Train Go Sorry

After having deaf student TZ in class, I've become very interested in continuing my education in ASL and the lives of deaf people. In the last few months I've acquired quite a collection of books on the culture and lessons to improve my ability to understand signing and sign myself.

Train Go Sorry by Leah Cohen has given me so much insight into the deaf scene, particularly in New York City. There is so much to comprehend, but one concept that continually comes to the front is community. The deaf are relatively few in number, so when they can find each other, particularly in a school setting, good things usually happen.

Everything Ms. Cohen has said leads me to believe the time I'm spending to access this community is time well spent. I will be richer for my efforts.

I wish I could meet Ms. Cohen.

How About These Blossoms!

Hiking South Jakarta very much will eventually bring you past some very lovely flower stalls. After as much time as I've been here, I'm ashamedly blase about the colorful exhibition of blossoms. :-(

The branch of blossoms on the right caught my eye, though, and I'm sure I haven't seen anything like this. Each blossom is enclosed and hard, slightly smaller than a cherry. Also each is composed of about a dozen parts all fitting together with a pattern that reminds me of a soccer ball stitched together pentagons.

Pretty cool, and impossible to see from a car window.

How About It?

Somebody thought this was a really good idea.

Taking Parking Seriously

Traffic congestion in Jakarta is a very serious issue. Often movement on large thoroughfares ceases and it makes one consider stepping out and walking.

With so many cars and motorbikes competing for space, what's to do with your vehicle when it's not in use? Different approaches create varying scenarios in ones mind.

To the left is one example that may engender one set of circumstances. If you park here, a large, leather clad, middle aged man is going to come out and take you to task. If verbal persuasion doesn't work, a pummeling may take place.

The no parking sign on the right intimates a much harsher response. To actually occupy a parking space reserved by a global security network would really be endangering your safety. Police? Army commandos? Conventional airborne weapons? Even a nuclear strike on your car?

People are very serious about their parking spaces in Jakarta.

Urban Hiking

The last couple of days I've been trying to get some exercise into my life, and found walking to accomplish errands I'd formerly driven to has had unexpected benefits. Yesterday was a perfect example.

To transit to a local mall involves at best the same route I've taken for years, and at the worst, pretty ugly traffic congestion. Walking a different path awakened me to a cityscape that actually looked small, almost rural. The pic at left shows what I mean. The air was warm, but this was a very quiet, peaceful neighborhood surrounded on four sides by busy urban thoroughfares.

Around several corners ahead I head what I thought was a wedding. Amplified singing on the weekend often indicates such social occasions. As I turned a corner, here was this young lady, all by herself, serenading the neighborhood for tips. I contributed, which granted me the opportunity for this pic, and moved on.

Neither of the above parts to my day would have occurred had I taken the car.

Road Tripping

A 10 day road trip from Colorado to Michigan had many, many interesting educational moments. One highlight was viewing the opening ceremonies of the Special Olympics, but another was the discovery of this historical site, the remnants of the Old Spanish Trail.
Originally established to move woven textiles west and horses and mules east, the Old Spanish Trail had a significant life from about 1830. Reading of and learning about these historical locations may well be a great hobby during the years of intentional unemployment and travel in the Volkswagon van.