My Friends

In my "first observations" note I described Jakarta but I did not come close to doing the city or the Indonesians justice. They will be the first to admit they have tremendous challenges -- they don't lack a sense of reality -- but it is a remarkable country and people.

The Civic Initiative has managed a number of programs for teachers and legislators in the US. People stay with us for six weeks weeks or so and the effort is intense for everyone involved. 

 Of the 24 teacher alumni, 23 have contacted me about my trip. They have taken me out every night I have been her, bought my dinner, purchased a phone and gave it to me, and showed me all over their city.  They brought me food, umbrellas, and beer (quite a touching effort for an Irish American to receive beer from friends in a muslim country).

This paragraph above doesn't capture their kindness. Driving is always a challenge and they have driven me all over. Money is an issue  but they have insisted on paying for everything. They have taken me to local eateries and ordered my food -- like people everywhere they are excited to show their country, their food, their daily life. They have organized my communications and made my stay here immeasurably better.  

As teachers they have stayed out late on school nights (they get up at 5 am) and, even after dropping me off at 10 or 11 still face a long commute home.  My friend Shadli (not a teacher -- a translator and pursuing his Masters in Economics has taken me all around and still remains one of the most acute political observers I have ever talked to.

Two of my friends came to my first talk and turned what could have been a nerve wracking experience into a near homecoming -- people were very surprised I knew people in the audience.  

There is already an organized event to go out in Surabaya with four or five other teachers (Surabaya is another city on my stop) and one teacher is flying, with her husband, to Bali -- for one day -- to have breakfast with me -- again -- this is not an easy thing for them.

They have also shown me that what often appears a chaotic to an observer has a purpose, a history -- and isn't always changed so they have been the best tour guides possible.

The old joke

Heaven is:

Where the police are British,

the chefs are italian

the mechanics are German

the lovers are Irish-Americans

and everything is organized by the Swiss

should have the addition "and the ambassadors are Indonesian"

So to my Jakarta friends Ika, Saara, Hikmah, Shadli, Sila and Yus (Yus who, after seeing me, took 9 hour bus ride to a ferry; a ferry to Sumatra, and a 2 hour motorcyle ride home) you have taken a trip and turned it from an interesting opportunity into a lifetime event.  Thanks!