UKSW goes to UNY on Rabu 21 Okt

4.15am - suara masjid. Pointless trying to return to sleep. Listen to Gastr Del Sol, having discovered last night they have yet to be shuffled. Alarm goes off: 5am. Bath. A shocker. Waking up at this time is, as I tell my colleagues later, to much laughter, geger budaya, a culture shock. For them, as they often have to begin teaching at 7am, the 5am wake-up is no stranger to them. Ibu Wewien is up, breakfast ready. Car arrives at 6am. Lots of activity at this hour, schoolkids by the side of the road, workers, traffic. Pick up Frances, Lauren (who leaves the house with her roti), Rudi, and Puri. Why was Rudi standing butler-like in front of his house, holding a tray with a cup of tea on it? Because Frances had texted ahead! A classic sight.

White lines on the road - for display purposes only. Fluidity is the norm.

Nick Cave, courtesy of Rudi, who studied in Australia, is on the stereo.

Agricultural country: corn and tobacco.

Entering a township, a sign with an image of a masjid and "75 m" beneath it. Redundant, really, because it seems as if you walk 100 metres anywhere you're bound to find a masjid or a gereja. Indonesia really does religion.

Arrive 3 hours later at Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta (Yogya State Uni). Listen to the tailend of the keynote address for an international seminar on "Multiculturalism and (Language and Arts) Education: Unity and Harmony and Diversity." In English, except for the representative from the French Embassy, who read his text word for word, which we could follow from the printed copy given to us, while a translator rendered it into bahasa. In the process, he confirmed certain stereotypes associated with the French. Most memorable was his view, expressed in question time, "There are no ghettos in Paris. We have no Chinatown." Since when is Chinatown a ghetto? Since when is its absence from a major city seen as a triumph?


At the coffee and lunch breaks, entertained by a student gamelan. A real highlight to sit up close and listen to the exquisite percussion, to watch the light-handedness of it all, the skitter and bounce of the percussionists.

Sat through more of the keynote speakers - the first day was devoted to keynotes. Two hours each session: three speakers, followed by question time. By 3pm, mind suitably numbed, listening to an academic basically describe the twelve themes to be found in a traditional Javanese text. At this point, the UKSW team reached consensus and returned to the hotel to rest and then, later, to head out.

The hotel is for students. Quite a few bule in the foyer and in the corridor, laptopping away. Best to avoid them, it might be catching. Told I'd be sharing with Rudi. No problem. Room has a shower! A hot shower! This once, I decline to judge a hotel by its towels, which are on the bleached and threadbare side of things. The thought of hot water and washing my hair properly render insignificant my usual attitude about towel quality. Only one queensize bed in the room. Been a while since I've shared a bed with a bloke. Mentioned my sleep apnea to Rudi; he mentioned his teethgrinding. Time to rest. Flopped onto my side of the bed. Rudi, meanwhile, was setting himself up to sleep on the floor. "It's cooler," he said. He dozed, while I iPodded myself into a state of calm. On the floor, Rudi was sleeping, grinding his teeth.