Welcome to our world!

So its been about 6 weeks since we left sanitised Oz to do life in the madness of Jakarta. To say our lives are different to 6 weeks ago is obviously the understatement of the year. Everything is different! We left a place of empty streets, wide open spaces, ticket machines, and smoke-free restaurants; to settle in a city of 26 million which couldn't be more opposite.

Our new world, here in Jakarta, is exciting and confronting but both equally embracing. Nath and I are excited to be here because we love discovering new things and new people. We love to be amazed and it genuinely excites us to discover someone or something that is different to what we know. What is particularly confronting about this new place is the economical disparities that we witness everyday. Whilst the extremely wealthy sit in their beautiful houses with 24 hour security and multiple house helpers .....

... the not-so-wealthy are working long days, outside in the heat, & are lucky to be earning a dollar a day. 

The intriguing thing about this disparity is that everyone seems to exist just fine. It is not something that is talked much about and it is definitely not something that will ever change. This democratic country and its' growing population will continue to actuate the widening of this gap. Unfortunately for you blog viewers, these photos do not capture the full severity of what we see on the streets of Jakarta. You'll just have to excuse me on that one - I couldn't bare to pull out my phone-camera, and flash it in the face of one of Jakarta's working poor.

So, what I have shared above is a big part of our new world, and something that we see on a daily basis. But I thought I'd end this blog space with a few pictures that will give you a more personal glimpse into our immediate world. Although not completely inclusive, this consists of ....



classroom teaching;



 a whole lot of marking;

the crippling traffic;

Muslim culture;



and JCo coffee!

This is our new home ... this is our new world! Thanks for being interested!

Nomes and Nath xo