going to great lengths

Where are you going...

2011-07-03T11:23:00.001-04:00

Little bean

Where are you going little bean?
I'm going to the garden
where I'll grow green

Collage number 2 of the baby book I'm working on, Where are you going little one?, inspired by the excited kicking of little legs (especially on the beloved changing table where baby loves to lie and talk). Yes, this is actually a pea pod!

New project....

2011-06-16T08:55:00.003-04:00

Little star

Where are you going little star?
I'm going to the night sky
but I won't go far

When I'm home with the baby I chatter with him throughout the day, making up songs and rhymes (and even better, now he is talking back!) This week I happened upon some rhymes I really liked, which gave me an idea for a new project...This weekend I had a nice long stretch of time to work and got started with the first piece. More to come!

Adapting

2011-06-14T08:55:00.003-04:00

Elevations I

Elevations II

Elevations III

During my three months of maternity leave I started working in a new way, using acrylic paint and thread on regular sized pieces of watercolor paper. Instead of needing long hours to think over collages and sort through boxes of papers, which requires a lot of uninterrupted space and time, this approach lets me work even while watching the baby. I can conceptualize what I'll do, paint a few at once, and then come back and sew whenever I have time. Nothing gets disturbed, the sewing is very relaxing, and I'm really liking the effect.

2010 Ramallah collages

2011-06-12T19:38:00.000-04:00

After leaving Ramallah in October, we had 3 more moves (Amman, Georgetown, Dupont Circle) and a baby! So, I'm just now getting around to scanning the artwork I did last year, and remembering my adventures in art making.

When moving to Palestine for the year, I didn't bring very many materials with me from home. I put my boxes of papers and fabrics into storage, along with the sewing machine, scanner, and supplies of paints, threads, wires, etc. I brought only the basics for cutting (scissors, x-acto knives and blades, a small cutting mat) and painting (brushes), hoping that anything else I'd need I could find locally. There are a lot of artists in Palestine, but art supplies were not so easy to find for a newcomer (with no Arabic skills). Luckily a friend was able to guide me to a store in Ramallah that looked like office supplies from the front but had an arts and crafts section tucked away in the back corner. There I found paper and acrylic paints and, later in the year, woodcutting tools for making printing blocks.

Roadblocks I

Roadblocks II

Arab Town

I was always on the look-out for things to use in collages and during a walk along Rukab Street (the main street in Ramallah) I found a nice selection of thread. I even managed--by enlisting some young guys passing by who spoke English--to ask for and find a thimble. That was challenging to explain even in English but I needed it desperately after wearing away my fingertips with the amount of sewing I was doing by hand.

I found a batch of old newspapers listed for free on ramallahramallah, the local yahoo group that is Ramallah's version of Craigslist (there is a Craigslist for the West Bank but it isn't really used). There was also a pile of translucent paper left in the house we rented, which seemed like a good omen given my love of vellum.

I also used a lot of coffee grounds in my work. These were abundant because we were drinking so much Arabic coffee, which is made by putting finely ground coffee (and sugar if you like) in the pot and boiling it directly on the stove. At the end there are smooth grounds left in the pot, which make beautiful shades of sepia and interesting textures as the grounds dry.

I didn't finish a lot of work in 2010, busy as I was with my job and bar-b-ques on the shores of the Dead Sea, but I did start a number of other pieces that I plan to go back to.

STPP music festival in DC

2011-05-05T15:05:00.004-04:00

My artwork was used in some posters for a music festival in Washington, DC--June 4 and 5. I designed the text for a couple of others myself. The line-up of bands from NYC, Philly, Baltimore, and DC looks great. U Street will be hopping!

Picture walls part 3

2011-05-04T19:57:00.000-04:00

Finally got the pictures up on the walls in the nursery. All that remains are a crib and rug and the room will be ready for move-in!

