I was finally successful in making it to Ambon! After months of waiting in the States for my visa to work there, and months here in Indonesia trying to get a permit to visit, it turns out the only thing I needed to visit was my passport and visa! So the letter and dealing with the police wasn't necessary (see other blog entry). It makes for a good story though!
Ambon is a small island in the Maluku Islands, Eastern Indonesia and these islands are the original "spice islands." Before the 16th century, spices were used to preserve food and also for medical purposes. People from all over the world came here in search of cloves and nutmeg, since they couldn't be found anywhere else.
During my visit there I realized that these islands are little pieces of paradise. Because I was there for work, I was only able to site see around the island of Ambon, which has beautiful coral offshore, turquoise water, rivers and streams, and is a mostly undeveloped island. During 1999-2004 this area was involved in religious riots, and remnants of those riots can still be seen. There are still many burned shells of buildings, houses, mosques, and churches. But the people which I interacted with seem to be optimistic about the future and are moving forward.
My workshops went really well and the participants were so enthusiastic. Our RELO (director of our program here) also joined the workshops and we both commented that we have never seen and participated in so much singing and dancing at a workshop! In fact, after the closing ceremony of the workshops, we did the poco-poco (line dancing). Somehow, the lecturers in the English Dept. also got me to sing in front of the group! I won't even do karaoke, so this was big!
We had lots of rain while we were there since their rainy season is opposite the rest of Indonesia. But we were determined to do some snorkeling and went to the north of the island, where there were lots of fish and I spotted another turtle! The RELO and I also did some pearl shopping on the last day.......you can find them for such a great price here! I was browsing the internet and found that Mikimoto actually gets their pearls from Indonesia, among other areas!
So this trip was definitely one of my highlights in Indonesia and was a great way to finish my contract here. I'll be coming back to the States on July 7th.
