rex!!

In the afternoon we walked around some more famous places in the city, and stopped by the Grand Mosque.  It was beautiful, but I admit I’m still a little skived out by walking around barefoot inside, especially considering the influx of guests on a holiday weekend.

We found this really legit Batman on one the main roads leading away from the mosque. 

Our last major stop in Bandung was at an art gallery and park that features metal sculptures.  They all contained so much movement and realism.  It was quite lovely, and is located in a very wealthy area.  So, we drove around the neighborhood a bit sizing up houses before we headed back to Jakarta.  

We chose to leave Saturday night to avoid the thrush of people we anticipated would return on Sunday.  Finally we had some traffic success, and arrived home in just over three hours. And since we still had one day off, we managed to get some super cheap ($5!) massages and relax on Sunday; not a bad end to a quick getaway.  

[yesthatstrue]

Touring the Islands in a Day

There are a lot of gorgeous spots in Indonesia.  Lush rain forests, pink sand beaches, smoggy volcanoes ... Unfortunately none of these things can be found in or around Jakarta.  Jakarta is the second largest metropolitan in the world, second only to Tokyo (❤).  However, for all its size it has a serious lack of tourist destinations.  According to TripAdvisor, the number one tourist destination in Jakarta is a shopping mall.  To be fair, it is a very nice shopping mall, but I don’t consider Banana Republic and Top Shop tourist spots. 

So this past Saturday we went beyond the air-conditioned shopping malls in search of something that felt more like sightseeing.  We ended up at Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (henceforth referred to as TMII).  TMII aims to encapsulate the many facets of the many cultures within Indonesia.

Indonesia is the largest island nation in the world; it comprises literally tens of thousands of islands.  It’s also the fourteenth largest nation overall, and has the fourth largest population.  So it’s big.  But it wasn’t always big.  Historically, each geographical pocket was ruled individually.  Different islands had (and still do) vastly different cultures and ethnic groups. 

Some of the unique roofs visable from the gondola that sails over the park.

TMII is kind of like an Indonesian Epcot.  Visitors can wander from pavilion to pavilion, each of which features a different culture found within Indonesia.  Native clothing, gardens, and historical timelines can be found within each area, and the buildings’ designs are modeled off of the respective traditional buildings.

Traditional homes from South Sulawesi

What you may be thinking is, “Wait, didn’t you just say there are tens of thousand of islands?  How big is this park?”  Well, first, not all of the tens of thousands of islands are inhabited, but thousands of them are.  And so this park is pretty big!  Walking from one end to the other is quite a trek, especially if you are stopping at each area to enter and read about the local culture.  For this reason, I recommend you rent a bicycle.  Motorcycles are also available for rent (no license required!), but I’m not sure I can recommend that.  It’s also possible to drive through the park. 

In addition to the unique cultural areas, there is also a kids’ theme park, a water park, an IMAX theater, a rare book market, and a komodo dragon park.

The castle!

We spend almost the entire day there, exploring the exhibits on Indonesia’s provinces, eating lunch, and wishing the castle wasn’t located in the children’s park. ;____; 

Don't be fooled by his calm demeanor - he's panicked.

We also got to hold some lizards .. and a baby crocodile!  He was a little squirmy, and I was concerned he would smell my weakness and use the opportunity to test out his baby chompers.  We managed though.

[yesthatstrue]

on shopping in jakarta (I)

Today let’s explore food shopping.   Over the past month I’ve visited a plethora of supermarkets and grocers, trying to find some balance between cost and quality.  Before coming to Jakarta I imagined myself shopping at street markets or something similar, but I’ve realized that’s a little impractical for me. 

First, I don’t live within walking distance of any such markets.  Taking the car to score a deal on eggs hardly seems worth it.  

Second, I’m sure that being foreign would guarantee a higher price to begin with, and my Indonesian is no where near good enough to bargain.  Yet. #goals.

So for now I’m shopping in places that look pretty similar to grocery stores in Japan and the US.  They can though be broken down into smaller subcategories.   Some of the places cater to foreign crowds specifically.  Papaya, for instance, is a Japanese grocery store of sorts.  It seems to have reasonable quality, and a good variety of ingredients used in Japanese dishes, but it is much too expensive for me to want to shop there.  

Stores like Ranch Market cater to a more Western crowd.  I’ve seen Poptarts, Reese’s Puffs Cereal (which I would have bought had it not been $8), and an assortment of Betty Crocker cake mixes.  In fact, the volume of imported goods available in Jakarta is much more than I’ve ever seen in Japan.   I assume that the slight lack of imported goods in Japan could be contributed to two things: one - Japan already has a booming local economy that is saturated with domestic brand names, and two - Japanese people like to buy Japanese products.  

So back to Jakarta.  There are supermarkets that clearly cater to foreign buyers, but of course there are also ones that definitely cater to a more local crowd.  I find the selection there a little underwhelming, but the prices are much better.   Today’s shopping trip was mostly for vegetables and staples, like spices and bottled water.  I visited a more ‘local’ grocer and bought the following.

My haul was 120,000 rupiah, which is about $9 or 996円. To be honest, I haven’t really lived as a true adult in the US, so I’m not sure how that compares.  But my gut tells me it’s pretty cheap.  In Japan for that volume, plus some ‘higher’ priced items like avocado and coconut milk, it would be a steal.  And yes, the double stuffed oreos are on my list of ‘staples.’ 

[yesthatstrue]

happy anniversary to me

It’s officially been one month since I came to Jakarta.  A lot has happened, and a lot has not happened.  I had one good week in Jakarta.  Sort of.  That first week was a little bit of an adjustment.  I’d never lived in a country in which I could bribe my way through immigration.  In which traffic rules of any kind were more of a soft suggestion.  In which people not so subtly took candid pictures of me, giggling and sidling up to me while motioning to their boyfriend to quick take the shot.  In which I could I buy a large fruit bat from a man off the street. 

I’ve traveled in southeast Asia before, and enjoyed it.  A lot.  However I’d be lying if at the end of each trip I wasn’t hankering for my own bed, for tap water I could drink, and for Japanese toilets. Anyways, the first week took a bit of adjusting, but it was fun and I was able to explore the area surrounding our apartment.  Quickly though my health deteriorated, and I’ve since been stuck in my house, trying various cocktails of medicine from the local clinic.  First a high fever, then a vicious cough.  Nothing life threatening, but enough to keep me stuck in bed for the better part of March.  Nevertheless, despite feeling like garbage, I’ve had shit to do.  No one has time for an illness when they move to a new country.  So, in March I managed to accomplish the following:

moved apartments from central to south Jakarta

joined a group hike (accomplished before the fever)

celebrated my one year anniversary with my husband

registered for Bahasa Indonesia classes at a local uni

finished planning my wedding in Hawaii  ♡

celebrated my birthday

Not bad for a sick lady.  But now I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.  My hacking has slowed, my fever subsided, and I can walk long distances without fatiguing.  And now that I’m feeling a bit better, all those things I have not accomplished are falling into harsh relief.  For example, finding friends, exploring Jakarta, and finding the best local places to eat.

So, cheers Jakarta.  Here’s to one month together, and our next few years together.