Indonesia, A Summary

I'm not sure if my other posts convey this, but I love it here. I originally planned to live here for two months in January and February of 2012, it looks like I might make an additional visit if my cousin gets married. Exciting! Yes the traffic is terrible, spraying on deet everyday and still getting 10 mosquito bites sucks, and it makes me mad that they would charge me twice as much because I'm a foreigner, but I feel happy when I'm here. I think a big part of it is feeling part of a big family and all the chaos and love and good feelings that come with it.

Funny (and possibly had-to-be-there) Moments:

- My sister showered and got dressed for the day. But sometimes she doesn't dress that well... :) So she was ready to go and sitting on the couch. Either my cousin didnt know she was ready or didn't approve and said "change your clothes" very matter of factly as if my sister were still dressed in PJs.

- Stacy and I were in the car with my two cousins Jessica and Desy. Desy was telling us her Chinese name and what it meant it English. Her: "Brrr" Me: "Brrr?" Her: "Brrrl" My sister: "Brrrl??".... Us: What??! And Jessica yells "Spell! Spell! Spell!" so that we'd get it.

- My uncle pointed out a couple girls in the mall talking about how people adopt the latest models (fashion). Then he said "they wear the latest models but the body is not suitable for it." the things family says sometimes...

(okay those three were definitely had-to-be-there...) lol

- When I got sick in the car, my cousin asked me if its because I ate eggs and fruit for breakfast. (because that's not a normal/good breakfast?). They also kept telling me to cover up because the wind, which is mean in Jakarta, had entered me.

- My family explained the almighty cebok (pronounced CHeh-bok) to me and my sister, complete with hand gestures. (Cebok is the way to clean yourself without toilet paper - also the reason why Indonesian's wear the wedding band on the right hand.)

Interesting Things (to me):

- When I saw my cousin texting/chatting on her phone (which children and adults alike do ALL the time) I saw her typing wkwkwkwk (pronounced wekwekwekwek). That would be the Indonesian version of hahaha. :)

- Once you turn 17, Indonesians are required to carry an identification card that lists your religious affiliation.

- Voodoo is rampant and a lot of people believe in it/practice it. A corrupt judge, for instance, always took bribes from the guilty party - he was known for it. His three children died suddenly without explanation. It is said that his children were cursed, probably voodoo. Some people actually have voodoo pieces of metal inserted in different parts of their body... As an example, someone might have voodoo inserted in their mouth perhaps to sweet talk people and be able to convince them to do something, like give up all their money. That can happen apparently, someone could convince you somehow to just hand over your credit cards and cash without you remembering it happening.

- Tampons and Coppertone Sunblock, to the best of my and my family's knowledge, are nowhere to be found.

- Chief doctor at a hospital makes approximately 2,000,000 million rupiah a month (~$200)

Oh Indonesia! See you soon. Pictures are up for anyone interested...

I have arrived in Argentina, btw. Here I go!