What does it take to fast?

For this ‘slight’ framed gentleman with an over-active metabolism, it takes a whole lot of restraint and some strategy.

I know, many of you will be thinking, “weren’t the Indian parasites enough, now he’s forcing himself to get skinnier on purpose!”

Well, let me explain. Ramadan, is a holy time for all Muslims, of which there are about a billion (actually, I wiki-ed it). During these 30 days, followers abstain from eating, drinking and sexual activity during daylight hours (insert joke here) and practice good deeds and extended prayers. The general idea is to cleanse you sins committed over the year and ask friends, family and God for forgiveness. This year, Ramadan began on August 11^th (the date changes with the Islamic calendar) and will finish on September 10^th with a huge feast called Eid ul-Fitr!

For a non-Muslim, what does Ramadan mean? First, it’s an act of solidarity with my co-workers. Although they would not judge me for taking a hidden snack or two, I am certainly encouraged to joining them in daily restraint and in breaking the fast together every night. Also, Ramadan is a time when the stomach can rest. Especially for someone like me, who normally eats every four-five hours, fasting gives the stomach a chance to rest (although mine has not stopped complaining enough to rest yet). For people here, this is thought of as a healthy way to cleanse the body. Third, Ramadan gives people a chance to reflect on what it must feel like for those people around the world who don’t get enough to eat in a day and continually feel the pain of hunger, if only for a little while. Finally, Ramadan is a challenge, a chance to prove that the mind is stronger than the body and that your life needn’t be controlled by physical urges.

As for strategy, I use the tried and tested method of stuffing oneself as much as possible before the Muazzin sounds 5am from the Mosque next door. This means a breakfast of instant oatmeal, boiled egg, protein shake, banana, mango and at least a litre of water. Trouble with this strategy, is that it is impossible to go to sleep with so much food rumbling around inside. So, I go to work early, make essential skype calls and plan the day’s tasks. During the last three days, I have been spent more time in the office than out. I anticipate that the weekend will bring it’s own challenges to be sure.

However, for me, I have no goal to reach. If I start to feel bad, tired, overly dizzy, or am unable to do the things I want to do, I will break my fasting. For my co-workers, they will look to mighty Allah for guidance and support, and fall back on a lifetime of annual cleansing months and continue on.

Restraint is not something I’ve had a lot of practice in my western world of constant consumerism and instant gratification. But, day-by-day, I am learning just a little more about it in Indonesia.

Until next time,

Teron

Survey Day

Elderly respondent

Kid thinking about his answers

Surinah getting interviewed

Siti getting interviewed

A day like any other, in a small village near the equator in West Sumatra, begins at 5 in the morning with a call on the loud speakers from the muezzin. As villagers pray to Allah, daybreak brings the inescapable heat that will stay until after nightfall. Today however, is not like any other day, as today is survey day. As part of a two-year disaster risk reduction program, Mercy Corps is testing out an evaluation technique called cost-benefit analysis. The goal is to quantify in monetary terms the cost effectiveness of the awareness, education, skills training, capacity building and small infrastructure projects, which make up the P3DM program.

Now, my training is in the social impacts of disaster and is far from economics based, so it’s a good thing I am working with an economist intern at my side. Bringing us to the days activities, we are conducting a survey to collect data on the effects of a short tsunami evacuation route built from a high risk village near the ocean’s shore to a village on higher ground a few kilometers away. This evacuation route will, in times of disaster, help community members flee from an incoming wall of water caused by an offshore earthquake. This program will not save houses or fields from begin damaged, but it will no doubt, reduce psychological trauma, injuries and lives lost in a tsunami. During normal times, this escape route will be used as any other road, bringing with it a route to transport goods, go to school, visit the doctor and talk to neighbours. For our purposes, these are the quantifiable economic impacts of our program, with important results for this rural community.

Siti, is 55 years old and the head of her family. She earns a living by renting a small plot of land near the new escape route to plant, grow, tend and harvest rice and corn. Her’s is not a life for the weak of body or spirit. Siti relates the fact that, with this new road she will be able to transport her crops to market in half the time it would have taken her previously. This is not only an added convenience, but the extra efficiency will allow her to add significantly to her earnings of about $4 a day to support her and her family.

