Artisans in Yokyakarta

We drove today from Semarang to yokyakarta. This is about 100 miles and takes about four hours. The reason it takes so long is because the main road is a two lane street hampers with motorcycles. The trip was worth it, though. Erni, my colleague, and I spend the afternoon at the little house of this artisan, doing quality control of the baskets he had made. It was hot, it was tedious and absolutely fantastic. How many foreigners get the chance to be around the real Indonesia? I made some photos which I will post as soon as I have figured out how to download them in my computer. But I'll try to describe it. The house is in the middle of the kampong (Indonesian village). With narrow dirt roads. The house is actually half of a house. The other half was destroyed by the earth quake of 2004. The government had promised xxxx amount of rupiahs but because of widespread corruption the family has only received half. At one point the mother said she will work even harder till the have the money to rebuild the house. The whole family hangs around doing whatever, talking and now and than Erni will translate. In the meantime the grandmother is cooking dinner on a fire in the kitchen, a real fire on he floor! The time, it seems, has stand still in certain places. But than a few miles further things are totally in the 21st century. Like this evening I had dinner in a restaurant in Yokyakarta with European food, everybody on blackberries and a gay guy gossiping about his latest boyfriend.
I had a better time with the artisans in the kampong!
im. He always stayed so calm and focus under enormous fire.

We drove monday, january 12, from Semarang to yokyakarta. This is about 100 miles but takes about four hours. The reason it takes so long is because the main road is a two lane street full of motorcycles.

I am now sitting in a beautiful resort in yokyakarta, only for one night. So had my first shower in a week. I actually am used to doing the mandi now as they call throwing a bucket of water over your head. The water is not cold here but like tea water
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Has the most wonderful experience yesterday. A lot of the suppliers of the export company are in Yokyakarta because that is the center of crafts like batik, woodcrafts, pottery etc. we had to do quality control of the baskets that were made by this pagan (kind of weave) artisan. They all live in a village outside of yokyakarta. Village in Indonesian is Kampong. It is cluster of small houses with narrow streets between. Scrawny chicken running around and women and men in their sarongs. Around 4 the call to prayer sound and men (only the men, go to the mosque for prayer. Anyway, we were in this house doing the quality control. Actually in the section that was heavily damaged by the earthquake in 2004. The family told us how the government promised ex amount of rupee for restoration but because of corruption they have only gotten half of that money. The amazing this is how cheerful everybody is. So friendly and helpful. And the live still very primitive. At least in the villages. While Erni, my colleague, and I were sitting on the mat doing our work the grandmother is preparing the dinner on a wood fire on the floor in the kitchen.

First Day in Semarang

Semarang January 10, 2013

My first day in Indonesia is almost over.  I started the day still with fear and a sense of why the hell did I want to do this again.  But by the end that feeling was gone.  Yes, in stead of a shower you have to mandi, meaning, you stand in a big tub with cold water and you throw water over you with a big scoop.  The house is tiny and is in the outskirts of Semarang as is the little company I work for (it is more sort of a warehouse).  When I walked in this morning I was greeted by smiling Indonesian people all with bad teeth(no dentists or orthodontists here).  But they are really friendly and go out of their way to make me feel welcome, taking me to lunch, bringing snacks and more. They eat by the way all the time and there is very little opportunity to walk as there is no public transportation so all is done in the car trying to fight the traffic and trying to miss the plague of scooters.  Apparently, Indonesia used to have a great railway system, build by the Dutch, but here too the all mighty car is the big winner and the rails are in disrepair.  Unfortunately there is no infrastructure to deal with the explosion of cars. Let me describe to you the travel from the house to the office. The house is sort of a row house in a newly developed neighborhood. The area is called Mijid.  You drive out of the neighborhood and than you

get onto an older neighborhood with little streets, shops and sort of messy.  It is called the kampong.  Tons of people everywhere and tons of scooters with sometimes whole families on them. It seems there are more scooters than cars.  They also driver faster and moredangerously. The streets going to the office are mostly narrow, sometimes with lots of vegetation, mostly it is kampong like setting, with lots of activity.  It takes about 30-40 minutes to get to the office.    It is all on the south- west side of the center of town.  In theevening it looks very different because than all the shops are closedand there is not the beehive activity.  Hopefully I can take some pictures at one point. Maybe tomorrow when I don't have to go to work. 

After work Erni and Iit, my two new best friends (wonderful women), took me for a massage (Pidgit) which was the best thing you can have after sitting on planes for 20 hours.

Yes, the fear is gone.  Instead I feel the excitement that my adventure has really started. This is exactly what I wanted, I wanted to emerge myself in this culture, this country, that I grew up with, heard so much about, but never experienced.

Sampai Nanti

January 5, 2012. The Fatherland

As it turns out my stop in the netherlands actually is the first day of my pilgrimage. went over pictures of my brother thst he took when he was in indonesia 20 years ago. He had visited Treblasala and had met the manager. Took pictures of the plantation, the surroundings. The factory where they processed the coffee beans and the rubber. The machines they used were still the same as the one my grandfather had installed

In the evening i went to see some friends, many have connections with Indonesia and parents who had been in a camp as well. Had good conversations about that also about feelings of shame about having been a colonial power and the many atrocities we had committed in Indonesia. That is part of our collective heritage as well . Tomorrow my brothers and I will all go to see my mother. So glad I made this stop.