Fried chicken is BIG here. As in popular. I'd seen a show before on KFC being the #1 fast food chain in China. We're not in China, but we are close (map here, again with me and the maps sheesh). So every mall has a KFC and often a BFC (Best Fried Chicken) and they are usually busy. The grocery stores here have many varieties of nuggets, unfortunately all we've tried are pretty gross. I don't have an oven in our hotel, just an induction hot plate so I usually fry them. You know that nugget is nasty when it tastes bad fried. There's also lots of pizza, but beef pepperoni is not so awesome so we all have cheese. The answer to the food conundrum is to learn to eat Indonesian dishes. Mike is there, he has a stone gut and an adventurous palate so it's no big deal for him. I'm getting there. I still go for lots of recognizable Asian dishes, but I'm branching out. The kids try something new maybe every other day. It's toughest for them.
We've been to a couple of social events and have met some other expat families. Everybody seems very friendly and willing to help us acclimate. We're the only family left in the hotel now though, I'd love to move into the neighborhood so the kids could play with someone other than me. I have tried to keep an upbeat attitude during all of the planning, moving, and living here with all our things stacked in the corner.
One topic of discussion at the expat dinner with some wives was hiring and training the domestic staff we will all have. I cannot begin to tell you how much this topic makes me squirm. I didn't even have a cleaning lady back in the states! I think here the locals consider working for westerners a desirable job and it's part of us helping out the growing Indonesian economy. Or so I tell myself. Actually the poverty here is crippling. I gave a doorman the equivalent of a $5 tip for moving all our boxes to our room and I really thought he was going to hit the floor when he bowed. It's embarrassing and uncomfortable to suddenly be considered so wealthy. I'll have to try to get some shots of some of the poorer housing. It's like nothing I've seen in the US.
The kids and I go to arcades each week. They are ALL OVER THE PLACE! The mall by our hotel has three arcades. Here's Cassie in a ball pit. I couldn't help but think "oh good, let's expose her to some more exotic germs". But there was no stopping her.
Jack found what he called the Ultimate Asian Leatherman. We didn't buy it.
And new iPhone's autocorrect was in Indonesian so I made no sense for a while. Here's a snippet of some texts I was trying to send Mike when Cassie and I were out shopping then heading home.
Here's a picture of part of the mall that sits beside our hotel. It's pretty typical of the many Batam malls. There's a large grocery store, several places to eat, and tons of little shops selling shoes that won't fit me, clothes that won't fit me, and knock off Prada, Coach, and LV bags. I need to gird my loins and go negotiate some Hello Kitty stuff for Cassie. That's right, you bargain for everything, even in the mall There is TONS of Hello Kitty here as well. I have to assume I can get it cheaper here than at that store in the Galleria. Also our mall has a movie theater. You never know what's going to play, we have to walk over to check and it changes all the time. Most movies are in English, but there's also often Asian stuff playing. The kids and I hoped to go to a movie yesterday and all the movies were in English, but I didn't think Cassie would sit through The Expendables 2, Step Up Revolution, Chernobyl, or The Dark Knight.
We are nearing the end of Ramadan and soon Mike will have a short vacation. I think we will spend it in Singapore. I'm a little stir-crazy from being in this hotel so long am I'm looking forward to a change of pace!
No comments:
Post a Comment