Sunset Soiree

We live in a housing compound called, "Executive Paradise."  It's a funny name, I know.  But, when I get in the car after running errands and my driver Hadi says to me, "Now you want to go to Paradise, Misses?"  I admit that I get a certain thrill.  It sounds so lavish and decadent and, well, it sounds like some sort of . . . . paradise.

The truth is, it is.

Executive Paradise Complex is one of the largest housing complexes within Jakarta's city limits.  Also attached to it is a separate compound called Astoria Residences, with newer, more modern houses.  The whole compound has a great location and is filled with lush greenery, great security, and several sports facilities.  We can enjoy a workout or a game of tennis, and our kids have a safe environment for riding their bikes, jogging and playing outdoors with family and friends.  It's also close to dining, shopping and international schools which makes life convenient. I feel like we are in a wonderful oasis from some of the craziness of Jakarta.  I wouldn't trade it for the world. 

Trouble is, most of the houses are owned by a management company, Bina Mega, which has not created any electronic system for communicating between the neighbors.  However, based on the neighbors that I met - expats from all over the world - I believed that the resources in EP were immeasurable and were an untapped wealth of information.  I also knew that we needed some way to communicate with each other electronically.  Cause, let's face it, sometimes you really need some advice/help/support (or even a ride) from a neighbor; someone you know that is close by and who might be able to help out fast.  As a result, I decided it was time to create an Executive Paradise database of residents for purposes of creating an email distribution list and coordinating some community social events.  So, after painfully gathering over 75 names, addresses, emails and contact information for people in the compound, I decide that it was time to hold our first social event.  I emailed people asking for volunteers to form a committee, and together we sold tickets, coordinated food, managed decorations and food, and held a Sunset Soiree for the adults in the compound.  Our next event would be a family event, but we thought an adult-only event would be a good ice-breaker for our first event. So, below are some scenes from the First Annual EP/Astoria Sunset Soiree:

Sixty people came and everyone was asked to bring a dish from their home country cuisine.

Look, there really WAS a sunset . . . and we could see it too!

We dined on some incredible foods spanning the globe from India, Thailand, Australia, China, Spain, Canada, Germany, South Africa, Indonesia, the United States and more. It was DELISH!

We also had the Margarita Man who served delcious strawberry margaritas. 

I had this huge four meter banner made to welcome everyone to the Sunset Soiree.  Cost = $12.

What a fun night - we hung out with old friends, made some new ones, saw a beautiful sunset and a full moon, and we didn't even need to deal with Jakarta traffic!