life

Since tales of island hopping isn’t disappointing to you, my loved ones, I’ll faithfully continue to share my “sufferings” here in the other hemisphere, including the recently-schemed Thanksgiving excursion. But more on exploring this nation of 10,000 islands later…

It’s been another crazy week, actually, the busiest so far. I hit a point somewhere mid-week on about hour 12 of the work day that I think I’m working harder at this job than I ever have any other in my life. Maybe it’s that there’s more to do, maybe it’s because I’m living amid the disaster aftermath, maybe it’s because there’s not much else to do here other than work, or maybe it’s e a combination of those and a lot more, but I have realized that I definitely couldn’t go at this pace forever! The one-year mark ahead signals a time of respite, and for that I’m thankful. Things *will* eventually slow down. In the meantime, though, I’m hard at it. Meeting, planning, typing, walking, talking on this tiny black cell phone that is my constant companion, and overall, trying to keep up with more “to do” details than my little brain will hold.

Thursday of this week, though, I did hit a bit of overload… or maybe it was bad chicken, but something made me deathly ill for about 24-hours. I woke up the night before throwing up, feverish and nauseous and that’s about it, but my symptoms continued into the next day and sent me home from work after a few hours and back to bed. Sleep helped immensely, and I was fine again by the next day. Through it all, I came to two important conclusions – First, I will not be eating chicken again while I’m here. None. The only variation of what I’d eaten from my housemate Sharmila the night before was chicken, so it’s been deduced to be the possible culprit. So, since the fish here is so delicious and knowing there will be plenty of hot wings waiting for me back in the States, I’ll have all the chicken I want *after* returning. Second conclusion – That I’m grateful for my “on-call” doctor here in the eastern hemisphere. Sharmila is an M.D., so if I'm lying in bed convincing myself I have bird flu, she'll be there to assure me (with authority) that I indeed do not.

I have much, much to be thankful for…

Other items of late include the joy of finding a little café near my office that serves PIZZA. Yes, that’s right – fluffy dough, something that resembles tomato sauce and a few shreds of unidentifiable cheese. After rice for every meal for well over a month now, it was absolute deliciousness! And, to top it off, the restaurant even has internet connection (dial-up, like everywhere here, but I’ve gotten used to it) so I’ve decided that it could likely become my satellite office, away from the sheer chaos that often invades my working quarters. My current workspace did, however, receive the indescribable blessing of an air conditioning unit this week. So, even though it’s still noisy and packed with people, it is much, much cooler than it was!

And, we can now wear shoes in the office (another exciting little happening this week). Had I mentioned that you have to take your shoes off before you go inside most places here? Well, you do. It’s like that in many cultures around the world, I think, and even though it keeps the germs of the street outside, it makes for quite a shoe assortment piled outside every door! Within my first few days here, I switched from wearing my New Balance and tying and re-tying them every time I came and went, to the slip-on ease of my Chacos as a result of the “shoe policy.” But for some reason, they changed it for our offices now. Perhaps because it became more sanitary to let everyone keep their shoes on than have dozens and dozens of people running around barefoot on floors that may or may not have been cleaned this year. Who knows, but I’m just glad the bottoms of my feet aren’t entirely filthy at the end of the day anymore… my shiny red toenails are one of the only remaining things that help me feel pretty!

This week, I also had fleeting moments of feeling like I actually knew how to do my job (which is always exciting). I prepped my boss for an interview with Associated Press, and we went over the questions that I knew I would ask if I was the reporter. And amazingly, the reporter asked those questions verbatim! It was extremely reassuring, and made me feel more confident looking ahead to the onslaught of journalists who will be coming our way in the next few weeks…

On a happiness of the heart note, I’m starting to feel like I really have friends here. And we all know how very important that is. Everyone’s been super nice from the get-go, but over the last week or two, the moments of connection and familiarity with people have saturated my day-to-day with an ease and comfort I had been missing. Whether it’s going to a big meeting and knowing most everyone around the table, or having coffee with colleagues from England or Canada or Argentina and chatting long after our “official business” discussion was over, it’s been really good to start to feel connected. There have even been parties to go to the past few weekends. These regular get-togethers for all the “foreigners” had slacked off during Ramadan but have now restarted. Usually they’re hosted by one of the organizations and held at one of their group houses. Most, like my new house, are ridiculously spacious, so it’s plenty of room to hold 50, 60, 70 people. It’s a great place to get to meet people outside your organization, and the mixture of backgrounds makes it seem more like a United Nations assembly. So it’s been great to get to “socialize” too, and we’re planning to host party ourselves in the next few weeks.