Handmade thank you cards

2011-04-13T13:55:00.002-04:00

Maternity leave is an interesting time. The days are alternately really busy or really slow depending on how much the baby sleeps, and depending on how much sleep I got the night before...One of my favorite activities over the last month has been designing and making thank you cards. These post cards are built on cardboard cut to size from the many card board boxes we've been getting with gifts for the baby (or diaper shipments). I got this great idea from the BBB Craft blog, which is full of wonderful DIY ideas and beautiful pics of the finished products!

The first design is very "meta", as it uses the light blue and vellum papers I used for my sister's wedding invitation years ago, along with the postman's string I used in our wedding invitation, to make the heart and little knots at the corners. The second two make use of a linoleum cut I made last week stamped with white acrylic paint...

Picture walls part 2

2011-04-13T10:03:00.001-04:00

The main wall in the living room has 2 of my collages and one painting, a print my sister made, and a painting by Jimmie James that I traded for a collage a few years back.

New picture walls

2011-04-12T11:24:00.001-04:00

We've finally gotten (nearly) all our belongings out of storage. After bringing it home we were feeling kind of overwhelmed by the number of frames, paintings, and posters stacked around the place. The first photo is mostly collages I've made, inspired by Palestine. The poster is one I got during my post-college backpacking tour around Eastern Europe. The second photo includes a number of pictures we bought at Eastern Market here in DC, a photo of the Brooklyn Bridge that I got as I was moving out of NYC in 2004, and a few more collages. Phase one of finally putting things on the walls completed! More to come...

Cutting Edges

2011-04-03T11:20:00.000-04:00

Just received my copy of Cutting Edges: Contemporary Collage, with 3 of my collages included!

Day 18: Last winter in Ramallah

2010-12-19T02:20:00.000-05:00

Foggy winter day in Ramallah

Packing, working, reminiscing...

Day 15: Emirates Palace

2010-12-18T02:54:00.000-05:00

The $3 billion Emirates Palace Hotel

Tim in front of the $11 million tree (Tree= $10,000; jewels adorning it=$11 million+)

Day 17: Back to Amman

2010-12-18T02:49:00.000-05:00

We leave the "perfection" of Abu Dhabi for Amman. Life in Jordan feels so much more real than the UAE...complex, disorganized, human. It is good to be back.

Day 13: Sheik Zayed, the founder of the UAE

2010-12-18T02:47:00.000-05:00

The UAE is 39 years old this year

Day 12: Abu Dhabi at night

2010-12-18T02:41:00.000-05:00

Day 11: Traveling to Abu Dhabi

2010-12-18T00:54:00.001-05:00

Arriving in Abu Dhabi late at night. The air is perfect, the streets are empty, but less than 5 hours before I have to get up...

Day 10: Sunset

2010-12-11T01:34:00.000-05:00

Day 9: More from our street

2010-12-10T10:49:00.000-05:00

We live on 9th Sha'ban Street in Jabal Amman, but since street names were only put in recently (and there isn't really a tradition of using spacial data in Jordan) no one knows it by that name. The foreigners call it the pet shop street and though I don't know how Ammanites typically refer to it, they know what I mean when I mention the bird and fish shops. The other distinguishing feature is that it is right next to Rainbow Street, which is known all over Amman as it is one of the only real pedestrian areas in town, full of restaurants, cafes, and galleries.

Our street is somewhat old and dirty (it hasn't gone through the revitalization of Rainbow Street) but the bird stores below us have the really nice side effect of starting and ending the days with singing.

Day 8: Taxis in Amman

2010-12-09T11:42:00.000-05:00

Today was too busy with meetings, deadlines, and inching through the terrible Amman traffic... I also had a somewhat typical exchange with a taxi driver. As I stood outside the Marriott after a meeting, deciding what to do, a young guy came up and asked in great English if I needed a taxi. I wasn't sure he was driving an official taxi because he wasn't in it and it was parked across the street, but he confirmed it was indeed a yellow official taxi. He said he'd just charge me 1 JD extra because of the traffic but wouldn't use his meter. This is a common trick amongst Amman taxi drivers who prefer to offer foreigners overpriced flat fares. I said, "but you're not a "hotel taxi" right?" as their base rate is 5JD when my expected fare with a meter was just over 1 JD. He said, right, and, tired and ready to get home, I agreed. On the way we had a great conversation about Jordan, Palestine, his experiences in Palestine and mine (something like 70% of Jordanians are Palestinian by origin and residency permit. Mentioning that we've lived in Palestine often starts a nice discussion and has even led to situations where I have to force the driver to take my money because we have such a nice bond!) By the time we arrived and I asked him "Adesh? (how much?)" he was ready to give me a discount. I offered him 2 and he said 3, down from 5--he was a hotel taxi after all!

