Wednesday, July 15, 2009
My temporary house
Here are pictures of my temporary house. Downstairs is the living room, dining room, and kitchen. Upstairs is the bedroom, tv room, bathroom and office. Pretty sweet digs for a teacher!
Second week in Surabaya
Well, it is now my second week of work. I start teaching next week. So, last week and this week are spent lesson planning (or updating my blog). I moved to my new house yesterday. It is nice. Smaller than the last one but, that is fine since the last one was massive! I am excited to be near the school I will be teaching at. I really do love this area of the city. I live right near the waterpark and near what will be the US Embassy (they are still building it). It's pretty suburban compared to where I was living before. I like it here but I had made some pretty good friends in the old neighborhood. Now we live an hour from one another so I probably won't see them much. I'm pretty sad about this. But, I hear the area where I am now has a lot of expats living there so I am sure I will make some new friends soon.
I am the only foreigner teaching at my school, which is a little weird. Everyone here speaks Indonesian and English but, their preferred speaking language is Indonesian. So I spend a lot of time thinking since I can't understand what anyone around me is saying. But, I'm sure I will pick up the language soon.
I am still looking for English curriculum. I am sooo not web surfing saavy so it is really frustrating looking for curriculum online. What I would love is to have teacher's books for Pre-K, K, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade and 3rd Grade. I wish you could download those off the internet but, I think you have to buy them. If anyone wants to purchase some and scan and e-mail it to me, I think that would be the happiest day of my life! Well, at least the happiest day of my life in Indonesia so far. And I would owe you BIG time! If you are interested in taking this challenge, I will be teaching English (Language Arts, Spelling, Reading, Writing, Speaking, etc.) to Pre-K thru Grade 3.
The internet is up and working at school so I am able to catch up on e-mails and my blog and all. I am so excited to be in touch with you all again! I still don't have internet at my house but I am hoping they will get that set up soon. Thanks again to all of you who have e-mailed. Getting e-mails from home is the highlight of my day. Sorry, I don't respond often but the internet has been so crappy. But, now it is up and running so I should be better about keeping in touch.
Love and miss you!
I am the only foreigner teaching at my school, which is a little weird. Everyone here speaks Indonesian and English but, their preferred speaking language is Indonesian. So I spend a lot of time thinking since I can't understand what anyone around me is saying. But, I'm sure I will pick up the language soon.
I am still looking for English curriculum. I am sooo not web surfing saavy so it is really frustrating looking for curriculum online. What I would love is to have teacher's books for Pre-K, K, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade and 3rd Grade. I wish you could download those off the internet but, I think you have to buy them. If anyone wants to purchase some and scan and e-mail it to me, I think that would be the happiest day of my life! Well, at least the happiest day of my life in Indonesia so far. And I would owe you BIG time! If you are interested in taking this challenge, I will be teaching English (Language Arts, Spelling, Reading, Writing, Speaking, etc.) to Pre-K thru Grade 3.
The internet is up and working at school so I am able to catch up on e-mails and my blog and all. I am so excited to be in touch with you all again! I still don't have internet at my house but I am hoping they will get that set up soon. Thanks again to all of you who have e-mailed. Getting e-mails from home is the highlight of my day. Sorry, I don't respond often but the internet has been so crappy. But, now it is up and running so I should be better about keeping in touch.
Love and miss you!
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Life in Surabaya
You are all probably wondering what life is like in Surabaya. I realized that my posts are more about my experience and not as much about what it is like here. So, here is the post you have been waiting for!
Surabaya is the 2nd largest city in Indonesia. It is crowded and very busy. Malls are their way of life. Sorry, Ben and Darcy, I think you would hate it here. Seriously, there is a GIANT mall every 10 blocks or sometimes across the street from one another. They are HUGE - at least 4 stories! Not as big as Mall of America but bigger than any other mall I have ever seen (and you know how I love malls!). It is actually pretty sickening. I think it totally takes away from what could be a beautiful city. But, the malls are air conditioned and they are free so, it is where people go and what they do every day. The mall I am in right now has a Starbucks, McDonald's, Wendy's, Burger King, Pizza Hut, KFC and Ace Hardware. However, there is no fountain Diet Coke to be found anywhere! :(
People drive on the opposite side of the road in Indonesia. Traffic is horrible! You couldn't pay me to drive in this! There doesn't appear to be any rhyme or reason to when you go and when you stop. And they honk their horns all the time. It is not safe to walk in the city so you have to take a taxi everywhere.
