The Road to our House

Having lived in a developing country for seven of the past ten years, I know we have it pretty good here.  Our power almost never goes out, bottled water is easy to find, we don't have to boil our milk, we have a constant water supply, we can buy chocolate chips and cheese, we can drink Starbucks and eat at Pizza Hut and McDonalds.  When we lived in India...well, that was a different story.  Three hours to our nearest pizza place.  About 8 hours to our nearest McDonalds.  Drinking milk consisted of boil, simmer, repeat x3.  We had to boil our "filtered" water due to the unhealthy upkeep of the water tanks.  We didn't have water at least one day a week and had to store up enough to make it through the day -- all the while dishes piled up, toilets only got flushed when absolutely necessary, and we had to be careful about not wasting water that could be used for drinking.  I won't even go into the time we had to drink the swimming pool.  Oh yes. Life is good here.  Not as nice as our two years in Malaysia, but hey, that's what spring break is for.

I am VERY aware that life here in Bandung, Indonesia is actually pretty nice.  People coming straight from the States might be in shock, but for us, well, we just don't mind.  We realize we are blessed, life is relatively easy, and we are happy.

Except...this incessant rain.  Rain, rain, rain.  That is all it has done since September and if the mold and leaks in our house don't drive me to the brink of insanity, I know what will: THE ROAD TO OUR HOUSE.  Let's take a photo tour of the road we have to take each and every day to get to and from our home.

This is what our road looks like.  In the mornings, the holes are "filled" with rocks, dirt, and leaves (with boys who are doing the work standing in the road collecting donations).  In the afternoon, the heavens open up and the rains pour and all the hole-filling is a distant memory. Come with me on our trip home yesterday afternoon.  This is the last kilometer or two of road before we reach home. I think we need an all-terrain vehicle.  And please excuse the somewhat blurry photos...it is a rather bumpy ride!

A small patch of smooth road, just moments before our turn off

This is where we turn (to the left).  If we had to keep going, we would be back to the roadless road

The security station in front of our neighborhood...ah, to be home! 

         
       

Comments

[jennyg]

wow!! what a road!

[Kellie]

Gosh, that's rough. If we could just find a balance between your abundance and my scarcity, life would be good.

[Christin P]

Hi Janet! I'm the Indonesian girl living in Michigan (remember we traded places?) These post and pictures brings back so many memories! Of course, I grew up in Jakarta and I remember how bad the road was in some of the neighborhood around me. And yes, I recall how rain can make things so much worse! Btw, I'm going back to Jakarta for vacation with my little girls in the summer. I haven't been home for 10 yrs! So it'll be quite a trip!

I have some small cousins that I plan to buy some stuff for. What kind American candies/chocolate/treats that you can't get in Indonesia? And btw, would you like something from the States? I'd LOVE to bring it and send a package to you in Bandung!!

[sally]

Yikes, I am going to remember this next time I'm tempted to complain about Michigan potholes! :-)

[Maria H]

Hi Janet, I was drawn to your blog from the Daily Digi. I was born and raised in Bandung, so I'm fascinated by your take on my hometown.
Oh those potholes... they're just getting worse every rainy season! I heard it's not so rainy anymore over there.

[phillipsfamily]

Well, according to people who have lived here 15 years+, they say this past rainy season has been the worst they have seen. It is FINALLY letting up a bit.  Hopefully they will get the roads fixed soon!