Day 7: Planet earth collages

2010-12-07T10:22:00.000-05:00

I'm trying not to accumulate too much as we prepare to move back to the US so am making art out of found paper (like my early days of collage...). I worked into some exhibition fliers I found with a combination of marker, watercolor, thread, vellum, and salt.

Day 6: Views of Amman

2010-12-07T06:00:00.000-05:00

Day and night views from our stairwell in Amman

Day 5: The Utopian Airport Lounge

2010-12-05T15:28:00.000-05:00

"Doesn’t everyone dream about an ideal world? Does anyone actually enjoy transition? The Utopian Airport Lounge is a public art exhibition inspired by Le Corbusier’s visual and abstract approach towards utopia in combination with Marc Auge’s hypothesis on non-place. This project compares the city of Amman to an airport waiting area, a place that could be seen, at the same time, a non place."

Day 4: Love on a bike

2010-12-05T10:59:00.001-05:00

Rima Malallah is a delightful artist whose shop is just a block from our apartment. Her colorful, dreamy murals are around Amman and she also sells prints of her paintings on books, boxes, tables...I got this painting on a sketchbook as a Christmas gift.

Countdown to Christmas (and back to the US): Days 1-3

2010-12-03T06:10:00.002-05:00

Day 1: The sky here always seems bigger and bluer

On the road from Amman to Aqaba

Day 2: I'm seeing maps everywhere, and making them mine

Day 3: Reflections on pet shop street (9th Shab'an) in Amman

Inspired by Mila's Daydreams...But since we are also wrapping up our year in Palestine (with a couple of months in Jordan) I like the idea of winding down an intense year of adventure, hard work, and inspiration. I didn't make nearly as much artwork as I would have liked, but stored up a lot of ideas for the future...Since I'm starting a few days late, here are days 1 through 3 all together.

Coming soon...

2010-09-25T08:54:00.000-04:00

Some of my older works were chosen to be included in an upcoming book by a German art and design publisher! These are still among my favorites, produced as part of a series illustrating some poems I wrote.

Latest collage from Ramallah

2010-08-06T08:37:00.001-04:00

What's left at the end I and II

2009-12-21T17:07:00.000-05:00

I just started a new series of collages today, while I struggle with getting a grip on painting. These are small but I love the intimate spaces they evoke...

One Day

2009-12-12T16:48:00.001-05:00

One day (2009), Acrylic paint and printed photo paper, 14x11 in.

3 little pieces

2009-12-06T12:15:00.000-05:00

Fences and cities

2009-10-24T09:49:00.000-04:00

Fences 2 (acrylic, pencil, pen on mat board)

Red city (acrylic on canvas board)

Fences 1 (mixed media on mat board)

Studio shot, September 27

2009-09-27T09:20:00.001-04:00

Cityscape

2009-09-26T17:41:00.000-04:00

Acrylic wash, photos, pencil and tape on plywood

Textiles by Elana Herzog

2009-09-15T09:06:00.000-04:00

Elana Herzog makes things I want to make...the phantom presence, there yet not there, speaks so loudly... (Thanks to 2 or 3 things I know for the introduction).

Sky over Rabat

2009-09-01T06:07:00.001-04:00

Sky over Rabat

Next: Kirsten Stolle

2009-08-23T17:26:00.001-04:00

Kirsten Stolle is my favorite find this week. I'd love to see these in person. (Thanks to Design for Mankind).

