Parallel Universe

I have very mixed feelings about returning to Indo. I really miss all of my friends, the community, and the school, but I do feel a bit of angst about being back there.

Before this holiday in Canada I spent 4 days in LK getting my apartment somewhat organized and visiting a few friends. I had forgotten how different things were there compared to a 'developed' country.

It almost feels like a parallel universe. The rest of the world operates one way, and Indo goes completely the opposite direction. Other places seem to have some order to them, Indo seems to have no order. I've often said something as simple as going to the mall can be an adventure, and usually takes time and patience. Finding 'small money' for a motorcycle taxi or a bus, finding said taxi or a bus, indicating where you want to go, retaining nerves of steel while driver negotiates heavy and chaotic traffic, the language, the culture, the pollution, the density... all of this before you even get to the shopping mall (which is a story in itself).

I know my views are completely ethnocentric. The majority of countries are developing (as Indo is) and probably have similar problems with corruption, pollution, and economy. I know that Indo is probably even miles ahead of many developing countries. Do I really have anything to complain about?

I miss the comforts of Canada and Australia. Driving long distances with the radio on, walking to the market to pick up a few simple items, clean air, straightforward services in a familiar language. Campfires. Night skies with stars. Clean water.

I think my goal in these next few years will be to make Indo more of a home for myself, to find and personalize the comforts it has. I want to learn the language. I want to master Indo driving. I want to get more massages.

I am in Ontario...

...all over Ontario, to be exact.

But first, let me tell you how I got here. I flew from Alice Springs to Darwin, spent the afternoon and night there. Then flew to Denpasar, Bali (where I took this picture) on my way to Jakarta. I spent 4 days in Jakarta and then flew to Singapore, and spent the night at the airport. Early the next morning I flew to Tokyo, then to Minneapolis, then to Toronto. That's 7 flights! I think that's gotta be some kind of record.

Anyhow, so now I'm in Ontario. I spent the first weekend with friends R & D in Milton. Went to the Farmer's Market and the strawberry festival there... good low-key fun. Took the GO train from Oakville to Oshawa on the Sunday where I was picked up by Ma and Pa. It was good to finally be back home after a week in transit. The first week back was pretty low-key. I went shopping for clothes and shoes, but just kind of kicked back. On the Friday I went to Toronto to hang out with some friends from Indo... one from Simcoe and one from Chicago. We saw Casa Loma, the CN tower, and watched the Atlanta braves warm up from the Hard Rock Cafe. We then walked over to the Eaton Centre.

This week I've been at camp at Fair Havens, and I worked for 3 days in maintenance. Yesterday I managed to get some septic time... I helped dig out the lid for the septic tank, as it was filling up. Thankfully it was pumped out soon after. I then helped sort out recyclables for 2 hours. Other than those jobs, I've been doing a bit of grass cutting, helping move and lift stuff, and raking dirt and wood chips. It was good physical work, and best of all, it was MINDLESS! I followed 2 teen staff around and they told me what to do. I had very little responsibility. It was heaven.

This weekend I head to Presqu'ile for camping, and next week I believe I'll be hanging around the house in Lindsay, getting ready to fly back to Indonesia (I fly out July 13). Thankfully I only have 4 flights back to Jakarta. I fly Toronto-Detroit-Tokyo-Singapore (2 nights)-Jakarta. I look forward to not flying for a while. Airports and airplanes have this way of sucking your soul out of your rear-end, leaving you feeling like little more than a drone. Maybe they put Nyquil in the food or melt a portion of your brain when you pass through the metal detectors.