About a month ago Leanne suggested we have a Jepara beach trip and we decided on this weekend. Joel and Tyler decided to bike there, and Leanne and I decided that we would like to actually enjoy the weekend and take the bus. Looking back I kind of wish I had biked and I think next time I will bike. It didn't take the boys as long as I thought it would and there wasn't a hassle for them to get from the beach to the hotel.
Apparently people don't go to the beach regularly enough in Jepara for it to be profitable to have public transportation from the city to the beach.
Last time we went we ended up hitch hiking both ways from the terminal to the beach. One way with these 15 year-old girls who we later paid in the form of tolerating harassment at the beach and then just giving in and letting them interview us -each of the girls interviewing each of us for some school project. It may sound harsh that we were so resistant to be interviewed by them but you have to understand that each of us Java SALTers work in a school so everyday of the week we're surrounded by students asking questions. We take a beach weekend to get away from that. The other way (beach to the bus terminal) we went in the back of a truck. Fun times, but always risky cause who knows what they are going to demand once you get to your destination, and plus this time it was just us chicks so Leanne and I decided to not do that.
My host dad was actually going into Jepara (it's about an hour away from Kudus) so he took Leanne and I into town but couldn't take us all the way to the beach. He dropped us by an anggota (public trans van) and we chartered it to the beach for 30,000 RP (appx $3.50US ). Pretty hassle-free getting there, thank goodness. We proceeded to strip down to our t-shirt and swim suit and get pretty fried before the boys got there at 11:30. Perfect timing- ten minutes earlier and I would have lost a bet to Leanne which won me a drink. The day was perfect, really. Plenty of sun but a nice strong breeze coming from the ocean. I forgot my camera but I've taken pics at that beach before.
We had reserved a room at the beach front hotel, Sunset Village, but as Indo luck would have it they gave our room away. Awesome. We were mad about it for a little while but then the day was so beautiful and the pancakes and juice we ordered on the beach were so delish that we were forced to forget about the fact that we were stuck on the beach and would have to find a way back into the city again. Makes telling the story more interesting but sometimes you don’t want interesting, you want predictable and simple. You want your reservation to stick. You want there to exist efficient public transportation. You want to be able to order from more than just 15% of the options on the menu. You don't want public trans to cost you seven times what they charge the local people. You don't want to be harassed with questions and stares every where you go. You want the tv to actually work in the hotel room. You want the sun to shine one or two days a week so your clothes can dry and not smell disgusting all the time. You just want the simplest things that you never had to think about or guess about before you came to this country.
I mean, you get used to it. But it's a resist-ful getting-used-to. "I don't WANT this to be how it is!" Suck it up, focus on the positive. A whole country is not going to change because a whitey moved in for a year.
Luckily, getting back was not so hard. I called some friends from school and one of my students who lived in Jepara was able to pick me up and Leanne and I only had to wait for two hours.
I am FRIED. Very red. It's weird how you can honestly not see any red when you're out there in the sun, and then you go to the restroom for something and you realize that the boys weren't just being jerks when they said they could tell who was who (Leanne is a sun block pusher) at the table from a kilometer away. Hurts pretty bad now. The rest of the weekend was filled with Juliana-being-red jokes.
So hilarious.
The hotel we got in Jepara (which the boys kindly searched out and reserved for us on their way to the beach) was great. AC, CNN and HBO on the telly, legit shower with a bath, a sit-down toilet, comfy bed, and a door between our bedrooms which made going back and forth nice. Like for when the boys kept coming in to use our outlets. And when I made coffee from my amazing REI french press with my REI plug in boiler and my starbucks grounds and shared with the boys. And when Leanne destroyed our bathroom and I used the boys' for a while till ours could sufficiently vent.
Overall a relaxing weekend. It started Friday when Tyler and Leanne came to Kudus and we had Mexican night at my house. Joel had fajitas and salsa and we bought meat, cheese, and veggies. So good.
Rest is so from God. Seriously been thinking about the holiness of rest. Started reading the Bible beginning to end and honestly ok I'm only at Genesis 2 (hey I started last Thursday, ok?!) but even just Genesis one has lessons to learn from! And the most important, I think, is the holiness of rest. I really think that Indonesians don’t rest enough. I know my host parents don't. And they pay for it with various health problems they have. Vertigo, stress seizures... To take a day and sleep, to take a trip, to get a babysitter and just go have dinner together, to read a book and refresh your mind, to play a game, to make art, to do SOMETHING that is restful. It's so clear that those who work not only DESERVE to, but NEED to and are, hello, COMMANDED by God to REST. If imitating God is a form of worship, which I believe it is, then to rest after hard work is to worship him and I'm really disturbed with the attitude that there is something noble in working, working, working, and never resting. Especially those who work in the ministry and think their lack of rest testifies to their dedication to God.