You are either rich or poor here so there are some HUGE, gorgeous houses and lots of tiny shacks.
Surabaya is 8 degrees below the equator so there is 12 hours of sunlight every day (from 5:3oam to 5:30pm). It's weird getting used to it being dark early even though it is "summer".
They speak Indonesian here. Some people speak English but it is usually pretty broken and very simplistic. We had a seminar yesterday led by 2 Americans. Half of what they said was over the heads of the Indonesian teachers because their English is not that good. But that was ok, because they were trying to brainwash us anyway.
Oh, my goodness, I just saw 6 white people walking by. That is unheard of here! Seriously, the only white people I ever see are the other expatriate teachers from the school.
Cell phones and internet is pay as you go. For cell phones, you buy a phone, then you buy a phone number, then you buy your minutes. And you have to update your minutes every month or when you run out. So, everyone here texts (SMS) because it is cheaper. I will be getting a land line at my permanent house so then I will be able to make International calls as the land lines are not pay as you go. Internet is also pay as you go so, it is great when you find free wi-fi!
They do have Western toilets in most places here. Yes! But you don't flush the tp. Gross! Also, you usually have to pay to use the toilets in public places. And everywhere is BYOTP. Even at the school.
The food here is pretty good. I have been sticking to rice and chicken. After church on Sunday I had a traditional Indonesian meal which was hard boiled eggs, cabbage, fish biscuits and what I hope was chicken in a boil. It was covered in peanut sauce and then curry was added on top. Not my favorite meal. They also served lunch at school yesterday and it was rice, fish (with the skin and bones) and some soup thing. I ate the rice. They do use cutlery here instead of chopsticks. But they don't give you knives most of the time. Just a fork and spoon.
I think we are on the ocean but, I haven't seen the ocean yet. And there are mixed details about a beach. Someone told me there isn't a beach here and you have to go 2 hours to get to the beach. But someone else said there is a beach in town. There is a pool near the house where I am staying. I will check that out this weekend. There is a waterpark near the West campus, where I will be living. I will definitely check that out!
There aren't any parks in town. Not much at all for being outside. So, the town just looks dirty and busy.
Things are really cheap here! A movie is US$2 and popcorn is US$2. US$2 is 2,000 Rupiah so I feel like a millionaire with my money! Actually, I am a millionaire here because a million rupiah is like US$100. I went to The Body Shop here just to compare prices. It's about half the price that you would pay in the US. I love cheap shopping!
Ok, I think that is all I can tell you about Surabaya for now. Sorry for so many posts in one day but, I have to use the internet when I can get it. I hope to be better about keeping up with the blog now that I know where to get free wi-fi! Oh, I have Skype now too so e-mail me (hotmail or facebook) if you want to know my account name so we can chat for free! I Skyped with Jonathan this morning and it was so good to see a familiar face and hear a familiar voice!
Laters!
Surabaya is the 2nd largest city in Indonesia. It is crowded and very busy. Malls are their way of life. Sorry, Ben and Darcy, I think you would hate it here. Seriously, there is a GIANT mall every 10 blocks or sometimes across the street from one another. They are HUGE - at least 4 stories! Not as big as Mall of America but bigger than any other mall I have ever seen (and you know how I love malls!). It is actually pretty sickening. I think it totally takes away from what could be a beautiful city. But, the malls are air conditioned and they are free so, it is where people go and what they do every day. The mall I am in right now has a Starbucks, McDonald's, Wendy's, Burger King, Pizza Hut, KFC and Ace Hardware. However, there is no fountain Diet Coke to be found anywhere! :(
People drive on the opposite side of the road in Indonesia. Traffic is horrible! You couldn't pay me to drive in this! There doesn't appear to be any rhyme or reason to when you go and when you stop. And they honk their horns all the time. It is not safe to walk in the city so you have to take a taxi everywhere.
You are either rich or poor here so there are some HUGE, gorgeous houses and lots of tiny shacks.
Surabaya is 8 degrees below the equator so there is 12 hours of sunlight every day (from 5:3oam to 5:30pm). It's weird getting used to it being dark early even though it is "summer".
