A tough day, today as we went to the Jakarta zoo. It was just the kids and I as Marni is still in Malaysia on a conference. So, I thought I would ask the nannies (Fifi and Lasmi) if they wanted to go. They had never been to the zoo before so I thought it would be a nice treat for them.
One thing to understand about Jakarta, in general, is that signs are merely suggestions. That goes for road signs, stop lights or any sort of warning sign. Nobody gets angry if you do something wrong, so, do what you want at your convenience. I bring this up because of the large "Do not feed the animals" signs posted everywhere. What does it mean to the average Indonesian? Feed the animals whatever you have in your hand- potato chips, crackers, fruit. In fact, it can be translated into 'I'll have my three-year old do it for me in case I can snap a photo'. It does not matter that these are potentially dangerous animals.
I'm not going to lie. I have fallen victim to the 'photo op' since getting here. It is not everyday that a person can hold an orangutan or pet dolphins. But, when it comes to feeding the animals that are not used to being fed by the average person, I draw a line. In fact, I got a great one of Caden holding a snake. Not a tiny one, either. I was rather scared for the snake until the owner slapped it in the face to show how docile it was.
I did, at one point, yell at a person who was hanging his child (younger then Caden) over the railing and handing some baboon a cracker. When you see on a sign that these animals are endangered there is little reason why when you see idiots like this. It is similar to the people here on the side of the road with monkeys wearing kids clothes and riding wooden horses. People throw money at them and encourage them to get more monkeys.
Sadly, though, many of the primates come down to the front of the cages and put their hands out because they are used to getting fed. It really is sad. I wished that one of the monkeys grabbed a person and smashed their heads into cage bars. That would have been a good photo!
There was a huge Orangutan enclosure where people were actually throwing food OVER the 'Do not feed the animals' sign. Now I know why monkeys fling shit. They are out of things to throw back.
Overall, though, the zoo is quite nice. They are building some large areas for certain animals. There is a huge variety of animals and they have a beautiful primate park- problem with it is that you walk all over the place and rarely see a primate.
Once more we were followed by the paparazzi. This time I got involved, too. People were friendly about it but with the kids I started to cover their faces when I saw people lining up for photos. At one point there was a huge silverback gorilla, maybe 20 feet away and there were twenty people snapping pictures of Caden and Zoe playing on the rocks. The nannies were very good though. They started telling people that pictures were 10 000 Rp, apiece. Some were actually offended while others got the message. People were yelling at us to stop for photos and I had to tell them to leave us alone. We just wanted to enjoy the day. You would think they can't find white people on the internet.
There was one point where this older lady kept saddling up close to me. It was crowded, so I thought nothing of it. Then she did it again and I could tell by the expression on her face she was posing. When I looked to my right, there was her friend lining up a shot. I should have planted a kiss on her cheek or grabbed her ass!
I tell you, next time I hear on the news that some celebrity smacked a cameraman....I cheering for the celebrity. I know they get paid millions of dollars and have given up a lot of their privacy. But really? Slap the cameramen!
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Superstitious
Seems how I have received a number of facebook posts regarding the fact that this October has 5 Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Somehow, that fact will provide me with great wealth if I use it as my facebook status. I find it hard to believe that Chinese feng shui cares about status I share with others. However, I thought I would share with you some of the stories we have heard regarding certain superstitions.
Our students were sharing some of their beliefs regarding spirits- which are very important in Indonesia. We were asking about the Gamalan, which is a musical instrument (or series of instruments). Basically, it is a bunch of brass pots, cymbals and gongs. In fact, that is the origin of our gongs (gong show). It is a traditional instrument of Indonesia. Sounds like a bunch of tin cans, but traditionally important.
Anyway, Marni and I noticed how the lights are always on around the gamalan. Apparently, spirits of the gamalan get upset if they are in the dark. So, the staff here always leave the lights on. Also, the gamalan needs to be alone. It doesn't like being surrounded by other instruments. So, in the school, we have a room specifically for the gamalan. Ironically, the night we heard this story, I noticed that the gamalan lights were off. I sneaked in, turned them on (the lights, not the spirits) and gained some brownie points (I hope).
Another superstition surrounding instruments is that you cannot play them alone at night. There is, apparently, something haunting and evil about the sounds instruments make and you cannot play them alone during the evening. Having a band, fine. I guess, though, not playing with yourself at night could be a reason there are 240 million Indonesians.