Inspiration weekend

2009-08-15T09:09:00.001-04:00

I've been exploring some new styles and techniques lately and am so inspired by Becca Shewmake. (Thanks to Scoutie Girl)

Collection in a pear shaped dish

2009-08-02T18:31:00.001-04:00

Delicate and deep

2009-08-02T08:16:00.001-04:00

The work of Brieana Ruais is so interesting, delicate and deep. (Thanks to Heart Handmade)

I am loving these prints

2009-08-01T10:23:00.000-04:00

I am so inspired by these prints by Ana Ventura...I can't wait to make something this weekend. (Thanks to Bloesem)

Favorites from Artomatic: Larissa Presniakov

2009-06-14T10:48:00.000-04:00

Favorites from Artomatic: Christian Tribastone

2009-06-13T14:44:00.001-04:00

Artomatic 2009

2009-05-30T12:17:00.000-04:00

Opening night at Artomatic was great but we hardly got away from our own walls...So much more to see but here are some early favorites by artist Mei Mei Chang

My take on Walden (after 2 or 3 things I know)

2009-05-01T19:49:00.000-04:00

I wanted to live deep and suck all the marrow of life

to live so sturdily and Spartan-like
as to put to rout all that was not life,

to cut a broad swath and shave close

to drive life into a corner,
and reduce it to its lowest terms.

photo 1
photo 2
photos 3 + 4

From last summer

2009-04-04T15:11:00.000-04:00

I haven't decided what to call this yet...

Palestine to Jordan

2009-03-16T17:26:00.000-04:00

I just spent a week in the West Bank but I didn't even take any pictures since I was filming to make a fundraising reel for So Far Away So Close instead.

Here are some artsy shots of a great community development project benefiting a poor neighborhood on the hillside right in Amman, Jordan.

The blue sky one can see here and in Palestine strikes me as the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. Maybe it is the contrast between the utter freshness of the color against the sand-colored buildings and threat of desert that lies beneath.

First solo show: Dahlak

2009-02-01T10:12:00.000-05:00

(Photo courtesy of NCinDC)

I will be showing my work at a local Eritrean restaurant Dahlak for all of February. Opening night is this Wednesday, February 4, and I have 18 collages to hang at some point between now (Sunday) and then. Everything is framed, packed and ready for the call that the space is free. I'm so excited to be exhibiting in the neighborhood!

Story tellers

2008-12-07T10:04:00.000-05:00

I really like this way of visually telling a story (from Moon River)

It reminds me of the work of Charlotte Salomon, whose Life or Theater? I studied while working in gouache many years ago.

Heart and moon

2008-10-23T20:55:00.000-04:00

Rilke poem speaking to me today...

2008-10-21T14:14:00.000-04:00

"I love you, gentlest of Ways,
who ripened us as we wrestled with you.

You, the great homesickness we could never shake
off,
you, the forest that always surrounded us,

you, the song we sang in every silence,
you dark net threading through us,

on the day you made us you created yourself,
and we grew sturdy in your sunlight…

Let your hand rest on the rim of Heaven now
and mutely bear the darkness we bring over you."

—Rainer Maria Rilke, translated by Anita Barrows and Joanna Macy

Untitled, Ramallah

2008-10-11T16:26:00.000-04:00

This *might* be the last of the Palestine series. I'm hoping to make a book out of them, or at least prints, if I can stop making new ones for a little while...

Studio shot

2008-10-04T13:31:00.001-04:00

All the little scraps and edges from finished collages wind up looking like the beginnings of something new..

The long road

2008-09-30T10:20:00.000-04:00

I've been doing lots of little studies of the hillsides surrounding Ramallah, building up to this one. The squares are tracing paper blocks created by sewing into the paper and pulling away the negative space, which I filled in with photos printed on vellum.

Outlines of Ramallah

2008-09-22T18:43:00.000-04:00

Red leaves

2008-09-21T16:43:00.000-04:00

New paints and a new project...

Records

2008-08-21T15:05:00.000-04:00

The oldest thirst there is

2008-08-12T18:59:00.000-04:00

Give us gladness, a taste of the quick
you that makes a cyprus strong
and jasmine jasmine

Give us the inner listening
that is a way in itself
and the oldest thirst there is.

