holy monday, batman.

1. i got asked this weekend to teach english at a buddhist monestary/school. it's a maybe at this point.

2. back when i was planning to move to sumatra (i'm waffling now), i was considering taking the time to get my TESOL (teachers of english to speakers of other languages - one of the most ridiculous "official" acronyms i've ever heard) certification, because teaching english is one of the biggest areas of ministry there. and frankly, i really stink at it. ya, i'm a native speaker... but really, try explaining how english grammar works to someone who operates under a COMPLETELY different system. i mean, why CAN'T you say "i have so many homeworks today"? btw, i do say that now after living here for 2 years. "gee, i have so many homeworks to grade today." maybe i shouldn't be allowed to teach english... but anyways, i kept forgetting to look into getting my certification online. i wasn't even sure if that was possible. however, in light of number 1 in this list, i finally checked it out. because even if i stay here for another year or longer, i am asked to teach english frequently. that ministry is NOT limited to sumatra. twice a year we go to teach in madura. indonesian friends ask me to tutor them or practice with them all the time. i've been asked to speak in so many schools and even churches. i even got asked to address a group of english teachers once. anyways, the bottom line is, i CAN get my certification online. it takes 12 months. and since i am a resident of a UN listed "impoverished country", i can get it for $400 instead of $1000. hmmmm.... definitely thinking about it now.

3. the minister of education came out with the most ridiculous law today. previously, foreign students have had to obtain a letter of permission to study in indonesia, but effectively immediately, ALL students of any nationality must obtain a NEW letter of permission to study at an international school. to obtain said letter, each student must fill out an online application which is incredibly buried within the ministry's website (100% in indonesian) and supply the following documents: student’s passport, student’s latest report card/transcript, statement letter explaining that the student is not and will not work during his study period in indonesia, sponsorship letter from the parents, attendance letter from the school in indonesia, and parents’ passports. and there is still some confusion regarding whether the necessary documents can be scanned and emailed or if they have to be delivered in person to jakarta (a 12 hour drive away). uuggghhh.

4. i played some intense badminton last night and i am really sore today. i never thought i would ever, ever say "intense" together with "badminton" in my life, much less with an "i played" in front of it. btw, don't ever play badminton with anybody named aswan. your sitting down skills will be impeded the next day.

5. i had lunch with the commander of the air force for the province of jogjakarta on accident on saturday. i was with 5 indonesian friends and i fell asleep in the car and when i woke up, we were at his house. i didn't figure out who he was for like 2 hours. nice guy. took us all out to his favorite restaurant. babi panggang - roasted pork. i've NEVER eaten that on java before! only on sumatra. soooo good. btw, this indicates that he's a christian, which is also awesome. not many people here are, much less people that high up in govermnent.

6. it finally clicked why money is so much tighter now than when i first came. first of all, my quality of life has increased now that i know how to operate here. i went from having a helper who could only cook fried chicken and rice twice a week to a helper who cooks the most amazing food every day. i now have wireless internet and satellite television in my home (though the tv is going away soon). i have friends in different cities - or on different islands - who i go to visit. i have a motorbike which requires fuel and upkeep. i have a nicer/better phone now. and while my quality of living has steadily increased, the dollar has progressively weakened. and since we are paid in dollars, that has really hurt how much money i am actually making. when i first came, the exchange rage was somewhere around rp12,000 = $1. so my $500/month paycheck ended up being about 6 million rupiah. for the past several weeks, the exchange rate has hovered right around rp8,900 = $1. so now, my monthly paycheck is a little less than 4.5 million rupiah. that's a 1.5 million rupiah difference. every month. it costs me 100,000 rupiah to eat for an entire week. 1.5 million rupiah is 15 weeks worth of food. that's a HUGE difference. and in a year, i'm making, on average, 18 million less. that's more than my BRAND NEW motorbike cost. that's enough to feed me for MORE THAN 3 YEARS!! but technically, i'm still making the exact same amount of money - $500/month. this was an exercise in sad realizations.