First Entry from Jakarta

I've arrived! I already have a lot to say so I think the best way to do it would be in point form:

- The plane ride was long and painful. 15 hours from Toronto to Hong Kong, 20 hours in Hong Kong and 5 hours from Hong Kong to Jakarta. I loved watching the landing and take-offs each time, and during many periods of the flight I could see out the window. One amazing thing was seeing the North pole.

- The great thing about the 20 hour delay in Hong Kong was the fact that I had a chance to go downtown and see the city. One main problem was the lack of sleep, but I managed to keep myself awake for 2 days straight and enjoy the sights of Hong Kong for myself. At this point in time I've decided posting pictures in the body of the blog text is a pain, so instead, I'm going to post a link to the Picasa website I'll store all the photos. Hong Kong was a beautiful, very lively city, with amazing public parks and a really cool free zoo filled with monkeys (I love monkeys). I had a chance to climb to the summit of the city (the entire city is built on mountains) and see the city from the top. I took the Peak Tram back down and made my way back to the aiport. A very good in between sightseeing opportunity I must say.

- So I finally got to the airport and took a few hours nap in the terminal before the flight. I had crazy blisters on my feet from hiking in Hong Kong's humidity in flip flops, so walking around the terminal was a challenge. I was trying to find Michael, because I was under the impression we had the same flight. CX777 at 9:20 am. When it came time to board the plane I asked them to make announcements to find him but I had to finally give up and board the plane to Jakarta without him.

- 6 hours later I arrived in Jakarta, and it turns out Michael had already arrived the day before. I finally had the chance to meet Yulis and she drove me to the house of Ibu Naning where I am still staying. ( A mansion )

- The first day at work was great. I got a chance to meet everyone here and I have to say they are very friendly. I have never felt so welcome in my life before and I can already tell this is going to be an amazing 3 months of work.

- The second day we attended the Austrian Embassy's groundbreaking ceremony for their new embassy building. It was very formal and a great networking experience. I met with people from the Austrian Embassy, Hungarian embassy, the UNDP including representatives from the 6 major religions here in Jakarta. It was really nice seeing the 6 religions come together and bless the building. I've never seen such co-operation between the religions before. It is to be the first green building in Jakarta, certified under LEED International and also the first green building of any Austrian embassy.

- The third day, coincidently we went to a webinar at the *Australian* embassy. Unfortunately the "machet" (traffic) was brutal and it took us over 2 hours to get there and we missed the majority of the webinar. It was however another eye opening experience.

-Last night was a public holiday. I asked to go to church with Pak Bintang (Mr. Star) and he treated us to a sightseeing tour around the city, welcomed us in his home, introduced his family and took us out to lunch and dinner. I am very grateful and still am not sure how to express this gratitude to everyone here for their hospitality and friendship.

Some key things I've come to experience here in Jakarta
- traffic is brutal (like reallllyyyy brutal)
- the people are amazing
- religion is the way of life
- malls are a way of life
- the food is amazing (but has some consequences for new arrivals)
- its hot
- mosquitoes love me
- I love my life

The end. (wow, way too long)