Day one of work is halfway through. Just stopped for lunch and a break.
I was woken up this morning by Dawn and Lucy who were walking down to the river. Dawn was having a morning mandi (bath). Breakfast was at 7. Rice, noodles, tofu and cereal and oatmeal for those who already didn't want Indonesian.
Ruth took us to the bridge, where we carried wood. Lucy and I jumped into the swamp almost immediately to lay out a basic path with the iron wood planks.
I hear the buzzing or flies, trees in the wind, and distant chainsaws. I smell fire. I taste my grape-water mix. I feel the dripping down the backs of my legs and in the middle of my chest. I see my tired group laying out of the sun on mats, napping or resting. The heat has already taken it's toll.
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
8/1 9:00PM
Driving in, I felt like I belonged here. Besides the obvious difference in skin color, language, religion, hair, etc., it felt amazing riding in the back of a pick-up truck through Pangkalanbun. It just felt right.
We arrive at Camp Rendall and were greeted by the young orangutans who quickly climbed the front bars of their cages. Ruth, the coordinator (who speaks Indonesian! She's from Canada) showed us the main building first. It's large, open, green and white-green on the outside and white tiles and white walls inside. There's a western toilet and a squat toilet. Ruth then took us to the river, which you get to by a 500m bridge built by previous volunteers. I only dipped my hands in at that point and it felt heavenly--cool, crisp. The water itself was a deep yet clear red, which quickly made me think of leeches and blood.
We then had noodles made by Ibu Reis...they were good today, but I expect by the end of the trip I will hate them. We then were introduced to the orangs from a distance (we're on quarantine for a week). There are 26 in total. The youngest is Roxanne, who is with her mother Roxy, and she is only 6 months old. Then there was Momo, a male, sickly thin, completely hairless orang. Poor guy. Ruth said he eats perfectly fine, besides being a bit picky.
We bathed in the river--girls first. We saw red leaf-eating monkeys in the canopy on the way to the river. They're very red, with long tails.
Dinner was rice (Nasi), egg and vegetables. Very yummy. I love eggs. We also got a treat--banana and sweet potato-esque soup. Very sweet, not my favorite.
It was dark by 5:45, like, nearly black dark. It made me really sleepy.
After dinner, we introduced ourselves, as did the Dayak men/boys who run the camp. They speak no English, which is fair enough because unfortunately, I speak no Indonesian yet. This was followed by 3 rounds of Baybek, a card game.
The moon was incredibly bright tonight and the stars were beaming. I can't see them now in my hammock--I can pretty much just see my mosquito net. I can hear all sorts of nighttime critters chirping, whizzing and buzzing! No cobras today! Oh! No leeches either! Ruth said she rarely sees them here. Also, it's dry season, so barely any mosquitoes/mosi's/bamooks.
Throughout dinner and cards, and even now, I could hear the prayers for Ramadan at the distant mosques.
Super tired, but I have so much to write! Luckily, I'll be here for a while!
We arrive at Camp Rendall and were greeted by the young orangutans who quickly climbed the front bars of their cages. Ruth, the coordinator (who speaks Indonesian! She's from Canada) showed us the main building first. It's large, open, green and white-green on the outside and white tiles and white walls inside. There's a western toilet and a squat toilet. Ruth then took us to the river, which you get to by a 500m bridge built by previous volunteers. I only dipped my hands in at that point and it felt heavenly--cool, crisp. The water itself was a deep yet clear red, which quickly made me think of leeches and blood.
We then had noodles made by Ibu Reis...they were good today, but I expect by the end of the trip I will hate them. We then were introduced to the orangs from a distance (we're on quarantine for a week). There are 26 in total. The youngest is Roxanne, who is with her mother Roxy, and she is only 6 months old. Then there was Momo, a male, sickly thin, completely hairless orang. Poor guy. Ruth said he eats perfectly fine, besides being a bit picky.
We bathed in the river--girls first. We saw red leaf-eating monkeys in the canopy on the way to the river. They're very red, with long tails.
Dinner was rice (Nasi), egg and vegetables. Very yummy. I love eggs. We also got a treat--banana and sweet potato-esque soup. Very sweet, not my favorite.
It was dark by 5:45, like, nearly black dark. It made me really sleepy.
After dinner, we introduced ourselves, as did the Dayak men/boys who run the camp. They speak no English, which is fair enough because unfortunately, I speak no Indonesian yet. This was followed by 3 rounds of Baybek, a card game.
The moon was incredibly bright tonight and the stars were beaming. I can't see them now in my hammock--I can pretty much just see my mosquito net. I can hear all sorts of nighttime critters chirping, whizzing and buzzing! No cobras today! Oh! No leeches either! Ruth said she rarely sees them here. Also, it's dry season, so barely any mosquitoes/mosi's/bamooks.
