I admit it. This picture was taken a few years ago, but I think I still look vaguely like that. Depends on the day (and the time of day). And today, just before I uploaded this picture, an Indonesian English student told me how much she liked my nose. I heard that a lot in Indonesia. Apparently, a large nose like mine is a good …
Read the full story »Cross-Cultural Confusion
Thursday, November 26, 2015
I had some newish experiences yesterday on top of some familiar ones. The familiar ones came with another camera walkabout. This time, I put my 120mm macro lens on the Olympus. This lens is meant for taking close-up pictures of very small things – like insects. But since it is a 120mm lens, I can also use it for portraits. I would …
A Riverside Walk
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
It’s another rainy morning. I don’t understand exactly why, but when it rains, my room can be overhwelmed with the smell of fish. Apparently, the rain water mixes with fish somewhere and the smell appears here. That tells me I’m in Indonesia. I also know I’m in Indonesia because of the traffic noise. I don’t know if I’ve made this point clear …
A Walk in a Local Neighborhood
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
It is 7:30 in the morning as I sit on the bed in my little hotel room. I just made a cup of coffee on my new campstove. I know for most people, stuff is just stuff, but I have to say that I love my new stove systems. I changed everything while I was in Kuala Lumpur. In the past, I’ve …
Bike Ride to the Asahan Dock
Monday, November 23, 2015
The sun stayed shining yesterday, and my bike ride was a success. I prepared my bike carefully before I left, but in the process I forgot about my body, and I neglected to put on any sunscreen. I don’t put on sunscreen all the time. I do it only when I’ve been out of the sun for a while and suddenly go …
Photowalk Across the Bridge in Tanjungbalai
Sunday, November 22, 2015
It rained steadily all last night, but the sun is out now and the skies are bright and clear. The plan for today is to take my bike out and ride back to the ferry dock where I arrived and then beyond it to follow the road all the way to the coast and see what there is to see. I’ll bring …
A Visit to an English Cram School
Saturday, November 21, 2015
Yesterday, Sri invited me to visit her English school. It was all terribly confusing and somewhat unsatisfactory. The confusion extended even to the name of her school. In Indonesia, they call these schools “courses.” Sri attends the Alex Essential English Course. Every time I called it a school, someone corrected me and called it a course (pronounced “curse”). In my mind, you …
Hitting the Streets with My Real Camera
Friday, November 20, 2015
Day seven of my time in Sumatra has begun with more rain. It rained for much of last night, and it is quite wet outside. On the positive side, the rain brings down the temperature. I imagine that in the non-rainy season, it is much, much hotter here.
Yesterday, I finally got out what I think of as my real camera. Till then, …
Facebook Culture and Martabak Mesir
Thursday, November 19, 2015
This should be a short journal entry today. I don’t feel the urge to write much, and I didn’t do very much yesterday that I could write about. It was sunny in the morning, which was an encouraging sign, but then the rain clouds moved in and I had to run for cover for much of the day. I had plans to …