Half the people who get burned out from the ministry burn themselves out because they are too prideful to rest. That's my opinion.
I was so thoughtful on my way back from the beach.. Leanne took a bus to Semarang, I took a bus to Kudus and the boys headed off on their bikes. I got a small bus instead of a bigger one with AC and it took longer but I didn't care too much. It was a bit cheaper. I've perfected my "do NOT mess with me" look and used it on the little bus man who tried to make me pay more than the normal fare. He left me alone fast. I don't like having to look like a smug westerner but if they wouldn't try to steal my money I would totally give them a smile and "Thanks!". Today I was confirmed in my ignoring of bothering people by a lady on the anggota when I was coming from the bus station into Kudus. She gave me a "keep silent" sign with her finger to her lips when the anggota men were saying stuff and being stupid with me as I sat in the anggota. It made me feel good to know that the kind of harassment I get from some men here is not acceptable here either. Also I saw this other Indonesian girl jerk a guys hand off of her as she was getting into our anggota and he was "herding" her in. It's not accepted. Why don’t people speak out about it? Why would no one be like, "Shut up and leave her alone!" when they were being stupid with me in the station? I wish more people would verbally resist those things that are wrong here.
The sun was out today and the ride home was really beautiful in some places.
I've been having reality moments lately where it hits me that I've been here 7 months and only have 4 months left. In four months from this day I will be on a plane from Akron PA to Phoenix AZ. It really motivates me to put those irritating things out of my mind and look at the big picture. To see how unique this opportunity is, and be really thankful for this crazy, challenging, full year. So many new experiences, new observations on life service development work, myself. New ideas about human nature, culture, walls, differences, similarities, strengths, weaknesses, vulnerabilities, community, beauty, tragedy, boredom, overwhelmingness, boundaries of mind and will and ability and love, family, entertainment.
Oh. my.goodness. The LOUDEST thunderclap I have ever heard in my LIFE just rattled my room and scared the soul out of me. I thought it was an explosion at first.
Add "rainy season" to that list above. Holy cow. Oh yeah, and we haven't had electricity for the past 15 minutes. Every night it rains. Usually starts about 6 or 7 and goes until late.
Anyhow, I am glad that when I think about the next four months I don't feel panicky or anxious about the time taking forever to pass, because it won’t take forever to pass. It will go quickly. There are moments that feel like an eternity (like this Friday when I was required to sit through a 2 hour seminar on menopause where a schizophrenic man asked a ten minute long question before anyone pried his hands off the microphone) but in general I have no long days. And weeks... weeks go by so fast. I think it is because I take any opportunity I can to go do something with someone even if it sounds boring. Rarely turn down requests to hang out or go get noodles or go to a circumcision party for a thirteen year old boy (which I mistakenly told someone in the States was a castration party. Oops ) or take a bike ride or whatever. Because honestly it's when I have nothing to do that my mind wanders to those I've left in the States and in Portugal and everything I am missing there. Bad news bears. But if I have a full day, I have no time to think about what I am missing.
My life here is so National Geographic sometimes. Some of the stuff I see and experience... So NG. Rice fields… they get me every time. I love them, and they amaze me like the first time I saw them. Especially when there are workers in them, knee high in mudd and bending over so all you can see is their pointy rice hats and bright colored shirts. Joel regularly reminds me that rice fields are anything but natural beauty as they are not the original vegetation scheme of the island but I'm not hugely into environmental preservation and consider the tree tattoo on my ankle as my contribution to nature preservation. I like paper, and I like toilet paper, and I like rice fields. I'm trying to imagine my grandchildren pointing out my tattoo- grandma what is that? - because Asians have taken over the world and made all our forests into rice fields. I don't think it will happen. And if it does, I hope by then they have figured out a way to make rice taste like a bacon cheeseburger because I am so craving one right now... Oh the food I will eat when I go home....