Sarinah is a single mother of four and the owner of a small café (think food stall with fried rice and instant noodles). For her, this route will allow her children to get to school faster and allow her to gather her daily supplies for cooking much more effectively. This increases her wages as she is able to open her stall earlier in the morning and prevent closures due to running our of supplies. Not unconnected to this expected extra income, Sarinah is in the process of fixing her home, which was severely damaged by the earthquake in September 2009.

These, and many other stories like these, are what make my experience in West Sumatra so valuable. While we struggle at our computers trying to figure out how to put a dollar value on saving a villagers time, I think of all the Sarinah’s and Siti’s, whose daily struggle is just a little bit easier thanks to this program. It makes the early mornings and oppressive heat a lot more bearable.

Indonesian Food

Fresh grilled red snapper surrounded with all the trimmings, a la Padang. In this moderately fancy restaurant on the beach with a great sunset view, this fish costs about $5.

An assortment of delicious Padang dishes

Indonesia is known for it’s great food. Sate, fried chicken and Nasi Goreng tops the list of staple food groups and mobile stands line almost every courner selling one or the other. Padang is also known for it’s great food. Famous for the barrage of small bowls or plates that a single server brings to the table, lined all the way up his or her arms, filled with different items. Fish, chicken, beef, veggies, sauces and cassava chips overwhelm the palate as you strain to try a little of everything. Problem with this though, is that you pay for what you eat. Meaning, if you eat any little bit of it, you pay for the whole thing. This can quickly add up the rupiahs on the bill with a table of curious foreigners.

As for less well-known street food items, I have come to recognize a few.

Martabak: This “Indian food” is more of an experience to watch being prepared than it is to eat. It is made on a base of light dough, tossed around expertly against the tabletop until it is so thin that you can see through it. Then it gets folded into a square and a runny but chunky meaty-vegetable sauce is added in a heaping mess. This is spread out, and the dough is folder over the sauce to make a nice package of goodness. This is grilled with the help of a huge tub of margarine for ten minutes, chopped into twelve bite sized pieces and served with an onion/chili soy sauce to either dip into or pour over your delicious martabak package.

Skotang: Indonesia’s answer to eggnog. This sweet egg-based drink is a late night favorite for street food. To a cup of raw egg, add a table-spoon of condensed milk, a handful of crouton-sized chunks of dry bread, a teaspoon of various spices, including but not limited to, cinnamon and ginger, a heap of tapioca balls and a handful of roasted peanuts. Froth until fluffy and add steaming hot water. I will admit, it sounds awful, but is actually pretty good, but by the end of the cup the tummy starts to turn just a bit.

I am finding that eating out at local restaurants is actually cheaper than buying food at the market. Why this is, I cannot tell, but it suits me just fine, well, most of the time. I frequent one particular restaurant, owned by two middle-aged women, that has four things on the menu to eat and eight different things to drink. The food: Nasi Goreng, Mie Goreng (fried noodles), Spaghetti (think ketchup on soggy noodles), and Kwetiau (Chinese egg noodle stir-fry). The Nasi and Mie are great and cost about a dollar. But, just because it is not on the menu doesn’t mean that they don’t arrange special meals to let us try dishes not usually made in restaurants. One day last week, the lady asked us if we had tried Rendang and was aghast to be told that we hadn’t. She invited us to come three days later to try it the way that she cooked it. The reason we were to come three days later, we found out, was because it takes three days to cook Rendang. Her special twist to this delicious dish of unknown ingredients was to cook it with duck instead of the normal beef. The meal was fantastic and afterward, she would not let us pay for it, as it was her treat to introduce us to local food.

Overall, the food is great. I miss a few staples from back home, but I am learning to replace them with new staples in true Indonesian style. Although, I don’t think I will ever be able to eat spicy fried rice for breakfast as do most locals.