Don't measure it out with a cup.
I am a fish. You are the moon.
You cannot touch me, but your light
can fill the ocean where I live.

-Rumi

Sky light and Heavy-light

2008-08-12T15:28:00.000-04:00

The second and third pieces...It is hard to convey the textures of Sky light through a scan, but the black lines are made of knotted thread.

Palestinian Road

2008-08-09T09:39:00.001-04:00

This is the first completed piece from a new project I'm working on, inspired by the 2 months I've spent in Palestine so far this year. More to come...

Pieces

2008-08-08T09:00:00.001-04:00

Last chance to visit Artomatic

2008-06-14T15:06:00.000-04:00

Artomatic closes tomorrow so we took one last visit and found some new favorites on previously unseen floors...The lights are small lamps made out of vintage appliances.

Bedroom in the afternoon

2008-06-02T21:11:00.001-04:00

Perfect for a weekend nap

Poem/inspiration

2008-05-25T08:18:00.000-04:00

The Summer Day

Mary Oliver

Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean--
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down--
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
I don't know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?

I was inspired this morning by Approaching Prayer, this weeks Speaking of Faith on NPR.

Opening night of Artomatic

2008-05-10T12:04:00.000-04:00

Settlement

2008-04-26T16:44:00.001-04:00

Ramallah

2008-04-25T13:34:00.000-04:00

The Valley of Fire

2008-04-18T07:52:00.000-04:00

This is the road to Bethlehem and Hebron for Palestinians without yellow plates on their cars. It takes at least twice as long on a good day (though we lost 15 minutes in each direction at the container checkpoint, shown. Not to mention the several hour wait at the checkpoint outside Ramallah later that night) over a road that was more of an unpaved rural path until the second Intifada. In some places it still looks like an untraveled country road, barely two lanes wide with tight bends in the road. There are also incredibly steep inclines that trapped more than one giant truck full of chickens on the day we passed.

The landscape is beautiful though...at times like you'd imagine the moon, and at others lush clean farmland dotted with olive trees, stone walls, and grape vines. And everywhere men in traditional Palestinian head dress herding sheep like in year one.

Jerusalem/Al Quds/yerushalayim

2008-04-07T04:25:00.000-04:00

Jerusalem
Dome of the Rock
Church of the Sepulchre
Garden of Gesthemane
A cross in the Ethiopian camp on the roof of the Church of the Sepulchre

This past Friday I took a walking tour of Jerusalem's old city and surrounding sites, the Mount of Olives and the Garden of Gesthemane. It is incredible how close everything is--the Dome of the Rock is immediately next to the Wailing Wall, is next to the Al-Aqsa mosque, and most churches are accompanied by mosques. And all of these religions and cultures--Jewish, Muslim, Armenian, etc.--are nestled together in a square mile. As one of my co-workers said, "who says we can't all live together?" The location of the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount remains an unresolvable issue of contention. However, as one story goes, in ancient times two Christian sects could not decide who should hold the key to the church door so it was given to the mosque next door to keep the peace.

Mansaf

2008-04-03T06:40:00.001-04:00

Today half the men in the office disappeared to go pick up giant plates of Mansaf, the Jordanian national dish (also loved in Palestine). It is typically served for festivals and I thought it might be one after all the music and firecrackers I heard last night, but it just felt like one with the entire office gathered together joyfully talking and eating. I didn't know what I was eating until it was explained to me later--the Jameed was somewhat disorienting--but it was delicious!

Mansaf
Mansaf has three basic ingredients; rice, lamb meat and goat milk.

Ingredients

- 1 kilo cooked rice "washed, boiled in water and with butter added at the end”
- 1 kilo lamb meat “cut in big chunks”
- 1 big whole onion
- ½ kilo liquid salted goat milk “you can buy it from the super store or a “Jordanian house” store, the product is called Jameed El-Kasih”
- Pine nuts “fried”

Wash the meat and drain it until it has gotten rid of all its excess water, put it in a big pot and pour the Jameed or goat’s milk over it, add 4X as much water to the milk, cook it on a high fire and drop the onion in the pot. Let it boil for one hour, then lower the heat and leave the pot uncovered, stirring occasionally.
To cook properly, it needs three hours on the fire.