But amid working and socializing and island hopping, I hopefully will never lose sight of why I’m here – to be a part of helping the people of Aceh. I’ve resolved that no matter how crazy work activities are, I’m going to make sure I balance tasks and meetings with being out in the field interacting, reporting, photographing and doing what I truly love most – being a journalist. My duties here necessitate so much “other stuff” than I ever realized I would be responsible for… which is challenging and stretching, but very fulfilling in realizing that I can help our work here move forward in an assortment of ways. But it’s being out in the hot sun in the middle of a village with my camera slung over my shoulder and my notebook clutched in my hand when I know I’m in the posture that suits me best.

So, yesterday, I went with our psychosocial team out to an ocean-side community about an hour away that was ravaged by the tsunami. Hundreds died there and almost everything was destroyed. Survivors live in makeshift houses and tents now, but the school has been rebuilt and was the site of the event yesterday. Our Indonesian partner agency took the idea of a competition like American Idol (which they have here and in almost every other country around the world) and are holding singing competitions for kids in the schools throughout Aceh. The winners’ songs will be played on a radio station that we’re helping sponsor, and then anyone can call in and vote – just like American Idol. And if the fun and big turnout of yesterday’s activities were any indication of what’s ahead, it will be huge success. The community loved it! We even had a videographer come out film it, and that could evolve into something very cool in the long run. But for now, I hope you’ll enjoy seeing some of the scenes from the day and some of the sweet, adorable faces I encountered. I’ll try to get them downloaded and posted soon.

As the pelting rain drowns out the sound of Sarah McLachlan and clicking keys, I’ll sign off for now. (This has indeed become a novel-length posting, and I have no idea really what I've been rambling on about.) But as I mentioned earlier, on the next island jaunt, we’ll be taking advantage of two unexpected days off this upcoming week –Thanksgiving. Our team had assumed that since we follow local holiday schedules that there was no way we’d get time off for turkey, much less travel, but our director surprised everyone and gave us two days vacation and another reason to be thankful! I’ve concluded, though, that the only way to cope with my first Thanksgiving away from my sweet family is to treat myself to a trip to a place that makes me almost as happy as Mamaw’s house – the beach. (But it’s definitely a *distant* second, of course!). More details after we know if we’re actually able to get tickets tomorrow…As always, thanks for all the love and prayers i feel coming my way!

All my love,

Bonnie Jean

p.s. If you heard of the earthquake here over the weekend, don't worry. We barely even felt it! The one that happened a few days after my arrival was much stronger. Everyone's a-ok.

snorkeling

It’s been awhile since I’ve written, so please accept my apologies for the delay in updates! Moving into the new house this week and trying this weekend to get settled, allowed for no rest for the weary after a long, long week in the office.

The island trip last weekend was fantastic and relaxing. I learned on the ferry ride there that the names of my destination that I had shared were wrong – the island itself is Pulo Weh and the main city there is Sabang. We stayed in a “resort” area called Gapang on the north side of the island that was situated at the center of a magnificent blue lagoon. But don’t be mistaken – by “resort” I mean a very rustic cabin with running water and not much else. I even had to take a “bucket bath”, which means I splashed water on myself with a bucket from the little basin, and used the squattie potties because that's all there was! The little community had three hut/house type restaurants and a dive shop, all of which had either withstood tsunami waters or been rebuilt afterwards. So it wasn't like Panama City or Cancun or other beach towns, and rivaled only the island of Pulo Aceh where I went the week before in its exquisite natural beauty.

