Temple Radio

About two weeks ago, my mother asked me "have you heard any gamelan music yet? You really should try to hear some authentic gamelan." I had to laugh, because, unbeknownst to her, I had heard plenty of gamelan, so much I was nearly sick of it. At the beginning of September, the temple got either rebuilt or renovated or something, and therefore needed to be re-consecrated. This means two weeks of constant ceremonies. Two solid weeks of 24/7 gamelan and chanting being blasted on the PA system across the entire neighbor hood. It never ended. People at the office  were offering favors and food to anyone with noise-canceling headphones. The thing about Balinese gamelan is that it is super angular, jumping from low, quiet calm tones to high-energy clanging in the blink of an eye. And it's awesome. It's just that it also comes with an equally jumpy, and super nasally high-pitched chanting in Balinese, that sounds like tin over the loudspeaker. This can sometimes be so surprising you nearly choke on your coffee, ro suddenly draw a jagged line on the page, like in a comedy movie. It's amazing for the first three days, but after two weeks, ...dear lord. 

I finally wandered over one night to check it out. Apparently a party this big only happens every 15 years or so. I got all dressed up again, like in the Odelan pics below, and just walked over after work. I got a couple of surprised looks at first, but since i was dressed correctly, and was camera-free, i was soon forgotten. I proceeded to squeeze into a packed courtyard were a few hundred people form the area were gathered around a central stage, and watch the dancing. There was some long story going on, which was obviously familiar to everyone there, and involved a princess with flowers woven all throughout her knee-length hair, two guys dressed up in full war-lord regalia, By ten at night, all the women were holding up sleeping kids sprawled int their mothers laps, and all the men were smoking like chimneys, and the princess had just been kidnapped, and there was no end in sight, so i finally went home, but it was a great time. When the women danced, they were were concentrating completely, the offerings on their plates were real fruit and rice, and they swayed back and forth like rice plants in a soft breeze. When the warlords launched into a comedy routine,  the entire house laughed, and I didn't need to know Balinese to know when the punch line would come, and who was  making the dirty jokes, who was looking more the fool. At one point the guy next to me turned to me in surprise, asking " you can understand?" and when i told him my guess, i wasn't too far off.  I credit UWC will giving me really good guessing skills. Thanks U-Dub. I have no idea what ended up happening to the princess, but I'm sure it worked out. A few nights later the festivities finally ended. I kind of missed Temple Radio constantly clanging away. ... up until yesterday, then the temple two blocks to the south started up their own, smaller bi-yearly party. 

Oh, Bali. I cant imagine doing all these festivals. Seriously, if you are Balinese, it's a special occasion when there ISN'T a festival to prep for. One of my friends explained Bali's political calm, and general tolerance this way: " No one has time to argue about politics or get all riled up and protest. They are too busy with ceremonies!"  This is very true. Apparently there was an election of some sort and people were protesting/rioting in Jakarta? No one blinked an eye or even mentioned it here. Jakarta can have all the drama they want, we've got fruit-pyramids to balance and flower offerings to distribute.  It's an awesome thing. I might sound flippant, but I swear, it's super effective. Everyone is just so chill here.  And the added benefit is that it leaves plenty of time for the non-hindus to go do other things!

Next up: going North into the mountain forests.

Life at the Office

Lets start at the office, I guess, since that's where I spend the most time. Work has been quite and education. I've finally kind of got my bearings, and have recently been working on designing a little hotel. The modeling/designing process here is very hands-on, and very very different from any methodology I ever learned in school Sometimes it drives me crazy, as we do things in (to me, at least) completely counter-intuitive ways. Some days it seems like everything is based only on intuition and the conflicting personal tastes of way too many people. But some how it works, so I've been trying to put aside my pre-conceptions and roll with it. My co-workers tend to have many opportunities to make fun of my "stress face." On the other hand, Szuyin and I have finally completed our first full model! It's basically a giant glob of glue, but I love it.  Version two will be much cleaner, but the first try was definitely a great learning process. I'm used to a pretty clearly defined methodology, with a fairly clear progression, from concept to execution, and from paper to model, with a division between works-like and looks-like models. Here we had to think about room arrangements, aesthetics, structure, cost, window placement plumbing, water, overhangs, everything all at once, while simultaneously trying not to burn my fingers with the glue gun. It was chaotic, and involved a lot of un-gluing and changing things around, but has taught be a great deal about how crazy complicated a "simple" building can get. Thankfully I had Szuyin (another intern and my partner on this project), to commiserate and collaborate with, and the infinitely patient architect Patricia and model-maker Pak Putra to help guide us through.
Things I've learned.

1. Bathrooms are surprisingly difficult.
2. "Measure twice" is still never enough.
3. Do NOT leave the glue gun next to the handle of the coffee mug. Very Bad. 

4. Do not even try to compare your joinery to that of Pak Putra. He is a Bamboo Master. Any comparison with your giant mass of glue will only end in tears. That’s ok. It still looks like a house. … kinda.