When done and the meat is soft and properly cooked, put the rice in a big round tray, and put the meat over it, pour some Jameed over them all and sprinkle the pine nuts all over the tray.

Pour the rest of the Jameed in a bowl and keep it on the table in case you would like to pour some more over the rice to make it soggier.

Picture from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mansaf; Recipe from http://www.waleg.com/kitchen/archives/000912.html

Under the bridge (Theodore Roosevelt Island, DC)

2008-03-15T18:33:00.000-04:00

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

2008-03-10T17:29:00.000-04:00

Paraty, Brazil

2008-03-10T17:07:00.000-04:00

First place

2008-03-03T07:48:00.000-05:00

My piece Hillside, Galway just won first place in a juried on-line exhibition. More details here: artistsemerge.org

The Gate and The Wanderers

2008-02-11T19:26:00.000-05:00

One new collage and one much older one that I've finally decided is finished.

Hebron Tannery

2008-01-23T13:22:00.000-05:00

A walk around Ramallah

2008-01-18T08:22:00.001-05:00

Today was a crisp sunny day in Ramallah, a small hilly city the color of sand under a bright blue sky. The call to prayer rang out from the center of town and people bustled from shop to shop. I climbed the steep streets into the old quarter of the city, searching for a vista out over the terraced hills surrounding town.

Unfortunately, there has been a lot of violence in Gaza in recent days and today it was closed to all movement of goods or people. Among other things, that means no food or health supplies can go in. While West Bank (Ramallah in particular) with its neatly tended quiet streets feels like it couldn't be more different than Gaza, it seems impossible that life can continue as is in either place.

Oats for breakfast in 2008

2008-01-05T10:08:00.000-05:00

Bayon Temple Faces

2007-12-14T21:35:00.001-05:00

Pigs in Kandal

2007-12-14T20:29:00.000-05:00

The project I'm working with in Cambodia provides support to micro, small, and medium enterprises (pigs, fisheries, and bricks) to strengthen links along the value chains from producer to market. I'm here helping the project design some activities for the next year in the area of reform of the business enabling environment/improved implementation of national level policies, so that businesses can be more competitive...I got a chance to visit a pig farm with a group of farmers on an exposure visit to a successful farm in Kandal province.

Fish Amok

2007-12-14T20:19:00.000-05:00

Fish Amok, the Cambodian national dish, is my new favorite food. Fish stewed in coconut milk and chilies, cooked together in a banana leaf...mmmmm...

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

2007-12-02T07:26:00.000-05:00

My first full day in Phnom Penh, I walked around a bit discovering all these gems. Every other street has the tips of a temple peeking out over walls or between the trees.

Hanoi in November

2007-12-02T06:46:00.000-05:00

November is the best time of year in Hanoi. Not too hot, not too cold. It was delightful to spend a few days there, working with some great people and wandering the busy market streets in the evening (when I could stay awake though my jet lag!).

The mopeds overwhelm the city now however--everyone seems to have one and traffic laws are 'flexible' at best. It is up to the pedestrian to make it across the road against buses, hordes of mopeds carrying anything from bales of vegetables to families of three or more, bicycles, and women with bamboo baskets balancing on poles across their shoulders. Since the sidewalks often serve double purpose as restaurants with patrons sitting on foot high plastic stools as they eat or chat, pedestrians are right in the middle of it. While it has worked like a complex ballet in my experience, Vietnam does have a huge death rate from road accidents. I hear they will pass a law in 2008 requiring helmets, so that's a good place to invest!

The program I was working with supports the government's efforts to bring the legal and regulatory codes into WTO compliance. One component provides research on related issues such as the expected impact of tariff cuts on certain sectors (like textile and garments) or vulnerable populations, and measures changing trends in trade as a result of recent liberalization.

Northwest DC

2007-11-04T16:32:00.001-05:00

Wedding collages, 1-2-3

2007-11-03T22:02:00.000-04:00

Birthday collage

2007-11-03T19:56:00.001-04:00

A collage for a friend's birthday, inspired by Chinese medicine and some beautiful golden thread.