I decided not to try scuba diving on this trip and opted to snorkel instead, and soon learned that depth isn't required to see some amazing underwater sights! A coral reef which miraculously stayed in tact during the tsunami ran along the perimeter of the lagoon, providing one of the best underwater viewing sites on an island world-famous for its aquatic opportunities. The first day was primarily a beach day, swimming a bit and sitting around lazily with colleagues and new acquaintances enjoying the spectacular scenery. But by the second day, I strapped on my rented flippers and mask and headed out to the reef. Inching along on the water’s surface, everything below me shimmered in vivid, fluorescent colors. Coral of all shapes and colors erupted from the ocean’s floor, and fish of unimaginable varieties darted and drifted all around – I felt like I was inside Finding Nemo! Over the next few days, I patrolled the waters of the lagoon like Jacques Cousteau and never ceased being amazed at Life under the water. Huge sea turtles, baby octopus, and my favorite – giant purple and green starfish – were absolutely incredible to witness. Oh, how I longed for an underwater camera…

It was a great trip, and just good not to have to use my brain for a few days. As vacations like that should be, my most taxing daily decision was what to eat next. And we did a lot of that! One of the “restaurants” was literally the front porch of a family’s house and we feasted there several times on grilled tuna and mysterious dishes drenched in deliciously spicy sauces. Fantastic! But even leisure days seem to go by quickly, and before I knew it, I found myself back in Banda and back to work.

And in the midst of a busy week in the office (national program director coming in, media beginning to arrive, lots of meetings and multi-tasking and what not) I moved into the new house. It’s so nice and incredible spacious, but like any new house was missing lots of things when we arrived, like furniture and dishware and cooking and cleaning stuff and so on. So evenings and this weekend, we’ve been scrambling around trying to get the basics, and shopping even for what you’d consider “basic” things in Banda Aceh is like the hunt for the Holy Grail. But I think at last we’re about to get there. We even have an adorable housekeeper that’s young and sweet and speaks some English, plus she cooks like a gourmet chef! It’s wonderful (and yes, absolutely everyone here has housekeepers, so I’m only as spoiled as all the other foreigners in Aceh!) It’s a one-level house on the edge of town near the mountains, which makes for lovely sunsets, provided I leave the office in time to actually seem them. My room is on the west end of the house and has its own porch and door outside. I’m even on the hunt for a swing. But perhaps the nicest thing is to have a housemate that I can sit up and chat with at night, or watch a movie (we bought a DVD player this weekend) or whatever – just having good company in a place where it’s easy to feel far away from loved ones makes an immeasurable difference. So I’m thankful for my new living situation here for many, many reasons, and thank you all for your prayers to get me here…

I should be traveling some next week gathering new stories, so hopefully my next post won’t be tales of island hopping again! Speaking of stories, my first story is posted online after weeks of delay, so have a look if you get a chance, keeping in mind that it's been edited, so any awkward wording didn't originate with yours truly! And I’ll send some new photos in soon, too, of Pulo Weh and the new house and room.

I love and miss you all.

-bj

lobster

We set sail across the midnight blue waters of the Indian Ocean toward Pulo Aceh just as the noonday sun reached its pinnacle. It was a beautiful clear day, and I had worn short sleeves just for such a semi-tanning opportunity (women here wear long sleeves only, a cultural imperative I try to abide by). Since I can’t estimate feet very well, I’ll just say our wood-frame boat was longer than a ski boat, but shorter than a luxury yacht. There was an enclosed area for storage and one for the pilot, situated strategically over the long metal bar he balanced on, steering the rudder with his feet. My teammates and I relaxed on the floor of the deck, soaking in the sun and spectacular scenery.

Careening through mile after mile of Indonesian islands, I was astounded by the beauty that unfolded before me. Towering mountain peaks, coated to their tips with trees and vegetation. Secluded beaches nestled in tiny coves, with white-capped waves tumbling and crashing onto their shores. It was Nature at its most magnificent. Yet, amid the brilliance, every shoreline still bore the visible scars of the tsunami, with only reemerging greenery wrapping the landscape’s border with the ocean. Like a rim stretching 20, 30, even 100 yards inland, a distinct line evidenced what was vibrant and what was recovering.

As we reached Pulo Aceh about two hours later, the scene was the same – lingering marks on the land of the tragedy, but an unencumbered natural beauty rivaling few other places I’ve ever seen. It was an undeveloped, untouched paradise. A few dozen villagers greeted us, and a staff member who had been staying there packed us into our four-wheel-drive truck, which I soon learned was the only motorized vehicle on the island. The curvy, dirt roadways had been reconstructed following the tsunami and had the makings of a great off-roading trail. We bounced around in the truck bed, the tires sloshing and slinging mud, and I felt like I was back in the Delta!

