last post....was from singapore

Okay, so I'm in California now, but I'm posting this which I wrote in Singapore, but for some reason that computer that I was using failed to post it for me. I got home safely, it's Monday evening 1. Anyway, this is what I wrote in singapore......and I can attach a photo from singapore now too.....

well, I decided that since I wrote on here on the way TO Indonesia from Singapore that I would again write from Singpore on the way FROM Indonesia.

i'm here in the extremely nice sinapore airport just chillin. I only had about 5 hours between flights, so not a lot of time do anything real big, and the taxi wanted to charge me $25 an hour to take me around the city. Not a bad price, I just didn't feel like paying that much, especially since the airport is so nice and it's raining outside.

I did have enough time to "leave" the airport and then come back in so that I could get a new stamp in my passport, may as well make it official that I was here.

Look back on Indonesia, it was an awesome time! Not exactly what I expected as far as the photography side of things, but I had fun, made some decent photos and even made a friend or two...maybe even three. Seems like everywhere I go I meet another cool person...another person that blesses my life...another reason to return to that country someday. Of course, when I'll be able to return to Indonesia, who knows, but maybe someyear in the future it'll happen.

Ok, that's all for now. This will be my last post on the Indo blog...should be starting the Japan blog soon, at least that's my plan. Thank you for reading. Hopefully see you soon, or at least talk to you soon! -nathan

orang means person

I think that it if were up to me I may have called them Orangutans as well. We went to Bukit Lawang today in North Sumatra (that's the province name). It is the entrance to a massive animal preserve that someday I hope to spend days exploring, but for now only had three hours. We went for the main purpose of seeing orangutans, so that was fulfilled, although the opportunity of seeing elephants, tigers, gibbons, and hundreds of other critters was so tantalizing...too bad it was kinda impossible today with our short amount of time...that's why I say NEXT TIME!

So, after a little hike a little orange hairy gal came climbing down a massive tree to greet us. She was the cutest ugly thing; well i won't go into physical description since I attached a photo. Apparently she was one of the ones that had been rehabilitated and released into the wild, so she was friendlier than others, but still wild and curious. Not wild enough not to try and steal anything she could get her hands on and also not wild enough to deny a little scratch on the head. Anyway, she was the first and the second was the same, just larger. Between the two of them we spent an hour watching, photographing and just enjoying another one of God's amazing creatures.

Other than that the day was spent driving.....driving..........driving............POTHOLES............more POTHOLES........driving............... POTHOLES; yeah you get the picture. Actually for a while there the potholes were the norm and having a bit of road kinda got in the way. Close to 8 hours probably spent in the far weaving in and out of trucks, cars, humans, bikes, motorcycles, beceks (bikes or motorcylces with sidecars), cows, chickens, goats, you name it we had to get around it today. Traffic here is absolutely nuts!

Saturday night, I'm staying at my friend's office which is in the city, so I think that I'll go out and see the crazy saturday evening night life of Medan.

hello medan!

wow, I've made it to Medan. that photos is actually the grand mosque in Banda Aceh, but it's the latest photo that I have cause I haven't taken any here yet. i'll get some tomorrow for sure.

Anyway...hello medan......and as odd as it may sound...culture shock. Yes, still in Indonesia, but culture shocked. From the modest somewhat calm life in Banda Aceh to Medan overwhelmed me. I went to a mall with Becky to get groceries and there was so much color....noise....not so modestly dressed people (girls).........so many different kinds of foods......... I can't really explain it I guess...it was just overwhelming. Where I was staying in Aceh was out in the "country" I guess it would be called; quiet enough at night to hear the waves crashing on the distant beach. yeah....um...standing in the middle of a 6 story mall with people running all over, music playing from every direction, and stuff...lots of stuff. Since I can't put words to my emotions, a problem I often encounter, I'm just going to end with that. Do I sounds confused a bit? It's not that bad :D

goodbye aceh

well, tomorrow I leave Aceh and go to Medan for three days. Should be interesting to see how the big city life is here. at least a change of scenery and a chance to photograph some different stuff. I feel finished here, so that is good. Because I have not had a real focus in the photography, it is not like I have a story that I feel I need to complete or something like that. I've been doing a lot of work taking photos for the NGO that I've been here with and that kinda thing, so that's good. And of course as you've been reading, trying to experience some new stuff here.

