So, as my mother has been pressing for an update, looks like it's time to start that now.
I have arrived into my new place, Surabaya, Indonesia. A huge city (though it doesn't feel like it except for when stuck in a taxi in traffic in the streets) on the eastern part of Java. It's a pretty vibrant city, full of mansion houses and tree-lined streets, huge supermalls and loads of traffic. As I've only been here a couple days, I'm still figuring out a lot of things, and still rely on taxis and other people to get me around and tell me where I am.
Now it’s been a week, and surprise surprise, I have yet to update. It’s Sunday night, and I work tomorrow at the early hour of 1:30 pm. That’s the earliest I start all week. Tuesday and Thursday I start at 3:00 pm, unless I decide to go in early and work. I finish MWF at 9 pm., and Tuesday Thursday at 7:30 pm. Not a bad schedule.
I have started to try to figure out this city, and still have to rely on taxi’s everywhere, which is starting to get expensive. I am in the search for a gym, to give myself something to wake up for, and one in particular has a pool, which sounds nice, for only about 30 dollars a month. Pricey compared to my $1.00 a visit gym in Thailand.
The food here is good, and cheap, which is nice, though I haven’t started to explore the culinary options, mainly because I don’t know what is what yet, and how to say anything in Indonesian. I hope to “start learning” Indonesian soon, but I’m lazy. The tourism here is pretty dismal, and therefore we’re celebrities wherever we go, which is both humorous and annoying. Luckily I’m used to this from some time in Thailand. This being said, they are used to a decent community of expat teachers, probably at least 50+ that I’ve seen, and they’re always out. However, we still get those fun stares, children pointing, and the general population loving the couple blonds walking down the street together.
All of the teachers are really cool, and range in age from 22-old. My roommates are 34 and 39, though you wouldn’t guess it, and pretty laid back guys. Our maid is cool, though I never see her. When I leave, I make sure all my “to be washed” clothes are in a pile near the door, and that everything is off my bed. She will come in , sweep, clean, tae my laundry and do it, hang it up and replace it folded and ironed into my closet. The bed is made and everything is in order.
I will be a very lazy man soon.
I don’t think I have taken any pictures at all, and therefore have nothing to report on that end. They have Wendy’s, which means Frosties, so that’s good. Sometimes you get into a taxi, and he known your whole address and house number, which makes directions easy.
Oh yes, the job. The school is near the house, $1.50 taxi, and I teach 13 classes a week (plus any I pick up for sick or on holiday teachers). As of now, I have kids classes (7-9) some teenage classes and two general English classes of young adults-my age students. They are all pretty well-behaved and the classes are air-conditioned and small and it’s quite a change from Thailand. We have books to go by, and really just have to follow the grammar points and make sure they know what’s going on. Ill update more on that once I have my first week (this week) where I have my own schedule and my own classes.
That’s all I got for now. Still no one has sent pictures of the cabin L but I have got some pretty funny Dom faces. Can he talk yet? Tell him to get on that…
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