Before the tsunami, there were about 25 villages on the island, now there are 17. The disaster claimed the lives of entire communities, and up to 80% of the people in the remaining villages. Survivors are now living in government-built barracks made mostly of tin and plywood, resembling summer camp cabins at their worst. Residents now depend on faulty water tanks and live amid deteriorating sanitation conditions. This is where our current work in Pulo Aceh begins – to build dependable new water systems by tapping into fresh water springs from the nearby mountains, along with working to improve the overall living situation.

Hiking up to the system construction sites was like walking through a rainforest. Our lead engineer kept shouting, “Watch out for the wild boars!” Thankfully, I never saw any, but heard lots of rumblings in the bushes! Our engineering teams designed the concept of water system and dam, but the local people are building it, creating a sense of ownership and pride within them and their communities. Utilizing the downward slope of the mountains and a natural spring, fresh clean water will flow freely into the villages below. One of the projects should be completed in a few weeks, having taken around two months to complete in its entirety. Needless to say, everyone is excited!

Later, we walked on the deserted beaches at sunset, listening to the thundering waves and picking up shells. Lying amid acres of stone-white coral, the shells' hues were vibrant and distinctly pure. After a Ramadan breaking fast dinner at one of the villages, we talked long into the night with colleagues from Britain and our new friends from the island. I slept soundly in the tent, and awoke in the morning to a scene of palm trees, blue waters and fog-draped mountains. Turkish coffee and crackers kick-started the day and fueled me for an early hike to another water construction site. When we came down the mountain a little while later, the Lobster Tale began...

Apparently, the last time our lead engineer, Teh, was on the island he mentioned liking fresh fish and that he should perhaps get some next time he was there. So, as we’re coming down the mountainside, two small fishing boats are easing toward the shore, and we hear a distant voice from the water’s edge, “Mr. Teh! Miss Bonnie! We have fish! We have fish!” We hopped in the four-wheel drive and sped over to see the catch. Even though the locals were fasting for Ramadan and wouldn’t be eating the fish themselves, they had gone out and caught fish just for us – and they were enormous! Red snapper, barracuda, tuna, an ocean catfish (who knew?), and even a shark. The locals clamored around, and the Brits soon caught on to what was happening, too. But amid the chaos brewing around our instant mini-fish-market, one of the fisherman motioned us off to the side, “Here, here, look here. Special for you.”

And then we saw it – the dripping-wet cage filled with absolutely gigantic lobster! I shrieked aloud, and I think my colleagues all did as well. Teh questioned me excitedly, “Which one do you want? Which one do you want?” I tried to pin-point one or two but they were all so huge it was impossible to decide. We paused simultaneously, looked at each other and nodded. He turned to the fisherman and said, “Pack them up, we’ll take them all.”

Seventeen lobster, two red snapper, and one ocean catfish later, we headed back to Banda, having invested significantly in the local economy for a price that would have been unheard of in the States, even in Maine. That night we rallied our whole staff for Banda Aceh Lobster Boil 2005 and feasted on massive crustaceans, fried ocean catfish and grilled red snapper until we couldn’t eat another bite.

Hardship conditions? I think not.

And to perpetuate my “suffering,” I’m actually headed out on another island jaunt today. It’s the end of Ramadan, and celebrations abound like Christmastime back home. Since all of our local staff is gone (as is everyone else, too), seven of us are headed to Sabang island for the next four days, home of such areas as Pulo Weh which is among the top diving and snorkeling sites in the world. Unlike Pulo Aceh, it’s developed to some degree (or so we’ve heard) and has resorts, huts, and a restaurant… oh, and a pristine lagoon as well!

Yes, I know – I’m supposed to be over here toiling away doing good deeds, and I’m eating lobster and island hopping. Who would’ve thought? But, seriously, I look at it as a God-given chance to step away from the weight of day to day conditions in both life and work here, so I’m thankful… very thankful. But I will be taking my laptop with me to do some work, so I'm not goofing off completely!

I’ll be moving into the new house when I get back, and the new offices are nice – much quieter and a bigger work space. However, it did take me about four days to find the “western-style” toilet. I thought all we had was the squattie pottie and had been using that one, or walking back next door!