It's been a great time and I've met some great people. Anyway, till medan....

oh yeah that photo is from my "terrible" day of photography that really wasn't nearly as bad as it felt the day of. Still truckin along and even a "bad" day is fun :D

frustrating...

well, today was frustrating to be honest. I think that I was able to make some decent photos, but I haven't been back to my computer so I don't know yet. There is a really interesting village that is between the big city and where I live in the "country". The reason that I find it so interesting is because it is a village of discplaced people. But what is different about them is that not only were their homes destroyed in the tsunami, their acutal land was minimalized, so the land where they would rebuild their homes is smaller than it was, and still very vulnerable to flooding with just a high tide. Anyway, that was a bad explanation of the village, but whatever, I wanted to spend a few days there to document their lives.
So I went this morning and started walking around. The people there are really friendly so one guy invited me to sit on his porch for a while...which is nice, but not productive for my goal. After an hour or so of trying to have a conversation with his minimal english and my minimal indonesian I left his place. Well, when a white person is walking around in a village EVERYONE calls "hey mister", "hey mister"...then they see the camera and it changes to, "foto, foto", so you go over the and they pose for a photo and then try and talk and pretty soon there are half a dozen or more other people standing around trying to talk....and then I'm back sitting on a porch and everytime I lift my camera everyone either hides or just poses. And at somepoint in the conversation...which usually involves lots of laughing and "no bahasa"..."no english"....the topic of the tsunami comes up, and then "money, money" is the only other english word they know. So the rest of the conversation is them saying "money money" and me saying "I don't have any for you", and then finally I just leave.
OOOOH, kids playing, that should be fun, so I go over there to take some photos...." HEY MISTER, FOTO FOTO"....more posing....finally a few candid photos and then they realize that they can see the photos on the back of the camera. It turns into "foto foto"...*click*....then they all run around to see the photo. Within 10 minutes...."money money"...."family die tsunami..money money". Eeeer, it's so sad, but what can I do, I don't have money to give to everyone, right?
well, one kid decides to follow me, speaking indonesian the whole time, as if I'd somehow learned it between the time we were sitting by the water and now. So with his help I am not even able to sneak up and get a single candid photo before they notice because he announces me as I approach "foto foto". From location to location "riding" his bike with a death grip on my arm. oh well...life goes on and I don't think that any sort of story will come from this village in only a few days (maybe with a few weeks I could get something done...once everyone got used to be being there), maybe some nice portraits...we'll see I guess.
The upside is that I met some really nice people and had some very interesting conversations in indo/english with a little help from a indo phrase book. Then my friend came to the village and picked me up and we went out to dinner; he is an awesome guy, so it made for a good end to a somewhat frustrating day.
Two and a half more days here and then to Medan for three days and then back to California, WOW did this time go by quickly! Hopefully I'll get a chance to write again in Medan.

honey hunting!

today I had the priviledge of going honey hunting with Pak Yusup, "the honey man". I actually went with him Sunday also, but we were unsuccessful in finding honey, so I wanted to go again so that I could get photos of him actually getting some honey. Well, today we did! he found a relatively large hive, but only took a small section off, just to show us how it's done, and he'll get the rest down later when the hive gets bigger. It was such a great opportunity to witness a profession that will most likely die out unless the next generation decides they want to take it over. I tell ya, wild honey straight from the comb tastes a lot different than the other stuff.

tomorrow is good Friday. We will have a special lunch at the clinic and enjoy what most others will enjoy on the day we call easter. Here in aceh good friday is recognized and taken off as a holiday, despite the unacceptance of the roots the holiday comes from. it is a good day for to share that we are observing it as a special day for our religion and open the door for others to ask questions. be praying that many doors are opened in the next few days and that hearts will be ready to hear and accept that people like me are not the enemy. being in an area where "church and state" are not seperated is quite a new experience.

okay, time to go. till next time.....

new gallery

http://www.boulevardwebdesign.com/nathan/gallery_world/index.htm

I finally got this gallery posted so I just wanted to let you know that that is finished. Let me know what you think. Write more later.....