New setting, new experiences

The advent of my moving into a place has brought with it many more outings with Indonesian friends and more time enjoying the simple pleasures of Jambi life.  The past few days- while not updating my blog- I visited my friend’s local salon (i.e. down the rutted village road with just a thin and intermittent strip of asphalt) for a 90 cent haircut and was told my “gold” hair looks like the hairs inside corn husks; made my first clothing purchase in the six months I have been here (it was a basic $4 shirt); posed with the bride and groom and got a free lunch at a friend of a friends wedding; and went to a real art exhibit at Jambi’s own “Culture Park.” 

While the first three were pretty run-of-the-mill, the art exhibit was a welcomed sign that Jambi does indeed have an art scene, no matter how small or amateur, outside of traditional craft-making.  This was my first trip to Taman Budaya and I was pleasantly surprised to find a small photography exhibit displaying images of Indonesian life and a joint exhibit between young artists from Jambi and Padang that filled up the main art hall.  Even though my friend and I were the only visitors it was interesting to chat with the curator and one of the young artists present, we even met a man who teaches rattan weaving to villagers in the area so that can develop a useful skill and begin a home industry that will help them towards economic empowerment.  He even gave me a bracelet example of the weaving and invited us to come see the process in his village some time.  Another thing to add to the list but this weekend I hope to go to the Batik center across the river.