Keep the notes and prayers coming – they’re much needed and appreciated! And I’ll update as often as I can. Oh, and don't forget to check out Pulo Aceh photos. Gene said he'd be posting them soon!

Love from Banda,
Bonnie Aceh

travel

We just had a staff meeting about bird flu. And it seems that despite the fact that chicken is one of the only things I’ve been eating since I got here, unless I take a job on a chicken farm, I’m more likely to die of stress associated with the media frenzy around the disease than the disease itself. Phew! However, they will be offering traditional flu-shots to all of us which is said to lessen the risk should the virus mutant into a human-to-human contractible form.

It’s been a busy week, and I’m about to head out to one of our island-based water sanitation projects on an overnight field expedition. We’ll be taking a boat out, stocked with piping and other project supplies, then hiking to the different sites. With a full pack of camera gear and my sleeping bag strapped on, I look more like I’m headed down the AT trail! I have fall leaves as my screensaver on my computer and daydream about the mountains this time of year, while smoldering in the 85+ degrees and 1000 percent humidity :) One would think my home state would have acclimated more me to this, but I spend most of my time outdoors (and inside as well) sweating profusely!

I had my first big media adventure yesterday, hosting a crew from one of France’s major TV networks at our psychosocial training event. It couldn’t have gone better! They were fun, interested, positive, and spent the afternoon interviewing our staff and participants. Who knew I’d be doing “international relations” here as well as media relations? I’m learning that 90% of it comes back to Southern Hospitality, so it comes pretty easily!

Other excitements of late include receiving my copy of Photoshop, which was hand-carried from the States by one of our financial guys from headquarters (who was for some reason cute and charming, or perhaps I’m in withdrawals from American boys). Also, I got the word that I can move into our new house (House #5), which I’ll be doing with another current housemate early next week. His name is Sten (pronounced “Steen”) and he’s from Denmark and about my Dad’s age. We’ll be jointed shortly be other new colleagues scheduled to arrive later in the week. My new room has its own porch and door outside and all the walls are painted a delightful yellow. I’m excited! We’re also switching offices to a new building (house, actually) next door to the one we’re all currently crammed into with Brits and Canadians, so that should be a good move as well.

I had sushi this week, which we bought at the fish market, brought it home, sliced it up and ate it, so it was literally the freshest fish I’ve ever had. Out of the tuna and barracuda, it was hard to pick a favorite! And I’ve been watching movies at night that I bought for the low bargain price of 80 cents a piece. Also, I got my first piece of mail! (A sweet birthday card from my sweet Mamaw Barton.) It looks as if it took about two weeks to make it here, which I’m learning is pretty typical. Packages are said to take between four and six weeks through standard mail, and padded envelopes are supposedly faster. I’ll keep an eye open for those of you who said you’ll be sending things and let you know how long it takes. Thanks so much!

Now, I’m off to the island of Pulo Aceh!

working

I just turned off the lone book-on-cd that I downloaded to my mp3 player before leaving the States. I’m rationing it to myself, only a few tracks each night, to fill the quiet space in my room with a now-familiar voice. Time is passing quickly – I can’t believe the week is drawing to a close. It’s been a good one, and busy one. I wrote a lot, edited stuff, had lots of meetings and this and that. I think if I read another concept paper or try to analyze any more matrices, my head might explode. But it’s being out of the office, turning the endless stack of proposals and plans and paperwork into tangible experiences, that I’m anxious to do more of, and am beginning to.

Last weekend I went to cover the opening of a special training my colleagues were holding for the new local psychosocial teams. All Aceh residents, and tsunami survivors as well, these inspirational individuals will act as counselors for entire communities. It’s a unique and effective therapeutic approach that I’m learning more about all the time. Activities they’ll implement range from small discussion groups for adults, separated by gender, to games, singing and art projects for kids (much like Shades of Blue). The goal is to tap in to the resilience and strength which has sustained disaster-affected communities so far, and spur them on toward the final phases of healing and recovery through positive group activities. It’s not only interesting, it’s working, and empowers people in a lasting way.