Run-off elections in Peru

2006-06-02T20:37:00.000-04:00

I'm in Lima, Peru for two weeks of reconaissance for an upcoming trade-related project. I was considering flying to Cusco for two days to see the Sacred Valley, the location of many Inca ruins and the setting off point for Machu Picchu--THE most famous place in Peru and arguably all of South America--butI wouldn't have had time to actually make it there. Instead, I'm hoping to explore Lima a bit and am holding out hope for a future trip on which I can hike the Inca trail.

Another reason for not flying to Cuzco this weekend is the run-off election taking place this Sunday between Ollanta Humala and Alan Garcia. It is highly fraught--with Humala crying that if he loses it will be the result of fraud, and some expectations that hired guns will try to make trouble in the streets. In addition, there has been some actual trouble in Cuzco in recent weeks (not clear if it was orchestrated or not) and people were shot.

Even though my last few days have been filled with discussions of the various positions and political manuvering of the candidates, as anyone familar with Peruvian politics is well aware, that doesn't mean I actually understand what is going on or can possibly predict what will happen on Sunday. This site at least tracks the news pretty well (http://weblogs.elearning.ubc.ca/peru/)--it's not all in Spanish either.

The major implications for my work here is that if Humala wins he has pledged to withdraw from the US-Peru FTA process altogether. This could mean cancellation, or at least revision of what we expect to be working on. Garcia is a bit friendlier to US interests--and has a platform that people can understand--so a win for him seems for many people to be the better of two bad choices.

In terms of Lima though, it has a wonderful familiarity to me after my months in Quito, with its mix of parks, colonial buildings, and the Latin American-style walls with intricate wood or metal grates snug up against the sidewalks. It is also human sized, in contrast to mega cities like Jakarta, with buildings in most of the city not much higher than 8 stories and neat and tidy streets filled with cars--both parked and driving. Against the odds of the "garua" season we're in, where a misty microclimate hangs over the city, today was also bright and shiny with a wonderful cool breeze, especially near the huge coast line.

Historic Jakarta

2006-02-12T08:25:00.000-05:00

One of the incredibly generous women in my office invited me to come on a tour of historic Jakarta during my second weekend in Indonesia. She's a member of a history group and the event was a holiday related to Chinese New Year. The tour focused on Chinese parts of the city--the Chinese have seemingly always played a big part in the business world of Jakarta and have little gems of temples tucked away in corners of the city. Seeing these places was a treat, but even more amazing was the ability to walk around downtown Jakarta. The city is totally overwhelming in terms of heat and humidity, noise, smells from street vendors and the sewage and trash filled canals, and chaotic traffic on narrow, "organic" streets. It would be impossible to learn anything about it in the short time I'm here without having these guides--especilly Nelly from the office!
Busy downtown street filled with bajaj--rickety motorcycle taxis that I'm afraid I never tried...

Buidling wall--patched together like much of the old city

Street artist creating charcoal portraits from photos

Mending cans that are used to sell water--many people in Jakarta have no access to potable water or sewage systems

Chinese temple roof

Alter in the Chinese temple

Sejarah Jakarta or Jakarta history housed in the old Dutch town hall. This old colonial part of town is known as Kota (used to be Batavia)

Dragon dancing in the colonial plaza

Typical folk art from Jakarta

Yogyakarta

2006-02-06T08:35:00.000-05:00

Almost immediately upon arrival in Jakarta a woman from the office offered to take me to her family home in Yogyakarta, Central Java. I almost couldn't believe that she would spend her whole weekend, not to mention the money, but she was happy to do it and we had a really wonderful time seeing the city and the amazing temples the area is known for. Yogya is a special Municipality in Indonesia in that it is still governed by a Sultan.
Candi Prambanan is a huge complex of ancient Hindu temples that used to be the capital of a kingdom in the Sanjaya dynasty
Driving up Merapi mountain
View from the mountain
Rice paddies surrounding town
Rice paddy near Wiga's house
Market in downtown Jogja
Women selling bananas

