We stayed in Jakarta for one day. I wanted to stay for at least 2 days so we could buy our plane tickets to New York and make some sort of plan to buy a blood glucose measuring machine and accessories for AC’s diabetic mother. Her family arrived unannounced the day after we arrived, pressuring us to get out of Jakarta and off to Indramayu.
I did manage to speak to a nurse in the evening and ask him about getting some blood test equipment but it was like trying to find water in the desert. I was concerned that AC’s mother was not taking care of her illness properly, especially without the proper tools. Her family was under the impression that if I sent them money for insulin shots for her everything would be ok. I wanted to set up a system for her so she could manage her blood sugar levels and not be reliant on the expensive insulin shots.
Her illness would be on my mind a lot during the trip, and also a major source of frustration with me too. She was my mother in law, and spoke a totally different language, but I really felt she cared for me and she would sit with me a lot and just talk about whatever. Of course I had no idea what she was saying and just imagined she was saying nice and advice about life and family. I really wanted to help her live with her illness, rather than succumb to it.
The trip back from the Airline ticket agent on Jalan Jaksa on the back of a motorcycle taxi:
A view of traffic in Jakarta from the inside of a truck:
