worst night ever

it's 2:30 in the morning here. i can't sleep. i have too much to think about. it's so surreal. how did everything turn upside down? i want to go home.

Is Friend-Making an Olympic Event?

If it is, I surely would not medal.

Make new friends but keep the old.
One is silver and the other's gold.

I am not the most outgoing person. Unless truly comfortable, I am a bumbling idiot in social settings and am afraid of my own shadow...imagine talking to someone I don't know! Scary. Yikes. I would probably come in second to last in a friend-making contest.

However, I have been fortunate enough that the people I have met here are willing to take me around, introduce me around, look after me and in general, alleviate the shock of being miles and kilometers away from home. In this week alone, I think I handed out my number to five potential (female, for the record) friends. Not only that, when I was sick last week, one client brought me cans of Jakarta's version of gatorade, someone made me soup, someone brought me information on various mosquito diseases and several people checked in on me in the days following. One client invited me out to her home outside of Jakarta for a recent long weekend so that I wouldn't be lonely.

When I decided to go to Indonesia, I figured I would eventually meet people. What I didn't figure was how many people would be able to empathize with my homesickness and culture shock, and take it upon themselves to help me ease through it. I am truly blessed.

In the past couple of weeks, I have learned my way around my portion of the city (today I even directed my cab driver to the mall I wanted to go to!). I have learned how to take some local transportation (bajaj, pronounced BAH-jeye, which are these funny 3-wheeled buggy things that seem to have lawnmower motors). I bought pirated DVDs for $0.65 a piece. I celebrated Indonesia's independence day. In short, I am acclimating.

I still can't talk about my mom and dad without crying but I think, maybe, I will get there soon.

Confidential to my Mom, Dad and Alec.

Have a safe trip to DC!! I hope the move goes well! Send pics of Alec's new place!

Alec, let's talk...I still want to stop by and see you on my way back to Chicago in February.

I hope you love your new home! Good luck with the new job. Keep us updated.
xoxoliz

Pictures from the Weekend!

I was a tourist attraction...

So here in Jakarta there is a term for white person, which is boolay. A boolay can be from Europe, America, wherever, as long as they are white. Apparently, there is no judgement or stigma attached to the term.

Yesterday I went to the National Monument (Monas), the Puppet Museum and another museum (can't remember the name, but still very neat). Everywhere I walked, there were whispers of "boolay, boolay..." At the Monas, a man asked me to take a picture of him and his girlfriend (so I thought) so I went to reach for the camera. Instead, the woman stood next to me and the man took a picture of us. Interesting. One man on a bus started waving to me - "Hi boolay! Hi boolay!" Uh, hi.

I did get to ride on the busway. The busway is a part of the street that only buses are supposed to drive on, though a lot of motorcyclists use it. The bus was pretty clean and not too much different than the CTA buses. There is an operator on the bus that allows only a certain number of people on at each stop. It cost 3,500 rupiahs, which is about $0.40.

So I am learning more and more about Jakarta, which is pretty cool. It's been 3 1/2 weeks since I first arrived. I am not about to call it home, but so far, its not so bad.

send liz snail mail!

In case you were wondering, this is where you can send me mail!

Liz Roche
C/o Bodyworks
Darmawangsa Square City Walk, Unit 48, 2nd Floor
Jalan Darmawangsa, Kebayoran Baru
Jakarta 12160 - Indonesia

I MISS EVERYONE.

What made YOU happy today?

I had a great day today! I had the chance to talk to both my parents, my brother and my little sister this morning. I had a GREAT set of clients. I opened an Indonesian bank account. Someone took time to help me get my bank account. I lost 6 pounds. I had a great workout. I ate some more yum fruit. Someone sent me a friend request on Facebook. I got some awes emails from my River and my Zia and my favorite twin. My dad emailed me 4 times. The sun was shining. I joked with a Taksi driver and made him laugh. Someone took time to ask how I enjoyed my weekend. I actually made dinner instead of microwaving a frozen Lean Cuisine (which, btw, are SO expensive here!) I am awaiting news of a close friend's new arrival, baby Aiden. I had a cheeseburger for lunch. I wore a pink shirt. Someone else took time to show me how to cook chicken curry at home.

What made YOU happy today? Post it for all to see!

Now and then it's good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy.
~Guilaume Apollinaire

Fruit

So a new friend took me out and about yesterday in Jakarta and introduced me to some local fruit! YUM! Today I tried two kinds: Rambutan and Jeruk Bali. Rambutan, the hairy fruit, has a reddish/purplish skin that is, well, hairy. Inside the skin is the fruit, which is similar to a lychee. For those of you who have never tried a lychee (I've had them once, in a martini!), the fruit is white, has a pit in the center and has a texture resembling a peeled grape. It is very sweet. SO YUMMY!

