Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Starting again - tons to do
Dawna and I leave on Thursday for the marathon trip to get to Banda Aceh. More news later when there is something to report.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
fish market in Tokyo
This is my attempt to capture the exotic nature of the fish market. By the way, that is where I found some cool boxer shorts purchased for my older son. He has a penchant for boxers from tourist locations so this was perfect. Sorry no snap taken of the boxers.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Leaving tokyo in an hour
We are once again on the move and this time we get on an Air Canada flight first to Vancouver and then TO. Funnily enough we are flying at 7 pm and arriving at about the same time in Toronto on the same day Tuesday.
We composed a whole posting in the Tokyo Reference Library only to have it evaporate when we pressed `publish post`. So this is a recap. If this post is a bit wacky we blame the keyboard which is basically set up for characters not so much for alphabet.
Thursday and Friday in Sigli were significant in that the Vice Bupati (Vice Mayor) invited us out to a dinner he hosted - and awarded us with the Sigli official plaques. At the restaurant it was hilarious when due to the size of the group it was deemed that a wall partition should be removed in order to accommodate the entourage and then the nails sticking out from the floor were hammered down with a handy rock. So that was a big wow.
We are very pleased to have the help of the translator Iwan, while we are away this time as he transitions into a local resource for the library project. So basically we spent a couple of hours teaching him everything about the project and bob is your uncle. What a great guy - we are blessed.
Let`s face it we travelled a lot this trip and Saturday was no exception as we went from Banda Aceh to Jakarta and then overnight to Tokyo arriving at 7 am. We really lucked out on the flight and each had 3 seats over which we could sprawl out.
In Tokyo on the way in we saw one of the dressed up `maid girls` with the frills and high heels. Little did we know the shots of her shoes would be some of the best we got of weird getups。 We valiantly attempted to do Tokyo in 36 hours - shrines, temples, shopping, fish market, museums, sushi, and mastered the transit system in the process. Or so we claim.
The post would not be complete without a nod to the bathrooms, specifically the toilets. They are amazing - what can be achieved with technology. O.k. they have heated seats, various bidet options, the sound of gurgling water and even an odor button which we didn`t try. Given the context of coming from Indonesia where all bathrooms have pools of water on the floor and the usual squat, we were so enamored that we visited more than our fair share of washrooms around the city.
Right now we await our flight in a business lounge and we are crossing our fingers that indeed time will fly and get us home in less than an hour.
Emperors palace looked great in the winter
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Unexepected trip to Banda
Just when we were getting used to the idea of being in one place for more than a few days, we got a phone call inviting us down to Banda for an evening reception. Turns out that there were a lot of FCM Canadians in Banda and it was felt to be a good opportunity for people to get together and network and talk about the different projects. There was also a lot of members of the Banda FCM team too, so it was nice to see a lot of familiar faces. There were a couple of birthdays thrown in the mix too. So our day ended with a nice dinner in Banda.
But we still had our two sessions at the library and we had Yuni and Yurni over to the house for lunch.
In the morning Katherine delivered a presentation on 'Children's Services'. It was a chance to really get behind the nuts and bolts of why libraries program for children. We ended the morning by handing out all sorts of puppets that we brought from Canada...many of the animals are found in Indonesian folk tales. In fact Dawna found a deer and there is a trickster figure that is the little deer. We thought that was mighty nice to have found that. I think the tortoise was the favourite....they called it Johnny.
At lunch Yurni and Yuni came over to the house. They wanted to send a picture of the library to OLA for the superconference and the bandwith at the library just couldn't manage sending a photo. While we were at the house Yurni also got a Facebook account. It is a marvel to see how much technology has become part of the routine now.
Then we went back and talked about the layout of the library and brainstormed ideas about how to make displays for teens. It was a good afternoon.
We left the library and headed directly for Banda. It was a crazy drive...there are road works going on and not much coordination among the road crews. At one point we were inches between the edge of a cliff (let's just say a drop) and a HUGE truck....we all breathed a sigh of relief when we got past. I was glad of my I-pod which we all could enjoy through the car speakers...(Thanks for the Cake Alex.)
But we still had our two sessions at the library and we had Yuni and Yurni over to the house for lunch.
In the morning Katherine delivered a presentation on 'Children's Services'. It was a chance to really get behind the nuts and bolts of why libraries program for children. We ended the morning by handing out all sorts of puppets that we brought from Canada...many of the animals are found in Indonesian folk tales. In fact Dawna found a deer and there is a trickster figure that is the little deer. We thought that was mighty nice to have found that. I think the tortoise was the favourite....they called it Johnny.
