Hi everyone
I have been back in Indonesia for 3 weeks now. Crazy how time flies when you aren’t sitting at home being jerked around by constantly changing departure dates and no structure to your day.
Pretty much if you’re one of the 3 people reading this you know the deal but for posterity’s sake: I was back in the US from early June, was supposed to be until early September, but that got pushed back (and forth and back). “Family reasons” is the generic explanation I use, and in addition I ended up taking Indonesian classes, and going to a lot of weddings. It was an incredibly, incredibly, incredibly intense few months – very busy and very full of extreme emotions along every degree of the spectrum. I am very grateful I was able to be home for both the good and the bad and the classes, and very grateful that those months are behind me.
The “exciting” things that I have to report since being back are slight pathetic, really, but you love me so you’ll go with it – I have a desk! Go to the office 9-5 (ish)! Have projects and assignments with clear goals and end points (you know, “ish”)! Go to happy hours and after-work dinners!
Basically I’m finishing up my old contract, by (1) writing up my findings about the NGO that I was partnered with and trying to analyze them in terms of how they might be useful to other programs, plus (2) supporting impementaiton of the management recommendations I’d made, or at least I am in as much as that’s possible in 2 month. For a variety of reasons, not least because people high up expected it and “want me for other things” (professional) and because the commute is infinitely less horrendous (personal) and because the office is quiet and calm enough that I can actually sit and write (both), I’m only going to the NGO office occasionally and am mostly based at the office of the funder contracting me.
(Yes, my contract is still only through the end of the year. So there’s that hanging over my head. But it does seem something will work out. ????? ….. I’ll keep you posted as ever.)
Also I went to Bali for a long weekend with Katie and our other language school buddy. We got sunburned, walked around with our legs and shoulders showing, went a drag show dinner revue, and watched a lot of E! Entertainment television. (Having seen Kim’s Fairy Tale wedding I was shocked – shocked! – to learn more recently that K&K are getting a divorce.)
I have been staying with my uncle but am house-sitting again for the embassy people for a couple weeks. Their cat has chilled out considerably but now has a little brother that is only slight less neurotic than Jambu used to be. They make me laugh, which is nice. The pool and the gym downstairs don’t hurt nor the fact that I am a 4-minute walk away from my office.
I came back determined to exercise regularly and have had some success. I’ve walked the hour 15 from my uncle’s to the office a couple times – hot & sweaty & carcinogenic but felt good nonetheless. I’ve also joined ultimate Frisbee (by which I mean I’ve gone once) but it was fun if also h&s&c and I wasn’t the worst player on the field so I’ll go back (by which I mean I’ll think about it a lot for sure.)
That's about it.
Love you
M
