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Just a quick update.
On Sunday morning, Sugi drove us to Malang (in the 'pimp-mobile', so named by guess who?); about a 40km journey that took almost 2 hours due to the number of snail-like motorbikes taking their kitchen sinks for a Sunday outing. Malang is the second city (I think) in East Java province, and home to about 4 million people. Once there we went straight to Agus' house, where all four of us had been offered beds for the night. Agus is the executive director of Kaliandra, and also one of the most highly respected community development/ conservation/ biodiversity people in the country it seems (since two government officials came to Kaliandra from Jakarta last week to interview him). On Saturday night, Agus' wife gave birth to their second daughter, so our first visit in the city was to the hospital to meet Agus' wife, Maria, and their newborn daughter. The hospital was amazing, really homely, friendly and not really like a hospital at all - at first I wasn't sure whether we'd arrived at the hospital or a restaurant!
Next stop, some of Malang's famous noodles, which we all devoured, starving, after a ridiculously slow journey through the city centre which was clogged up with people and traffic celebrating an Islamic festival. I can't quite remember what we did for the rest of the afternoon - probably sat in traffic for a while, but in the early evening we sat in a park/ square (pictured), watching the world go by and trying to show our displeasure to the men sat banging drums to encourage their monkeys to dance. We had dinner at a restaurant/ museum (!), sat on the floor, and then Will and I dragged Sugi to watch the first half of Ghana vs. Serbia - so boring that we left at half time.
We had a Monday morning appointment at University Brawijaya, Malang, with a Biology lecturer, whom I interviewed after kicking Will out of the room. Then it was lunch on campus before an enormous rainstorm hit. I have never seen anything quite like that rainstorm; the rain that caused the floods in Sheffield in 2007 was nothing in comparison. Roads literally looked like rivers, and all along the edges were abandoned motorbikes and scooters.
Tuesday evening was pretty hilarious; Sis (my 'counterpart') came over to discuss my research schedule but brought with him about 5 women who he'd collected on his walk over to our homestay. He then informed me that I was to run a focus group with them to ask them about forest product use and the importance of the forest to people in this village. It started off pretty calmly, but the last half hour consisted of people shouting at each other, discussing what wild food plants they can get and what their properties are, and culminated in me eating some raw 'mlandingan' - sort of peas that taste of garlic and are usually cooked before being eaten. They are collected by a village member from about 8km up Mt Arjuno-Weilirang who I'm off to interview later this evening.
Other results of the impromptu focus group are that we are all helping prepare the thanksgiving feast tomorrow (Friday), Will is carrying the offering to the head of the village's house for one of our neighbours, and I have been invited to a picnic in the forest on Saturday where I will be fed foods made from wild edible roots.
People in the village are starting to get to know us now, and we do not get papped as much by mobile phone cameras on our walk home from Kaliandra anymore. Back at Kaliandra, preparations for the wedding are more than underway; there are over 100 new people milling about, hammers and saws going all day and marquees popping up everywhere.
Right, off to teach body parts in English to 5 and 6 year olds...
- comments
Jemma sounds like you're keeping busy!! Lovw the pic on a bike... maybe motorbike adventure after your dissertation is in?? :-) will text when I land xx
Annie Maz, I enjoy reading your blog although I do feel sliiiightly jealous! haha Me and frizz have a blog too now!! x