The pictures above are from my past week in Jakarta.
After a speedy 48 hour travel affair from Montreal to Jakarta I finally arrived about a week ago. The world is so ironic and funny sometimes. Along my journey I met people from Australia, South Africa, and Indonesia, all of which are places I will be heading this year. So I have now arrived here on the other side of the world (literally) with a multitude of other connections in the global non-profit, performing, and circus worlds that I couldn't have even dreamed up! PLUS a whole bunches of places to stay for free! Somehow I think this year is going to turn out just fine for me.
In the end I spent a bit over six weeks in Montreal. One of the most important moments of my time there being an evening I spent with Jessica Hentoff the owner and founder of Circus Harmony in St. Louis, MO, two alums of her program who now study at the National Circus School in Montreal, and Sara Deull of Zip Zap Circus in Cape Town, South Africa. We sat down in a small restaurant in the Latin Quarter. Asking questions around the table and falling into a comfortable banter, I was struck by the two men before me. Both studying at the best circus school in the world, it was interesting to figure out their stories and how they ended up here. Social Circus right before my eyes! Talking with two performers and two teachers of social circus showed me that while it is hard work and can sometimes be very discouraging, the success you can have is tremendous. I had so many enlightening and life changing experiences in Montreal, but alas it would take up so many pages to write it all for you. Just know that I had a blast and am better prepared for the remainder of my year because of it. The last Montreal tidbit I will include is this: Thanks to Zoe Daniels (with Sophie and Lucy), Joe Wood, Bobby Lee & Hard Ultimate, and Andrew Louchuck for being kind, supportive, and allowing me the opportunity to not be homeless!
Aside from being completely and totally wrecked from jet lag and culture shock my adjustment to life here in Southeast Asia has been smooth. Riiiiight...A couple days after I got to Jakarta, and while still struggling with the time change I accompanied 7 women on a trip to the Kepulauan Seribu (Thousand Islands.) It is the beginning of the rainy season here and the streets in Jakarta were completely flooded out. There is bumper to bumper traffic pretty much everywhere and at all times in Jakarta. Even with the roads under water there were still hundreds of motorcycles weaving in and out of the cars with up to 5 or 6 people on one bike! Sometimes even babies!
We pulled up to the dock to hop on a ferry and saw mountains of trash everywhere and booth after booth of locals selling every sort of fish you could think of. It smelled of shit and fish mixed together with compost. The ferry we took was a local one packed to over double capacity and was probably only about 40 ft long. I sat on the roof the entire ride taking in the scenery of the fishing pier. We left the dock and the first thing I noticed was that the Indonesians on the boat were throwing their trash out the window. Looking down into the water I saw that it was a deathly shade of brown, saturated with waterlogged trash and oil sludge. With so much pollution in the air and the water alike, I looked out onto the horizon and literally couldn't tell where the grey water ended and the grey sky began. It took a full hour of our ride to pass the line of trash and get to the beautiful turquoise water that the islands are so famous for. And in the grimy waters we passed many a fishing boat. I may not eat fish for my entire time in Indonesia it was so nauseating. As cigarette after cigarette were thrown into the water I looked ahead to the Islands appearing before us. Docking about 2 hrs off shore from Jakarta on Pramuka Island we set off to snorkel for the day. Some of you might know that I am terrified of snorkeling. It is something about the silence and listening to my own breathing that freaks me out. Well you'll be happy to know that I DID IT! I snorkeled all day. The coral was an expansive, spectacular, and intricate underwater landscape. The fish were beautiful shades of purple and red. It was breathtaking especially in light of the disgusting water conditions only about an hour away. It has been a great but shocking start over here in Southeast Asia for me.
I start volunteering with a social circus foundation here in a couple of days and will keep you posted about that. My quest for all 3 splits, juggling, the scorpion, and handstands are well on their way. I am lonely some, but have been finding great people to connect with along my way. I hope you are all well! I love you all!
Sophie
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