A day out in Singapore

Orchard Road - the main shopping street

So two Thursdays ago, I spent the day in Singapore. A modern, clean city island nation with a population of over 5 million and blends both Malay, Chinese, Indian and European cultures. It is safe to say that Singapore is an anomaly amongst all the other Asian countries. To be honest, it was also an opportunity to get out of Jakarta and get some fresh air in my lungs and not worry about what filth I am going to find under my shoes. People I know who have been to Singapore have all said variations of the same thing. Basically, that it is nice and modern but it is not Asia as we know it. Either way, I was intrigued and having a few hours in a country has to count for something right?!

So why spend only a day there you ask? Well! My friend Manc C and I, were only there to get our 'paperwork' in order. We got up at before the crack of dawn to make our way to Jakarta International for our 6:30 flight. We arrived at Singapore Changi Airport at 9 in the morning. We both were hungry and tired but we had to find the agent to do our paperwork first before anything else. So we hopped on the Skytrain that linked us to the MRT, Singapore's efficient and reliable rail network that became our main mode of transport for the day.

After running around like headless chickens, we found our man and a Subway (Yes the sandwich joint, don't judge me!) We dropped our stuff and headed over for some grub. Totally missed having sandwiches with pork in it! After satisfying ourselves with some delicious subs and soft drinks. We decided to head to Chinatown to find some bargains. 

Chinatown as the name suggests is a district where the majority of the Chinese population work and live. Lots of tea shops, reflexology people trying to get some custom, beauticians wanting to thread away whatever available body hair you have and of course clothes shops LOTS of clothes shops. Sadly, I did not find anything that was flattering or particularly cheap in terms of clothes and neither did C *le sigh*. But, Chinatown had cool and funky architecture which is always cool to see in a new country.

Sri Marriaman Temple

After our wee wonder around Chinatown, we moved onto Little India to find some dinner and booze most importantly. There was one thing we did not count on, the rain! By the time we left Little India station; the heavens opened and soaked us (bless C, she did not have an umbrella so she got the brunt of it.) After taking shelter in the nearby market, we walked along the streets noticing the curry houses, butchers selling goat, florists arranging garlands of marigold for presumably a wedding. But time was of the essence and we needed somewhere to eat and drink.

We decided on the Banana Leaf Apollo Restaurant which specialised in North and South Indian Cuisine. We indulged in a bottle of Red Wine (my old friend!) and our food was to die for! I had the Mutton Ghost Bhuna with Butter Naan and C had Vegetable Biryani and Prawn Rogan Josh. We were very pleased with our spread:

Dinner 

Time was of the essence as our time in Singapore wound down. We had to go and get our documents and get the plane back to Jakarta.

So what did I think of Singapore? Well, I liked it! It's clean, modern and multicultural; three things that I love about a city or a nation in this case. It was a refreshing change from the grittiness and chaos of Jakarta. The architecture is certainly a lot more interesting in Singapore than in Jakarta. I would like to go back and do a proper tour as I missed out on the Harbour and do some proper shopping.

Have you ever been to Singapore? What was your impression of it?

Quick Update

It has been awhile since I have given a run down of what has been happening in the last couple of weeks. Not to worry, I am still in Jakarta and still teaching but I have been up to a couple of things.

But first let me start with a bit of gossip concerning my teacher house as seven became six. Two weeks ago, Big P flew the coop within four months of his year's contract. It is not surprising but it was the manner in which he left that I was miffed by. He basically did a runner! He despised everything about Jakarta and teaching. I will miss his banter - he had a lot of travel stories and a sarcastic tongue - but I will not miss his negativity - he hated Jakarta, the people, the job, the fact he was living with really young people (dude's 44, so old enough to be a dad to a couple of the house mates!). So moving on from that, we have acquired a new house mate albeit temporarily. My colleague T is staying for a month while his room is being renovated  due to serious leaking problems.

I have found two bars that I REALLY like in Jakarta. One that is within walking distance and is pricey and the other is a Rp30,000 taxi ride away and is pricey (I'm a girl expensive taste, LOL!) I will do a post about these classy joints shortly.

I had my first trip out of Jakarta on Tuesday. It was a public holiday and my house mate L and I thought a trip to Bogor would be a nice way to spend the day. We went with two other teacher friends and had a great time despite the inclement weather. Blog post coming up shortly for that too.

Lastly, I am rested up after spending a day in Singapore yesterday. I went with my friend Manc C for the primary purpose *ahem* getting work permits.  I think I like Singapore! I will do a blog post about that trip soon.

Stay tuned for other blog posts!

The Day I took an Ojek

Ojeks or motorcycle taxis are the easiest way of getting around Jakarta. They weave in and around traffic like no one's business, get where you need to go in quick time and can drop you right at your door. Seriously ojeks risk their life and limbs for a fare!