And, thanks to Patricia, I finally figured out what all the talk about "Concept" was in architecture class! Turns out, it actually has a practical use once you get to the nitty-gritty part of design. Unfortunately, we never got past the pretty-poster stage in my classes, so I never got to figure out why we kept talking about flowers as metaphors. Now I am a huge fan or "creating a strong guiding concept." This is a big step for me. Thank you Pat. 

I guess that brings me to the people at my office. In a word: amazing.  The company, may have it's flaws ( it is a business, after all.) but the people employed here, firstly, represent an amazing range of backgrounds and a ton of talent, and secondly, are just really really nice. Most of the people who work at the office are Indonesian, but not necessarily Balinese, so I've met a wide range of people, who have ended up at PTBP in all sorts fo ways. More on them, later, but I want to paint a little picture if life in Bali for you, so i'll move on. 

Bali Is full of westerners, but the vast majority of them are tourists. I can wander to Kuta Beach, or come here to Ubud, and be surrounded by familiar accents, signage in English, and all sorts of brands I recognize immediately (including, incidentally, Croc's Shoes EVERYWHERE). And I enjoy doing that on weekends. But the rest of my time is very removed form this side of bali. It's kind of weird being a full-time working student in a place that is famous for being a yoga and surfing vacation paradise.  Most of that stuff happens between 8 am and 5 pm, while I'm sitting at a desk. Most days I leave the office late, grab dinner with my co-workers, and go home to crash. I started out living in Ubud, but once I realized I wouldn't really be around to enjoy the Bule (foreigner attractions, but would still be paying Bule prices, I moved to a little boarding house (kost) closer to the big city of Denpasar. I can come up to tourist-central on weekends, but the rest fo the time, it's much calmer in my little neighborhood along Jl. A. Yani, with much less traffic, way fewer bugs, and much cheaper food options. Love it. 

On weekdays, the entertainment is going out to eat. In Indonesia, there isnt much difference between the three daily meals. You could have the same dish for breakfast or dinner, and in about the same size.   At lunch I go out to one of the little Warungs in town, mime/sign to the lady working at front what i would like to eat, pull up a stool, and hang out. I can get plate of Nasi Goreng (fried rice) or Cap Cai ( veggie stir fry) , and some ice tea later, for about 12000IDR or $1.25.  I've learned I can probably eat $1 goat satay for every meal for the rest of my life and not get tired of it. 

Then I head back to the office. Some people nap in the post-lunch heat, and I pretend to work while watching the latest temple procession march by. There is a temple, ro Pura right across the street, a kind of high-level one serving quite a few of the neighboring towns, and it seems like at least one a week there's a ceremony, or a cremation procession, or something going buy, each with it's own many-piece gamelan band equipped with a giant gong or three.  

Next up: more on those processions and ceremonies. 

Super Mega Posting Marathon. Go:

Hello Everyone! 
I'm still alive! I just thought I'd let you know, since my blog-upkeep might suggest otherwise. I have camped out in a cafe in Ubud for the evening, and am finally going to really write an update of how it's been here.  The last time I updated here, I was still basically brand new. And now, I've just hit the half-way mark! I arrived three months ago yesterday, and thinking about how much I've learned is kind of mind-boggling. So lets see, where to begin. I’m going to split this mega-post into chapters, so you don’t have to read it all at once. Sorry. Enjoy!

Odalan

Today at PT Bamboo we had a celebration! I'll wrote more later, but i wanted to share two cute photos while i still have good internet. So here we are, all dressed up for the festivities.  We girls are wearing sarongs (the skirts) and Kebaya (the tops)  and ceremonial belt/scarfs.

  Top photo: Szuyin, Febi, Widhi and me, and the second photo is The Interns! (soon to be a band): Me, Jessica, Febi and Szuyin. 

 Aren't we soooo elegant and well behaved?  These photos are all courtesy of Mas Widhi, who has 1. an excellent camera, and 2. an excellent eye. Many more to come soon probably through facebook.  Enjoy!

I figured it out!

The real answer to the age old question! I saw it in action, and now I know.....

Why did the chicken cross the road?

Because she was just standing by the curb with her chick, pecking at some rice, minding her own business, when an indonesian motorcycle came barreling at her, and she had to make the decision fast or get flattened, and wound up on the wrong side, so how else is she supposed to get back over?

I actually saw this happen yesterday on my way home! The hen and chick panicked, and got the heck out of the way. But the chick broke right, while the hen broke left.  The hen made it to the far side of the road, and (in the most charismatic chicken way I've ever seen) straightened her feathers, took the chicken equivalent of a deep breath, and then realized the chick was on the wrong side of the road. I swear I SAW the hen think to her self "oh, heck. Now I've got to cross back over" and then look to the right to check for traffic!....... Aaaaand then I nearly fell off my bike laughing.

This is 100% true.

I've learned a few things about driving in Bali, and they crack me up.

1. Honking is not rude. Instead of the "holly crap get out of the way!" that a honk means in the states, a honk here means "Hi. I just wanted to let you know, I'm here! And I'm considering passing you. fyi." This is much like the sonic driving in India, where people just honk continuously as a means of general location, like bats, but here it's less unendingly loud. Once you get over the conditioned American response to a horn, the driving experience gets much calmer.