Brightly colored houses, minarets everywhere, intricate metal work on most of the fences and doors, crazy rubber trees that all gorw at an odd angle against the earth, deep green brush, wild banana trees and coconut trees, bright and strange flowers, fruit of every shape and taste, white sand beaches, torrential rains, millions of rice recipes... I'm living a colorful life, when I see it the right way.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Saturday, March 19, 2011
John Steinbeck- Jack of all trades, master of words.
I was bored yesterday so I asked Joel to borrow a book in his collection. I ended up taking Steinbeck's "Cannery Row", which I disgracefully referred to as "Canary Now" because I only glanced at the book title, the font was weird, and I had never touched a Steinbeck book before much less paid attention to the titles. Save "Grapes of Wrath", his most famous work. I had heard of that one before. Since I have so much down time here I've decided to get through some of those classics that I never paid much attention to before. Not only because people refer to them and having a knowledge about classic literature can be avoid embarrassing moments but also because they aren't classics for naught. They're classic pieces because they had something unique to give the world of words. And I'm finding that uniqueness a refreshing change from the modern literature I'm used to reading.
A word about reading classics....
Every generation appreciates different things, and by reading works from beyond our own generation will be enriched in ways not possible in the modern era in which we are overwhelmingly surrounded by the loud voices of today's generations' cares. Classics from a different time remind us that there was a time when another reality existed, other issues were top on the days agenda, other words were the slang of the day, other values were the moral discussions that lead to heated debates and scandals, other events made people faint hearted and fatalistically decide that it was the beginning of the absolute end of the world. Perhaps if understood correctly it will help us take today's worries and heavy issues a little lighter, because time never stops, and today's pressing issues will be forgotten tomorrow, and perhaps that are not worth all of our fussing. And, people were people back then were very much the same in nature as they are today. We may dress differently, sing different songs, gossip about different people, but in our hearts, our worries and cares and joys are the same. The world may change but the nature of a person does not. If it did, why would anyone ever read a book from another time? We would feel no connection to the author's words and what he was trying to convey. Because human nature is the same, lessons can be learned from the past, because there is the possibility of repeating mistakes. Unfortunately (or fortunately?) it's not only music and gossip and clothing that changes with time, but language as well. I think the main drawback of reading classics is the use of words uncommon in this day's vocabulary, and therefore getting lost in a book without getting caught up in difficult words is hard. Don't be a lazy ass, that is an awful excuse. Grab a dictionary. Maybe that's why well read people seem to be the smartest, the least lazy, people who succeed. Because they are people who look up words they don't understand, and are able to push through difficult passages because they can recognize the worth of the reward at the end- the bigger picture of finishing and conquering a classic piece of literature that will enrich their knowledge of a past generation and the wisdom it can share, of human nature, and improve their creative thought.
Back to Steinbeck.
I loved the honest short bio of Steinbeck in the beginning of this book.
It pays to unapologetically be who you are as long as you know who you are and be it the best you can. Tap into all your potential and press on till the world can appreciate those things some individuals probably called "impossible to work with" or "difficult" or "too random", a "jack of all trades, master of none". Despite his many apprenticeships that didn't turn into something mastered, he found one thing that he did master- his creative thoughts and his ability to put them into words. And now the world thanks him.
Sometimes it takes time to find that thing that you can master with joy. Especially when you are gifted, or just interested, in many areas. Some people find that master-able area very fast and become famous at a young age. For some people it takes longer to find, or to develop, those things which they can master and then give to the world as a legacy. I say develop, because from his biography it sounds like his creative ability was built upon all he had done in his life. Experience enriches writing, and he wrote about what he knew, his life and that which he encountered in life... He took the ordinary and recognized it's ability to capture minds when written about correctly. He meddled in a lot of diverse areas and I'm sure his writing is richer for it.
Just an encouragement to those who are feeling heavy hearted because you are a jack-of-all-trades and your interests seem too random to form any one significant thing to give the world and be your legacy. Let Steinbeck prove your worries wrong.
A word about reading classics....
