9 February 1992, Sunday.

I was awoken by Asep at around 8am, then went downstair's scratching an angry mosquito bite on my stomach, that I seemed to of aquirred from last night. Sat down and ate a healthy breakfast, whilst watching a cartoon on the television with the little kid. At 10am, Asep and I headed off to Maranjia, which was around 12 km outside Tasikmalaya. We travelled there by a local transport mini bus, and went first to one of Asep's friend's house, he had a twelve string guitar, it was beautiful, and it was the first time that I'd played one, it sounded lovely, I want one.
Then we went to Poppy's house, she was one of my student's, we spent some time there talking to Poppy and her very attractive cousin, they had a home made electric guitar, I sat and had a play of that, then at around 3pm, heavy black cloud's started to dominate the sky. We all went out together with umbrella's because it was already spitting, and went to a school where there was an English course, we were invited in, and I sat and talked to the teacher there, another student of mine turned up, and we stayed longer, but at 5pm, we said goodbye and headed back to Tasikmalaya on the bus.
We both went back to Aji's, Aji was there, so we all ate and talked, then Asep and I left Aji to go and visit Herun. We walked to Pabrik Es and Herun's house, but Laga told us that he had not yet returned from Pangandaran, Asep went home for some food and said he would return later, I stayed and watched some television, Asep returned, and we watched the television together, but as it got later, and Herun still wasn't home, we both left, going our separate way's home at around 9pm. As I was walking home, I bumped into Aji, we got home together and sat up and talked about a day's activities, then moved into the bedroom where I am now writing this entry. It's midnight now, I have to teach in the morning. The drip of the rain pouring through the roof in many places, and the terrible DJ on the radio, trying to deal with his awful equipment. So the radio goes off, although the rain continues to fall, and I'm ready to sleep.

8 February 1992, Saturday.

A dream of Asep, speaking to me, was shattered by a voice, I opened my eye's, and saw Asep. How bizarre, he looked alot paler in the dream. It was about 11am, Wiwan was downstairs, but Aji wasn't around. I went downstair's to the toilet, and then stayed down there and talked to Wiwan.Then Aji came in, looking very distressed, he looked at me and said, 'You bring me a lot of trouble', then sat down. That made me feel good, as you can no doubt imagine. Later in came out, that he had gone to see the Police again, and they still thought he was a local gangster, and then on the way home on his motorbike, some van driver had gone into him, apparently indicating right, and then turning left. Aji had picked himself up from the side of the road, went up to the guy, and listened to the guy that just knocked him down, blame everything on Aji, and on hearing this, Aji promptly punched the guy on the end of the nose. Not a wise move for a man considered to already be a gangster by the Police.
This is why he was so peeved, later he apolagized to me, I ate some breakfast and then got on a bus and travelled the short distance to the school. There were a couple of my group's there, so I basically just talked about why I was leaving Tasikmalaya, and when, and then explained the reason's I had, that meant I couldn't stay and live in Indonesia. My reason's were, the military rule, the totalitarian police, the people's fear and the culture of it. I didn't tell them that if I stayed, I might be thrown in jail.
My clock read 1pm, I had said enough, I later found out, that one of my student's father, was very high up in the police, this made me feel too good. Then the rain started to pour, as usual the road was completely flooded under about 2ft of brown water, this happen's nearly everytime it rain's, the drain's cannot take the water away fast enough. The rain fell even harder, and the water level crept ever deeper, water was coming into the school now, van's began to get in trouble as they drove along the river like road, I took off my boots and sock's and spent the rest of the flooded period helping people, the student's still in the school and Suryaman thought it was very funny, that I should want to walk around in the flood water's helping people. A young girl, well around 15-16 wanted to get to the road to catch a public transport bus home, I offered to carry her, but they soon perked up to tell me that this was not allowed, and it struck me that this was another reason why I couldn't stay here, I could never get used to this attitude.
The rain stopped, and the water quickly drained away, I washed my feet and leg's, because I'd been walking around in the sewage water. I returned home on the back of one of my student's motorbike's, and then ate again, all of the girl's from next door were all talking and joking with me, they talk about my large nose, and other thing's that I have that are large, they are very rude, but it is funny. Elise came in and joined in, then Aji and Asep, I ate again and then left with Asep by bechak to his house, where I had planned to stay the night, and then go in the morning to a female student of mine's house, she is very pretty. Well, got to Asep's house, ate again, and then watched some awful Indonesian game show. I don't know if it's Asep's little brother or his newphew, but he's about 5 year's old and very naughty. At 9pm, Asep started with the old, are you tired yet? Then changed into his bedtime wear, the hint was large and obvious and I couldn't ignore it. I went upstairs, then came staight back down to use the toilet, which was just a whole, like the one in Aji's house, but this one was only a couple of feet away from the cooking area, without any kind of screen. I know that I must sound like such a prude, sorry. Then I returned back upstairs and wrote today's entry in the book. Asep slept next to me, then I remembered that I had promised Herun, that I would pop round and say hello, well, I haven't, and I don't suppose I am going to now, oh well, goodnight.

