Maya's First School Trip

Last week, Maya's class went on their first field trip. The first stop was at a local bakery where they had to select and then pay for some bread. It was the cutest thing seeing all these little 2 year olds running around this little store with boxes of buns.

The next stop was a travelling post office. The kids wrote letters to their moms and dads and learned all about the postman and how letters get delivered. The above picture is Maya handing her letter to the postman. In true Indonesian fashion, we have yet to receive our letter!

An interesting tour I recently had the pleasure of doing was a hands on Dim Sum cooking class at the Four Seasons Hotel. Accompanied by my Canadian Women's Association members, I learned to stuff, fold and most importantly, taste these delicious dumplings. After a morning of hard labour, we were treated to a Dim Sum feast. The only downfall was no pork, but still very tasty.

A Visit to Kiddy Cuts

Last weekend we took Maya for her first professional bang trim at Jakarta's famous Kiddy Cuts. She sat in that chair for 15 minutes without even realizing she was getting her hair cut. The staff made sure to entertain her with bubbles, toys and cartoons while she sat in her little race car listening to kiddie tunes in the background. Best $7 we spent! She was treated to some frozen yogurt after her brave performance.

Christmas in Canada

What a wonderful holiday! Well, not sure if I would call it a "holiday", more of a really busy trip. Nonetheless, it was great. Three weeks with family and friends, eating, drinking, and catching up on time. What more can you ask for? Christmas was magical as for the first time, we experienced it through a little person's eyes. Three days of gift opening later, she was exhausted. Thankfully Maya had a better reaction with invisible Santa than the real one at the mall.
30 hours later, we arrived back in our apartment in hot and congested Jakarta. No two places could be different, and yet each having their own beauty. It is nice to get back to what is now our normal life and we do so with great memories we made with the people we love.

Maya meets Indonesian Santa!!!

Santa arrived in typical Indonesian style via "bajaj", to spread Christmas cheer to all the Canadian expat boys and girls this past Sunday. Definitely not the reaction we expected, Maya's first encounter with Indonesian Santa was bitter sweet. She was so excited all day to meet the man we've been singing about and watching You Tube videos on for weeks. We certainly never expected to see the quivering lip, tight hold around Mommy's neck, big crocodile tears and the words "no, no, no" being belted out of her mouth. Things improved when Santa brought out the life size Dora doll but there were still no hugs or kisses, just a quiet "Thank You" and along she went with her doll. Oh well, maybe Canadian Santa will have better luck.

A weekend to kick off the holidays

It was a great weekend to celebrate the arrival of the holiday season. Not the easiest thing here in Jakarta, but the wonderful people we've met have certainly put us in the holiday spirit. I hosted the first Xmas cookie exchange on Friday which was delicious. Although we can't stop eating the cookies and it's only December 5th! Saturday we attended our very first Indonesian tree lighting party. Great food and great times with new friends. Now, with almost all our shopping complete (it pays off not having to work), we are anxiously awaiting spending time with our loved ones back home. With that, I say Salam Malam to all and to all a good night!

Kampeung Wisata

A Tour of a Local Village

Two weeks ago myself, Lynn and a few of my fellow Indonesian Heritage Society members visited a local village just outside Jakarta. The concept is very interesting. A while back, a well-off Indonesian women built a guesthouse on property adjacent to an existing village. She wanted to help provide the dwellers with the ability to work and live at the village. The villagers are able to seek employment at the guesthouse, farming rice and vegetables in the fields, making various handicrafts and sewing school uniforms for companies in Jakarta . It was a wonderful experience especially meeting the 350 children at the village's only elementary school. We were greeting with loud cheers and high fives. There are only 8 teachers available for all these kids! The women in the photo is 85 years old. Her and her husband weave flooring and walls out of bamboo for a living - still. Unbelievable people.