Every generation appreciates different things, and by reading works from beyond our own generation will be enriched in ways not possible in the modern era in which we are overwhelmingly surrounded by the loud voices of today's generations' cares. Classics from a different time remind us that there was a time when another reality existed, other issues were top on the days agenda, other words were the slang of the day, other values were the moral discussions that lead to heated debates and scandals, other events made people faint hearted and fatalistically decide that it was the beginning of the absolute end of the world. Perhaps if understood correctly it will help us take today's worries and heavy issues a little lighter, because time never stops, and today's pressing issues will be forgotten tomorrow, and perhaps that are not worth all of our fussing. And, people were people back then were very much the same in nature as they are today. We may dress differently, sing different songs, gossip about different people, but in our hearts, our worries and cares and joys are the same. The world may change but the nature of a person does not. If it did, why would anyone ever read a book from another time? We would feel no connection to the author's words and what he was trying to convey. Because human nature is the same, lessons can be learned from the past, because there is the possibility of repeating mistakes. Unfortunately (or fortunately?) it's not only music and gossip and clothing that changes with time, but language as well. I think the main drawback of reading classics is the use of words uncommon in this day's vocabulary, and therefore getting lost in a book without getting caught up in difficult words is hard. Don't be a lazy ass, that is an awful excuse. Grab a dictionary. Maybe that's why well read people seem to be the smartest, the least lazy, people who succeed. Because they are people who look up words they don't understand, and are able to push through difficult passages because they can recognize the worth of the reward at the end- the bigger picture of finishing and conquering a classic piece of literature that will enrich their knowledge of a past generation and the wisdom it can share, of human nature, and improve their creative thought.
Back to Steinbeck.
I loved the honest short bio of Steinbeck in the beginning of this book.
"The Many Lives of John Steinbeck
Before the reception given The Grapes of Wrath made Steinbeck a world-famed literary figure, he was many things. Always a non-conformist, he was discharged from a New York newspaper for writing opinions instead of facts. He was an apprentice hod-carrier, an apprentice painter, a working chemist, caretaker of a Lake Tahoe estate, a surveyor in the Big Sur country, and an itinerant fruit picker.
He studied science at Stanford University and was a
qualified marine biologist like the "Doc" in Cannery Row.
In early, poor, and light-hearted days, Steinbeck made his home at Monterrey, where he
fished and sailed, and was boon companion to the beguiling characters
he has now immortalized in Cannery Row."
It pays to unapologetically be who you are as long as you know who you are and be it the best you can. Tap into all your potential and press on till the world can appreciate those things some individuals probably called "impossible to work with" or "difficult" or "too random", a "jack of all trades, master of none". Despite his many apprenticeships that didn't turn into something mastered, he found one thing that he did master- his creative thoughts and his ability to put them into words. And now the world thanks him.
Sometimes it takes time to find that thing that you can master with joy. Especially when you are gifted, or just interested, in many areas. Some people find that master-able area very fast and become famous at a young age. For some people it takes longer to find, or to develop, those things which they can master and then give to the world as a legacy. I say develop, because from his biography it sounds like his creative ability was built upon all he had done in his life. Experience enriches writing, and he wrote about what he knew, his life and that which he encountered in life... He took the ordinary and recognized it's ability to capture minds when written about correctly. He meddled in a lot of diverse areas and I'm sure his writing is richer for it.
Just an encouragement to those who are feeling heavy hearted because you are a jack-of-all-trades and your interests seem too random to form any one significant thing to give the world and be your legacy. Let Steinbeck prove your worries wrong.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
How sweet is this job?
I regularly get emails from idealist.org and they send me lists of new job openings. I'm still here in Indonesia for 4 more months but I still like seeing what's out there and getting inspired for my next job post.
I found this one today that I wanted to share, because it is SO COOL.
Instructor - Restorative Justice
Posted on: March 14, 2011
Posted by: Philadelphia Mural Arts Program
Description
The Philadelphia Mural Arts Program, is a unique joint venture between the City of Philadelphia and the Mural Arts Advocates, a 501(c)(3) non-profit is the nation’s largest public art initiatives of its kind and has led Philadelphia to be recognized internationally as the “Mural Capital of the World.” The mission is to engage in art education and community public art collaborations, and to increase public access to art. Since the Mural Arts Program began in 1984 as the Anti-Graffiti Network, over 3,000 murals have been created and over 20,000 under served youth in neighborhoods throughout Philadelphia have received free art education.
The Restorative Justice Department provides comprehensive services for adjudicated youth and formerly incarcerated adults, as we believe the most crucial element in addressing our rising crime rates, crowded prisons, and incidences of recidivism is to act preventatively and provide real opportunities for all individuals to participate in society in meaningful ways. We believe in the capacity of mural-making and skill-building programs led by practicing professionals to increase opportunity, reduce stigma against individuals involved in the criminal justice system, prevent recidivism, and break cycles of crime and violence. Our programs provide community members involved in the criminal justice system with constructive skill building opportunities and creative alternatives for self-expression to deter engagement in crime and provide avenues to a richer and more fulfilling quality of life.