At lunch Yurni and Yuni came over to the house. They wanted to send a picture of the library to OLA for the superconference and the bandwith at the library just couldn't manage sending a photo. While we were at the house Yurni also got a Facebook account. It is a marvel to see how much technology has become part of the routine now.
Then we went back and talked about the layout of the library and brainstormed ideas about how to make displays for teens. It was a good afternoon.
We left the library and headed directly for Banda. It was a crazy drive...there are road works going on and not much coordination among the road crews. At one point we were inches between the edge of a cliff (let's just say a drop) and a HUGE truck....we all breathed a sigh of relief when we got past. I was glad of my I-pod which we all could enjoy through the car speakers...(Thanks for the Cake Alex.)
Monday, January 14, 2008
First day in Sigli
We got to the library and had a quick look around. It is so different! The layout has changed, it is tidy and inviting. The shelves are clean and you can feel a sense of order when you walk in. The morning was spent reviewing what has been done since we were here in August and then some brainstorming about what was learned in Sleman and Singapore.
At the break the staff wanted us to see the library. It was FULL of people, 90% students. I mean people were everywhere. It was quite a contrast to the sleepy place we first visited in June. They are averaging about 150 visitors a day…compared to less than 50 when we first arrived. We credit much of this to Mukhtar’s leadership, the increased hours and the welcoming environment. Kudos all ‘round.
In the afternoon we worked on some skills training. We wanted to ensure that all of the staff have email accounts so they are able to communicate with the contacts they have made during the exposure tours. There is a new staff member named Nufina…she had never used a computer before…she now has a gmail account and has sent 2 emails. Other work involved creating a brochure to promote the library…we picked up a lot of samples during the tours and with a template they will be able to create something for Sigli. We also discussed the ‘Thank You’ letters going over step by step the content and structure. These letters will be sent to both Sleman and Singapore libraries. We will work on the draft tomorrow.
We talked about how the library can connect with the community and gain further support from the government. The library is very low on the awareness scale for the local politicians.
There is an easy camaraderie now amongst us and we are getting asked a variety of questions. We spent quite a bit of time today talking about motivating staff to work, stating expectations and the role of the supervisor. It seems that some staff were blaming others for work not complete- imagine.
At the break the staff wanted us to see the library. It was FULL of people, 90% students. I mean people were everywhere. It was quite a contrast to the sleepy place we first visited in June. They are averaging about 150 visitors a day…compared to less than 50 when we first arrived. We credit much of this to Mukhtar’s leadership, the increased hours and the welcoming environment. Kudos all ‘round.
In the afternoon we worked on some skills training. We wanted to ensure that all of the staff have email accounts so they are able to communicate with the contacts they have made during the exposure tours. There is a new staff member named Nufina…she had never used a computer before…she now has a gmail account and has sent 2 emails. Other work involved creating a brochure to promote the library…we picked up a lot of samples during the tours and with a template they will be able to create something for Sigli. We also discussed the ‘Thank You’ letters going over step by step the content and structure. These letters will be sent to both Sleman and Singapore libraries. We will work on the draft tomorrow.
We talked about how the library can connect with the community and gain further support from the government. The library is very low on the awareness scale for the local politicians.
There is an easy camaraderie now amongst us and we are getting asked a variety of questions. We spent quite a bit of time today talking about motivating staff to work, stating expectations and the role of the supervisor. It seems that some staff were blaming others for work not complete- imagine.
Back in Banda and then on to Sigli
We had two flights to get to Banda…by this time we feel like old hands at the process. Once we got to Banda, the Sigli staff went on to Sigli, while Katherine and I stayed on in Banda. It was good to get to the hotel, where we know the staff and felt quite welcome. We booked massages and took it easy for the rest of Saturday. We met up with some other FC volunteers (Jim, Mansur and Ted) and caught up on the various projects.
On Sunday we drove to Sigli. We have a new translator this time…Iwan….pronounced E1. He had spent 4 months in Alberta through Canada World Youth; his English is perfect, complete with Canadian idioms. We got to the house, chose our rooms (we are sharing the house with E1 and two other FCM/Indonesian staff), ate the pizza we got in Sigli and called it a day.
On Sunday we drove to Sigli. We have a new translator this time…Iwan….pronounced E1. He had spent 4 months in Alberta through Canada World Youth; his English is perfect, complete with Canadian idioms. We got to the house, chose our rooms (we are sharing the house with E1 and two other FCM/Indonesian staff), ate the pizza we got in Sigli and called it a day.
