Sorry, I have not been keeping up with the blog this week. I have been doing my best to keep up with e-mails and, with little internet access, that left little time to do any blogging. With each passing day, teaching gets a little easier. I am so thankful for that! My second week of teaching has been going well. I am still reviewing what the kids should have learned last year. So, I am getting a good grip on what they can and cannot do. This will make lesson planning soo much easier!
This past Saturday I was able to get out and explore my area of Surabaya. I live in an area called CitraLand. It's kind of like a suburb. I decided to walk around so I could see what CitraLand had to offer and also to see how long it would take me to walk places. The nearest coffee shop with free wi-fi is about a 25 minute walk. Not too bad! When I got there, the guys working at the coffee shop asked where I lived and when I told them that I had walked there, they told me that is so far away. Apparently, people in Indonesia do not like walking places. Most people have motorbikes or cars or they call a taxi. But, I love to walk so I didn't mind it at all! There is also a small grocery store attached to the coffee shop. I scoped it out and they have tons of Western stuff! They even have microwave popcorn and Snapple! Yes! I then walked through this really nice with mansions. Not the McMansions pictured earlier but, actual mansions. They were huge! And the place is one huge golf course. It's really beautiful! I walked to the golf course club house and checked on getting a membership. I am not a golfer but, I would love to hang by the pool. The membership is about $50 a month. It's a steal by US standards but SUPER expensive for Indonesia. It really is a gorgeous place but I just couldn't justify spending that kind of money to lay by a pool. Especially since I do not golf. But, they do have a spa there that is open to the public so I might have to stop by for massages every once in a while (or once a week...at least). After the golf course, I walked to the waterpark. It was a gorgeous Saturday afternoon and I think there were 10 cars in the parking lot. But, there were also motorbikes too. The waterpark doesn't seem great but, it is Indonesia's largest waterpark. It only costs $8 per visit. So, I decided that is where I would go when I want to lay by a pool. It looks like they have a sweet lazy river, too. Oh, I also found the CitraLand Marketing Office so I stopped there to get a map of the area. That has proven to be very helpful! I love maps and have felt totally lost without a map to see where I am. Yeah, google maps is not so great for finding places in Surabaya. After all that, I decided I better get home. It took me an hour to walk home from the waterpark. Hmm, I better get a bicycle for that trek. Yes, I have decided I need to get a bicycle for my trips to the grocery store and waterpark. I would rather walk but, don't really want to carry all my groceries home on the 25 minute walk.
I found out last week that we have another 3 day weekend coming up in August. I am planning a trip to Bali with another expat. I can't wait to see Bali and lay on the beach and just relax in the sun!
Well, it's time for our end of the day meeting. Actually, it was supossed to start 5 minutes ago but, I'm sure it won't start for another 10 minutes. Welcome to Indonesia time!
Love and miss you!
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CitraLand = Eden Prairie
ReplyDeleteSo are you teaching the privileged students or the poor ones? It doesn't sound like there is much of a middle class.
ReplyDeleteI am glad to hear things are going better! You will look back on your first week in a few months and feel like it was years ago. Those kids are lucky to have you! I am going to the library today to get some resources for you (make copies) your care package is coming together!
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