Day Twelve of the formal blitz and to look at us, we may not seem to be moving at blitz-neck speed! Fatigue, exhaustion, and regular bouts of Deli Belly have set in impacting each of the team members at various times. Although down trodden (or toiled bound!) we are not defeated! Consider Brett who came in late Tuesday night from the States, and still managed to stay awake long enough to share with us his favorite color, animal and drink (tee hee) before going to bed. Consider Paul with his extra responsibilities as team lead, and Adrienne with her de facto nutritional role in providing pro-biotics, vitamins, and a host of other ingredients to try and keep us healthy. Consider Felly and Evonne who spend endless hours on the phone, ringing and sending texts to clients (or is it the home shopping network?) into the wee hours of the morning. Consider Bobby who now must manage all our technical (is the button on?!) needs alone now that Selim is back in the States. Or Dena who manages to get her laundry and her ironing done regularly and present herself refreshed as if it is a mild 70 degrees on any given day, whilst some of us are melting with the humidity! And dear Errol, what does he do all day?! He mans the fort in a myriad of ways we don’t even know, and for him, this is two weeks out of the more than two years he has already been here. The long haul, and not a word of complaint. And for the Julie and Katherine, not only must they share an apartment with Michelle (and the late night bonding that implies) they no longer have the luxury of local consultants translating and escorting them on every client excursion. And apart from getting into the wrong car every now and then (they look Indonesian!) they are prevailing! And lastly, there is the joy of waking Michelle by the “gentle” ringing of the phone next to her bed when it was evident she was not on time for morning devotions (what’s new?!). Yes, we may be tired, but to see the tremendous impact and miraculous transformations in the companies and lives of our clients makes it all worthwhile.

On another note, some random thoughts:

Ø Picture signs in the bathrooms instruct you how to squat on the floor and NOT on the toilet (instead of the traditional “how you wash your hands” signs in the states);

Ø Smoking areas in restaurants are inside the buildings/restaurants not outside;

Ø There are metal and bomb detectors at every entrance to shopping malls, restaurants, office buildings, hotels. Not to worry that they beep repeatedly, you are usually just waved through;

Ø Although Jakarta is predominantly Muslim, most women do not wear head coverings and most people are in western dress

Ø It is rude to put your feet up; or otherwise touch anyone with them;

Ø It is not rude to pick your teeth at the table with a toothpick, as long as you cover your mouth;

Ø No one says “God bless you” after you sneeze, or “Allah bless you” for that matter;

Ø When you ask someone if they’ve done something or gone somewhere and they haven’t; they usually answer “not yet” rather than just “no.”

Ø I understand there is water nearby, that we are actually on an island, and that you can see it once in a blue moon; or should I say, on a clear, low pollution day!

Michelle de Young