One of the Indonesian staff members was sharing a story with Marni about how she will not travel to Bali. The last time she was there, she had all kinds of sores on her feet, she was sick and just had a horrible experience. Allegedly, the day she left she was fine. According to her (and I am sure many scientific minds) a spirit in Bali fell in love with her. When it realized it could not have her, it made her sick. Weird. She will never return to Bali.
Even when we had our lock-in, we played a game called Zombie tag. Many of the students were very careful what they said about Zombies. They have a healthy respect for the dead. Nothing wrong with that. They are totally into watching every type of horror movie, but they won't disrespect the dead.
I am unsure as to what they think of, and how they celebrate Halloween. I will find out this weekend.
Our students were sharing some of their beliefs regarding spirits- which are very important in Indonesia. We were asking about the Gamalan, which is a musical instrument (or series of instruments). Basically, it is a bunch of brass pots, cymbals and gongs. In fact, that is the origin of our gongs (gong show). It is a traditional instrument of Indonesia. Sounds like a bunch of tin cans, but traditionally important.
Anyway, Marni and I noticed how the lights are always on around the gamalan. Apparently, spirits of the gamalan get upset if they are in the dark. So, the staff here always leave the lights on. Also, the gamalan needs to be alone. It doesn't like being surrounded by other instruments. So, in the school, we have a room specifically for the gamalan. Ironically, the night we heard this story, I noticed that the gamalan lights were off. I sneaked in, turned them on (the lights, not the spirits) and gained some brownie points (I hope).
Another superstition surrounding instruments is that you cannot play them alone at night. There is, apparently, something haunting and evil about the sounds instruments make and you cannot play them alone during the evening. Having a band, fine. I guess, though, not playing with yourself at night could be a reason there are 240 million Indonesians.
One of the Indonesian staff members was sharing a story with Marni about how she will not travel to Bali. The last time she was there, she had all kinds of sores on her feet, she was sick and just had a horrible experience. Allegedly, the day she left she was fine. According to her (and I am sure many scientific minds) a spirit in Bali fell in love with her. When it realized it could not have her, it made her sick. Weird. She will never return to Bali.
Even when we had our lock-in, we played a game called Zombie tag. Many of the students were very careful what they said about Zombies. They have a healthy respect for the dead. Nothing wrong with that. They are totally into watching every type of horror movie, but they won't disrespect the dead.
I am unsure as to what they think of, and how they celebrate Halloween. I will find out this weekend.
Friday, October 22, 2010
....ummmm
I am sure you are all missing what I have to say so I will ramble.
Some things that have happened, recently:
The extra security from out front have left. There has been a lease extension until June 30th for us. After that we need to find somewhere else to have a school It is a shame, the campus is beautiful and the pool is amazing. Thank goodness Shamus got in for a few pictures before they all left. In fact, he scared the shit out of the security. They weren't sure what to think.
Caden got a report card from preschool. He is doing well. He can do "Head, shoulders, knees and toes"in Mandarin. Really cute if you have enough ice cream to make him do it. He is, apparently, very shy to everyone, though. Everybody in the area knows him, but he ignores them all. Obviously, some of Grandma's 'fear of everything including drowning, pumas and gullycats' has rubbed off. People will yell hello to him from across the street and he will not acknowledge them, at all. He is very popular though. No slushies in the face like on Glee.
Zoe was having a tough time, recently. She has told Marni and I that she wants more friends. She has a few and they are wonderful kids but she wants the older, mean girls to like her, too. She has started to out in class (as much as a grade 1 will do) in order to make them like her. But, after a little chat, that should not be a problem. The girls who is giving her a rough time is on a behaviour modification program because she is a real snotbag.
Although, Zoe did do a self portrait of herself in art class, recently where she coloured her hair black. She is realizing that she is very different and, of course, wants to be like everyone else. It is kind of sad to see how strong those feelings are at such an early age. I feel for many of you that were probably (definitely) losers in school (you know who I'm talking about). Only the cool kids had huge, tinted glasses and feathered hair- but I do know of some that had a mullet until 2004....Simon. But, it was a cool mullet and I am sure he has the hair in a Ziploc bag at home. I am confident there will be some witty banter in response to this but mark my words.....
I realized that some of my grade 8 Korean students would still need booster seats in Alberta. They only weigh about 60lbs. That just makes me chuckle to think about that- a 15 year in a booster seat.
We had a 'lock-in' last week where the Upper school kids stayed in the school all night. We realized that Zoe is taller then 3 of the grade 6's and weighs more then most of the grades 6's and 8's. She is actually having to buy woman's shoes, too. Her feet are like flippers. Caden is not far behind (not about buying woman's shoes but it wouldn't surprise me). Oh, and I fell out of a tree. It hurt. I don't bounce like I used to.
