Some of the regular readers might have picked up that I have close to zero friends here in Palembang. The only people I know are the people who work for us and the people that work at Novotel. I can't even say I know anybody in the gym since its usually empty when I'm there.
Yudi, our driver was definitely my friend. We had lots of laughs in the car. Between Yudi, Aaron and I, somebody always managed to start a conversation that ended up with us slapping our thighs, laughing.
Anyway, Yudi is gone. Fired. The car is rented by Richard's company and he actually worked for the owner of the car (his brother-in-law). Unfortunately, Yudi has split with his wife and so, he got split from his job.
I know its ridiculous and one has nothing to do with the other but its how things are here. Plenty of jobs here (and elsewhere too) are obtained just by being related to somebody else. Thats good on the one hand but it looks like blood relatives are a safer bet since you can't get un-related.
The last I heard from Yudi, he was working odd jobs as a mechanic. He mentioned that his wife was trying to get back together with him. Of course, we asked if he would be coming back to work if they were to make amends but his response was:
"If somebody spits at you, will you lick it up?"
(This must be some sort of Indonesian idiom. I laughed at it for ages and can't wait for an opportunity to use it!)
I guess not. In the mean time, I'm getting to know the new guy. His name is Iwan. Same age as Yudi but at a completely different stage in life. I'll do a post on him once I find out more.
6 comments:
I know you have family there and that is good, but it would be so nice for you to have other women to be friends with. I'm so glad you have us blogger moms - that must help a little. I'm your friend - sorry I'm so far away. Have a good day Amanda - see ya. Kellan
What Kellan said. Here's hoping you can find 1 or 2 good friends. At least you can blog to connect!
It sounds like you've got to train Iwan yet.
Mamageek is right. You have us blog friends :)
I hope you find a couple in your area too.
Yes, all you blog friends have been a great help. You all help me stay connected to the rest of the world and give me an insight into other families.
I'll be trying harder this year to get to know more people in Palembang!
Good luck with your search for friends. I can sympathize with your situation through my children, who endured the transient military life of moving to a new location every few years and having to start over with new friends. You know your blogging friends are always here for you, but a virtual friend just isn't the same thing as one to meet for lunch or a walk in the park. Good luck...I'm sure you'll make plenty of friends soon.
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