They speak Indonesian here. Some people speak English but it is usually pretty broken and very simplistic. We had a seminar yesterday led by 2 Americans. Half of what they said was over the heads of the Indonesian teachers because their English is not that good. But that was ok, because they were trying to brainwash us anyway.
Oh, my goodness, I just saw 6 white people walking by. That is unheard of here! Seriously, the only white people I ever see are the other expatriate teachers from the school.
Cell phones and internet is pay as you go. For cell phones, you buy a phone, then you buy a phone number, then you buy your minutes. And you have to update your minutes every month or when you run out. So, everyone here texts (SMS) because it is cheaper. I will be getting a land line at my permanent house so then I will be able to make International calls as the land lines are not pay as you go. Internet is also pay as you go so, it is great when you find free wi-fi!
They do have Western toilets in most places here. Yes! But you don't flush the tp. Gross! Also, you usually have to pay to use the toilets in public places. And everywhere is BYOTP. Even at the school.
The food here is pretty good. I have been sticking to rice and chicken. After church on Sunday I had a traditional Indonesian meal which was hard boiled eggs, cabbage, fish biscuits and what I hope was chicken in a boil. It was covered in peanut sauce and then curry was added on top. Not my favorite meal. They also served lunch at school yesterday and it was rice, fish (with the skin and bones) and some soup thing. I ate the rice. They do use cutlery here instead of chopsticks. But they don't give you knives most of the time. Just a fork and spoon.
I think we are on the ocean but, I haven't seen the ocean yet. And there are mixed details about a beach. Someone told me there isn't a beach here and you have to go 2 hours to get to the beach. But someone else said there is a beach in town. There is a pool near the house where I am staying. I will check that out this weekend. There is a waterpark near the West campus, where I will be living. I will definitely check that out!
There aren't any parks in town. Not much at all for being outside. So, the town just looks dirty and busy.
Things are really cheap here! A movie is US$2 and popcorn is US$2. US$2 is 2,000 Rupiah so I feel like a millionaire with my money! Actually, I am a millionaire here because a million rupiah is like US$100. I went to The Body Shop here just to compare prices. It's about half the price that you would pay in the US. I love cheap shopping!
Ok, I think that is all I can tell you about Surabaya for now. Sorry for so many posts in one day but, I have to use the internet when I can get it. I hope to be better about keeping up with the blog now that I know where to get free wi-fi! Oh, I have Skype now too so e-mail me (hotmail or facebook) if you want to know my account name so we can chat for free! I Skyped with Jonathan this morning and it was so good to see a familiar face and hear a familiar voice!
Laters!
Updates
Ok, so I was reading through my older posts as I was posting them this afternoon and realized that I should update you on a few things. So here goes! My suitcase that did not make the original flight was delivered to my house on Sunday afternoon. I was sleeping when it came and then went out for the evening so I didn't look through it until Sunday night. When I did, I realized that someone had gone through my suitcase. My hairbands, which were in a zipper bag, were all over the suitcase. Upon further inspection I realized that someone had stolen all of my DVDs. Grr! So, yes, this means I do not get to watch Saved By The Bell! Bummer! But they are only movies and I am thankful those are the only things that are gone.
Last night one of the other expatriate teachers came over and we discussed curriculum. She teaches Pre-K and K at the East campus and gave me all of her documents. I also received a few things from the 1st grade teacher at the East campus. This is all really helpful and I feel like I might actually be able to do this.
I am still living in the temporary house near the East campus. I am supposed to be moving to the West campus by the end of the week. Yam is still with me and it is really interesting "talking" to her. Lots of hand motions. Yes, it is like playing charades.
I have friends!! Karen from Australia and Jon (yes, another friend named Jon) from North Carolina. They have been so helpful! Karen is super excited to have another female Westerner around. She has already decided that we need to get together at least once a month, even though we will live 1 hour away from each other. I am so thankful for God's blessings in this!
Since I am not at my permanent address, I do not have an address where you can mail anything. Oh, and I found out that the mail is really unreliable and that the people search the mail and take things out of it. So, I don't know if care packages are the best thing at this point. Although, I do appreciate the offers! So, if you have any useful teaching English tips, please e-mail them my way!