The rainy season is approaching. Each day, about an hour of the heaviest rain you've ever seen will fall. The Thunder is amazing. But, if it rains for two or three days they will probably have to shut the school down because of the flooding.
You all hear about any volcanoes well before we do. None are close, but thank you for the concern.
I also just realized that if I was writing this blog from my living room in St. Albert, none of you would care. Shame on you.
Some things that have happened, recently:
The extra security from out front have left. There has been a lease extension until June 30th for us. After that we need to find somewhere else to have a school It is a shame, the campus is beautiful and the pool is amazing. Thank goodness Shamus got in for a few pictures before they all left. In fact, he scared the shit out of the security. They weren't sure what to think.
Caden got a report card from preschool. He is doing well. He can do "Head, shoulders, knees and toes"in Mandarin. Really cute if you have enough ice cream to make him do it. He is, apparently, very shy to everyone, though. Everybody in the area knows him, but he ignores them all. Obviously, some of Grandma's 'fear of everything including drowning, pumas and gullycats' has rubbed off. People will yell hello to him from across the street and he will not acknowledge them, at all. He is very popular though. No slushies in the face like on Glee.
Zoe was having a tough time, recently. She has told Marni and I that she wants more friends. She has a few and they are wonderful kids but she wants the older, mean girls to like her, too. She has started to out in class (as much as a grade 1 will do) in order to make them like her. But, after a little chat, that should not be a problem. The girls who is giving her a rough time is on a behaviour modification program because she is a real snotbag.
Although, Zoe did do a self portrait of herself in art class, recently where she coloured her hair black. She is realizing that she is very different and, of course, wants to be like everyone else. It is kind of sad to see how strong those feelings are at such an early age. I feel for many of you that were probably (definitely) losers in school (you know who I'm talking about). Only the cool kids had huge, tinted glasses and feathered hair- but I do know of some that had a mullet until 2004....Simon. But, it was a cool mullet and I am sure he has the hair in a Ziploc bag at home. I am confident there will be some witty banter in response to this but mark my words.....
I realized that some of my grade 8 Korean students would still need booster seats in Alberta. They only weigh about 60lbs. That just makes me chuckle to think about that- a 15 year in a booster seat.
We had a 'lock-in' last week where the Upper school kids stayed in the school all night. We realized that Zoe is taller then 3 of the grade 6's and weighs more then most of the grades 6's and 8's. She is actually having to buy woman's shoes, too. Her feet are like flippers. Caden is not far behind (not about buying woman's shoes but it wouldn't surprise me). Oh, and I fell out of a tree. It hurt. I don't bounce like I used to.
The rainy season is approaching. Each day, about an hour of the heaviest rain you've ever seen will fall. The Thunder is amazing. But, if it rains for two or three days they will probably have to shut the school down because of the flooding.
You all hear about any volcanoes well before we do. None are close, but thank you for the concern.
I also just realized that if I was writing this blog from my living room in St. Albert, none of you would care. Shame on you.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Fantasy world
Today in my science class we were using containers filled with sand as some weight. Unfortunately, some students spilled their sand on my floor. No big deal. I walked down to where the 'Bees' keep their supplies and grabbed a broom and dustpan. I brought it back to the room and one of the students asked "Why don't you get the servants to clean it up?". My reply "Because the servants did not spill the sand." (I know, I thought it was witty, too.)
One of the students started to clean and truly had no idea how to hold a broom. Some of the others were laughing at him until I asked them to do it. I realized at that moment that many of them had never swept a floor (this was a grade 7 class). Eventually I showed them how to hold a broom and they lined up to have a turn.
Then, another group spilled some and I asked another group which one had never swept a floor. A young girl reluctantly put her hand up. Talk about a 'teachable moment'. I made her tell her mom when she showed up about the amazing experience she had. But then, another quiet girl came up and whispered "Can I have a try?". It was like a ride at Disneyland! They were so excited to sweep a floor. Keep that in perspective when you are shoveling tons of ankle deep, wet snow. Some people NEVER get to experience the joy you have at that moment!
Another student likened it to living in a fantasy world. They truly have no concept of reality because everything has been done for them.
In fact, recently, a student's nanny was hit by a car (realize, when I say 'hit' it means glanced and by 'car' I mean scooter traveling at 12km/h) when getting out in the morning in front of the school. There she was getting helped into the school, bleeding and limping and the student for whom she worked so carefully muttered to her "Where is my lunch, Bitch?". I added the 'bitch' part for literary effect, but you get the point.
All in all, another eventful day. And.....I do have it on good authority that you can get a woman for $3 and a "woman" with an Adam's apple for $5. I don't why the latter is more expensive. A person needs to keep learning, everyday.
One of the students started to clean and truly had no idea how to hold a broom. Some of the others were laughing at him until I asked them to do it. I realized at that moment that many of them had never swept a floor (this was a grade 7 class). Eventually I showed them how to hold a broom and they lined up to have a turn.
Then, another group spilled some and I asked another group which one had never swept a floor. A young girl reluctantly put her hand up. Talk about a 'teachable moment'. I made her tell her mom when she showed up about the amazing experience she had. But then, another quiet girl came up and whispered "Can I have a try?". It was like a ride at Disneyland! They were so excited to sweep a floor. Keep that in perspective when you are shoveling tons of ankle deep, wet snow. Some people NEVER get to experience the joy you have at that moment!
Another student likened it to living in a fantasy world. They truly have no concept of reality because everything has been done for them.
In fact, recently, a student's nanny was hit by a car (realize, when I say 'hit' it means glanced and by 'car' I mean scooter traveling at 12km/h) when getting out in the morning in front of the school. There she was getting helped into the school, bleeding and limping and the student for whom she worked so carefully muttered to her "Where is my lunch, Bitch?". I added the 'bitch' part for literary effect, but you get the point.
All in all, another eventful day. And.....I do have it on good authority that you can get a woman for $3 and a "woman" with an Adam's apple for $5. I don't why the latter is more expensive. A person needs to keep learning, everyday.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Aftermath
Seems that because we have had a rash of trees falling down in the rain the neighbours have decided to cut all of the trees on the boulevard down. It is a shame. There are some amazingly large, beautiful trees there and within a day they have been cut into firewood.
I weep for trees. Crap......I sound like I'm from the lower mainland!
By the way- the hearts are gone. I am afraid to ask what they did with them. Although, I did see many of the Indonesian staff holding care packages.
I weep for trees. Crap......I sound like I'm from the lower mainland!
By the way- the hearts are gone. I am afraid to ask what they did with them. Although, I did see many of the Indonesian staff holding care packages.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Dissection
Today was my first dissection in another country. I have done many in the past, but never had the troubles like here.
First, the school has barely any supplies. I found a few scissors, one or two rustly scalpels and that is it. I tried looking for scalpels but what the hell is scalpel in Indonesian? So, I ended up at a 'Staples' type place and bought some cheap exacto knives. Try cutting through a heart with that!
There were no dissecting trays, either. So, I had to buy some plastic plates for students to cut on. That doesn't seem so funny until you realize that hearts we were using were beef hearts and were about the size of your head.
In the past, when I have done the heart dissection I would typically use pig hearts. They are smaller and a more 'human sized'. But, try finding pig hearts in a Muslim country (pigs have no necks). Good luck. So, beef hearts it is.
So, the students, I don't think' have ever performed a dissection but they were quite excited. Maybe it was me in my lab coat, but needless to say they were giddy. Then, out of an ice-packed Coleman cooler I pulled out a heart. Again, it was about the size of my head, covered in fat and I asked the butcher to leave on as much 'goodness' as possible.
Now, I don't know how hard it is to get some hearts in these parts. I would assume many of them get sold as food. But, I think some of these hearts had been sitting around for a while. The smell was unbelievable. Some hearts had a greenish tinge to them and smelled like a dogs ass (before you reply, the answer is yes).
I did my dissection at about 8:30 this morning and as I write this at 1:30 they are still sitting in the Coleman cooler that is not as ice-packed as it should be.
First, the school has barely any supplies. I found a few scissors, one or two rustly scalpels and that is it. I tried looking for scalpels but what the hell is scalpel in Indonesian? So, I ended up at a 'Staples' type place and bought some cheap exacto knives. Try cutting through a heart with that!
There were no dissecting trays, either. So, I had to buy some plastic plates for students to cut on. That doesn't seem so funny until you realize that hearts we were using were beef hearts and were about the size of your head.
In the past, when I have done the heart dissection I would typically use pig hearts. They are smaller and a more 'human sized'. But, try finding pig hearts in a Muslim country (pigs have no necks). Good luck. So, beef hearts it is.
