Suburbanesia

We've lived in our house for a few weeks now, but the reality of living in Indonesia still hasn't quite settled in. Unfortunately, with K starting a new job and A finishing up his scholarship application, we haven't been able to explore the city as much as we would have liked. Oh well...there's plenty of time for exploring! We plan on getting bikes this week to get a little exercise while we do it.

We have seen quite a few shiny new malls and been to several grocery stores. We have yet to find a traditional market, but we know there's one out there. The produce here is so fresh and beautiful! We bring home a lot of fruit and vegetables we're not used to seeing in the U.S.. K is obsessed with pineapple (ok, that's a lame example) and we eat lychees for a snack while we watch television (yes, we have cable). We brought home mangosteens today.

We're getting bold with our fish selections as well. Tonight we have two little wholefish "kakap put" on the menu. We've been trying to figure out what the hell it is. We think it's some kind of bream. We'll let you know how it tastes.

It was really good!


We have access to a lot of the products and comforts we have back in the U.S., but there are still some items we miss. It's always the things you don't expect.

A misses: Trash bags - Everyone uses the little plastic grocery bags for their garbage. They fill up too quickly!; Winter - The only person who misses below freezing temperatures; Subways - Everyone drives here, and we don't have a car; Good beer - Being a predominantly Muslim country, the beer options are limited, and they all taste identical.

Bali Hai...our beer of choice.


K misses: mostly good cheese and wine and olives. and friends and family. and a shower stall. and urban planning.

We had a fun weekend. A finally finished his scholarship proposal. We had our first big night on the town after that. We had dinner with our Australian friends and we headed over to the Cava Lounge. It was pretty swank. It almost looked like a place you'd find in NYC. Additional activities included joining a gym (we have yet to work out of course) and buying $1 Dvds. A is obsessed with the Dvds, because they all cost $1, are of high quality, and all of the current movie titles are available. We're catching up on all of the Oscar movies now.

This week A is thinking of getting an outdoor chair and sitting on the front porch, from which he'll read his paper, drink his coffee, and yell at those damn kids as they walk by. Ahh retirement! K got a temporary promotion, so she'll be working harder than ever. We have some fun trips planned though: Singapore this coming weekend, and Jakarta, Indonesia's capital, the next.

A couple of random photos:


A Rainstorm




One of the many super-market giveaways we've received...A Valentine's Day cake!