Call to prayer

2006-02-02T08:54:00.000-05:00

Today I took a walk off the giant Sudirman through a lush garden with fountains spraying water in the wind to the alley way behind. I was hearing the call to prayer that rings through the air periodically throughout the day, but it seemed to be the same volume as it always is so I didn't realize there was a mosque right in front of me until I saw row upon row of men and boys kneeling and bowing. Some were on prayer rugs, but more were on newspaper with newspaper sheets covering their heads as well. They filled up the inside of the mosque--which was at least partially open air--and into the narow alleyway so that between them and a food cart there was only 1 narrow path for all of us walking in both directions. I wandered down and around some of the narrown crowded streets for awhile, fighting for space with cars, motorcyles, and lines of little motorcyle cabs.

Out and about

2006-02-02T08:23:00.000-05:00

Today was a bit of a struggle after only 4 hours of sleep last night, but it was an ok frame of mind for editing the assessment I'm compiling. Much of it was written by non-native English speakers so editing on that level is an interesting challenge. My plan was to get some groceries at lunch time and I discovered that there was someplace I could actually walk to from work! It was my first real experience walking anywhere in Jakarta. It is really easy to get into the routine of hotel-taxi-office-taxi-mall-taxi... because everything is too far away from each other to walk, the sidewalks are often tiny or non-existent, and the traffic is constant and insane. However, there's a big mall across the 6 lane road in front of my building and a nearby overpass allows you to actually get across without having to take a taxi a few miles up the road and back.

Getting out of my air-conditioned, business-traveler bubble made me realize all the more what a city of contrasts Jakarta is. My desire not to stand out in a Muslim country means I always have long pants and long sleeved shirts on (even though I occasionally see women in short skirts or tight pants, many also have head scarves and long tunics over their slacks) so walking in the heat was overwhelming. The Indonesian women I was with from work also seemed to think it was hotter than usual and we all hoped for a crazy downpour, though none ever came. The number of people on this stretch of sidewalk and in the overpass, combined with tiny elderly women crouching shoeless by blankets spread with umbrellas and belts for sale, made walking a slow, almost intimate process. The smells in the street were intense in the heat as well, with sewage and car exhaust and food all combining.

Ultimately the grocery store wasn't much of a success as it seemed to be filled mostly with Ramen instant noodle packets or ingredients for complicated Indonesian dishes I can't make without a kitchen. The smells of the produce section were overwhelming again, making me wonder if jet lag is enhancing my sense of smell or if the plastic wrap on the durian wasn't really sealed. This is a grocery store and mall for "regular Indonesians" meaning it isn't full of the Prada, Ferragamo and Versace that some of the malls have (who is buying this stuff I wonder?) but even so the idea of regular Idnonesians can sometimes seem strange. On the way home tonight I went through a route of open shacks serving as homes and shops separating the roadways from the garbage filled rivers. And the open air streets off the main road near my office building seem a lot more accessible to the "regular" in a country with per capita income of and street corner restaurants where a meal can be had for Rp5000, or a little more than 50 cents.

Jakarta Part II

2006-01-31T10:59:00.000-05:00

I arrived safe and sound in Jakarta this morning (returning February 24) after two days of travel from DC to Chicago, Hong Kong, Singapore (for an overnight) and on to Jakarta. Singapore to Jakarta is only about two hours but for some reason United doesn't fly direct--I wonder if Singapore is restricting travel in order to maintain its position as a "hub" in the region, but I need to confirm that...

It's nice to have a feeling of familiarity about everything here from my trip last November--the lines and processing to get a visa in the airport and the intense heavy heat and haze of the city. The traffic from the airport wasn't too bad this time either, as I arrived on the Muslim new year and most people took the day off from work. Jakarta is one of those cities that has become paralyzed by traffic and it can take over an hour to go the 18 miles from airport to hotel on a weekday. Everyone here wonders how long it can go on getting worse before it is wall to wall gridlock and no one can get anywhere at all...

Selected works

2006-01-01T14:28:00.000-05:00