Stages of development

Ways in which Indonesia is clearly a developing country:
- You can't drink the tapwater. I think it comes from the river and ugh, I have seen the river. I ain't drinking from that. I just have to close my eyes and thing of England (Australia, whatever) when I bathe in it...
- The pavements are almost all terrible, either from tree roots pushing through (due to an obsession with planting tree in the middle of the footpath), general wear and tear or the concrete falling into the drains below, leaving a huge gaping hole. Watch your step.
- The roads are also shocking. Some are dirt, some are tarred, and in general road rules don't exist.
- The power goes off willy-nilly. Somehow, I have not been home when the power shuts off, I seem to be at school (where there is a generator), at the shops or just out. Or asleep. But it means I can't trust how fresh things kept in the fridge are... Nick will sympathise with this :)
- The rubbish. Drains are huge, because they need to be to keep flowing past all the litter. People just drop rubbish where they stand. And yet there is recycling. Go figure. The drains are also full of plants growing in the fertile steaming conditions. Mosquitoes also enjoy the same conditions...
- The lack of cleanliness. My 'maid' cleans my clothes (BY HAND!!!!! Yeah, I'm still not over the fact that I pay a woman a pittance to scrub my clothes on a washing board. *sigh*), but the only other thing she does is sweep the floors. And we only have cold water, so washing dishes can be fun. And of course they're being washed in river water anyway. Don't get me started on the lack of cleanliness through out the city. Oh the aromas...
- Living amongst the animals. If you go a bit further out from the city, people have chickens and goats just a-wandering around. Closer in, there are cats all over the place, and dogs live in concreted front yards, or are giving a 'run' on the street- this involves them being chained to something on the side of the road. Also, someone tried to sell me a random ferret thing when I patted it (for about an australian dollar), and you can buy bunnies and birds and other fun things at the market. Not in cages, just as they are, amongst the bananas and durian (worth about AU$2, Sarah. Cheaper than Doha, but I haven't tired them yet).
- Broadband? What is that? Most internet only works until 11am.
-That people study at University to do accounting, but you know they'll end up doing the books in a cafe... which involves writing down each transaction, and,w ell, that's about it.

Ways in which Indonesia pretends it is not a developing country:
- Shiny SUVs. All the rich people have cars. And they clean them EVERY day.
- Mobiles. Everyone has mobiles. I keep expecting the bums on the street to pull out a mobile with a pink tassel and a chirpy ring tone.
- The clothes. While the traditional older women wear sari like traditional Minang clothes, the young girls wear tight jeans, funky english emblazoned t-shirts and the like. And the jilbob (Muslim headscarf) is SUCH an accesory, the girls wear different ones each day, and some have badges on them, etc.
- The fancy water coolers, which both give out cold and hot water. That's cool :)

Um, I think that's about it... I wanted to make it sound more modern, but I can't think of anything else! This week has been ok, feeling more at home now, had my NAME called out twice on the street (once by Epi, who I live with, once by a student). Usually I am called (in order of prevalence): Miss, Mister, Mrs, Lady, Bu, Friend, Mama or my personal favourite (really, I like this one) My Sister.

Really enjoying my students as I get to know them more and they get to know me- classes have become more relaxed and fun, with lots of chatting. Just slowly converting the chat to Bahasa Inggeris rather than Bahasa Indonesia, that's the challenge! But we're getting there. Miss you all, xxx, thanks for all your comments. Even if I don't have a chance to reply, I am reading and appreciating them all.