Singapore – Day 2
The day began at the Library Supply Centre, where all of the materials are processed for all of the library’s internal and external clients. We were given an overview and then a tour. It was fascinating to see the conveyor belts and assembly lines…the staff process 5,000 items each day. They use an automated system, complete with cherry pickers to select specific titles that are stored on the myriad of shelving throughout the warehouse. It was a site to be seen for sure.
The Sigli staff were able to see materials being processed and ask questions first hand and get demonstrations of how it is done in Singapore. The Singapore example showed the precision system that may be far removed from what the Sigli staff were going for, but they still were able to take some good ideas away from it. For instance, maybe they won’t want to drill the books like they saw in Sleman and perhaps they will opt for some reinforcement tape to do the same thing.
Since it was Friday, the next stop was a mosque where the men could pray. The women were free to go shopping…which we did. Yurni and Yuni wanted to buy fabric. It turns out that they make most of their clothes for themselves. Katherine and I opted for some ready made clothes and found a kinda sweet Persian designer shop. Lunch was in an Indonesian takeout restaurant….which was a welcome change. Dinner the night before was in an Indian restaurant and felt to be ‘too spicy’ by many.
Next stop was a neighbourhood library, Bishan. It had 5 floors and special attention was paid to the youth and children’s floors. The collections were full and immaculately shelved. A storytime was being held and we were able to quietly observe it. This all helped the puzzle pieces fall into place….we had been talking about Children’s programming and now they could see it happening.
The final library we visited was Woodlands library, where Roy works. He was able to give us an insider’s view of the collections. It was a spectacular library, complete with a theatre space, reference floor and the largest Children’s department I have ever seen. There was space dedicated to community exhibits, which is something we are wanting to develop more in Sigli. Just like in Sleman, it was good to see so many of the concepts that we have been talking about in action.
We were given an hour break for dinner and then we went to the Night Zoo in Singapore. (Nazir missed the zoo…ask us if you want the long version….) The night zoo was fun. There was a show and then a tram ride in the dark where you get to see the nocturnal animals - lions, elephants and of course water buffalo which are a common sight throughout Sigli. We got back to the hotel by 11:30…and reserved wake-up calls for 4:30 a.m. the next morning to get us on our way back to Indonesia. We were completely beat but we still managed to have a glass of wine and a beer in the lobby…we couldn’t believe how long this day was.
The Sigli staff were able to see materials being processed and ask questions first hand and get demonstrations of how it is done in Singapore. The Singapore example showed the precision system that may be far removed from what the Sigli staff were going for, but they still were able to take some good ideas away from it. For instance, maybe they won’t want to drill the books like they saw in Sleman and perhaps they will opt for some reinforcement tape to do the same thing.
Since it was Friday, the next stop was a mosque where the men could pray. The women were free to go shopping…which we did. Yurni and Yuni wanted to buy fabric. It turns out that they make most of their clothes for themselves. Katherine and I opted for some ready made clothes and found a kinda sweet Persian designer shop. Lunch was in an Indonesian takeout restaurant….which was a welcome change. Dinner the night before was in an Indian restaurant and felt to be ‘too spicy’ by many.
Next stop was a neighbourhood library, Bishan. It had 5 floors and special attention was paid to the youth and children’s floors. The collections were full and immaculately shelved. A storytime was being held and we were able to quietly observe it. This all helped the puzzle pieces fall into place….we had been talking about Children’s programming and now they could see it happening.
The final library we visited was Woodlands library, where Roy works. He was able to give us an insider’s view of the collections. It was a spectacular library, complete with a theatre space, reference floor and the largest Children’s department I have ever seen. There was space dedicated to community exhibits, which is something we are wanting to develop more in Sigli. Just like in Sleman, it was good to see so many of the concepts that we have been talking about in action.
We were given an hour break for dinner and then we went to the Night Zoo in Singapore. (Nazir missed the zoo…ask us if you want the long version….) The night zoo was fun. There was a show and then a tram ride in the dark where you get to see the nocturnal animals - lions, elephants and of course water buffalo which are a common sight throughout Sigli. We got back to the hotel by 11:30…and reserved wake-up calls for 4:30 a.m. the next morning to get us on our way back to Indonesia. We were completely beat but we still managed to have a glass of wine and a beer in the lobby…we couldn’t believe how long this day was.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
