Two firsts

There's always a first time for everything, and today I got two of those.

This morning, I signed the papers for--get this--The Suryoputros' first property! Alright! Finally, after a year full of options, going back and forth between types of property (goodbye, lousy middle-class apartments in the city), and (I believe) quietly wanting to Jedi-mind-trick each other into another one's favorite location, we chose to buy a land in Bintaro.

It's not much, but hopefully it will be enough for us to build a decent house to live in when we move back to Jakarta years later. Right now, the Ikea catalog keeps flipping itself in my mind, page by page.

Then later in the afternoon, I finally stepped my foot in Balikpapan, my soon-to-be-home, for the weekend. First impression? The city is humbling.

I don't know, but it seems quiet, yet not dead. From the endless row of shops along the roads, you can see the economy is bustling. Yet the traffic seems relaxed, as if there's no rush to go anywhere. I can't help but think how can a big-city girl like me, who is used to crazy traffic and fast-paced hours, can survive.

However, a few hours into staying here, I'm starting to imagine how it will be. And yeah, I'm definitely looking forward to a mellow-out life here, away from the two-star town they call Jakarta.