Throughout dinner and cards, and even now, I could hear the prayers for Ramadan at the distant mosques.
Super tired, but I have so much to write! Luckily, I'll be here for a while!
8/1 11:56AM
Just boarded for Pangkalanbun, Borneo. This morning we woke up at 5, grabbed our bags, ate breakfast (rice and toast) and left the hotel. We got to drive through crazy Jakarta again. They have lots of chickens that I didn't seem to notice yesterday--small and scrawny chickens, not like the ones at home.
Airport security here is close to nothing. Put your bags through a scanner and you're good to go.
We flew from Jakarta to Semerang, had 3 hours there to sit and eat. I had/tried more rice, jackfruit (spicy), spicy green chili and hard boiled eggs. I also had "pulpy lemon juice" which is more or less pulpy lemonade. David and Cecile had funny coffee (Kopi) and there were some meat dishes as well--anorexic chicken, etc.
The plane I'm on now, you had to get on from outside, like in movies.
Side notes-
-Instead of toilet paper, theres a hose or a scoop
-They will only accept crisp American dollar bills from after 1996 for exchange
-It's rude to sit with your legs straight out if your toes are pointed to the ceiling, they should be pointed horizontally
-I need to get ready for lots of leeches (Dawn says you'll stop caring after 20 or so...we'll see)
Borneo-here we come!
Airport security here is close to nothing. Put your bags through a scanner and you're good to go.
We flew from Jakarta to Semerang, had 3 hours there to sit and eat. I had/tried more rice, jackfruit (spicy), spicy green chili and hard boiled eggs. I also had "pulpy lemon juice" which is more or less pulpy lemonade. David and Cecile had funny coffee (Kopi) and there were some meat dishes as well--anorexic chicken, etc.
The plane I'm on now, you had to get on from outside, like in movies.
Side notes-
-Instead of toilet paper, theres a hose or a scoop
-They will only accept crisp American dollar bills from after 1996 for exchange
-It's rude to sit with your legs straight out if your toes are pointed to the ceiling, they should be pointed horizontally
-I need to get ready for lots of leeches (Dawn says you'll stop caring after 20 or so...we'll see)
Borneo-here we come!
7/31 8:04PM
First night alone in bed=one sad puppy named Erin. Just pulling the covers up made me wish Alex were here. Despite the difficulty that has plagued us for a while now, at least I feel safe next to him. I'm here and have to be strong, with a blanket and a stuffed duck at my side.
I met the group tonight! Anne from Iowa who's around my age and is also my hotel roommate. Lucy who is also my age from England. Ilse from Mexico, also around my age. Cecile and Laure are a mother/daughter pair from France--Laure's a bit younger than I am. Leah from Washington state, Dawn is originally from England but now lives in Australia. Cecile, Leah and Dawn are anywhere from 35-50 probably. David is the lone male, older, probably late 50's, and from Australia as well.
In general, everyone smiles here, and squats! The Indonesian's are very flexible in comparison with the US...maybe because they're actually in good shape unlike in the States. It's nice to see the smiles though!
My malaria meds are making me dizzy--goodnight!
I met the group tonight! Anne from Iowa who's around my age and is also my hotel roommate. Lucy who is also my age from England. Ilse from Mexico, also around my age. Cecile and Laure are a mother/daughter pair from France--Laure's a bit younger than I am. Leah from Washington state, Dawn is originally from England but now lives in Australia. Cecile, Leah and Dawn are anywhere from 35-50 probably. David is the lone male, older, probably late 50's, and from Australia as well.
In general, everyone smiles here, and squats! The Indonesian's are very flexible in comparison with the US...maybe because they're actually in good shape unlike in the States. It's nice to see the smiles though!
My malaria meds are making me dizzy--goodnight!
Sunday, December 30, 2012
7/31 3:20PM
I'm at the hotel now--the Visa line was super long. A man with a sign met me--thank goodness because I could not have been more lost or confused.
The hotel is nice! I took my first and last shower here! Then found my exploded sunscreen in the side pocket of my backpack...awesome. Let's hope that's the first and last of my bad luck.
I'm getting homesick though. Boo. I need to accept it and overcome. There's extreme poverty in some areas here. I just wonder what a day in their shoes would be like.
I used a squat toilet for the first time and saw bunches and bunches of baby goats (Alex would love it!) I miss him. I'll have to fake happiness for a few hours.
The hotel is nice! I took my first and last shower here! Then found my exploded sunscreen in the side pocket of my backpack...awesome. Let's hope that's the first and last of my bad luck.
I'm getting homesick though. Boo. I need to accept it and overcome. There's extreme poverty in some areas here. I just wonder what a day in their shoes would be like.
