Another post, another day late, but this is the life of a newbie mum so it seems! Time got hijacked once again yesterday, but in a good way. I decided to skip taking Samudra to the BWA Playgroup in favour of a sleep in, A SLEEP IN? what on earth was I actually thinking? I was up from 4.00am but managed to stay in my pyjamas until 1.00pm, laughing and playing with Samudra, and feeling blessed that I was able to do so.
We ate Thai food for yet another incredibly late lunch at Senayan City, before Putra headed off to a meeting at Plaza Senayan. I stayed at Senayan City with Samudra in the pram, and I wondered what is the function of a pram in Jakarta? Unless you want to spend all your time in the malls with a flat surface, you can’t take them anywhere outside the complex as there are no footpaths on the side of the roads, and if you were to try and attempt to take one out onto the streets, aside from being overwhelmed by the traffic pollution, you risk being hit by a car, motorbike, bus, bin man, bakso cart, or other such strangeness! I love to see Indonesian women carrying babies around in slings made from batik sarongs, it’s so simple and effective, and they never complain of sore backs or look to be struggling.. and now that Samudra is so heavy the baby carrier has put my back out on more than one occasion, so on recommendation from a friend, I went straight to Mothercare and bought a baby carrier sling. Ok, so it’s not the simple and effective Indonesian carrier, but it’s a step in the right direction for this bule, and what a difference it makes!
So with lots of offers of help by lovely people, I managed to carry Samudra while pushing an empty pram and we ended up in Portico for an evening post-meeting brainstorming session with Putra. I love that even though it’s rainy season, it’s always warm enough to sit outside. Living in a country without a cold winter. Happiness.
Arriving home to the complex being mati lampu (‘dead lights’ = power blackout) was a good excuse to go straight back to bed again after another fun day of mini adventures.
I realise that this blog was set up to show you our experiences of Jakarta and what goes on here, and now seems to be all about Samudra, but this is just my experience in Jakarta now that I have a baby, so bear with me while I navigate my way around and get back into the chaotic rhythms again… It’s like having to start all over again here… one baby step at a time.
I hope you had a fun day too wherever in the world you are.
Day 09: Lazy morning playing with Samudra. Happiness.
Day 09: Fortunate enough to be a household of freelancer workers means time for morning fun without rushing to an office. Happiness.
Day 09: Portico Bar at Senayan City. Fake grass, outdoors, warm weather and beer in the rainy season for a meeting. Happiness.
Day 09: Ending the evening with big smiles. Happiness.
