Last Sunday our school hosted a fundraiser event for the Afghan Hazara refugees who are temporarily living in Bogor, outside of Jakarta. It was an intense experience, speaking with the refugees and listening to their story. They told us of the persecutions they have endured, that made them leave t…

Hello friends, Yesterday was a very special day for our family as we got to meet Afghan Hazara refugees here in Jakarta and spend the day with them. I will tell you more about this, but first I just have to share with you what happened last night! I tweeted about my special meeting with the refuge…

This is the week of Lebaran, the culmination of Ramadhan, when Muslims celebrate Idul Fitri together with their loved ones. Consequently Jakarta is more or less emptied of people traveling to “kampung”, their home village, however remote. Usually expats also go on vacation since many shops and res…

Elections in young democracies, as we have learned by experience, can be vulnerable. After a week of waiting for the results, today Joko Widodo, popularly known as Jokowi, was declared winner of the Indonesian presidential election. As congratulations pour in from the rest of the world, Jakarta ex…

Summer is here! This is at least what my “body-clock” is telling me. Growing up in Sweden gives you a very precise sense for when to expect snow, darkness and cold or light evenings, birds chirping and warm winds from the ocean. It is in the way Swedes think and speak and plan the year. “We’ll go…