So, the students, I don't think' have ever performed a dissection but they were quite excited. Maybe it was me in my lab coat, but needless to say they were giddy. Then, out of an ice-packed Coleman cooler I pulled out a heart. Again, it was about the size of my head, covered in fat and I asked the butcher to leave on as much 'goodness' as possible.
Now, I don't know how hard it is to get some hearts in these parts. I would assume many of them get sold as food. But, I think some of these hearts had been sitting around for a while. The smell was unbelievable. Some hearts had a greenish tinge to them and smelled like a dogs ass (before you reply, the answer is yes).
I did my dissection at about 8:30 this morning and as I write this at 1:30 they are still sitting in the Coleman cooler that is not as ice-packed as it should be.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Village of Idiots
How there are 240 million Indonesians I have no idea. Today, after school, there was quite a rainstorm. Another tree on campus fell down- this time, over the back fence and across the road. Into overdrive went our bumblebees and Indonesian staff.
For some reason, I am unable to upload pictures to this blog, but let me tell you the situation.
Fallen tree
Electrical storm
20 Indonesian standing on the street.
Live electrical wires- 220 volts minimum. (But it's okay, they were coated in rubber)
Man, no shoes, with chainsaw, standing on aluminum ladder, ladder in puddle.
Man, with chainsaw, cutting large tree that has fallen over said live electrical lines.
Me, checking to see if my CPR is up to date.
Nobody was hurt. Phew!
For some reason, I am unable to upload pictures to this blog, but let me tell you the situation.
Fallen tree
Electrical storm
20 Indonesian standing on the street.
Live electrical wires- 220 volts minimum. (But it's okay, they were coated in rubber)
Man, no shoes, with chainsaw, standing on aluminum ladder, ladder in puddle.
Man, with chainsaw, cutting large tree that has fallen over said live electrical lines.
Me, checking to see if my CPR is up to date.
Nobody was hurt. Phew!
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Golfing- Part Deux
This place was not so exciting- there were no caddies preening themselves like cats on a wall. All the damn caddies were male! What's with that? Although, I did better my score by about 10 shots. I would hate to think there is a correlation.
This course was called Jagorawi, close to a city called Bogor- just south of Jakarta. The area is filled with courses- kind of like Edmonton or Lethbridge where there is one every 25 km.
The golf is fine- I am taking divots I have never experienced before. The ground is so wet that 'getting under the ball' means about 3 inches under it.
I was assigned a little caddie named Sarki. Cute little fella- kind of like a chubby teddy bear. I originally had him carrying my clubs and would walk the course but I was advised that I would kill him with the hills on the course. I figured "I am paying this guy a good $1.50, he can damn well carry clubs. I've been doing it for nothing all these years." But, I caved.
Sarki and I set off on what turned out to be a beautiful course. I shot low gross for the group. It was gross, too.
The fun thing about golf here is the extras.
1) You see random villagers walking the course. Some are harvesting rice that grows in between holes. Some are swimming in the most disgusting river you have ever seen. Others are carrying firewood and other grasses for home. You will be walking along and this random person just walks across the fairway. I would not be surprised one day to see one herding some goats.
2) Village kids peddling their wares. They sell juice, food and golf balls (that you never buy because they have a counterfeit golf ball industry, here). Realize, though, there are about 20 people on every hole. Some of the kids sit and cheer you on from the tee box. Others wave flags to tell you the ball is out of bounds or if it is safe to hit. I was advised to lay-up on one hole by some random stranger- he was right! I don't think any of these people are paid by course, though. There are security guards on every hole, too. You never feel unsafe.
3) One of the best things is that you never lose a ball. I can duck hook a drive a mile in the jungle and some kids will walk out with my exact ball! Give the kid 20 cents and off you go. You hit one in the water and it's like piranhas feeding.
On the back nine it started to drizzle rain. Sarki went into overdrive. He was sticking my clubs under his shirt to keep the grips dry. Wiping the seat on the cart. Holding my golf glove while I putted. He was a good guy.
Overall, I shot well and Sarki made $15.
This course was called Jagorawi, close to a city called Bogor- just south of Jakarta. The area is filled with courses- kind of like Edmonton or Lethbridge where there is one every 25 km.
The golf is fine- I am taking divots I have never experienced before. The ground is so wet that 'getting under the ball' means about 3 inches under it.
I was assigned a little caddie named Sarki. Cute little fella- kind of like a chubby teddy bear. I originally had him carrying my clubs and would walk the course but I was advised that I would kill him with the hills on the course. I figured "I am paying this guy a good $1.50, he can damn well carry clubs. I've been doing it for nothing all these years." But, I caved.
