My first full day in Makassar has gone great - got my little room all set up. Here's my bed and the little desk that will be my office for the next two months:
So a little more on Makassar. If you look back on one of my first entries from Dec 2006, you'll see a map of the island of Sulawesi, with Makassar (known from about 1975-1995 as Ujung Pandang) down at the bottom of the southwestern "arm" of the island. Makassar is a very important city historically - here's a little blurb from Wikipedia:
"Beginning in the sixteenth century, Makassar was the dominant trading center of eastern Indonesia, and soon became one of the largest cities in island Southeast Asia. The Makassarese kings maintained a strict policy of free trade, insisting on the right of any visitor to do business in the city, and rejecting the attempts of the Dutch to establish a monopoly over the city. Further, tolerant religious attitudes meant that even as Islam became the dominant faith in the region, Christians and others were still able to trade in the city. With these attractions, Makassar was a key center for Malays working in the Spice Islands trade, as well as a valuable base for European and Arab traders from much further afield."
Here's a basic map of the old part of down - I've put in a blue circle down south at the approximate location of the Gaya Celebes office:
So today I mostly just hung out in the office and caught up with folks, which was great fun. Everyone was asking about Bill so I did my best to let them know how he was doing and that he wished he could be here. And people were excited that my mom is coming at the end of March!
Then tonight a bunch of us went to the wedding reception of a friend's relative. Indonesian wedding receptions usually take place outdoors under a big tent (like this one) or in a big reception hall if the families are well to do. There's a fairly set, formal routine: the bride and groom sit up on a little stage, very stiff and formal and made up, with relatives from the families on each side. You come in and are greeted by a row of family well-wishers, then make your way to the bride and groom, shaking hands along the way. There's a place where you drop a little money for the couple (usually in an envelope that makes up part of the invitation). Then you get in line for a buffet dinner (almost always very good) and sit for a bit and chat with the other folks attending (but not the bride and groom and their family; they sit formally in front, continuing to greet new arrivals). People have a good time chatting, and you often just stay for 30 minutes or so, though there's usually live music and some folks stay late into the night. It's considered good luck when people come from afar for the reception, so foreigners are usually particularly auspicious, and over the years I've been invited to zillions of these things - I'm happy to oblige!
