Another day, another dollar!
Sun 10 Dec
At the hostel, hang my shirt out to dry and run into Maria on the viewing balcony enjoying the sunrise and the birds. No view of Merapi volcano as usual unfortunately, as it has been pretty active by all accounts during the last week – so near and yet nothing to show for it – what a life! Maria has worked with vso before in Tanzania but we both are able to moan about our experiences with vso in Indonesia – do they really need volunteers or are they becoming just a grant awarding body? Anyway cornflakes for breakfast with Thomas who surprisingly has no sign of a hangover following our chess match last night. It appears that he and Alice who work virtually full time at the hostel get 500.000 Rph each month between them making it 17.000 per day compared to my modest(?) volunteers allowance of 50.000 daily (so less than 1$ each) – no wonder they struggle with the baby and all! They can’t believe Maria and Eve travelling about by taxi everywhere (nor can I, but maybe when they settle in and start seeing what their allowance is – and they get their motorbikes I guess things will change). I get off to the internet café to update blog and check emails while Thomas and family go of to church. Afterwards T takes me to a new bamboo church that Pak Biwa has recommended I see near Bantul – a new catholic church built in about three weeks following the earthquake which had made the old church a lethal hazard. It is built entirely in bamboo including the roof and wall shingles, though invitingly open on three sides revealing the cavernous cathedral like interior, it must hold at least 500 people. I’ve left my camera’s memory chip behind after unloading the film Thomas made of his daughter in the swimming pool yesterday so will have to try and get back again sometime! Enjoyable, tasty lunch there too ( there was some meeting taking place for which they were cooking) – must ask T for its name in Indonesian, a mutton stew. Then to visit a nearby friend of Thomas’s (they were both at the seminary for one year?), living in a recently re-built house in a wrecked village. His father has a wheelchair following a stroke I believe but it seems to be of little use except for inside the house which is still only half built – its being worked upon, so all pretty crowded but everyone is cheerful and slaving away to restore things, albeit with reinforced concrete and brick. Back at the hostel, chat with Eve (Holland) and Maria (Philippines) newly arrived vso volunteers and with Biwa, Wati and Thomas before the girls pack to leave for Bali on vso business and T takes me with Michelle to the Saphir hotel to book in for my workshop. We go up to my bedroom which is to be shared with Johan from the village but he has not yet turned up. T and daughter flabbergasted by the luxury – Michelle on the bed as a trampoline and her father making coffee etc but we restrain ourselves from the drinks fridge ( the beer is twice the shop price). The swimming pool is excellent but closed at 7pm so I must find out tomorrow if visitors are allowed! Thomas sees Pak Amien Rais a bigwig in the dominant National Party, suggests I should chat him up though with all the security men around him that looks unlikely, even dangerous. Thomas and daughter return to the hostel while I join Eunice and other volunteers for a meal on the streets – a tasy mutton kebab and rice (15.000 Rph but this is the town centre and it was good.
ps not a day for uploading pics apparently....see next time maybe....
At the hostel, hang my shirt out to dry and run into Maria on the viewing balcony enjoying the sunrise and the birds. No view of Merapi volcano as usual unfortunately, as it has been pretty active by all accounts during the last week – so near and yet nothing to show for it – what a life! Maria has worked with vso before in Tanzania but we both are able to moan about our experiences with vso in Indonesia – do they really need volunteers or are they becoming just a grant awarding body? Anyway cornflakes for breakfast with Thomas who surprisingly has no sign of a hangover following our chess match last night. It appears that he and Alice who work virtually full time at the hostel get 500.000 Rph each month between them making it 17.000 per day compared to my modest(?) volunteers allowance of 50.000 daily (so less than 1$ each) – no wonder they struggle with the baby and all! They can’t believe Maria and Eve travelling about by taxi everywhere (nor can I, but maybe when they settle in and start seeing what their allowance is – and they get their motorbikes I guess things will change). I get off to the internet café to update blog and check emails while Thomas and family go of to church. Afterwards T takes me to a new bamboo church that Pak Biwa has recommended I see near Bantul – a new catholic church built in about three weeks following the earthquake which had made the old church a lethal hazard. It is built entirely in bamboo including the roof and wall shingles, though invitingly open on three sides revealing the cavernous cathedral like interior, it must hold at least 500 people. I’ve left my camera’s memory chip behind after unloading the film Thomas made of his daughter in the swimming pool yesterday so will have to try and get back again sometime! Enjoyable, tasty lunch there too ( there was some meeting taking place for which they were cooking) – must ask T for its name in Indonesian, a mutton stew. Then to visit a nearby friend of Thomas’s (they were both at the seminary for one year?), living in a recently re-built house in a wrecked village. His father has a wheelchair following a stroke I believe but it seems to be of little use except for inside the house which is still only half built – its being worked upon, so all pretty crowded but everyone is cheerful and slaving away to restore things, albeit with reinforced concrete and brick. Back at the hostel, chat with Eve (Holland) and Maria (Philippines) newly arrived vso volunteers and with Biwa, Wati and Thomas before the girls pack to leave for Bali on vso business and T takes me with Michelle to the Saphir hotel to book in for my workshop. We go up to my bedroom which is to be shared with Johan from the village but he has not yet turned up. T and daughter flabbergasted by the luxury – Michelle on the bed as a trampoline and her father making coffee etc but we restrain ourselves from the drinks fridge ( the beer is twice the shop price). The swimming pool is excellent but closed at 7pm so I must find out tomorrow if visitors are allowed! Thomas sees Pak Amien Rais a bigwig in the dominant National Party, suggests I should chat him up though with all the security men around him that looks unlikely, even dangerous. Thomas and daughter return to the hostel while I join Eunice and other volunteers for a meal on the streets – a tasy mutton kebab and rice (15.000 Rph but this is the town centre and it was good.
ps not a day for uploading pics apparently....see next time maybe....
posted by bairuide | 1:38 pm
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home