7 February 1992, Friday.

Why does it alway's happen, I awake only to go straight back to sleep, honestly expecting to wake again in good time. Aji said that he had already woken me earlier, but anyway, I got to school at 8:30am, sat and talked for half an hour and then taught for the next hour. I walked back to Aji's, ate some breakfast and washed my clothes, Aji wasn't home, but arrived at around 2:15pm, by which time I'd just finished washing my jean's, that had had a month's worth of grime within them, and had turned the soapy water the colour of the looming black cloud's above.
I ate again, and sat and talked to Aji, he told me that the police had come to see him again while I was in Jakarta, and that he had gone to see them this morning. They had interrigated him and linked him to a drug's ring, apparently, some time ago, Aji had got into trouble with the police because of fighting or something, and now didn't recognize his new leaf, that he'd changed. He was really worried, I didn't feel so good either.
I left for school again at 3pm, still with the police on my mind. The lesson wasn't my usual success, I've got a lot on my mind, I ended up, just giving my student's, what I thought was good advice. The paradise of this place, with the heavy shadow of the police.
Asep, one of my student's and I, all returned to Aji's on the student's scooter, it had started to rain hard. We all bundled in the front door, and I took off my wet shirt, and put on my jumper and sock's, I have a nasty cold, it's been hampering me for the last couple of day's, the runny nose, and now the rest of the symptom's are appearing. Asep and my student left once the rain had eased, Aji went upstairs and lay down, I ate again, then went upstairs and took a swig of whisky and said goodbye to Aji, and headed off to Herun's house. I caught a mini bus, it was still raining when I got to Pabrik Es, and as I walked up the road to Herun's house, I bumped into Herun returning from the gym.
We sat and talked, watched the television, had some food and coffee, and then watched a film. After the film had ended, just past midnight, I said thankyou and walked home to Aji's, wearing the black top that Laga had given me earlier. I got home and went to the toilet, then came upstairs and jotted down a song that I had been thinking about whilst I was walking back. I sat in the bedroom writing, sniffling and flicking Aji's head with my foot until about 2:15am, then finished the journal, blew my nose again and headed for sleep.

6 February 1992, Thursday.

Unless it was a very real dream, I awoke at 6:30am, but my sleepy eye's ignored the situation and held on tight to the chariot rein's of sleep. At 7:45am, I lifted my eye lid's again, and progressed to getting up, and getting ready for school. I arrived at school a few minutes late, after the small public transport bus had dropped me off. I took my first group, which was entirely filled with very pretty shy girl's, it was very hard getting through to them, I found it very difficult, even though we all had a great time.
After the class ended, I went with Mr.Wiwan to his house, I still hadn't eaten breakfast and was very hungry, I had some cake and a banana there, then returned to Aji's to have some rice and a side dish.
At 2:30pm, still sleepy after my food, Aji and I left for school and my next class, it was also a new group that I had never taught before, but I found it a lot easier than this morning's class. The new group contained an absolutely gorgeous, intelligent, sweet girl, that I had to refrain from looking at, because when I did look at her, I couldn't stop. Maybe it was because of this, I don't know, but during the lesson, maybe due to a lack of food and sleep, or that enchanting girl, I went very dizzy and had to spend the rest of the lesson seated. Maybe I've aquired a nice little cold or flu virus, I seem to be showing many of the symptoms.
The lesson ended, I walked outside with all the student's, but I was secretly just trying to talk to the pretty girl. A small public transport bus came along, and she jumped on it with one of her friends, she waved goodbye, I returned the gesture, and then couldn't believe my eye's when she blew me a kiss, or that is what it looked like. Whether or not I was seeing thing's, I had a smile from ear to ear, and filled with energy.
Aji had sat in on the class, sitting at the back, every now and then making some funny coment, but really helping out, when I didn't know a particular word or two. After watching the gorgeous girl blow me a kiss, I went back into the classroom and told Aji, we then sat and waited for half an hour for Mr. Wiwan, because I had made plan's to play him at billiard's. We left without seeing him, me and Aji then rode around Tasikmalaya smiling at the pretty girls and flirting, using my western looks, which means 'big nose'. Then returned home to Aji's in the fading light of the evening. We had some food, and discussed our plans for the future. Aji's also been asking if he can have my rucksack, because he would need it if he goes to Bali. The thing is, that I don't want to give it to him, and although he is a great friend, I won't.
At around 7pm, we rode into town and went to the pictures, and saw the film ' Terminator 2' at the Guranda theatre, which was the cheap one, and it was really good, much better than I had expected, although it was a tad depressing. We got back just past 10pm, and went straight up to the bedroom, where I began compiling the event's of yesterday and today. It's 11pm now, Aji's already fallen asleep, and I think I'm going the same way very soon. So until tomorrow.

5 February 1992, Wednesday.

The new morning held all it's usual glories, the coming of the new day, the begining of the day's game. I had a refreshing mandi then sat around outside the house, sweating in the humid, dirty heat of Jakarta. I had some breakfast and watched the television for a while, then talked to Herun's nephews. I then went upstairs and tried to complete a crossword. The hour's swam by, I was waiting for Herun's brother to call and let me know of CSA's telephone number.
We had some lunch, then some coffee, and basically sat around quite lazily for the rest of the afternoon. We were going to leave the house at 4pm originally, but held on until 5pm, hoping that Herun's brother would contact us. Then Herun's brother-in-law offered to take us to the bus station in his car, we arranged to leave at 6pm although our actual departure time was more like 7pm.
The bus from Jakarta to Tasikmalaya was very comfortable but extreamly hot. I slept for nearly all the journey, we got off the bus, somewhere in Tasikmalaya, where we got in a bechak and travelled to Lengkong. I got off the bechak and thanked Herun for the trip, and told him that I had really enjoyed myself. The bechak peddled off, and I watched it as it went up the road.
A night watchman called me over, and asked me all the usual Indonesian friendly conversation, I answered as friendly as I could be, but my tired eye's and knowledge that I had to teach in the morning pulled me away to Aji's house, where I stood for fifteen minutes tapping on the glass of the front door. Aji came down, rubbing his eye's, we sat and talked about the previous couple of day's, both in Tasik and Jakarta, and then at around 4am, I got into my sleeping bag and went to sleep. I had to use my sleeping bag because of the previous day's storm, that had poured through the roof and found it's way to my bed. I was very tired anxious to get to sleep, so I didn't write the day's event's up in the journal. This has all been written on the night of the 6th.