I still do not have internet at my house so I have to use the free wi-fi at the coffee shop in the mall. I have been here for 7 hours already but, am just soaking it up! I will post pictures once I get internet at my house.
Thanks for all of your e-mails! They totally make my day!
Last night one of the other expatriate teachers came over and we discussed curriculum. She teaches Pre-K and K at the East campus and gave me all of her documents. I also received a few things from the 1st grade teacher at the East campus. This is all really helpful and I feel like I might actually be able to do this.
I am still living in the temporary house near the East campus. I am supposed to be moving to the West campus by the end of the week. Yam is still with me and it is really interesting "talking" to her. Lots of hand motions. Yes, it is like playing charades.
I have friends!! Karen from Australia and Jon (yes, another friend named Jon) from North Carolina. They have been so helpful! Karen is super excited to have another female Westerner around. She has already decided that we need to get together at least once a month, even though we will live 1 hour away from each other. I am so thankful for God's blessings in this!
Since I am not at my permanent address, I do not have an address where you can mail anything. Oh, and I found out that the mail is really unreliable and that the people search the mail and take things out of it. So, I don't know if care packages are the best thing at this point. Although, I do appreciate the offers! So, if you have any useful teaching English tips, please e-mail them my way!
I still do not have internet at my house so I have to use the free wi-fi at the coffee shop in the mall. I have been here for 7 hours already but, am just soaking it up! I will post pictures once I get internet at my house.
Thanks for all of your e-mails! They totally make my day!
Problems Arise!
Ok, here is the latest on the happenings in Indonesia. Apparently when they said, "You don't need to bring curriculum with you, we have curriculum here." what they meant was there is no curriculum and you get to make it up as you go along. No, really, there is no curriculum. Oh, and I am teaching English to Pre-K, K, Grade 1, and Grade 2. And, I teach Pre-K for 10 minutes, K for 30 minutes and Grades 1 and 2 for 75 minutes. So, if anybody has any English curriculum for those ages that they would like to send to me, it would be VERY appreciated!! The other expatriate teachers are really nice and helpful and said this is normal. However, it is very frustrating for everyone. They gave me some websites to look at but, I still do not have internet at home so it is difficult to look things up online. I am hoping to get a wireless card tonight (another helpful tip from the other expats). And I am switching my cell phone provider to one that gets better rates for international calls. I called my parents last night and get cut off and when I tried to call back, it wouldn't let me. So, I am having one of the expat teachers take me to the mall tonight to help me get a wireless card and switch providers. She speaks Indonesian so that will be very helpful. Everyone here is really great and really helpful!
I went to see the West campus, where I will be teaching, yesterday. It is so beautiful! If I could make my dream campus, that would be it. So, I am super excited to teach there! I will send pictures once I take some. However, I would pay a million rupiah for curriculum right now. School starts on Monday and I am supposed to have everything ready to go before that. Ugh, it is so frustrating! Ok, back to happy things. The west campus is in a more residential area so it has trees, grass and flowers. It is really beautiful out there. Here in the city, it is very crowded and dirty and ugly. I cannot wait to move to the west campus. Thanks for all of your prayers, they are needed and appreciated! Again, feel free to forward this to whoever is not on the sent list as I still have not updated my contacts. I will do that as soon as I get internet at home. Oh, by the way, I am sitting in the library at school typing this while "You Can't Touch This" by MC Hammer is playing in the background. Classic!
I went to see the West campus, where I will be teaching, yesterday. It is so beautiful! If I could make my dream campus, that would be it. So, I am super excited to teach there! I will send pictures once I take some. However, I would pay a million rupiah for curriculum right now. School starts on Monday and I am supposed to have everything ready to go before that. Ugh, it is so frustrating! Ok, back to happy things. The west campus is in a more residential area so it has trees, grass and flowers. It is really beautiful out there. Here in the city, it is very crowded and dirty and ugly. I cannot wait to move to the west campus. Thanks for all of your prayers, they are needed and appreciated! Again, feel free to forward this to whoever is not on the sent list as I still have not updated my contacts. I will do that as soon as I get internet at home. Oh, by the way, I am sitting in the library at school typing this while "You Can't Touch This" by MC Hammer is playing in the background. Classic!
I made it!!
