I spoke too soon, because last night I was treated to a magnificent Sate dinner by Dr. Suko, the Rector of the State School for Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics (STMKG). Sate is the Indonesian version of kebabs and grilling, which on account of being a hot activity takes place on the front yard of the restaurant, in the closest you can get to the Indonesian hell. The cooks look like so many demons, surrounded by flames that climb a meter into the air, and from time to time throw their hot skillets into water, causing big clouds of steam to increase the netherworld effect. The guests wait inside, under conditions that resemble a Turkish bath, and in contrast with the normal style of eating, where the dishes are shared among all, here you get served a mountain of lamb skewers and are friendly-like invited to tuck in; it is all for you! Oh, and you must try the goat stew ... whoosh ... another plate appears in front of you ... and try this salad ... whoosh ... and this pastry ... whoosh ... and of course you will want some rice with that ... whoosh. Because I am the honored guest I got to start before everyone else, and for 15 minutes I had to show the relish I was experiencing eating this good food, while the others benevolently watched me eat.
By some miracle I didn't get a severe indigestion and survived until the following day, when I was to be the featured speaker in front of a large number of students and instructors from the STMKG. The Rector could not be there to introduce me, so the Vice-Rector and the leader of the student body did the honors. There was a podium, and the lecture was being recorded and broadcasted to all the offices of BMKG, but I had prepared by donning an elegant Indonesian dress shirt and a formal songkok (the black formal pill hat worn by elderly statesmen) and lived up to the occasion. The students were, of course, in their formal whites and gave me their undivided attention for more than an hour. The topic was Earthquake Geology, and I thought I did a pretty good job keeping it lively and fun. I got a fair number of questions and a warm applause, and then Dr. Suko arrived, we had a couple of speeches, presentation of a plaque of thanks, lots of group photos, and a couple of interviews for the student newspaper and for the school's website. I could finally breathe in relief, but just for a minute because then Dr. Suko gave us lunch at his conference room, and we had a serious conversation about future cooperation.
I like Dr. Suko. He is maybe in his late 50's, is relaxed and pretty cool, showers me with attention and slightly embarrassing presents (for example, when he offered something to drink and I said coffee, he jumped from his seat, called his wife to pack some of their favorite coffee, and half an hour later the driver brought a huge bag with four types of coffee, cassava chips, cashew nuts, and plantain medallions "so Irvan and I have some snacks for our train ride tomorrow". Then he got another idea, and said he wanted to show me the new campus and new building the school will move into next year. So he makes a phone call, his driver comes, and we move in great comfort through a Jakarta that magically has become more relaxed and less crowded. On the way he inquired where we were going next, and upon learning that we are going to Bali he gets on the phone and arranges for a car to be at our disposal for the three days we will be there, and for the Chief of Station in Bali to be our chaperone. Who is this guy?
We finally made it to the west part of the city, and I am looking for a small building near what has to be the new corporate office of the Bank of Indonesia. The driver pulls into the Bank's construction site and I find, to my astonishment, that the massive eight-story complex is where little STMKG will be housed from now on. The whole enormous building will be for STMKG! Then I saw the light: Dr. Suko is a very highly placed man in the BMKG structure, probably brought in as Rector because he has what it takes to bring this huge project to successful completion. I am definitely going to talk to my administration to encourage them to establish friendly relations (and maybe student and faculty exchange programs) with STMKG!
I have invited myself to go with him to the Celebes Islands and Papua in a couple of years, and he was very happy at the prospect to go adventuring with me (he worked as Chief of Station in both places a few years back). I then figured it was time to make an effort to learn Indonesian, so Dr. Suko kindly took us to a bookstore, assigned two members of his staff as chaperones, and let us there to enjoy the shopping while he went back to the office to do his thing (but he told Irvan that he will come pick us up for dinner at 7 pm). At the bookstore I bought myself a primer on the Indonesian language, and an Indonesian edition of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. I am going to try the same approach I have followed with other languages by getting the very basics of the grammar, and then reading a book that I know very well, so I don't have to worry about understanding the plot and can concentrate on learning the vocabulary and the idiomatic expressions. I want to be able to talk to my new buddy when we go traveling together in a couple of years!
Tomorrow we change gears, board a train, and will run the length of Java, from Jakarta to Yogyakarta, to meet a new friend, Prof. Gayatri, and talk to her students.
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