Anticipation is everything

Apologies for the large gap between posts; I was working all day yesterday on my Puteri Indonesia article, which I am waiting to go over with my editor today. I actually have copious pictures to post, but neglected to bring my camera to work today. Guess that will have to wait until tomorrow.

The weekend was quite action packed; it was the first time I felt that journalistic tingle of anxiety and drive to talk with sources and really attack my story while at the Jakarta Post. On Saturday, I had an interview with the reigning Puteri Indonesia, Agni Pratistha. At 19, she's already competed in Miss Universe, done a good amount of social work with children and is about to re-enter school to finish her major in graphic design. Her modesty and the candid way in which she discussed her pageant experiences (she doesn't regard her experience at Miss Universe as being terribly positive) was really refreshing. If she was living in Seattle, I'd want to be her friend.

After my interview, Iwan took me to Taman Mini Indonesia, which is like a theme park displaying all the different provinces of Indonesia and their respective cultures. It wasn't actually all that mini, either. Iwan and I had to travel between provincial displays by motorbike. It all sounds a bit kitschy, but I had a good time looking at the different architecture for each region and getting to know a bit more about the history of Indonesia. I even bought a necklace brought over from Papua.

Sunday was packed with more interviews, this time with the 1992 Puteri Indonesia winner Indira Soediro and the 2004 winner Nadine Chandrawinata. The former, at 34, already has 6 kids and appears to live quite the fulfilling life of giving piano lessons and working with several non-profit and social organizations. Nadine, although pleasant, seemed to be the more simple-hearted of the three that I spoke with. She's sweet, but didn't have the presence I imagined of a pageant winner that Agni and Indira had. I suspected a language barrier accounted for some of her shorter, less "deep" answers. In any case, it was nice to feel like a real journalist again, going out into the field and talking to sources in their element.

This coming weekend promises to be the most exciting yet. I'm going with the Jakarta Post's German intern, Sascha, and some other people from the German Embassy to Pelabuan Ratu, a beach front area on the southern coast of Central Java. This will be my first trip outside of Jakarta, and I'm completely stoked to go =) I might even learn how to surf. This is sure to be a pleasant precursor to my planned trip to Bali next month.

Since moving desks to the features area, my social options have opened up considerably. Most of this is thanks to Sascha, who also invited me to play golf this evening and to attend an art exhibit next week. He's been working at the newspaper since April and is quite more adapted to the city than I am. Hooray for new acquaintances! I do miss the Web side a bit, Iwan and Augustina are still reliable friends to call on for lunch or the occasional after-work excursion to a movie or shopping. It's good to move around.

I'll be sure to bring my camera tomorrow. Until then...