1 Dec 2013
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| Creative...but most likely not edible |
Part of my immersion experience is getting involved in the military to military engagements. Last week I had the opportunity of visiting the Indonesian military headquarters, specifically to meet with the Indonesian Navy to discuss foreign military sales and training. Every year the State Department is given a certain amount of money to help foreign militaries modernize their equipment and get their folks trained. In many instances the militaries use American companies to further expand their military research and development, so it is a win-win for both parties. The thing is, this meeting was supposed to be very small and only encompass a few folks (the decision makers) to plan out some things for the future. The total opposite happened. We get there, and we were invited out to the patio to have coffee, juice and snacks (almost like a continental breakfast). We then go back into the briefing room and there are probably close to 50 Indonesian Navy staff officers. There was a female MC, which opened the meeting, and then the guy in charge went through and introduced everyone. He then proceeded to outline the agenda, and we got to the meat and potatoes. The meeting lasted about 2 hours, and we were then invited to eat lunch afterwards and take pictures. So, a meeting that should have only involved maybe 5 people and last 45 min to an hour, turned out to be a big production. This was definitely way different than from what I am used to in the U.S. military.I have spent Thanksgiving in 4 different countries in my adult life, and this season really makes me homesick, because no matter what you do, nothing can beat Thanksgiving in the great U S of A. I was fortunate enough to get invited over to eat Thanksgiving dinner at the Paul residence. They have really opened their home to me during my stay here in Jakarta, and I am so thankful for that. The dinner was outstanding: mouth-watering turkey, delicious stuffing, a very yummy carrot soufflé, pumpkin, pecan, and apple pie, you name it, it was there… I did miss the football (both playing and watching), and I really missed my family. Indonesians really don’t celebrate Thanksgiving, and the Canadians do their own thing in October, so I knew that if I stayed home that day, it would have been rice and maybe some Rendang (like a beef stew)…turkey was most likely not going to be on the menu.
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| No smoking and no riding on top! |
On Fri (Black Friday), instead of early morning shopping, I fought the crowds in another sense (Jakarta traffic), and hopped on a train to Bogor. Jakarta is a metropolitan area known as JABODETABEK…kind of like DFW. The “BO” is Bogor, which is south of Jakarta. So, I have the taxi cab experience, the city bus experience, and now I was hopping on the all too famous KRL (Kereta Api Rel Listrik)…electric train. Although I was going the opposite direction of the usual morning commute crowd..it was still packed. I have read stories that in the past, the train crowdedness was so bad, that people would sit on top of the trains. I did not see anyone doing this, but I could definitely see why they would want to.
Bogor is known for its botanical gardens, and I will say, I was quite impressed with this place. Now, just like everywhere else in this area, there was trash, but the groundskeepers do a pretty good job of keeping it to a minimum. It was nice to get away from the traffic, and to actually hear birds singing…very serene and very relaxing. After lunch I decided to go find the bengkel Gong, pabrik Gong, or what is better known as the Gong Factory. I was a little disappointed with myself though, because it is closed on Fridays. Luck for me, the gentleman were still willing to let me see a little of the “cradle-to-grave” gong operation. At the Gong factory you can custom order a gong, and actually see how it is made. The whole thing can take up to 3 days, so if I am ever stationed here, I will definitely be making another visit to the Gong Factory.
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| Not a gong...I guess they don't make them on Fridays |
With a 4-day weekend, I had quite a bit of time to see and experience many things. On Saturday I decided to head over to the Pacific Place Mall and visit the @America club. This club is supported/funded by USAID, and is used as a vehicle to educate Indonesians (in particular Youth) on the United Sates and its role throughout the world in helping developing countries. The topic for the day was how youth can reduce/prevent HIV in Indonesia. It was set up like a talk show, and each of the panel members provided a brief introduction and gave their expertise on the topic. The female panel member, Eli, was married to a man who had contracted HIV from a surgical procedure (most likely due to equipment that was not sanitized), and had died without realizing he had the disease. Her story was very eye-opening and emotional, and I think it really made an impact with the youth in the audience. There was then a question and answer period, and I really liked what the PhD had to say in regards to the ABC’s. He said that the focus should be on A (abstinence) and B (be faithful…aka one partner), and as a last resort, it is important to know about C (condoms). However, if a society relies on C, and leaves A and B on the wayside, then the disease will never go away. He also used an analogy of getting dengue fever…you don’t know which mosquitoes are vectors for the disease, so it is best to avoid the threat completely…especially at a young age. The session also emphasized the importance of not discriminating and helping those affected, to lift them up in every way possible. Very edifying and I now have a new respect for USAID programs like this one.
It is in Indonesian, but the link is here if you are interested: http://www.atamerica.or.id/video/detail/821/The-Role-of-Youth-in-Preventing-HIV-and-AIDS
