Aug 14th: VILLAGE VISIT

One day to the the last:,(, we spent all the morning and afternoon in a village resort near Jakarta (we started at 7h30, but "thanks to" the terrible traffic jam in this capital, we arrived there at 9h30, acac);

then, the morning, we are divided into 4 groups to go around the village. Well, how can I say, the village site made me think I'm in Vietnam with buffalos, rice fields, "dark and dirty" river... but wait, this is a "so-called" popular tourism site in Jakarta. The reason is that people living here are more Chinese than Indonesian, so it's quite different to Indo people. After the village visit, I recognized that every single village in Vietnam's countryside is even more beautiful than this and can be a tourism place.

Well, if I don't say that in this pic I'm standing in Indo, many people may think that I'm at HoiAn, Vietnam:)

Across the stream (though the water is not too deep but I got all my body wet, huhuh:,( )

Then, in the afternoonwe have times to enjoy games and dances and stuff:

This is one of the traditional musical instrument of people here (one agian, it remninds me of The Central Highland's "krongput" in Vietnam)

We were teaching to "decorate" NON LA (huhu, I just though that only in VN , we have this kind of lovely hat, but.... :'(

Here I am in the musical performance:)

Well, this is the most favorite part of the day. We were taught "traditional dancing", so cute and funny...

AUG 13th - ASEAN FOUNDATION MEETING

Well, I didn't know that ASEAN FOUNDATION based in Jakarta until this very day - AUG 13th. We spent all the morning with the ASEAN SECRETARIAT on the topic "How can the youh be engaged in building one ASEAN community" - at first, we thought that this toipc is quite sily and sthg on the cloud, but later, we realized that it's not shtg so far, we can start it from the grassroot - that's us - the future leaders of ASEAN . So, let's do it form today by anyways you think it worths, my suggestions: log in to " ASEANyouthconnect.com" it' the AEAN youth forum with bunches as meaningful activities, you can aslo find opportunites to join in many ASEAN forums or voluntary works around ASEAN, so let' s kick off the new era for one & only ASEAN community:)

Aug 9th - Aug 12th: SITE VISIT - PAPUA

The thing that differs ASEAN LOGICS from other conferences and forums are "THE PARTICPANT'S ENGAGING IN THE REAL EXPERIENCEs", hence, after 4 days of seminars and discussion, each topic group with 10 delegates will come to a proper destination in Indonesia to expose the real situation and then, can learn some lessons and suggest solutions as well. My group topic which is "HIV/AIDS epidemic" had a good luck (or bad luck???) to go the farest place of Indonesia - PAPUA (near the border of PAPUA NEW GUINE). The day before we departed, we are noticed (and also scared) of all the things goin' on in PAPUA, such as REBELION (actually, the Papuans look like African people than Indonesian, their culture also is quite similar to Papua New Guine, I think that's the reason they wanted to be apart from INDO, and belongs to PNG). The day before we go, we need to take anti-malaria pills in sense that malaria as well as HIV are the most 2 challenging epidemic in Papua. Those things, as well as the 7-hour flight with 2 transits (acac,too long) some how discouraged us before we went. But everything was so different. Far from my imangination, Papua (or at least the main city Jajapura) is quite developed (all people use cars, and their living standard is very high!!!). So, what's the reason leading to the high ratio/percentage of HIV(+) people, well, as we learnt, it's thier free sex culture and the lack of their knowledge. 3 days staying here somehow changed my mindset on HIV/AIDS. I was so surprised to know that there's legal sex workers' area near Jajapura. We also had a chance to visit there, once again, far from my thinkings, the sex workers here are even well-educated (one girl I had an inteview even know the number of countries in ASEAN and also knew that Thailand is the only country in ASEAN has never been dominated by any other countries - which I didn't know before). The reason they chose this plcae to work is the high income of it. With the money they earn per month, they can fully support their family...

One of the good things here is that they have a medical clinic nearby and also the condom machine, but these things are not free, as I suggested in my position paper when I came back to Jakarta, there should be a vocational school hearby so that at the fre time, the sex workers can come and study freely. Hopefuly, some day,they can kick off another life...

Me & the condom machine

In front of a room in the sex workers' areawell, i can't believe that we can get entet to this place so easily like that)

Then, after our visit to the sex workers' area, we spent a warm dinner in a restaurant nearby woth a Karaoke contest:)

Here is the dogbat in the restaurant - so scared to see it t first, but then, it's very nice, I also fed it with some bananas and my finger as well (haha, kidding:)

the other day we had to chance to visit a public hospital in Jajapura. we are deeply touched at the moment we had a small talk with AIDS patients there, one of them was a woman at the last phase of AIDS while she wae pregant. We left the hospital with a big wonder in our thought: whether she can get through this time to bear the baby...

In the hospital...

And here are some other pics:

Visiting "FRIEND HELP FRIEND" CENTER

Taking pic with an HIV(+) woman - the smile on her face always show me how beautiful this life is though...

VISITING WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT GROUP

UNDER PAPUAN STATUE

ENJOYING COCONUT MILK

The last day, we had one hour to hang around "the shopping malls" - in fact those places are native people's handmade shops. Well, there're many things I've never seen before ...

Me & KD (Cambodia) with KOTECA, haaha, let me explain these things, KOTECA is a traditional wearing of native Papua, they wear it i their...penis (oh my GOd, it means theirs are always up with the KOTECA)

tHE NATIVE kING - VO HOANG VIET -heheh

Ok, 3 days inPapua passed by so fast, no doubt that I'm gonna miss Papua for avery long time -as one of the exciting but weird place I've ever been to. the next day we have a site visit presntation in which every group would present all the things they learnt from their site visits as well as thier suggestions. We again dic a good impression with the song "HERO" and an emotional poem by Miza from Brunei - she made it after her visit to the hospital and saw the HIV(+) pregnant woman...