Sarki and I set off on what turned out to be a beautiful course. I shot low gross for the group. It was gross, too.
The fun thing about golf here is the extras.
1) You see random villagers walking the course. Some are harvesting rice that grows in between holes. Some are swimming in the most disgusting river you have ever seen. Others are carrying firewood and other grasses for home. You will be walking along and this random person just walks across the fairway. I would not be surprised one day to see one herding some goats.
2) Village kids peddling their wares. They sell juice, food and golf balls (that you never buy because they have a counterfeit golf ball industry, here). Realize, though, there are about 20 people on every hole. Some of the kids sit and cheer you on from the tee box. Others wave flags to tell you the ball is out of bounds or if it is safe to hit. I was advised to lay-up on one hole by some random stranger- he was right! I don't think any of these people are paid by course, though. There are security guards on every hole, too. You never feel unsafe.
3) One of the best things is that you never lose a ball. I can duck hook a drive a mile in the jungle and some kids will walk out with my exact ball! Give the kid 20 cents and off you go. You hit one in the water and it's like piranhas feeding.
On the back nine it started to drizzle rain. Sarki went into overdrive. He was sticking my clubs under his shirt to keep the grips dry. Wiping the seat on the cart. Holding my golf glove while I putted. He was a good guy.
Overall, I shot well and Sarki made $15.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
What is happening?
Alright, here is a new rundown of the latest events here at the school.
The security guards from the landowner (Summarecon) are still there. Why? Nobody really knows. They are a bunch of guys, probably being paid $5 per day to wear fancy uniforms. Basically, they cannot touch us or enter the property. What will happen later is some political party will pay them the same $5 to dress up in Red and support their party. Then the next day they will wear blue shirts. And, so it goes on.
One of the major hurdles in us buying the school land was the zoning. Summarecon wanted NJIS to pay commercial rate (about $15 million). But, NJIS wanted to pay public rate because is was zoned that way. Anyway, through negotiations there were clauses put into the contract and the talking stalled, we ran out our lease and the security moved in.
The parents and teachers have banded together to make sure that the school stays open. One of the arguments that Summarecon made is that if we are not teaching, then there is no school and the land is more expensive because it is no longer public. So, by us canceling school last week it showed that we were not a school. So, that is why we had to hurry back.
Some of the parents who include the Chief of Police, Head of the Indonesian Bar Association and other high profile individuals have vowed to protect teachers (and our contracts) if anything happens. In this culture, to be a Guru (teacher) is very high profile. We are paid shit, but the respect is very high. I wish respect paid the mortgage.
As it stands now, we are still trying to buy the land. The money is finalized. The papers just need to be signed. We should be able to finish out the year if we can't buy the land. Next year is a different story.
But, I have just heard that one of the parents and our Head of School just left to go buy more land. The plan was to fill this place up with students and eventually move to a larger campus. Maybe next year we will have an entirely new school.
The security guards from the landowner (Summarecon) are still there. Why? Nobody really knows. They are a bunch of guys, probably being paid $5 per day to wear fancy uniforms. Basically, they cannot touch us or enter the property. What will happen later is some political party will pay them the same $5 to dress up in Red and support their party. Then the next day they will wear blue shirts. And, so it goes on.
One of the major hurdles in us buying the school land was the zoning. Summarecon wanted NJIS to pay commercial rate (about $15 million). But, NJIS wanted to pay public rate because is was zoned that way. Anyway, through negotiations there were clauses put into the contract and the talking stalled, we ran out our lease and the security moved in.
The parents and teachers have banded together to make sure that the school stays open. One of the arguments that Summarecon made is that if we are not teaching, then there is no school and the land is more expensive because it is no longer public. So, by us canceling school last week it showed that we were not a school. So, that is why we had to hurry back.
Some of the parents who include the Chief of Police, Head of the Indonesian Bar Association and other high profile individuals have vowed to protect teachers (and our contracts) if anything happens. In this culture, to be a Guru (teacher) is very high profile. We are paid shit, but the respect is very high. I wish respect paid the mortgage.
As it stands now, we are still trying to buy the land. The money is finalized. The papers just need to be signed. We should be able to finish out the year if we can't buy the land. Next year is a different story.
But, I have just heard that one of the parents and our Head of School just left to go buy more land. The plan was to fill this place up with students and eventually move to a larger campus. Maybe next year we will have an entirely new school.
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