Jakarta in not Indonesia

I have never been to a place like this before. Jakarta is seriously crazy. There are people, vehicles, buildings everywhere. It is so busy. I have been here for 3 days and I think that I have been to six different malls. There are shopping centers on every corner. The have stores like Gucci and Burberry. Each time we step into a new mall I ask the person I'm with rate this mall on a scale of 1-10 for niceness of malls in Jakarta. The mall I was in last night was very comparable to Mall of America. Right after malls is office building. Jakarta is filled with skyscrapers. I have been to two different campuses of JICF (Jakarta International Christian Fellowship), which is the church and both are located in beautiful office buildings.

So, yeah Jakarta is not Indonesia. I will eventually get to Indonesia, but right now I am learning what life is like in this city.

First Impressions

Stepping off the plane the first thing I noticed was the smell. iT is the smell of a country that is not my own. Driving through Jakarta the traffic was overwhelming. Uncle Rick noted that 1.5 million motorcycles were added to Jakarta's roads last year. This didn't surprise me as we were surrounded by them on each side as we drove through the city. It's amazing the accuracy of their driving--you would think somebody would hit somebody. 

On the way home from airport we stopped at a mall to pick up a few things and also get something to eat. It was a fun way to experience Indonesia in the first few hours. As we walked though a grocery store in the mall, I began to learn of many new things in a new land.

One thing shocking about the city of Jakarta is the economic diversity. There are huge skyscrapers and at the base of them shanties. I am beginning to get the sense that Poverty and Riches know no boundaries here. 

I understand this post is random, but this reflects my experience this far. It feels good to be in a new place, seeing new things. I hope that in some way I capture my first impressions for in a few days what seems so new and different will become the norm.

20 Hours in Japan

Due to how the flight was scheduled we had a 20 hour layover in Narita, Japan which is right outside of Tokyo. We ceased the 20 hours and used them to experience Japaneses culture. After our plane had landed we made our way out airport to a nearby hotel. We took a bus to the a shopping mall, just a few kilometers away. The main purpose of our trip to the mall was to experience Japan. It was a really neat and the whole experience was rather counter to my expectations. The city was clean, the roads were rather quiet, traffic moved slowly, and people were polite. The whole experience I would classify as calm. The Japanese people we interacted with were all so kind. It was a wonderful 20 hours and how I'm ready to take on Indonesia.

Looking Back

I did have the opportunity to go to Indonesia when I was eight years old. I have also noted this as a key experience in my life. I wrote this about my time in Indonesia as a Senior in high school....


In the third grade my parents thought that a little culture would be good for my soul, so they flew me half way around the world to Indonesia, a country of which most kids my age had never heard. I was removed from my own little world as an eight year old and dispensed into a culture that was completely different from my own. I got to spend three weeks exploring the exotic country with my family. We went to an animal safari, and and as a child I was in my glory watching exotic animals that I was used to seeing in cartoons come right up to my car window. Posing for pictures, we held baby jaguars, comical monkeys and tamed lions, something that would have been forbidden and considered a major safety hazard in the United States. We spent entire days playing on the beaches of the Indian Ocean just latitudes from the equator. the white sand, warm ocean water and beautiful sunsets made everything picture perfect. One day we gave beans and rice to needed people living in a village located in the mountains. For the first time in my life I wrapped my brain around the fact that there were people who lived without electricity, running water, and food. I experienced a culture and lifestyle that was brand new to me. Indonesia allowed my eight year old eyes to see the world in an entirely new perspective. This perception has stayed with me to this day, setting aside a special place in my heart for this country in Southeast Asia.

I'm really excited to go place to this place that right now only exists in my memory as an eight year old. I just think about how differently I perceive the world now. It will be so interesting to compare these old memories to what I experience this time.

9 months...

Wow it has been nearly nine months since my last blog post...oops! Well I know you didn't ask, but if you care to hear about my last 9 months in 250 words here goes...

I spent an incredible 4 months in Uganda. I met some great people and learned some important things. My world was shaken as I lived life in African culture. I came home with more questions than answers. But felt content, thinking that at some point I would process and begin to wrap my mind around everything had just happened. I arrived back on Bethel's campus in every January, talking a class titled "Reconciliation in a Racialized Society." Great class, however, again I was left a lot of questions.  I had a surprisingly easy transition back to life in the US, not experiencing the reverse culture shock I was expecting. Right before the Spring semester began I decided to add an Accounting emphasis to my business major, which led me to talking some crazy classes. In Uganda my learning was experiential. Like attending a circumcision ceremony to fully understand African Traditional Religion. This spring I sat in Accounting, Finance and Tax class learning about investments, working capital, debt, equity, and tax deductions. My semester was busy--and unfortunately, I don't think I took the time I should have to process my experience in Uganda. I used my busy schedule as an excuse to avoid seeking the answers to some big questions. The semester is now over, and I finally feel like I have a little time to think. I am actually leaving for Indonesia for the summer in 2 days. I am really excited. I think this is going to be an awesome experience. I know it will probably lead me to again asking more questions, but I want to be intentional in the way I reflect on my experience.

I want to resurrect this blog. Well actually, I don't think this blog was ever alive and well, so technically I can't resurrect it. But I do want to do a better job of updating it and using as a tool to keep record of what's going on around me.

We made It!!

After 14 hours in the air and about 24 hours of total travel time we made it to Uganda. I got to the airport in D.C. at 3:30 after a wonderful weekend with my cousins (thanks guys). Our flight left at 6:30 and we landed in Amsterdam 6 hours later. After about a 2 hour layover we took a 7 hour flight to Uganda. Once going through customs and getting our luggage we met USP staff and took a bus 2 hours to our University. I saw one of the cutest things at the airport in Entebbe, Uganda. A group of parents dropped their sons, who were all wearing matching shirts when much have been part of some group. The 15 boys, who must have been 6 or 7 were inside by the ticket counter and the parents were outside in the street. They all waved goodbye and smiled through the large class window as they went their separate ways. I think you may have had to be there...but trust me it was really cute. I am actually already moved into my dorm room, which took much less time and energy than my last two years at school. Unpacking all my stuff in the record time of 30 minutes. It's after midnight here and we have a full day tomorrow. Goodnight I'm going to go sleep under my mosquito net.

So Soon..

Today I am packing up my things and preparing to leave. Tomorrow I fly to D.C. and Monday I fly to Uganda! I am pretty excited although parts of this does not seem real yet. I am very excited too see all this semester has in store.