* little sparrow. still learning how to fly

thankee lad!

* moving out day

* putting whatever i have in the fridge equaled french toast with sprinkled oregano, sliced banana and cheese spread.

* hello ships. welcome to jayapura

* the famous kopi susu of prima garden coffee. comes from arabica beans that grow organically in the highland of wamena. definitely a must try.

* pak budi and kak silvy, the colleague.

since i haven't found my own place, i currently stay in the office.

it's a 2 storey house. not a fancy one, but proper enough.

the 1st floor is the office and the 2nd floor is the spare rooms.

this place is basically where i spend most of my time in jayapura.

* my usual weekend meal: spaghetti with whatever sauce that's available

i just found out this afternoon, after reading a lonely planet book and a little googling, that the word papua is derived from malay word 'papuwah' which means frizzled like wool. so orang papuwah means wooly-haired men.

I remember during my job interview, my boss mentioned that Papua has more public holidays than Jakarta. I never think about that, until last Friday, my colleague asked about my plan for the long weekend.

”Long weekend? What long weekend?” I said.

“Sunday is the 1st day of Pantekosta, and Monday is the 2nd day of Pantekosta. All schools and government offices are closed. People go to church and attend mass.” She explained.

So yeah, last Monday I went to the beach.

Again, together with my boss coz he wanted to check the tide.

This time, we went to Pasir Dua beach.

From the office, it took us about 10 minutes by car to get there.

Basically, Pasir Dua is located next to Base G. Then next to Pasir Dua is Pasir Tiga;  that is next to Pasir Empat. Right next to Pasir Empat is Pasir Lima; which is of course, next to Pasir Enam. You see, all of these beaches set on one long coastline. People divided them into several and gave each different name.

Same as Skouw, Pasir Dua is situated next to a local village. There’s no charge applied for entering the beach, but a friendly greeting to the locals is advised, as you may park the car at their backyard.  

The place is quiet yet very pretty. You’ll find yourself at peace seeing the pristine white sand beaches, clear blue water and magnificent sky.

Definitely my current favorite.

During my first days, my boss took me to visit some beaches. To tell you the truth, I’m not a beach person. I don’t surf nor dive. But still I like the feel when your foot step in the sand, and always mesmerized by the pretty sky.

First, we went to Base G beach.

Apparently it’s close to the office, only takes 10minutes by car. To get in, you have to pay around 20-50 ribu rupiah per person. They also charge for car or motorcycle.

If you plan to sit back for a little while, there are bungalows to rent. I’m not really sure how much they charge, but I think it’s approximately 50 ribu rupiah.

The beach heads directly to the Pacific ocean. Gives a pretty view of sky. Not to mention the white sand and clear blue water that will make you love this place even more.

Second, Skouw Beach.

It was my first weekend in Jayapura. The weather was good and my boss wanted to check the place for surfing, so we went there.

Skouw is an area near the border of Papua New Guinea. From Angkasa, it took us around 1.5 hours by car.

To get to the beach, you have to a take turn from the main road to a small path that leads you to a local village. Next to the village is the beach.

No charge applied since it's not public beach like Base G.

Skouw may not be as beautiful as Base G; it has black sands rather than white sands and there are stacks of big blocks to prevent seawater abrasion, but still, it’s a good place to go.

Spent some hours there by reading book and strolling down the beach.

I arrived at Sentani Airport at 2.15pm.

Sentani is basically just like other local airports; small place with short runway. It’s located about 60km from the city of Jayapura. 

  The main terminal building  is nice and simple, with some parts of it are still under renovation. As soon as you walked in the building, yellow uniformed porters welcome you. They bring along trolley, greet you with hello and offer their service.
The trip from Sentani to MdM office in Jayapura took about an hour. The road is in good condition, but the contour is up and down, so driving requires extra attention. As far as I know, there’s not much to see in Sentani besides the giant lake which has always been a great tourist attraction.

 Entering Jayapura, you’ll notice the usual hustle and bustle of a province’s capital.

The city’s activities mainly centered in the ‘city area’ (or kota). There, supermarkets and department stores are easy to find. Gelael, Saga, Starmart, Sagu Indah Plaza to name a few. They may not be as big as the ones in Jakarta, but you can always get the basic needs. The price is a bit higher, but not as scary as some people said. In average, it’s 20% higher than Jakarta’s price.

Jayapura is a city by the sea. Located in Yos Sudarso Bay, this city has numerous beaches. In fact, beach is the place where most of the people spend the weekend.

Just like Sentani, Jayapura’s contour is also hilly. A main road lies between to connect each areas in the city. There’s only one main road in here, so after 2 or 3 times passing, you’ll get to know the direction. An advantage for a new comer like me.    

The MdM office is located in Angkasa area. It’s a hilly part of the city, where most of government officials’ residences are located.

Angkasa is reachable by angkot and ojeg. In Jayapura, they name the angkot ‘taksi’. So what they call ‘taksi’ is not the air con-ed sedan that will take you everywhere. 

The hilly contour of Angkasa makes it a perfect spot to see the beautiful city view. There are two spots in here where people usually come in the afternoon, drink coconut, and watch the sun goes down.  

Anyways, since I haven’t got my own place, I currently stay in the office.

It’s a two storey house; 1st floor is the office, and the 2nd floor is where the expatriate lives. It’s not a fancy place, but it’s proper and quite comfortable. Downstairs there’s kitchen and washing room so basically there’s nothing to worry about. 

For eating, I usually make easy menu breakfast; toast, sliced fruits and milk. Then for lunch, I have this warung near the office that sells a home-made dishes. Rice, vegetables and fried chicken cost around Rp 14.000. Still reasonable though. While dinner is a bit difficult, because I have to cook. Sauteed vegetables, chicken nuggets or scrambled egg are my most favorite menu ;p

Angkasa is very quiet at night. People usually stay at home after dark. Taksi operates until 8pm, then you can only rely on ojeg. In a time like this, I really miss Jakarta; the city that never sleeps, allows you to do everything at anytime. While in here, things are totally different.

I guess adjusting is never easy. Period.

 *people usually chew areca nut and spit the reddish leftover to the floor x(

* the car that picked me up

* on the way from sentani to jayapura

* angkasa area

* the place where i usually  buy lunch

* one of the spot in angkasa to see the city view 

you probably already know this, but i resigned from lowe last march.

i resigned before i got a new job. makes people think that i'm a lunatic and a foolish risk taker.

but decision has been made and nothing can stop me.

the first two months were okay. i do things that i couldn't do before; wake up late, clean up my room, spend time with my mom, hop from one gig to another, meet some friends, watch dvds, contemplate, jogging, yadayadayada.

but after a while, honestly i started to worry for haven't got accepted in any company.

fyi, i decided to end my career in advertising. it just didn't feel right to me.

that is exactly why i didn't apply to any advertising agency.

i rejected a friend's offer and turned down an interview.

i only applied to client's side and ngo. have had several interviews, but no luck yet.

a stubborn me struggling with idealism.

then one day, i saw a vacancy -at the same ngo and for the same position, that i have applied to last year. 

i sent my cv again.

two days later i got a text to schedule a phone interview.

the next morning they called to schedule a second interview.

i was having my lunch three days later when i got a text saying that i was accepted.

gee it happened so fast! i was literally in awe and all i did was crying.

so here's where the story begins: moi leaving to papua for 10 months.

may the force be with me.