The first picture above is the view from my porch at the hotel in Jakarta. There are always tons of boats in the harbor and it seems like even at night there are many people in transit, driving, walking, the city is always bustling with activity. Unfortunately, orientation, a little bit of jet lag, and a hellacious case of vertigo have prevented me from seeing very much of the city but I did get a chance to go out one day with some fellow Fulbrighters. We packed 5 people in a cab and went to Obama’s elementary school in Menteng, a district within Jakarta. The idea itself was very “American Tourist” of us, but it was actually pretty interesting to see how they use Obama’s success as a claim to fame. There is a statue of young Barry just behind the entrance of the main gate (Picture 2). The inscription says “A young boy named Barry played with his mother Ann in Menteng area. He grew up to be the 44th President of the United States and Nobel Peace Prize Winner. Barack Obama.” There is also a plaque of President Obama just outside the gate (Picture 3). It is a pretty fancy neighborhood and I am told the US Ambassador lives at the end of the road, which brings me to the observation that there is a very evident economic disparity in Jakarta. Like with many cities in developing countries, there are slums on the sides of some roads and mansions adorning the next. As far as the people go, I was surprised to see many Muslim women dressed not as traditionally as I had imagined they might be. It is not uncommon to see women rocking a pair of skinny jeans, designer high-heels, and a fancy hijab head covering, though they usually are covered to the wrists and ankles. One other interesting thing I noticed is the prevalence of "whitening" beauty products. Imagine how much advertising you see about anti-aging products in the USA- that is probably the equivalent of how much emphasis is put on beauty products (mainly for women) that whiten or lighten the skin shade. All models and persons featured in magazines, billboards or various other advertisements are extremely fair-skinned. The implications of this are intriguing to me...
On another note, we have all arrived in Bandung safely where we will spend the last three weeks of orientation learning Bahasa and also some tips on how to teach ESL. A group of us are going on an overnight trip to hike up a mountain and check out the hot springs nearby, so the next entry may be a scenic one.
I miss you all very much... keep the comments and emails coming! Sampai Jumpa
