We have water, yes, and quite a lot of it. That’s also partly because our washing machine is now broken and our pembantu can’t do the laundry here. It just never ends! The problem is that the bottom of the machine is rusted out so it just needs a new body. Hopefully we can get a new body instead of having to get our landlord to buy a new machine-which I’m sure they don’t want to do…
The social set up here is quite different than in Canada. Each Kampung, like the one we live in, has a head called an RT. He is on the bottom of a long list of community leaders. He is responsible for security, keeping the kampung clean, helping people with problems, keeping track of who needs help – or who is poor, organizing a doctor to come by once a month to weigh, inoculate and check up on all the babies in the kampung and keep track of who is living in the kampung and their information and organize the independence day festivities. So his job is administrative and practical. Whenever people move into or leave a kampung, they must visit the RT and give him an information letter regarding the move. Usually a family that is moving will also have a good-bye party and invite the RT and their neighbours. At this party people will give their sorry’s for anything they may have done wrong while while living there. Then the RT will have a little speech and thank the family for their kindness and also say his sorry’s for anything he may have done wrong. Then everyone eats of course. Above the RT is the RW. He has an office somewhere in the city hall, a small one though, probably with no window. The RT only works out of his house. There are various other positions above him all the way up to mayor. And as the positions go up a step, the size of the office also goes up a step. They are really big on socialization here. But they have to be because you all live within feet of eachother.