I used a squat toilet for the first time and saw bunches and bunches of baby goats (Alex would love it!) I miss him. I'll have to fake happiness for a few hours.
7/30 9:15AM
Just boarded for Jakarta. My hair is looking wild. My feet smell. I'm greasy-faced. Hong Kong airport had free internet and computers so I got to send some emails! That was nice. No cell service for me though, so the goodbyes I planned to say once I landed here, never happened. It might be better this way based on the end of last flight. And goodbye emails work just fine.
The mountains outside Hong Kong's airport are fantastic. Big Chinese mountains like in a movie--foggy, dense, dark green plants.
On the screen in front of me, I have the plane's camera on. It will be a better show than when I left San Francisco because it's daytime here and I can see what's going on. At home, the chickens have just gone to bed.
Once I get to Jakarta, it's go time. I'm pretty sure I need to 'check-in' to the country and get my Visa, hopefully get my bag and then find the person with my name on a sign! Then off to the hotel! I just took a dramamine, because I started getting a little sick last flight. Maybe I'll get some sleep on this flight--not too much though--I need to stay awake till at least 10 tonight to help the jet lag.
Also--I'm glad I'm getting served vegetarian food on the flights, but I'm already sick of the flavor. Alex--I don't know how you like it so much! It's okay...but ehhh...at least it's veggie. My biggest gripe is that last night everyone got ice cream except for me. I'm better off anyways I guess. At least that's my only complaint about the flights so far! =)
The mountains outside Hong Kong's airport are fantastic. Big Chinese mountains like in a movie--foggy, dense, dark green plants.
On the screen in front of me, I have the plane's camera on. It will be a better show than when I left San Francisco because it's daytime here and I can see what's going on. At home, the chickens have just gone to bed.
Once I get to Jakarta, it's go time. I'm pretty sure I need to 'check-in' to the country and get my Visa, hopefully get my bag and then find the person with my name on a sign! Then off to the hotel! I just took a dramamine, because I started getting a little sick last flight. Maybe I'll get some sleep on this flight--not too much though--I need to stay awake till at least 10 tonight to help the jet lag.
Also--I'm glad I'm getting served vegetarian food on the flights, but I'm already sick of the flavor. Alex--I don't know how you like it so much! It's okay...but ehhh...at least it's veggie. My biggest gripe is that last night everyone got ice cream except for me. I'm better off anyways I guess. At least that's my only complaint about the flights so far! =)
7/30 4:43 PM
After this post, I'm switching my time zone clock...I need to start living in Jakarta time. The longest flight of my life is nearly over! Over 200 free movies, bunches of TV series, countdown to arrival, and a camera showing me the outside of the plane all accessible in my seat. I watched the Hunger Games and The Lovely Bones. I tried to sleep but it's hard to sleep during the 'daytime.' I left over 24 hours ago but it doesn't feel like it.
I get sick when I think about how my family at home are just getting home from work and living my normal life. Between exhaustion and my usual homesick tendencies, I'm a wreck right now. It didn't hit until I was served yogurt from Buffalo, NY, which is way closer to home than I am now. I need to sober up, if you will, once I'm off this flight, because then it's off to Jakarta and on to meeting people. There's no room for mopey-Erin then. I cried a bit now, let's hope that's it for the rest of the trip. I need to be strong here. Also--it's not like I can go home (and why would I want to!?). I just need some time to adjust. Mom, Dad, Paige, Hunter, chickens--they're all still there and will be there. Alex and I have been through a LOT together, this is hard, but I feel like we've had harder. I have my claddagh ring for Alex, my duck stuffed animal for Paige, note from Dad, and my baby blanket for Mom-I'm good to go.
Only adventures and new friendships await! (And lots of pressure changes...boo.)
17 minutes till Hong Kong.
I get sick when I think about how my family at home are just getting home from work and living my normal life. Between exhaustion and my usual homesick tendencies, I'm a wreck right now. It didn't hit until I was served yogurt from Buffalo, NY, which is way closer to home than I am now. I need to sober up, if you will, once I'm off this flight, because then it's off to Jakarta and on to meeting people. There's no room for mopey-Erin then. I cried a bit now, let's hope that's it for the rest of the trip. I need to be strong here. Also--it's not like I can go home (and why would I want to!?). I just need some time to adjust. Mom, Dad, Paige, Hunter, chickens--they're all still there and will be there. Alex and I have been through a LOT together, this is hard, but I feel like we've had harder. I have my claddagh ring for Alex, my duck stuffed animal for Paige, note from Dad, and my baby blanket for Mom-I'm good to go.
Only adventures and new friendships await! (And lots of pressure changes...boo.)
17 minutes till Hong Kong.
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