Monday – I flew on a KLM flight, KL809 which I had requested for, from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport to the Soekarno Hatta International Airport in Jakarta, Indonesia. I didn’t have the heart to leave behind my lovely niece, but it had to be done. My sister sent me to the airport. I met up with Felicia who was arriving home from Phnom Penh and had arrived at the KLIA an hour before I arrived. I checked in my luggages, which totalled 57kg, and was charged an excess of 20kg only, which was okay since my employer would reimburse. We went to Delifrance for a light snack, I had chicken mayo croissant which was appalling, and canned pineapple juice. After saying goodbye to Felicia, I went to the airport pharmacy to buy a bottle of nail polish remover, because I hadn’t had the time to remove the leftover of my nail polish on my fingernails and I had to start work the next morning. A little panic at the cashier counter when I bought it as I realised I couldn’t bring in liquid, and when I asked the cashier if I could have a refund, she said I could bring it in as it is still within the 100ml limit for carry-on liquid. I boarded my flight and had my specially reserved emergency exit front row aisle seat, which I had earlier reserved for on the KLM online check in facility. I watched my favourite movie, Wimbledon, and missed London all over again. I have watched it a few times but this is the first time I watched it after actually having visited the Wimbledon Stadium in summer 2008. The KLM crew were very friendly and one even praised my Lancel handbag and asked if I got it from Europe. It was a gift from my friend in Paris during my first trip there in October 2006 and I had waited for a big job for the handbag to go along with. I arrived at the Jakarta airport, was asked if I have a return ticket (I don’t), and collected my 5 luggages and exited to the arrival hall and saw my driver waiting for me with my name on display. He helped me with my trolley and luggage into a black Toyota Camry which was parked just outside the airport door, instead of at the designated carpark. I got to my apartment in about an hour, was ushered to my unit which is on the highest floor (4th floor) and moved into my little penthouse. The apartment was very similar to what I had seen on the internet and the unit also lived up to my expectation. I was very pleased with the apartment, seeing that I had signed the contract to it based merely on their website photos and descriptions and my several phone conversations with their sales office and my human resource department. I signed some forms, given a little tour and after the staff left, I unpacked a little and slept at 12 midnight.

Tuesday – I woke up at 7am, not able to sleep much the whole night prior. I walked to work in my Skechers leather walking shoes, and realised that the roads of Jakarta are not meant for walking as there are no designated pavement designed for walking. The roads were bad and the air more polluted than I thought I could handle. I hate being engulfed in vehicle and motorbike fumes right after a fresh shower. But I do want to stay close to the office, so I have to walk everyday for the next many years. I changed into my heels at the guardhouse after explaining to the security guards that I don’t have a staff access card as it was my first day at work. I was told by my human resource department prior that my office has a flexi hour working hour, you can start at 8:30am and finish at 4:30pm, or you could opt to begin at 9pm and end at 5pm. I wasn’t told what time to arrive on the first day, so by 8:30am I was already at the building’s lobby. The human resource department staff whom I’ve been liasing with for the past 1-2 months arrived for work and we had a little hug – she was my senior and mentor from my postgraduate school’s buddy system, and she had rejoined the organisation a year before after her graduation. I was brought to the human resource department for a solo briefing, and found out that I was the last staff to arrive on a list of staff who have to go through an induction programme to orientate us with the works of the organisation. After that I was brought to my department, on the way we bumped into my immediate boss, and I was showed my office room, which is a nice size but rather empty. There were two tables with a set of desktop on one of it, one filing cabinet which I wanted out immediately because it didn’t suit me, an old phone with many buttons, and a chair with castors. I also said hello to No. 3 whose office is next door, a corner unit and hence, much more brightly lit. He said he wants a meeting with No. 4 and I before he leaves for his holiday leave, which is fine by me. Both No. 3 and No. 4 had emphasized that I should take my first week settling in and taking things easy to familiarise myself. During the induction session on visa, another human resource staff came to interrupt that the No. 2 wants to see me. I went to see him, and he said welcome and that my professor had said great things about me to him (they know each other). But my cough got rather bad, so bad that he offered me water and my own didn’t help, so he suggested that I return another day when I feel better. That was really embarassing to end up like that with your No. 2. The human resource colleague cum friend took me to lunch – by taxi, which surprised me that we have to take a taxi out for lunch. We went to Plaza Blok M, a mall nearby, to get Strepsils lozenges and lunch at a nice simple restaurant which served a really nice iced lemon tea. After lunch I went to see my immediate boss, who briefed casually about my role in the office. To my surprise I found out that I don’t have to do the stuffs I thought I was hired for, the stuffs on the job advertisement. It turned out that the division already has 5 local staff who have beein doing all those that I thought were my responsibilities, and my job is to manage them! It felt great that finally after all these years, my work experiences are being recognised in terms of a promotion of responsibilities, and that I didn’t have to do all the typical media and communication work I thought I was hired to do, based on the job advertisement. No. 4 and I also went through his diary for the week and the next week to see where I should join him since I’m now his right-hand wing. At 5pm I went home on foot, and when I got home I was so surprised that I was so tired that I didn’t feel like doing anything. It was the first day I worked in six months, and almost 3 years if you counted the days since my last employment in Afghanistan. But I crossed the street to have dinner in Es Teler 77 Resto, which is an upscale version of the normal Es Teler 77 in malls. It is a nice restaurant and I can’t wait to bring guests here.