2. Similarly, if a person is barreling down a major road, headed straight toward you in your lane, in the US it would mean "I'm a crazy psycho killer/being chased by cops/drunk" and the proper response is to panic and get out of the way. Here in Bali, the sentiment is more like "What? My lane was full, and you're not using all of yours." And again, once you realize this, driving gets easier.

3. Really, it's best if you just give up the concept of "your lane" all together. Lanes are neither definied, nor really belong to anyone. The lanes constantly shift, depending on the requirements. In this way,  traffic moves more smoothly. More people trying to travel, or traveling at different speeds? Just create more lanes! I actually think this means that everyone is a better driver. YOu have to pay attention, but in turn, you know everyone else has to as well. And they do. Need a turning or passing lane?  Either signal or honk (see #1) and the seas will part for you. No one is texting on their scooter. It's not physically possible. Everyone is entirely responsible for their own survival. There is no "small accident" on a scooter at 35 mph, so your taking your life in your hands.  It's very Libertarian this way.

4. Actually it reminds me a lot of bike and build Everyone is driving the way cyclists ride. Even the cars. You move around each other the same way. You're allowed to bob and weave around potholes and chickens, and people of different speeds glide smoothly past each other. The goal is to keep everyone moving, becuase coming to a standstill on a bike is just as inconvenient as stopping and unclipping from your pedals. In fact you can see a lot of people balancing their nearly stationary bikes in traffic, exactly like road bikers track-standing at a red light.

5. Dogs, cats and, yes, chickens learn the rules of the road really fast. They have to.

Ok, that's my driving post. Now I'm off to get myself home and go to another lesson in Bahasa Indonesia! I'm learning in bits and pieces, but as they say : "sedikit, sedikit, menjadi bukit!" or "little by little builds a hill!"

Things I Find in the Shower

    So, it's been almost a month, and it's time to shake things up. So, as of today, I've decided to move to Denpasar! Just the outside edge, close to my work place, and not into the congested heart of the main city. It's like moving to the west end of Somerville when you say "I'm moving to Boston." I'll be renting a room in a small apartment building/boarding house thing called a Kos. It's a simple but nice situation. Just one room and a bathroom, but it's clean, fully furnished and has AC. Yes, it's farther from the natural tropical splendor of the Ubud area, but honestly.... I'm fine with that. Nature has been  getting very friendly with me recently. For some reason Nature really likes to hang out in my shower.  Seeing nature is fine. Being surprised by nature when you're getting naked and just wanting to wash your hair....

Yeah, so these are some friends I met in the shower over the last week:

This little guy is just over a foot long, nose to tail. And runs really fast. And is now hiding behind the closet. or somewhere.

This guy is probably three or four inches wide, toe to toe. Apparently he doesn't spin webs... so I have no idea where he is. 

Yeah. Nature is just to beautiful, isn't it?... and friendly.... and close... and running at my feet.....

     In other news, before I met the lizard last night, I went to try to meet the Local Scene at the monday night movie at the Yoga Barn in town. So I was already a little dazed and confused when I got home, which probably contributed to the jumping and the yelping. (not screaming. yelping. there's a difference).  I went looking for some now-local westerners to discuss grocery shopping with. Instead, I got to talk about the evil of organized religion and government, how the first draft of the book *everyone* is writing is going, the "simple, innocent" beauty of the Balinese culture, why the NRA is going to destroy the world with it's madness, and time splitting into two in black holes, .... and then I got to watch a film about the beauty of natural birth. ...... yeah. 

    Ubud... a very special place.  

Coming up for Air

Hello all. It seems like forever since i updated this last week. I've been having some trouble getting to the internet when i'm at home, and work has been busy busy busy. and amazing. Suffice to say,e everything so far is awesome. I get to go to construction sites. the other interns are really nice, my boss is nice, all the other people i've interacted with have been cool, too. My fellow interns took me out to Denpasar and showed me the city last week, and will do again this week. they are a lot of fun.  and i've got projects to do. Some materials characterization and process optimization experiments to figure out. Some design. This week I've mostly spent learning suspension bridge design on the fly. Which is slightly nerve-wracking, but mostly awesome. I had my first two language classes at the library, and i'm a little more hopeful that i might eventually remember some of this vocab. (Rolling the R is key!) Now it's the end of the day, and I've survived to my second week as a PTBP intern. And so far haven't broken anything or make anything collapse, and I've tried lots of weird food without getting sick (knock on sooooo much wood) so I'm counting it as a roaring success.

So far have had very little culture shock. Living here is surprisingly easy and straight forward.... ( knock on wood, again?) and I am learning a ton. That's definitely the best part. So much learning.  My brain is rather fried, but it's a good feeling.

oh, on the wold-life front, just fun factoids: a lizard nearly dropped on me in the shower last night, I found a spider the size of my hand, I've gotten used to seeing long-legged roosters wandering around construction sites, and I've been cautiously adopted by a cat.

Ok, more later! Miss you all! have a great weekend!