You also have to haggle the price with the drivers as they always suggest overinflated prices. For 20,000rph that covers a single trip from home to work and vice versa so a total of 40,000rph for a day's journey! On the other hand, the local bus costs a total of 4000rph for a day's journey, yes a whole tenth of the price! So why would I want to take an ojek when it is SO dear and the chances of injuring myself in an accident are high?! My house mates take ojeks wherever they go and have encouraged me to do so. But I resisted with vigour because I'm a coward like that but what to do when you have no choice?

I decided to take the plunge and take one. That day was Wednesday night about two weeks ago. I was tired and hungry and wanted to get home quickly from work. However, my usual bus was nowhere to be seen. I walked along the road checking every few seconds to make sure that my bus was not going to drive past but to no avail. But then salvation came.

I was walking along my road when I heard 'Ojek Miss?'. I looked up and saw this small dude pointing to his bike. I thought about for all of thirty seconds and thought 'why the hell not?'

I walked over and I asked in my best Indonesian 'How much to Plaza Indonesia?' He quoted a price of 50,000. I stood my ground and said (in English) 'I am not going anywhere for more than 20,000!' He then said 'OK, 25,000?' I started walking away before he relented and agreed that he will drop me off for 20,000.

He gave me the passenger helmet and hopped on behind him. I was faced with the dilemma of what to do with my hands. I see local women on ojeks with their hands on their thighs or gripping onto the driver's waist (come to think of it they are probably not ojek drivers). I decided to hold onto the back of the seat and took of onto the road. I gripped the seat for dear life and silently praying that I do not fall off. My fears were subsided as I took in the night air and the cool breeze blowing on my face. It was so blissful that I had my hands outstretched and let out a loud yelp exclaiming my exhilaration which my driver thought was funny. He dropped me off and I handed over my 20000 rph and thanked my driver. I walked away becoming a fan of the ojek and learnt lesson in not being a chickenshit and just do it.

I have now taken ojeks 10 times since but only when the situation is really necessary (traffic, protests, late coming home from work and the like). But I can honestly say, I enjoy taking ojeks as they are best way to get around the city.  

Bloody Traffic

As the title suggests, this is my absolute pet hate about Jakarta. The traffic here is RIDICULOUS on an epic scale!

  So why is the traffic so bad?! Well, basically here in Jakarta there are more cars and bikes than people and the infrastructure is SOO poor.

My first experience of Jakarta traffic was during my first week of work. I had a driver taking me to and from work; of course, traffic was at its worst in the evenings at rush hour. On the Wednesday of that week, myself and Girl J had to get out of our ride and walked some of the way home because we were stuck in traffic for over an HOUR oh yeah it was also raining cats and dogs . Bear in mind, the trip home or to work is normally a 25 minute journey so you bet your ass I was pissed off to be stuck there and then had to walk home in the rain! I had to take a photo to remind myself of this moment.

But now that I have lived here for a month. I have now accepted this is one of the many quirks that Jakarta throws at you. As a Westerner, yes it will annoy you on no end but it is one those things you have to deal with. I am slowly accepting this as a part of my living experience.

Have you ever lived somewhere where things irk you but you had to deal with it?

Some Gossip

Hey! I have not dropped off the face of the planet but I have since come down from my brush with fame as per my previous post. A lot, has happened in the last couple of weeks that I have not mentioned at all.

First off, my house mate and colleague, Girl J only gone and got herself a job working at an international school where she will be tripling her salary and she will start in April. This also means she would have to move out of the teachers' house and find her own place with Scottish J (forgot to mention that they are a couple). I am so happy for her as she is a great teacher and she will do well, but I will miss our wee chats and her being my Yoda (re: wise beyond her years and not small and green with pointy ears) since I moved here as a teacher. So J,congratulations on your new job and BIG UP YOURSELF! Speaking of teachers' leaving, my housemate L is going to be finishing up in about a fortnight and my friend D from Traveler Writer Filmmaker (check out her great blog) had her last class on Tuesday and will be leaving Jakarta to Bali for some R&R this weekend. I will be catching up with her tonight.

Secondly, I've been going out like nobody's business since I landed in Jakarta. Clubs, bars and hotels hosting free drink for the fairer sex. I will have to do dedicated posts about my experiences in each place. In a city like Jakarta, there are some decent drinking spots but I would love to find a place where I could hear some Urban tunes and pop my booty with reckless abandon as the clubs I've been to mainly play House music. So stayed tuned for posts on Jakarta's night life.

Thirdly, I've been Skyping my significant other on numerous occasions and weirdly enough I have not cried or been overly upset about not seeing him. This is the longest time I have not seen my darling Doc. I miss him terribly but he has been my biggest supporter in my endeavour and for that I am SO grateful to have him in my life. Truth be told, long distance relationships are a pain in the ass but absence makes the heart grow fonder!

Stay tuned for further posts about Jakarta transport and traffic!

Starstruck

So today, something rather peculiar happened. I have an Elementary-level Saturday class that lasts 3 hours. After that was finished, I packed up and took the bus home. Did I mention that I had my camera with me? I don't usually take my camera with me but I wanted to take some pictures of Jakarta traffic for my next post. Anyway, after I got off my stop I walked along Plaza Indonesia as I was craving for some lunch and then I saw him...