Until next time,

Teron

Tsunami

Padang is a small city of about 900, 000 people. The capital of the province of West Sumatra, this city’s heartbeat lies in the government offices, small businesses, and universities that proliferate the area. The history of the city is vast, with traditional culture, early immigrants, Dutch traders and industrialization all playing major parts in making Padang what it is today. Despite significant natural resources including rice, cocoa, fish and palm oil, the area has a terminal climate of economic uncertainty, in no small part due to the threat of disaster.
Major earthquakes have occurred in 2009, 2007 and 2005 impacting the area. As well, the famous tsunami of 2004, which hit too close for comfort as much of Padang is actually below sea level. This risk steers business, tourism and workers to other areas. It is understandable when looking at the risks. Seismologists continually warn of a major ground shift along one of two ocean fault lines, causing severe shaking and tsunami. When, not if, this occurs, the tsunami wave will reach up to four kilometers inland, inundating the city’s narrow streets with the force of a tidal wave. Most people in the waves path will have little warning of the incoming threat and will crowd streets with motorbikes and cars, causing impenetrable traffic jams in the city’s core areas, as they try to make it to high ground. When the tsunami hits the coast, most of the city’s infrastructure will be paralyzed. Major hospitals, government buildings, electricity and water infrastructure and major roads will all be left inoperable. Potentially, the same fate will await the airport. Then begins the emergency response phase. With government and international agencies struggling to offer services under chaotic circumstances. The devastation will be extreme.
To try to avoid this destiny, the populace prays to Allah while the government uses meager resources to prepare its citizens and international agencies attempt to support this preparedness with funds, expertise and expectations. A mishmash of programs, strategic visions and ways forward ensues, with ideas of huge vertical evacuation towers built to withstand the force of the tsunami or of moving the entire city further inland. As grand as some visions may be, a strong force prepares communities with emergency training, disaster awareness campaigns, planning and networking relationships that will prove vital when the impact occurs. Disaster risk reduction, a combination of mitigation and preparedness, focuses on adaptation and readiness. The hope is that these programs will arm people with the best possible skills and knowledge to survive the inevitable.
Rest assured though, that human beings are a resilient species and will surely bounce back from the next disaster as they have from the previous disasters throughout history.

Boys in Indonesia and the World Cup!

The preparations for World cup finals are nothing to turn your nose at. The suspense has been gaining momentum for the past week with everyone talking about who they want to come out on top. The result of your answer can bring jeers or cheers depending on which side you find yourself, but everyone is friendly in the end. Tonight, the majority of people will cheer for Spain. This makes sense, as the Dutch have left a bad taste in the mouth of many Indonesians, as colonialism can do. Another major decision for the hockey-loving Canadian who could care less which team actually wins, is where to watch the game. I have been invited to watch it by half a dozen people, from the local grocery store owner to the trainer at the gym… everyone wants to have the token foreigner over to watch the game. Luckily, I have a good answer when I turn down their offers, as the staff of Mercy Corps will gather at our home to enjoy a potluck style dinner and a projector that has been requisitioned for the purpose. As the game begins at 1:30 in the morning, the convenience of having the game at our place is well worth the effort we’ve put into making food and arranging the living area.
In the last posting, I spoke about some of the challenges faced by woman in West Sumatra. This week however, I thought I would relate the trials of the opposite sex. While hiking in the hills behind Padang, we came across a young boy, maybe 4 or 5 years old, in a sarong held out like a tent in from of him. Curious about his behaviour I asked our local friend, guide, interpreter about it. Very thoroughly, he explained that this boy was at the age where Muslim boys get circumcised. Apparently, people are quite open about the whole ordeal and don’t mind sharing the entire procedure and recovery details. So life, for males is not all fun and games, just ask the boy with the tented sarong!
As for project progress, we have begun to identify potential indicators to quantify for our CBA. For example, the first aid training we will try to measure any change in the number of visits to the doctor, for the evacuation routes we will measure the value of the land that was given up to construct them. These ‘proxies’ will, hopefully, give us some sort of idea as to what the benefits in dollars are for the P3DM program. However, using these proxies means that we will need to make some major assumptions while analyzing the data and unfortunately, the greater the assumptions, the less valid are our results. But, we must work with what we have available to us! There are sure to be many challenges as we progress further.