Wednesday – Today I walked to work on better roads as I crossed the road at one point and moved on to the better roads as they are the roads in front of the police headquarters. I will walk on these sides of the road from now on, but the road conditions are still not perfect and the air pollution still the same. Today I joined my No. 4 and a colleague to a meeting in a hotel, preceded by a nice Nasi Padang lunch, with 3 German counterparts whom I was introduced to. The meeting was very comfortable to me, and I asked some questions and gave some comments as the Germans are our service providers and we are the client. No. 4 called the office to cancel the induction session he was supposed to give to the newcomers. I went home, changed and walked to Blok M Square to get grocery and supplies from Carrefour. Prior I went to a manicure salon but the poor girl did such a poor job that she snipped a bit of my flesh off my finger and it bled. She used an ointment to heal it, but it was a fake brand of the original and the tip of the bottle actually touched my wound. I might die. I tipped her anyway since it was an accident, and went to Carrefour. After my shopping ended when the store closed at 10pm, I found out that I had exited the mall at an exit where taxis were no longer allowed in. An Indonesian youth offered to help hail a taxi from the main road, and after 5 minutes or so, he really did return and I tipped him about US$1 before getting into my taxi.

Thursday – I attended  a big meeting today, attended by ambassadors to the organisation and their deputies. I was actually going to the mall to get my passport photo taken and at the lift lobby my boss asked me if I’d still like to join the meeting. So I joined the big meeting, held in a huge hall that looked like the venue of a UN general assembly. Then I went for a long lunch at Plaza Blok M again where I also had my passport photos taken. In the evening, the No. 4 and I went to one of the German’s house near the office and had a drinking session that lasted into 11:30pm. But it was a great session as we drank beer, hard liquor and wine – and I played fussball against the No. 4 and beat him. The N0. 4 drobe me home and I was knocked out.

Friday – I attended the big meeting again, and then attended a Women’s Circle Bazaar which turned the building into a bazaar venue where women from 10 countries and others came to sell their crafts, clothes, handicrafts, etc. I bought something for Bebo, and had Vietnamese beef pho and deep fried spring rolls. Tina said she would have to postpone her arrival to the next morning, so Fauzan picked me up from work and we went to Bumbu Desa for Sundanese dinner and a city night tour in his car, including a short walk at the Kota Tua square. Fauzan stayed the night and became my first guest at the apartment.

Saturday – Meita called the apartment unit very early and after one missed call, I had to answer the second one. She said she wants to meet today, and I said okay, but when I hung up and checked my email, Tina had emailed that she was too sick to make the flight. I tried to go back to bed but I couldn’t. Fauzan woke up only at 9am, by which time Tina’s flight would’ve landed a long time ago! I told him Tina wasn’t coming, so he went back to bed and woke up again at 11am. We went to Oakwood Hotel Apartments to have brunch at Ranch Market, and then to Gedung ITC in Mega Kuningan to get my new mobile number. I got a really nice auspicious and easy to remember number, bought a couple of extra recharge cards for future use, and we left the building. I said I wanted to eat mi soto ayam, so we stopped at Plaza Blok M, and had it on the streets outside the mall, and then went home. Fauzan left at 6pm and I went to Pasaraya Grande for dinner, and to my delight I found Ayam Penyet Ria stall at the food court in its basement. I had it but it wasn’t as nice as the one in Singapore. Then I spent about 2 hours in Ace Hardware, where I bought a white laundry basket (it was expensive but because it is Made in America) and a pink basketball! It was just love at first sight and I just had to get it.

Sunday – Nothing much today except that I went to do my laundry at the common laundry room on the top floor of the building not far from my unit, and then cooked lunch, which I also had for dinner. And I chatted with friends on the internet, watched TV and just chill at home. I also called Tequila, who said she will pop by the next day.