Sundays, I quickly learned, are the only semi-days-of-rest around here. And mine entailed a trip to the newly-reopened Pante Birak, which I personally like to call the Super Wal-Mart of Banda Aceh. When most of the shops here are about the size of your living room, this two-story grocery-esque store is a haven for locals and expats alike. My day was made when I found… yes, a bottle of Clorox and a roll of paper towels (which no one uses here! nor do they have rolls inside their “rolls” of toilet paper because they don’t use dispensers, but that’s another story…)

That day, though, and again later in the week, I drove out (well, I don’t technically drive anywhere, the drivers do, which is still taking some getting used to), I rode out through the tsunami-affected areas and surveyed the progress. There is still a lot of rubble, but no mountains of debris. There are sagging tents and makeshift houses, but some new structures and restored homes, and workmen everywhere laying roads, building bridges, putting up more houses, tacking down rooftops – it’s a beehive of activity – the actions of recovery in process.

One site I visited was a temporary housing community to interview a friend of one of my officemates (literally “office mate,” as in I can look over the top of my computer screen and see her across our joined desk space). Wan Maulida and her daughter’s pictures are on the Photos page for you to see, and I spent a few hours getting to know them and learning about their life there. She and all her neighbors lived in the tsunami-devastated areas and are now lumped together in a small community of three-room, oddly brightly-colored houses (we all joke that someone from South Beach picked the color scheme for all the new housing here!). Even though they agree it’s not ideal, everyone I talked to was optimistic and thankful simply to have a place to live. I watched them haul water by the bucket-full back and forth through the muddy roads to their homes, watched them (and joined them) in wiping sweat from their foreheads in the baking heat and humidity, and I saw in them the word that captures their essence – resilience. Unspoken strength is innate in disaster survivors; after trauma, functioning itself is a victory, and the people of Banda Aceh are more than victorious…

The people of Banda Aceh are also very fun! My favorite driver, a local guy in his early twenties named Hadi, has a collection of mixed cds that makes even yours truly look like a novice. It’s all bootlegged music (as is almost anything here that comes on a cd or dvd here) and costs only a dollar or two, thus I plan on coming home with a case full! So, I’m not lacking for a good dose of cruising music when the need arises. However, I’ve unfortunately acquired the nickname “Britney Spears” among the drivers, even though it’s the Gwen Steffani songs that I sing all the words to…

In addition to a good music source, I’ve also acquired another essential in my life – a friend that cooks. A media colleague invited me over for a friendly dinner, but I soon found before me the most fantastic meal I’ve had since arriving here. And “what did you have?” you may ask… Well, I’m not exactly sure because the electricity was off (a daily occurrence in Banda), so I couldn’t see what I was eating per say, but it involved chicken and vegetables and was truly delicious. A Middle East native, he even prepared Basmati rice to perfection. Yum! And when I’m not making new friends that cook for me, I’m eating peanut butter and crackers, so, no worries, I am far from starving to death.

Other highlights of the week included calling in to Carrie’s surprise 30th birthday party (yeah!! Happy day, sista!), successfully chatting with Jennifer on SKYPE (which totally works and is *free* and downloadable from skype.com), reading the awesomely encouraging posts on my blog from you guys, and peering at my condo in Virginia Beach via satellite on Google Earth. The picture print-out of my Shore Drive neighborhood is now hanging on the wall here beside me… oh, it’s the little things.

Tomorrow, we’ll be sharing a special meal with our local staff. They’re all Muslim and the month of Ramadan they fast every day from sun up to sun down. So, the evening meal and prayer is a celebratory time of sorts, especially as the month draws to a close. And tomorrow, we’ll all gather to “break fast” with them with a big dinner at one of our houses. It’s a great way to honor such a dedicated and hard-working group of people – the work here literally couldn’t happen without them!

The power is off again now, and I’m going to try to sleep before my room gets too hot… We’ve just acquired the fifth house for incoming staff, and if you wouldn’t mind, do say a prayer that I’m able to transition over to the new one… on a scale of 1 to 10, it would raise my comfort level from about a four to about a nine. All the love and prayers I’m daily feeling are much, much appreciated… thank you.