Some photos of my life here so far...

Beautiful friends showing their pearly whites.
Worker’s helper at the site of a relocation building in Durian Duan. The multipurpose building will be used as reception/information/organization centre in the event of another disaster.
Damaged house, 10 months after the earthquake.
Sardines drying in the sun, look like drawers of silver jewelry.
Building a boat, this skilled boat builder uses an adze to fine-tune the bulk-head, takes three months to finish a boat.
Another cute kid, trying hard give the peace sign… keep trying!
Making a fishing net.
Cute kid, giving the universal sign for “take my picture”.
World famous Padang food and a gratuitous shot for all the metal-heads out there.
Pasir Brau, in Padang Pariaman district is another village at high sick of tsunami. All inhabitants are dependant on the ocean for their livelihoods.
Monkey, used to humans feeding them, these guys can get aggressive fighting over peanuts.
Waterfall along the way to Bukkitinggi. For 30 cents you pass the makeshift fence and brave the cool water.
A beautiful bride, with her five-pound headpiece and ornate outfit. This woman was teary, some said because of wedding others said it was on account of her uncomfortable shoes…
After a major earthquake, experts say that people have about 12 minutes to get to high ground. Right this way everyone!
Salido, in Pesisir Selatan district is one of the villages that is at high risk of tsunami, landslide and flood to name a few. A new tsunami evacuation route tracks its way from the center of town to the hills in behind.
Tropical beauty.
Rice paddies are a blur at high speeds, but are still beautiful.


Wedding carriage waiting to take the bride and groom to the house of the mother-in-law. Hope the little one isn’t the driver, but out here, I wouldn’t be surprised!

Gender in West Sumatra

Hi all,

As I learn more and more about Indonesia, West Sumatra and the specific disaster risk reduction program that we are to study, I begin to realize the depth of knowledge that is needed to understand the way of life for the beneficiaries of the program. One of the most fascinating areas is around the traditional and contemporary roles of women in society. The Minangkabau people, who make up the majority in West Sumatra, are one of the largest matriarchal societies in the world. Women take lead roles in decision-making, own titles to land and are heads of their households allowing the new husbands of their daughters to join their family home after marriage. Contrast this traditional culture with modern Islam, considered generally to be a patriarchal society and, depending on the denomination, can be repressive toward women. In West Sumatra, 98% of people identify themselves as Muslim.

So how do these seemingly conflicting points of view play out? At the village level, it seems that women have a very strong voice in community decisions. They’re opinions are spoken with confidence and conviction, and are heard by all at the table. However, women generally act demure on the street and are not typically seen alone after dark. At the regional level, most government posts seem to be held by men, especially senior posts. During regional elections last week, all ten members of the five parties were men and all are based heavily on Islamic ideals. Men control religious matters which seem to have limitless boundaries, from marriages and education to disaster management policy, religious leaders must be involved to be effective.

For our purposes, the challenge is to identify how these distinct ideals parallel each other to form contemporary society and to work within the system to develop community driven programs that will sustained by the community after we leave. This means making them representative of the society within the community. Added to this challenge are the complexities that come when international agencies bring in tonnes of money for aid after a disaster, the inefficiencies of a young democracy and the gap in understanding between the ‘international community’ and an Indonesian society that is not focused on the western style of advancement. In this context it becomes clear why it is so important to have quality local staff driving activities on the ground and experienced aid workers acting as liaison between the expectations of donor countries and the realities of the local society.

For a Coles notes of this past weeks activities, Tuesday we went on a field visit to Padang Pariaman, one of the areas most damaged by the Sept 2009 earthquake, Wednesday was election day and was spent at a nearby beach, the other days were spent in the office perusing though relevant documents and trying to plan out the project. World cup fever is still crazy and brings together so many people, I bought a Batik shirt to wear to a wedding this Saturday of a friend of a friend, and found a good gym to exercise in where the trainers all want to practice speaking English in between sets. All in all, life is good! So sorry for not posting pictures, as it takes too long to upload them, will have to organize a group slideshow night when I get home!! FUN!

That’s it for now! Talk to you next week.

Teron