Thursday's Adventures

I am writing this entry on Friday morning because by the time I got to my hotel last night, I was too tired to do a thing…… This is not for the meek!

The day began with a presentation at the University of Balikpapan. Although everything worked out in the end, there were a few tense moments. First, the university is located on a dirt road. Many of the buildings are being repaired so there is a lot of bamboo scaffolding about. However, when we were escorted to the room where I would give my presentation, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the room was large, clean, and air-conditioned. Two of the university’s administrators soon arrived and after the preliminary pleasantries, the Dean of the Faculty of Letters began to complain that the university is on holiday, that there will not be a lot of students, the preliminary information provided was insufficient, and she did not forward the information widely because she didn’t understand the content. The representative from the US Embassy remained very polite and contrite, but the woman continued to insist that this was not handled properly. I remained very quiet as I was certainly not responsible for the preliminary plans.

However, after that rather rocky beginning, about 7 people did arrive including 3 students. We sat in circle and I talked. I thought everything went fine and we left as friends. In the car, the US Embassy reps explained that they had sent the same information to this university as they did to the others. They had not received information or confirmation for two weeks. So, whatever………

We then drove onto a very special high school. SMK is a vocational high school in Balikpapan and is arguably the best high school in the area. I was impressed with the fine young students all in their special uniforms. Each discipline (machining, computer tech, drafting, etc) has a separate uniform. It is amazing to me that so many of these young people speak a fair amount of English.

We ate lunch at a seafood restaurant that was good, but as typical, the service is really, really, slow. The Indonesians do not use chopsticks. Everywhere I have been the tables have been set with knives and forks. However, at this restaurant I witnessed several men eating with their hands. Yes, they just use their fingers to pick up rice and vegetables, and pieces of meat and fish. One of my escorts saw me sort of staring at this scene and he explained to me that many people do eat only with their fingers (Indian style). Use of a fork is certainly more genteel, but in the country-side, fingers are used. Interesting…….

The last presentation was at the State Polytechnic of Balikpapan. This is a vocational type of college. I spoke to about 25 faculty and administrators who listened intently and asked the usual difficult questions.

By this time I was already tired, but we began the 3 hour ride to Samarinda, a city on the west side of the island of Borneo. The rode was long and windy and through some thick vegetation. The two-land road was in good repair, but the drivers are happy to pass cars on curves and on hills, etc. There were a few times I was a little bit scared. We had a good driver, however, and for the most part I felt safe. The road lead through some areas of extreme poverty. It is sad to see the shacks where so many people live. I can’t imagine their lives.

We arrived at the hotel around 8:30 PM. This hotel is fine, but it is certainly less luxurious than my ]it did have an air-conditioner and a TV with a few English cable channels.