With love from Banda,
bonnie jean

nighttime

I just walked out onto our second floor balcony, and two cows were soundly sleeping in the middle of the dusty street below. Evening prayer chants echoed from distant mosques, competing with the sounds of the one visible over my neighbors’ rooftops. It’s Friday, the Muslim holy day, and it’s the month of Ramadan, the holiest of times, so there is an air of serenity in the city that’s almost tangible.

Nighttime is quiet in Banda Aceh, or maybe it’s normal here but still seems quiet to me. No TV, no DSL, no phone ringing with friends making plans to do this or that, only the persistent meowing of our house cat that literally came as part of the house, and Blake Shelton playing on my mp3 player. It’s been a good first week, and I’m settling into my new environs. The bathroom is scrubbed, the bags are mostly unpacked, I’ve learned a few phrases in Bahasa and made a lot of good connections with people already. I met a man today that could easily become a mentor – wise, kind, a veteran freelance journalist who became a PIO for a one of our cooperative agencies just to be part of the humanitarian effort. Next week, we're going to the weekly meeting of all the communicators so I can continue getting to know my peers. It was an encouraging encounter, and one which profoundly reminded me again of how much I’m going to learn here.

Speaking of learning, that’s what my first days here have consisted of – sitting with my new team members soaking in massive amounts of information about the programs they’ve been working on. There’s 12 of us now, with three others arriving this week, too. It’s absolutely astounding to see and hear all that’s been accomplished so far with just these few dedicated individuals and two dozen or so local staff. Water sanitation programs, community health and vaccinations, partnerships to build houses, psychosocial projects, cash for work cleanup and rebuilding initiatives that help local residents earn wages while restoring their own community – I’ve been dumbfounded by it all, and very proud to now be a part of the team. Granted they all work 10/12 hour days six or seven days a week, but there’s really not much else to do in Banda!

And from a few months ago, the city has changed. Yesterday, I went out to few sites to see the cash for work programs in action, and driving through areas that were once completely devastated by the tsunami, I saw something that surprised me – vitality. Places I recognized from my own photographs in January were not only cleaned of mountains of debris, they were rebuilt and bustling. Shops were open, roads were repaired. It was awesome. But my stomach dropped when we rounded a corner and a caravan of yellow dump trucks rolled toward us – the same trucks that were hauling lifeless bodies away when I was last here. We eased into neighborhoods, that though they were free of debris, consisted of ramshackle houses, pieced together with scrap lumber, all sitting amid tattered tents that had deteriorated after months and months in the hot Indonesian sun and daily rains. It was heart-wrenching, but the people… the people seemed happy.

Much, much more remains to be done, yes, but the scope of what has been accomplished so far is staggering. The debris removal alone is a task I thought in January would take years, and now, relatively speaking, it’s done, with portions even being recycled for rebuilding projects… Banda Aceh is indeed recovering, and I’m so thankful to be able to see it, and hopefully, in some way, be a part of it …

arriving

After rising at 3:30 a.m. to catch the first of two flights, I made it to Banda Aceh yesterday morning a bit before noon. Still haven’t seen much of the town other than our house and the office, which are both across town from where the tsunami hit. Hopefully, tomorrow I’ll be able to get some of the local staff to take me out so I can see the progress there.

Things are going well. The house I’m living in with the program director (she also arrived yesterday and is the 2nd in command) and another older guy who’s tucked away upstairs is a huge place, and we’re expecting to eventually have two more people living here, too. From the outside it’s bungalow style with a red stucco-type roof, but walking into my room in the far back corner, I (confessionally) had an onslaught of culture shock. We’ll just leave it at, well, it’s not the Hilton, but I’m not Paris, so it’ll be just fine. The bathroom (with the water-filled basin, toilet, and shower fixture all in a 3x3 space) needs some scrubbing and what not, but after that, I’ll be set. Plus, it’s a thousand times better than 95 percent of the population here, so really I have absolutely nothing to complain about! It’s all part of the “transition”…

Everyone at the offices is so very, very nice and, again, like in the Jakarta headquarters, it’s a global compilation of people and personalities. They have all been extremely welcoming and friendly, and are anxious to help the new people adjust and find the local market and things like that. We have drivers that take us places, translators and lots of local staff who are wonderful and charming and are already trying to teach me Bahasa, the Indonesia language.