I made it to Surabaya safely! Everything is great and I am very impressed so far! I arrived last night at 5 pm local time. Someone from the school picked me up a the airport (and I already forgot her name). :( She is very nice! She took me out to dinner and to the supermarket. And I found peanut butter at the supermarket! Yes! One of my suitcases did not make the flight in San Francisco and it should arrive this morning at 9. I believe they will be delivering it to my place. Luckily, it was the suitcase with my shoes, books, make up , DVDs, etc. So, at least I have my clothes and was able to pick up my shower stuff at the supermarket. After the supermarket we went to my place. Ok, so "small furnished apartment" in Indonesia means two story house with 3 bedrooms, living room, dining room, kitchen, maid quarters and garage in a gated community. I feel like I landed in the lap of luxury! Oh, and I have a "helper" staying with me for a few days to help me get adjusted to the house and everything. I don't know if I will have a helper after she leaves or not. The house I am staying at is my temporary house. They are getting the other house ready for me. I don't know how long I will be at this place. I think the other house (my permanent residence) will be similar to this house. So, when you decide to come visit me, I have plenty of room for you!
Last night I was getting settled in the house and heard a bunch of fireworks going off. At first I just thought, "Oh, this is how Indonesia is. Fireworks at night." Then it dawned on me...it's the 4th of July. Someone was lighting off fireworks for the 4th of July! I was so excited! My helper, Yam, and I went out to investigate but, by the time we got outside the fireworks were over with. I never did see them, I just heard them but, it made me feel like I wasn't so far away from all things American.
My helper, Yam, does not speak English and I don't speak Indonesian so it makes communitcation very interesting with her. However, she is very sweet and very helpful. I didn't have a towel or covers for the bed (just a sheet over the mattress and pillowcases). So, I am hoping to find those today. I also still need to get a cell phone and exchange my money. The house I am at does not have internet but, I will talk to someone about getting it ASAP. I am at church this morning with some people from the school and they are letting me use the computer in the office to send this out. Everyone here is so nice and so helpful! I think I am going to love it here! That is, as soon as I get over the homesickness. Yenni was showing me around the church (it's a tiny church of about 100 - and I couldn't be more excited about that!) and showed me the classrooms. The kids all have artwork all over the classrooms. One of the kids is named Silvia and I totally lost it when I saw that!
Oh, if you ever come to visit me (or go anywhere in Asia), make sure to schedule a long layover in Singapore! The pool there is like heaven after a 19 hour flight! They also have tons of kids play areas and craft stations, a hotel, shopping, and move theaters. So there is plenty to do but, being able to swim, stretch out my muscles, lay in the sun and shower were THE BEST!!
I miss you guys a ton but, I am doing great and know I will love it here! Thanks for all of your prayers!
Last night I was getting settled in the house and heard a bunch of fireworks going off. At first I just thought, "Oh, this is how Indonesia is. Fireworks at night." Then it dawned on me...it's the 4th of July. Someone was lighting off fireworks for the 4th of July! I was so excited! My helper, Yam, and I went out to investigate but, by the time we got outside the fireworks were over with. I never did see them, I just heard them but, it made me feel like I wasn't so far away from all things American.
My helper, Yam, does not speak English and I don't speak Indonesian so it makes communitcation very interesting with her. However, she is very sweet and very helpful. I didn't have a towel or covers for the bed (just a sheet over the mattress and pillowcases). So, I am hoping to find those today. I also still need to get a cell phone and exchange my money. The house I am at does not have internet but, I will talk to someone about getting it ASAP. I am at church this morning with some people from the school and they are letting me use the computer in the office to send this out. Everyone here is so nice and so helpful! I think I am going to love it here! That is, as soon as I get over the homesickness. Yenni was showing me around the church (it's a tiny church of about 100 - and I couldn't be more excited about that!) and showed me the classrooms. The kids all have artwork all over the classrooms. One of the kids is named Silvia and I totally lost it when I saw that!
Oh, if you ever come to visit me (or go anywhere in Asia), make sure to schedule a long layover in Singapore! The pool there is like heaven after a 19 hour flight! They also have tons of kids play areas and craft stations, a hotel, shopping, and move theaters. So there is plenty to do but, being able to swim, stretch out my muscles, lay in the sun and shower were THE BEST!!
I miss you guys a ton but, I am doing great and know I will love it here! Thanks for all of your prayers!
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