Jeruk Bali is a citrus fruit and is the size of a big grapefruit. The pulp inside is whitish pink in color. It tastes like a sweet, slightly spicy grapefuit. YUM! * * I just did some research. It is also referred to as a pomelo, originated in Asia and is an ancestor of the grapefruit. * *

I have more fruits to try including Jambu, Manggi, Dragonfruit and Salak! I will keep you updated!

Check out my new poll at the bottom of the page.

Jakarta smells...

I'm not being mean; it's just the truth. There is so much pollution and there are people selling food in the streets and the sewage system is really bad. So it smells here. It was actually the first thing I noticed when I arrived, but I didn't want to say anything. I can't hold it in anymore. My apartment smells.

When I wake up in the morning, my apartment smells.

The mall where I work (yes, in a mall) smells.

When I walk home from being dropped off 1/2 mile (how many km's is that??!@?!) from home because my cab driver doesn't understand the address No. Ninety-nine (Smelan booloo smelan), the air smells.

When I get home from work, my apartment smells.

The gym smells. Maybe that's normal.

I can't really describe it to you but I can try...it's a mix of sulfur, fried (as in, really really over fried and dripping oil) food, BO, bus exhaust, mold, backed up gutters and rotting fruit. Lovely. So...to all my favorite friends, if I smell like Jakarta the next time I see you in February, please don't hold it against me.

Oh yeah, I was also just asked if I was planning on staying longer than 6 months...

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

So today was a public holiday in Jakarta and therefore, we had no work to do. Because people were not travelling to and from work, the pollution level was dramatically low and the day was so pretty. The sky was a clear blue (instead of gray). I went to the pool with two of my new friends and got french-fried...jakarta-fried? Not used to this sun!!

My homesickness is becoming bone-crushing. I hope it goes away soon. I am set up on Skype with username lizroche78 so please text me or video call me FOR FREE! woo hoo!

I hope everyone is doing well....my thoughts are with you.

My Favorite Song

So I went to the Mall today and attended RPM class at my gym (which, of course, is the same thing as Spin class). I think I highly annoyed the instructor by coming into class too early...they did play one of my FAVORITE songs of all time! Does anyone know what it is? It brings me memories of A.L.S.P. for some reason!

I hope everyone is having a good weekend. I think I am going to the cinema tonight. No work tomorrow! WOO HOO! and I already have a day off on Wednesday - some public holiday...really, the last thing I need right now is a day off...

Friday Night...

It's technically my second Friday night here. It is almost 7:00 and I just watched a condensed version of America's Next Top Model...who even knows what season! My TV is finally working...I have been watching for the past two hours. Can you even believe it?? No.

I am trying to find the motivation to go the mall. What have I become! The mall, cable TV...ugh. However, the malls here are HUGEMONGOUS! They are 8 levels high with tons of restaurants - good ones, sit-down ones, not just fast food. There is a grocery store in my mall, as well as my gym and a Starbucks and hopefully, a good sushi restaurant. There is also the cinema - so you can tell, the mall is my one-stop entertainment joint. Woo hoo!

It's really hot here and it gets dark at 6. That is why I am hesitant to leave the comfort of my HUGEMONGOUS apartment that is cleaned everyday by someone that is not me. They even do my dishes and laundry. So far, none of my shirts have been shrunk. Another plus.

Have a wonderful weekend! I'm going to take my $1 cab ride to the mall to buy $10 coffee.

Almost a Week!

So I've been here almost a week now. It is very strange here - the people I have met are very nice and are from all over the world. The money is strange - I spent 650,000 Rupiahs on groceries. A cab to work cost me 10,000 Ruphiahs, approximately $1...

seriously, how many times can you cry in one day?

I suppose when you save it up till the last minute, a whole bunch of times!

Today's finally the day! I can't believe it. I am sad and a bit scared and mostly really really excited! I leave in about 2 hours and I still have so much to do! Poor MH, who has been such a dear, will likely be picking up after me until I get back...What was I thinking?

July has been my favorite month so far - perfect weather, no working, great Cubs baseball and so much time spent with my family and friends. Please keep in touch and I will do my best.

xoxo

YIPEEEE!

I just got my passport back - time to leave!

Now if I can just fit everything into one suitcase....

Estimated Date of Departure...

...still fuzzy. Hopefully next Thursday...

Vaccinations...

Am I a wimp or what!? My arm still hurts from my tetanus booster! (no thanks to CJ for whacking me at the point of entry 2 times in 3 minutes!)

Typoid shot is next...should I be nervous for that too?

Maybe this being nervous about getting a shot is just an outlet for all the anxiety I have over selling my furniture. Or maybe the anxiety resulting from the thought of taking a drug-free 48 hour journey to a country completely unknown to me.

At least I am not bored.

June 13

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