CULTURAL NIGHTS...

At the same time with the seminars, in the evenings, we have the cultural performances from every delegate countries. Well, I love it the most and Vietnamese performance is considered the best of all. While others have only 1-2 performaces, we have 4, hehe

• 1st: GROUP SONG "DEN VOI CON NGUOI VIETNAM TOI"
• 2nd: SING TOGETHER "VIETNAM - HO CHI MINH"
• --> I can make sure anytime u attend an international conference, just take out this song and teach them one, no doublt that they wil enjoy it a lot and a lot:)
• 3rd: SOLO PERFORMANCE "I LOVE ROCK & ROLL" by CHAU
• 4nd: TRADITIONAL DANCE "MUA XUAN OI"

Me & MOE MOE from MYANMAR

AUG 4-8: TOPIC PRESENTATIONS & SEMINARs

The next 4 days we spent time on the 4 main topics, which are very interesting to listen to, raise wonders, ideas adn share experiences. Well, to be honest, though all the seminars are quite long but I deeply enjoy them since this is the very first time I realized that ASEAN - one commnunity is so close. We have so many things in common - wha's they say "Unity in Diversity":)

AUG 4th: TOPIC 1 _ EPIDEMIC DISEASE "HIV/AIDS"

I chose the way to present in the dark (well, that made a very good impression on all the sleepy audience after a long day to listen, hehe), but it also not good for taking photos. Oh dear, loom at my eyes:,(

AUG 5th :TOPIC 2_POVERTY, DEVELOPMENT & GLOBALIZATION

AUG 6th: TOPIC 3_CULTURAL DIVERSITY

AUG 7th: TOPIC 4_ECOSYSTEM

--> sorry, no pics, hehe:)

VIVA ASEAN LOGICS:)

Dear my blog buddies!!!

Well, it's quite a long long time I didn't write any entries and so, my blog has been covered by spider's web already:). For that reason, here I come again for an abnormal day off from works and things, hehe:). Though it's near one month from the time I came back from INDONESIA but everything is still so "haunted", so fresh ans so sweet... i'd like to take this short free time to tell u more of my trip coz i already delayed this blog entry for too long.

I still remembered the very day I received the invitation letter from the Organizing Team of ASEAN LOGICs, I couldn't believe in my eyes since it's quite long from the time I sent them all the documents and appli.form… Well. That’s such an unexplanable feeling: happy, excited but scared also since this time I went along, 3-hour flight to Jakarta and who knows if I lost somewhere in the airport, hehe. But to the very moment my plane landed, I was warmly welcomed by one of the Organizing members with a very Indonesian smile, I thinkJ.

Here;’s her pic:

Me, Devi and the other 2 Vietnamese delegates

OK, here comes my photo trip coz i'm afraid that if i keep going on writing like this, it will take the whole day, hehe:)

1st DAY: Arrived in WISMA MAKARA, our hotel near Universiti Indonesia, a lovelyplace, I like the pool here very much, hehe

Here is my roomate. Shao, from Singapore, well, he's such an eloquent guy with a really sensitive thoughts. We often spent nights to chitchat and that's why I often took a 3-4 hours sleep during my stay in Indo (hEHE)


2ND DAY (aug 3rd): OPENING CEREMONY

Vietnamese delegates: 4 from HANOI, and one from HOCHIMINH (guess who's that guy:)

The afternoOn we have a university tour around UI

The Fact Of Life..............

I'm flying to INDO tomorrow, hope that this trip makes me more relax after all. see u all after 2 weeks. enjoy this entry while I'm away!!! 1. A FOOLish man tells a woman to STOP talking, but a WISE man tells her that she looks extremely BEAUTIFUL when her LIPS are CLOSED. 2. One GOOD way to REDUCE Alcohol consumption : Before Marriage - Drink whenever you are SAD After Marriage - Drink whenever you are HAPPY 3. Three FASTEST means of Communication : 1. Tele-Phone 2. Tele-Vision 3. Tell to Woman Need still FASTER - Tell her NOT to tell ANY ONE. 4. Love your friends not their sisters. Love your sisters not their friends. 5. A man got 2 wishes from GOD. He asked for the Best wine and Best Woman. Next moment, he had the Best Wine and Mother Teresa next to him. Moral : BE SPECIFIC 6. What is a BEST and WORST news you can hear at the SAME time ? It is when your Girl Friend says YOU are the BEST KISSER among all your Friends. 7. Let us be generous like this : Four Ants are moving through a forest. They see an ELEPHANT coming towards them. Ant 1 says : we should KILL him. Ant 2 says : No, Let us break his Leg alone. Ant 3 says : No, we will just throw him away from our path. Ant 4 says : No, we will LEAVE him because he is ALONE and we are FOUR. (PENG) 8. If you do NOT have a Girl Friend - You are missing SOME thing in your life. If you HAVE a Girl Friend - You are missing EVERY thing in your life. 9. Question : When do you CONGRATULATE someone for their MISTAKE. Answer : On their MARRIAGE. 10. When your LIFE is in DARKNESS, PRAY GOD and ask him to free you from Darkness. Even after you pray, if U R still in Darkness - Please PAY the ELECTRICITY BILL. 11. Why Government do NOT allow a Man to MARRY 2 Women. Because per Constitution, you can NOT PUNISH TWICE for the same Mistake. 12. "A Ship is always safe at the shore - but that is NOT what it is built for" - Albert Einstein