Randomly interesting things of note so far: People’s preoccupation with another earthquake. It’s a real possibility and they actually had a big one last week. The Australian guy leading the security orientation yesterday said in his Aussie accent, “Well, mates, keep ya safety bag packed and leave it by ya bed, and whateva ya do, don’t sleep naked.” So funny, but even as I was typing this there was a big tremor that lasted about 30 seconds, so it’s definitely a reality!

On another note, to cope with Mississippi Delta-sized mosquitoes, they have electronic fly-swatter type things that look like tennis racquets! It’s truly fascinating… you plug the base into an outlet and charge them up, then when one comes after you, just flip it on and swat away like you were hitting a tennis ball and it zaps them. DEAD. I haven’t tried it on a non-insect yet, but it’s gotta hurt…

They have vital dietary essentials here as well, like Diet Coke, and peanut butter and Ritz crackers, and Pringles. I’m sucking down instant Nescafe black like it was Nonfat Vanilla Latte, and not really even noticing. Locals have prepared all the meals I’ve had so far, which have been rice or noodles with fish or chicken, and cucumbers every time (interesting and yummy).

We do have a lady that’s supposed to help around the house and do some cooking, but are still trying to successfully communicate with her. She doesn’t speak English and there is no microwave, so I obviously need to learn Indonesian as quickly as possible.

Pictures to come soon when I get Photoshop, and get to get out do some more shooting, too.

I appreciate all the prayers and encouraging notes, and am just amazingly blessed to have such a support group.

Terima kasih, (“Thank you” in Bahasa)
-bonnie jean

beginning

Jakarta… how long have I been here? It could be a two weeks, or two days… I’m thinking the latter, but am not quite sure since my days and nights are still pretty turned around. Indonesia’s 11 hours ahead to the East Coast, and my 2+ day trek here left blurry-eyed, but still thoroughly excited.

Yesterday was my first full day, and I spent most of it sitting a taxi getting to and from the offices, crammed into a gigantic traffic blob with the nine million other people who live here. Ok, I’m exaggerating a bit, but it is indicative of the most prevailing characteristic of Indonesia’s capital city – it’s BUSY.

Cars, carts, motorcycles, bicycles, and an array of other moving apparatii clog the streets, honking, squealing, and veering full-throttle within inches of one another. It’s absolutely nuts. Meanwhile, the shops, markets and other pedestrian thoroughfares look quite similar – except with people instead of cars, and cell phones instead of horns (though here they’re called “hand phones,” for a little cultural fyi).

Anyway, the time here’s been good, and I met more people at the offices yesterday than I’ll ever remember, but the main impression I’ll leave with is – wow, everyone’s so nice! (Seriously, though, they are.) But well beyond that, everyone’s here with a common mission to help, and they’re on top of things. And there’s an overwhelming sense of team collaboration that I noticed immediately… dozens and dozens of nationalities were represented, but there is unmistakably that unifying goal of bringing recovery to the region. It’s an amazing thing to be a part of.

Today, however, was much less noble, as I did what any good American girl would do on her second day in a foreign city – I found the mall. I bought a few bootlegged cds for a dollar each, had Dunkin Donuts coffee (fantastic), and even tried to get some exercise by walking back. But, perhaps disoriented by the 1000% humidity, I huffed it the wrong way, both in direction and in proper sidewalk etiquette (so I soon learned), then had to cab it back a few miles for the whopping fare of about 60 cents.

But Monday morning, I’ll leave the busy city scene and travel with Ricardo, my team leader, to Banda Aceh, where I’ll get settled in and likely jump right into the groove. (And the groove there will be completely different from the hustle of Jakarta). I’ve been reading document after document learning about the programs, but I know it’ll be in seeing things first hand that I’ll truly begin to process how it works… and hopefully see how much recovery has taken place since I was here last.

I don’t think there could be much more difference, geographically or otherwise, from where I am now and where I was this time last year. (Miami – definitely more suited for a birthday bash!) Both were and are thresholds for adventure, though, and if my 31^st year proves as wild and wonderfully cathartic as my 30^th, I can’t wait for what’s ahead…

For those who celebrated with me ahead of time, thank you from the bottom of my heart and soul… You are all amazing. And I do promise to one day stop using “I’m moving” as a subconscious ploy to get you to throw me a party.

But the birthday thing, not changing that one… oh happy day!