An American in England: Baby's Got Two Passports

We've had a very busy few months. In January, we moved to a new home, and I restarted my Graduate Certificate, which I finished just a few weeks ago. Alexander has been busy with his teacher training, and he's got a job lined up for when he finishes. Baby boy is now a year old (where did the time go!), and we had a lovely birthday party to celebrate. I even made my first birthday cake...

During Alexander's Easter holiday, we were able to take a family trip to Dublin for a few days. It was really a lot of fun. We got to go to the zoo, have a pint of Guinness in the storehouse, tour an exhibit at the General Post Office on the Easter Rising of 1916, and lots of other cool stuff. It was a special time to be there since it was 100 years since the attempted revolution.

 

For me, the most exciting part of the past few months was getting our son's American passport. Not because the process of getting the passport was exciting, much the opposite in fact, but because it meant he had two passports before the age of one...fascinating for me as I didn't even have a single passport until I was 17! 

The actual process of getting the passport was fairly complicated. With his British passport, all we needed to do was send an application, photo, birth certificate, and reduced fee. A few weeks later, he had his passport, which is valid for 5 years. For the American passport, we needed to make an appointment at the embassy in London. Both Alexander and I had to go to the appointment, otherwise we would have needed to get an official document excusing the absent of one parent. In order to get the passport, we needed to also get a Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA). The passport was $105, and the CRBA was $100. Along with the fees and applications, we needed: Alexander's passport, my passport, Baby's British Passport, our marriage certificate, my divorce decree from previous marriage, Baby's full birth certificate, proof of my residence in the U.S. To prove I had resided in the U.S. I had to show my high school transcripts, university transcripts, tax documents. We also had to apply for a Social Security Card. The appointment took about an hour, and they had a nice little play area for babies, but it really seemed to be a bit over-the-top to get a document that is valid for 5 years and will only be used when travelling in and out of the U.S.

Regardless of the hassle, I'm excited that my baby boy is lucky enough to have dual citizenship. When he's older, he may choose to only have one, but I'm glad that he's the one who will make the choice!

Jacque in Jakarta: A Trip to Yogyakarta

Last weekend my husband and I went to Yogyakarta to celebrate our first year of marriage. It was the first time we've really had a vacation since New Year, so it was much needed and much enjoyed. I only wish we could have stayed a few more days!

Yogyakarta (pronounced "Jogjakarta") is considered the cultural capital of Java, also spelled Jawa. Java is the world's most populous island, with 135 million people, and is home to sixty percent of the Indonesian population. In addition to Yogyakarta, called Jogja for short, Jakarta, Bandung and Surabaya are all cities located on the island of Java.

Mask at Kraton

While Jakarta has a population of over 10 million, Jogja is much smaller with just under 400,000 people. This was noticeable for us, since for the first time in nearly 10 months we didn't have to wear a mask while walking the streets. The main attraction of Jogja is the plethora of stores selling Batik, a special clothing design for Java. Javanese culture is apparent in Jogja, not only in the Batik, but also on the street signs, where the traditional Javanese script can be seen. We really only had one day to explore the shopping street of Marlioboro, named for Lord Marlborough, and see the exquisite Kraton, sultan's palace, but I think we were able to see enough to appreciate the uniqueness of Javanese culture.

Alexander is much taller than the Javanese people

At Kraton

Sun shining through

After exploring the streets of Jogja on the Saturday, we explored the surrounding area on the Sunday. Jogja is within striking distance to two UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The first one we saw was Borobudur. Borobudur is the largest Buddhist temple in the world and was build over a thousand years ago. It has survived natural disasters and terrorist attacks. It's remarkably beautiful and serene, though the very steep climb can be dangerous. There was a forty percent chance of rain, but, luckily, the sun was shining on us on top of Borobudur temple.

At Borobudur Temple

                                                                                                                                 

Merapi Volcano ruins

Prambanan Temple

Once we left Borobudur, we stopped at Mendut temple, which has a statue of the Buddha sitting Western style with both feet on the ground. It was pretty impressive to see, but I didn't feel right taking pictures of it. Then we took a jeep ride through the ashes of Merapi volcano. Merapi is one of the most active volcanoes in the world and it last erupted on November 5, 2010. The lava flow was so hot that the ashes are still smoking three years later.





We ended our tour with a visit to Prambanan, the largest Hindu temple in Southeast Asia and second UNESCO site that day. Prambanan was built around the same time as Borobudur and was heavily affected by an earthquake a few years ago. However, as an UNESCO World Heritage Site, a lot of money is going into renovating the once magnificent temple. Even with the damage, it's a pretty awesome sight.

The trip was a truly awesome experience and I recommend Jogja to anyone wanting to travel to this area of the world. It's much more relaxing than Jakarta and you can experience a much more authentic culture. That being said, don't take a taxi from the airport. They will try their best to rip you off, especially if you look Western. Stick to the Transjogja bus system. It's only 0.30 USD and it will get you to most places you want to go. As for travel to the other sites, I can thoroughly recommend jogjajayatrans.com. Pak Wisnu is very friendly and has a high ability of English. You'll pay extra for getting into the sites and if you want a guided tour, but the cost of the driver is relatively inexpensive and the service is very good.

On a closing note, language is always important when travelling. Although English is a global language and most people have some level of English in touristy areas, it is always better to speak the native language. By speaking the language of the people you are dealing with, you will not only receive a further cultural understanding, but you will also receive a great amount of respect...you might even receive a discount.

Jacque in Jakarta: My fifteen minutes of fame...sort of

View of Krakatoa

This past week Alexander and I traveled to a quaint little place called Carita beach. It was quite refreshing to escape the madness of the city for a few days, though a bit disheartening that it rained everyday we were there. All in all though, it was lovely to go for a dip in the sea and exciting to see the infamous Krakatoa volcano on the horizon.

Living in Jakarta, I've grown accustomed to people staring and calling out 'mister', 'miss', or 'bule', but while in Carita, we experience something a bit more intense.  Of course there were plenty of people selling unnecessary baubles who assumed we had lots of money to blow, so they swarmed us. However, we got very good at saying 'tidak' firmly enough to scare them away. But, the sellers weren't the most surprising reaction. Since Carita is such a small town, the local people rarely see Westerners in person, so they were quite excited to witness two of them on their beach.

As the saying goes, "take a picture, it will last longer". Well, that's exactly what the locals did. They didn't just stare at us, they took pictures. Lots of pictures. There were pictures of us at dinner taken by people who worked at the hotel. There were pictures of us walking on a trail taken by a group of children staying at the hotel. There were pictures of us kissing in the pool taken by other guests in the hotel. I had a bit of an idea for what celebrities must feel, and I can honestly say I did not enjoy it. At first, I took no real issue and didn't mind if they asked for a picture with us, but after four days of the same it grew quite exhausting and a bit invasive. Not only did they ask for pictures, they invaded pictures that we were trying to take. And when we tried to have a private moment and ignore the camera, they called for us to have a kiss for the camera.

In the end, it was nice to breathe some fresh air for a change. Though next time I'd go for an abandoned island....or at least one with people thoroughly adjusted to the sight of Westerners.