Monday, December 13, 2010

How long 'til I feel at home?

    Culture shock: When the lack of familiar reference points and behavioral norms leads to overload and emotional stress.


  • Begin to miss home, family, friends, home culture - yes I'd like some snow too
  • Begin to question yourself, your values - not really...
  • May feel lonely, withdrawn, frustrated, irritable, angry, bored or anxious - If crying  of frustration and impatience in a waiting room of a hospital counts, then yes. :)
  • May experience physical ailments, fatigue or depression - My blood pressure's never been so low, yes.
  • Experience disorientation regarding how to work with and relate to others - Because it's not about them? :)
  • Notice differences between the two cultures (and with the stress of adjustment, these differences seem more irritating than they might normally be) - YES YES YES YES YES YES
  • Become critical and impatient of the new culture - Couldn't have said it better.

I have to say it doesn't help that the Hostility period ( as they call it on the graph) correlates with 1: my first scooter accident, 2: me getting robbed on the street at night 6 days before Christmas break...
So anyways... according to the graph things should get back to normal by the end of January. 

On Thursday I am leaving the country to go to Australia for 18 days with Fanny! We'll be road tripping the western part of Australia (From Perth to Broome) and enjoying every bit of clean fresh air, wearing shorts and tank tops without feeling inappropriate, clean roads/malls/restaurants/hotels and cheap alcohol! 

Merry Christmas to you all, ours is going to be AMAZING. 




Saturday, December 4, 2010

Playing guitar on your must-do list.

        Living in Jakarta definitely has many downfalls: one of them being the considerable amount of time spent indoors... mostly due to a lack of open green spaces and overwhelming traffic.

"Increasing Jakarta's green spaces is not a priority for the city administration, which focuses more on transportation and housing, a spatial planning expert says." "Green areas have long been an issue in the thriving metropolis of Jakarta, and some observers have said the lack of green spaces makes the city less livable." Jakarta Post June 06 2010

       Though, many of us expatriates have chosen to look on the bright side and simply convert this particular problem into an opportunity: in deed we have decided to dedicate this precious time to pursue our passion for some, improve a skill or take on a new activity for others. For me, I have chosen to take on ...drum roll.. guitar! 


      The fact that guitar is to Indonesia what soccer is to France... helps the learning process. The price of a brand new guitar starts at 80 euros and the opportunity to see extremely talented guitar players endless... In pubs, bars or at concerts like the one I had the pleasure to go to on Wednesday: Dewan Budjana.

  "He is the lead guitarist and songwriter of the band Gigi. Budjana’s style changed dramatically to jazzas he got to know John McLaughlinPat MethenyJeff BeckJohn AbercrombieChick Corea and Weather ReportDewa Budjana has collaborated with many famous guitarists such as Tohpati,Ridho and Abdee Negara. His ability to combine jazz and rock has put him among the top Indonesian guitarists. Wikipedia"


Love C-