Taco Tuesday and Election Wednesday

It's Friday now but earlier this week some highlights include Tuesday night tacos at Melissa's place and the Indonesian presidential election on Wednesday.

Somehow Melissa was able to procure the necessary ingredients to host a most wonderful Mexican taco feast in Yogya! I would say that in the end it was truly a blending of the cultures but she did have ground beef, taco seasoning, and a 7-layer guacamole dip! The moon was full on Tuesday night and we lingered around the roof top deck for a few hours eating, talking, and drinking some sangria! At Melissa's I met another American student, she's studying anthropology at UGA and I learned that she is in Indonesia searching for a possible field research site. It was quite a lovely evening; thanks Melissa.

Wednesday was election day for Indonesia! For me the day seemed like any other day in Yogya except the school was closed. However, millions of Indonesians around the country went to cast their vote for Indonesia's next democratically elected president. From the news articles I have read, along with clips on tv and conversations with the locals, it seems that while democracy is beginning to take shape in Indonesia, they still have a long way to go. In fact, Indonesia is the world's 3rd largest democracy in the world, with something like 170 million eligible voters. But, as the presidential campaign shows, the political mischief of the Suharto-era is not completely gone in the 21st century. While there is no clear winner yet since votes are still being counted, SBY, the current president, seems to be pulling in the most votes so far. SBY needs a 50% majority to reclaim the presidency though id he falls short another election will occur in a few months between the top two candidates, making Wednesday'a election more like a primary. Whatever the outcome, it has been very interesting to watch the process, learn about the candidates, and attempt to translate all the political advertisements littering the street corners.