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| Princess D. and her Umbrella |
Dearest Friends,
You'll never guess who I got a lovely long letter from yesterday! Remember my friend Miss P., from this earlier post? Well, she was kind enough to share some of her memories of this time and place with me, and even a few photos, so now I'm going to share them with you. Enjoy!
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| Miss P. Shops for a Broom |
"Becky,
I have been enjoying so much your memories of Indonesia - just haven't had time to comment. It made me get out all my old photos and I even had a sharing session with (daughter) Becky when she visited.
There were a lot of new marriages among us in those days. I agree that even though some broke under the pressure, for most of us it made us stronger. There was no running home to mama complaining about what "he" did. To this day there are references that only Boss B. gets - "this looks like a queue at a railroad crossing in Indonesia".
It felt a little like pioneering. Who would guess that a house in Cilegon with a kitchen would be such a thrill? I remember one time in Malaysia that frozen strawberries came in to Mrs. Yap's (the grocery store that catered to expats). One lady happened to be there and bought them all - boy, was her name mud when everyone else found out. Another time in Singapore, 3 of us bought a $6.00 Georgia peach and shared it right there in the store. I had to cook from scratch back then. Sadly, processed foods have gradually made major inroads over the years in the States.
Oh yes, bowling, legs eleven, and whist. I remember it well. Have often wished I could remember the rules to Whist. We had such an active social life with no TV or movies. Volleyball and dinner parties and some really fun Christmases. I think you left before BM set up his putt-putt golf course at the yard.
I also hated servants - one of the major reasons that Jakarta was one of my least favorite places to live, although I admit I didn't want to mop those vast marble floors. I found a two story house helped a lot. When they were up, I was down and vice versa. I really treasured the luxury of driving myself when I got back here. Reminds me of when we were in Jakarta and the wives had to share a company van. Sounds simple, but what a complicated mess. The first plan was that each wife would get it one day, but doctor's appointments took precedence. Mysteriously some people's appointments were always on other people's days. The next plan was the van would go to a different shopping place each day, but that failed as well. I am sure we drove some male office manager batty.
Speaking of transportation. You left out the narrow gauge steam train that traveled near the road way. I remember those grass hut gas stations where everything was in cans. When we returned to Indonesia for our second tour, all the structures were made out of cinder blocks with tile roofs. I know it was better for the locals, but I missed the look of those woven bamboo homes.
Southern accents - when I would go home for a visit, apparently my accent got thicker. Had one British lady say, "Pat, you don't talk like tha . . at.
Attached are a couple of photos of me in the market and my favorite of Princess D. She didn't have access to a car and talked naive me into requesting one to go up to the natural springs in the hills. On the way it started to rain and she showed me how to use a local umbrella. "All you need is a large leaf." The cart photo was when Miss F. was showing me the ropes.
Keep it coming. You express it so beautifully.
And remember, Krakatoa is west of Java (unlike the movie).
Miss P."
I have been enjoying so much your memories of Indonesia - just haven't had time to comment. It made me get out all my old photos and I even had a sharing session with (daughter) Becky when she visited.
There were a lot of new marriages among us in those days. I agree that even though some broke under the pressure, for most of us it made us stronger. There was no running home to mama complaining about what "he" did. To this day there are references that only Boss B. gets - "this looks like a queue at a railroad crossing in Indonesia".
It felt a little like pioneering. Who would guess that a house in Cilegon with a kitchen would be such a thrill? I remember one time in Malaysia that frozen strawberries came in to Mrs. Yap's (the grocery store that catered to expats). One lady happened to be there and bought them all - boy, was her name mud when everyone else found out. Another time in Singapore, 3 of us bought a $6.00 Georgia peach and shared it right there in the store. I had to cook from scratch back then. Sadly, processed foods have gradually made major inroads over the years in the States.
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| A Beca Ride for Miss P. |
I also hated servants - one of the major reasons that Jakarta was one of my least favorite places to live, although I admit I didn't want to mop those vast marble floors. I found a two story house helped a lot. When they were up, I was down and vice versa. I really treasured the luxury of driving myself when I got back here. Reminds me of when we were in Jakarta and the wives had to share a company van. Sounds simple, but what a complicated mess. The first plan was that each wife would get it one day, but doctor's appointments took precedence. Mysteriously some people's appointments were always on other people's days. The next plan was the van would go to a different shopping place each day, but that failed as well. I am sure we drove some male office manager batty.
Speaking of transportation. You left out the narrow gauge steam train that traveled near the road way. I remember those grass hut gas stations where everything was in cans. When we returned to Indonesia for our second tour, all the structures were made out of cinder blocks with tile roofs. I know it was better for the locals, but I missed the look of those woven bamboo homes.
Southern accents - when I would go home for a visit, apparently my accent got thicker. Had one British lady say, "Pat, you don't talk like tha . . at.
Attached are a couple of photos of me in the market and my favorite of Princess D. She didn't have access to a car and talked naive me into requesting one to go up to the natural springs in the hills. On the way it started to rain and she showed me how to use a local umbrella. "All you need is a large leaf." The cart photo was when Miss F. was showing me the ropes.
Keep it coming. You express it so beautifully.
And remember, Krakatoa is west of Java (unlike the movie).
Miss P."
P.S. Miss Becky here! For some reason, I had no memory of that train, so I asked John about it. He said "Yeah, I remember it! I tried to take pictures of it several times, but every time I sent my roll of film off to be developed, it would come back with all the pictures of the train missing. I guess the government was censoring them -- maybe they thought we were trying to steal their technology!"
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