How is it Friday already?

It’s Friday again. This week has been better than previous ones. Our students have had midterm examinations the past two weeks, with a reduced timetable as a result. Finishing teaching just one hour earlier every day makes a huge difference to my stress levels. Usually, I teach Grade 1 for 90 minutes at the end of the day, separated by a 15 minute break in which they remain in the classroom with me. I loath these lessons because the kids are tired and restless and the time just drags. So this week, teaching them for 45 minutes and then sending them on their way has been blissful. It goes without saying that I’m dreading going back to the normal schedule next week.

It isn’t just my teaching schedule that’s stressing out this mum-to-be. My employers have refused to pay me maternity leave. Their reason? It would be ‘difficult’ for them to replace me for three months, and parents would complain. They are also being very difficult about ‘allowing’ me to resign. They like to make up policies and rules on the spot and combine them with statements like “you should know about Indonesia before you come here”. They tried to tell me that if I leave, I owe them lots and lots of money. To my relief, a local lawyer confirmed that they are breaking Indonesian labor laws by refusing to pay maternity leave (standard is 3 months paid leave in Indonesia), and that their attempts to demand money from me if I resign are just as ridiculous as they sound. Unfortunately, knowing that I’m right and they’re wrong doesn’t change anything. I’m still here, waiting. An added complication is that my passport is full and it’ll take about a month before a new one arrives. Until then, switching jobs isn’t quite possible, as my employer is my visa sponsor and a new employer would need my passport to apply for a new sponsorship on my behalf. What a palaver eh!

Aside from all that gubbage, life is sweet. We are happily preparing for family life. Ha, actually we’re not preparing at all, we’re carrying on as usual until we can’t anymore! I keep thinking I should buy things for the baby, but when I try I just get stuck, either because I’m fussy or clueless or both. I look online for tips about what to buy and what not to buy, but I find that the information is extremely culturally biased. I get the feeling there are many “essential items” in the US, for example, that are pure novelty here, like baby bouncers and bottle steamers. Ah well, I’m sure we’ll figure it out one way or another…

Happy weekend everyone!