I saw the figure of a impish-looking man dressed in brown knee-length shorts and a white T-shirt strolling like he owned the place with a Starbucks coffee in his hand. I thought to myself  'I know this geezer' and then it hit me like a brick 'HOLY SHIT, THAT'S IAN BROWN!!!' For those who are not aware of The Stone Roses here's their most famous song Fool's Gold:

I turned to him and asked 'Excuse me, are you Ian Brown?' To which he replied 'Yeah, mate you alright?'  I asked for a picture and he graciously obliged. I asked him how Jakarta is treating him and he said he likes it and it is second time over. So in the midst of this pleasant chit-chat, he asked me if I was going to his show tonight. I said no as I had plans and then he then he said 'I could get you free ticket'. My mind started turning, Ian Brown is OFFERING me a FREE TICKET. Now, while I like music and I do like a few tunes from The Stone Roses and Mr. Brown's solo stuff. I would not say that I am enamoured with the band to go and see them live. But a free ticket is a free ticket. So what did this girl genius did? I passed on the gig. 

After I parted from Mr.Brown and wished him well for his gig, I skipped home and shouted to my house mates 'I MET IAN BLOODY BROWN!!!!' After regaling them with the tale of my encounter, I realized I could have seen The Stone Roses FOR FREE! My house mates were not impressed and on further reflection, I am SO not impressed with myself. So why did I turn him down? Simples, I was starstruck! I was so starstruck that I lost all sense and rationale to turn down a free gig because who in their right mind would do that?

With Ian Brown

My First Lesson

For those who've read my last couple of posts, I am a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) teacher at a language school in Jakarta, Indonesia. Teaching was something that I never really thought of as a career option. Truth be told, I did not think I could teach a soul anything because I was a very average student. My averageness (if that's word) followed me to university where I got my average BA in an average subject and continued living a very average existence until I had an epiphany. I wanted more out of my life. I wanted to stop being average and try something new and completely out of my comfort zone. So I figured teaching abroad would be the way forward as the benefits are two-fold. First, I get to experience a culture that is so vastly different to my own and secondly, I can put on my CV that I did something other than admin jobs and had graduated from university so maybe I can get a decent enough job when I get back to the UK (I hope so at least).

But I digress, what I really want to rant talk about was my first lesson.This happened over two weeks ago on Saturday the 10th of February at 10 in the morning with elementary learners between the ages of 16-36. I had never taught before so I was nervous REALLY NERVOUS! I was nervous despite the fact that I had observed lessons all week and had gotten some great advice and tips for my lesson from my colleagues, I was still nervous! I was given less than a week to come up with a lesson plan which is plenty of time, right?! WRONG as I am a master procrastinator and only planned half of a 3 hour lesson. Not good.

Friday came and went, it was now Saturday morning. I woke up in my usual pool of sweat (Jakarta is hella hot!), turned on the room's AC, got out of bed and scuttled off to the shower. I then got dressed and waited for my ride to school. It was during my ride over that I figured if it does not go to plan, it isn't the end of the world. So I did just that, I went with the flow!

I got to my classroom early to set up my 'getting to know you' and warmer activities. Then, they came in! Six students (four guys and two girls) sat down looking at me possibly sensing fear and trepidation on my part behind my smile and laugh. I introduced myself a little too quickly to my students, so quick that their faces said 'Apa?' (Bahasa for what). I took a step back and had a breather. I then wrote my name on the board and elicited the pronunciation. After that, I introduced the game 'Lie Detector', I had written statements about myself on the board some were true, some were false and the students had to figure which ones were what. The statements were:

1. I am from England.
2. I drive a car.
3. I am married with two kids.
4. I support Manchester United.
5. My favourite colour is yellow. 

To my shock and horror, they thought I could drive, LOL! We also played a ball toss memory game, where they had to say their name and something they like and toss the ball to the next person who said their name and something they like and repeat what the previous person had said and continues to the last student who has to remember everything what everyone had said. This enabled me to assess their speaking and listening. It was awesome to see them smiling and laughing and equally awesome that there are a few Manchester United fans in the class too, hehe! I warmed up the class with an game that was based on the grammar point they worked on with their previous teacher, which went down quite well.

As the class wore on, I grew in confidence despite my half-assed lesson plan. I knew who were the weak and strong students and most importantly got to know my students and what made them tick. After finishing my lesson, I sent the students to the computer lab to do some on-line work for the course for the remainder of the class.This allowed me time to breath and say to myself:

 'I could get the hang of this, if I write a decent lesson plan!' 

I have now taught six classes and each one is different to the other. I've written decent lesson plans for some and winged it other times, oh well! But getting my first lesson out of the way is like going to the dentist get a tooth pulled. Once it's done, your fine! Of course, there is room for improvement because I am new to this teaching thing so I can only give myself time.

What was teaching your first lesson like?