My home in Bekasi, Indonesia

Basic human survival # 1 - shelter.

I would like to share a bit with you about my home in Bekasi, southeast of Jakarta. The area I live is more rural than Jakarta, but still quite urban by canadian standards. i.e. the roads are less good, there are chickens wandering around, but there is no rolling countryside to be seen, just houses and shops and roads!

The immediate surroundings of my home are beautiful, lots of green space and fruit trees. The house itself is very open and breezy, and is made of bamboo! I live in a bamboo hut of sorts above the area where I teach english. The family I live with lives in the adjacent house with their two daughters. They have been very kind and welcoming to me so far. They have hosted about 6 aiesec interns in the same role as me previously so they are familiar with having a foreign guest in the house. The neighbours are very nice people who i have started to spend a lot of my spare time with. For the first two weeks the internet was broken, which was very difficult for when I first arrived, but now it is fixed (and hopefully stays working!).

This is a picture of the garden, and some of the beautiful greenery! The family house, the workshop area and my hut, garden etc, are within an enclosed area, not unlike in canada where you have a backyard, etc.
This is a picture of the outside of the bathroom I use. I just love all the exotic plants!
This is the area where the dishes are washed...so beautiful with the tile floor! beside it is the kitchen area.
This is the wall/door of my room...the bamboo weave is so beautiful...makes for a thin wall though;) Note there is no lock...aka, no privacy!
Sorry about the order of the pictures, a little messed, but this is the inside of the washroom...because I know everyone is interested! haha, or is that just me? In Indonesia, as in much of the world, toilet paper is not common but you use water to clean yourself. im still a little baffled by the technique, and have admitted that i prefer t.p. :)

This is the gecko, komodo:), that lives in the bathroom...he has a friend too who is a bit smaller. I think I will call her Lizzy.

This is the space where i teach english to adorable indonesian kids (mostly girls). i use the white board and a lot of games as my resources and ive learned a lot after my first week of teaching, so i hope to be able to do a good job! resources are limited, but there are some great books left behind from previous interns and some good english-indonesian dictionaries. i sit at the table and prep for my lessons here, so i spend a lot of time in this room! the little girls play here a lot and in this picture are pretending to be me, actually and teach english...very sweet.

This is inside my room...again, very basic, but a room is a room! I have my mosquito net, which is a little annoying because it always needs to be re-tucked in, etc, but the bed is comfy for the most part! and the mosquito net is welcome as it keeps most things away. the other day i awoke to find myself in the path of an army of little ants...that was not fun. the holes are not small enough to keep out those tiny buggers! Also i am soon going to be joined by another intern from china whom i will share the room with...it might be a little tight, but i think we will adapt...its only for a limited time.
In the compound this is where the host family lives - they are fantastic people that i will tell you more about later. on the ground floor is the kitchen/dining room and a sitting area - the ceiling is the same height as me! so i have to duck.
This is another view of the room i teach and my hut from the garden...there is a big jack fruit tree that covers my hut, so i think that helps keep it cool and shaded.

One big challenge is privacy - the little girls are absolutely adorable and so sweet - but they are so interested in me that its hard to get a minute to just relax! so, i am just trying to set some boundaries.

Another challenge is the bugs! Since this is a tropical country and I am basically living outside, the bugs are plentiful! Despite my efforts to wear bug spray and cover up, i am covered in mosquito bites! Hopefully I do not contract a tropical disease...

The other is ensuring I have something to eat...It seems the daily schedule is always changing so meals are not necessarily at a set time. For me, also you may know, if I don't eat when I'm hungry, bad things happen! So learning the routine or at least learning some Indonesian so i can communicate with people to let tem know im hungry and where can i eat, has been helpful! So far, I haven't starved, but I have definitely lost some weight!

-interesting things to note

-living in a bamboo house is awesome! definitely a unique experience.

-its super hot in the day...but usually manageable by the evening/night.

-the bathroom is cool...we have running water, but not a flush toilet (just fill the bucket,etc.) and there is a shower head, which is cool - the water is cold, but thats not a prob in this heat!

-there is a gecko that lives in the bathroom - i have taken him as a pet and named him komodo:)

-when you enter an room/house in indonesia, you take off your shoes - just for the record in case you come to visit me!

Living here like takes a while to adjust to, as it is very different from what I am used to! My experience in Ghana has been incredibly helpful in terms of having something to compare it to. Overall, I am happier than I was in Ghana, and I enjoy teaching and the family and it all. Missing home is an ever present weight and trying to stay healthy, but I am trying my best to stay positive set realistic travel plans and most importantly enjoy the experience!! I have met some of the other aiesec interns in Jakarta, as well as some awesome indonesians so i feel i have expanded my network and have people to meet up and travel locally with.

Despite some of the challenges, I only have 6 weeks left in this wonderful place so I am going to make the most of it:)

Love

kim