General Description
The Instructor for the Restorative Justice Program will work at a minimum security prison for 5 – 10 hours per week providing instruction to inmates. Instructor will help inmates design short books (6 – 8 pages) using the Book-builder software provided by IBM. The ideal candidate should have graphic design and advanced computer experience.
This is a part time position.
Reports to: Director of Restorative Justice Program.
Knowledge & Skills
Ideal candidate possesses strong organizational, written, and communication skills.
Strong teaching skills and ability to work with high risk populations are required.
Candidate will work collaboratively and individually and must be able to resolve conflicts, exhibit flexibility and creativity, and pay attention to detail.
Pay - $28/hour for up to 10 hours a week.
For further information on the City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program, please visit http://www.muralarts.org/
Teaching art to inmates?! Helping them write books?! How awesome is that. I LOVE the creativity some people/organizations have to work with the broken places in society.
Inspired.
I found this one today that I wanted to share, because it is SO COOL.
Instructor - Restorative Justice
Posted on: March 14, 2011
Posted by: Philadelphia Mural Arts Program
Description
The Philadelphia Mural Arts Program, is a unique joint venture between the City of Philadelphia and the Mural Arts Advocates, a 501(c)(3) non-profit is the nation’s largest public art initiatives of its kind and has led Philadelphia to be recognized internationally as the “Mural Capital of the World.” The mission is to engage in art education and community public art collaborations, and to increase public access to art. Since the Mural Arts Program began in 1984 as the Anti-Graffiti Network, over 3,000 murals have been created and over 20,000 under served youth in neighborhoods throughout Philadelphia have received free art education.
The Restorative Justice Department provides comprehensive services for adjudicated youth and formerly incarcerated adults, as we believe the most crucial element in addressing our rising crime rates, crowded prisons, and incidences of recidivism is to act preventatively and provide real opportunities for all individuals to participate in society in meaningful ways. We believe in the capacity of mural-making and skill-building programs led by practicing professionals to increase opportunity, reduce stigma against individuals involved in the criminal justice system, prevent recidivism, and break cycles of crime and violence. Our programs provide community members involved in the criminal justice system with constructive skill building opportunities and creative alternatives for self-expression to deter engagement in crime and provide avenues to a richer and more fulfilling quality of life.
General Description
The Instructor for the Restorative Justice Program will work at a minimum security prison for 5 – 10 hours per week providing instruction to inmates. Instructor will help inmates design short books (6 – 8 pages) using the Book-builder software provided by IBM. The ideal candidate should have graphic design and advanced computer experience.
This is a part time position.
Reports to: Director of Restorative Justice Program.
Knowledge & Skills
Ideal candidate possesses strong organizational, written, and communication skills.
Strong teaching skills and ability to work with high risk populations are required.
Candidate will work collaboratively and individually and must be able to resolve conflicts, exhibit flexibility and creativity, and pay attention to detail.
Pay - $28/hour for up to 10 hours a week.
For further information on the City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program, please visit http://www.muralarts.org/
Teaching art to inmates?! Helping them write books?! How awesome is that. I LOVE the creativity some people/organizations have to work with the broken places in society.
Inspired.
Night
Broken zipper pants finally at the seamstress, naan in the kitchen rising, looking up English games for class tomorrow, dressed for my night run, and the rest of The Giver to read before bed.
Night time is my favorite.
Night time is my favorite.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Six Traveling Tips
A few things I've learned from traveling that make the trip more enjoyable and memorable...:
1) Hire drivers if you can afford it. Really, it's better than trying to take taxis all the time, especially when going for day trips!
2) Indulge a little in hotels. A bad night's sleep can wreck the whole next day, plus being able to look forward to a hot shower, comfy bed, and AC makes the rougher, hotter, stuffier parts of the day much more bearable.
3) Have a designated picture taker and take an extra camera battery. (My dad's camera battery died half way through the day in Jakarta and while we didn't miss much it would have been nice to have more pictures of Monas.)
4) Save the last day to be a little indulgent in food and things of comfort. Like a massage. Because the next day is intense travel home and not getting pooped out the day before, or making up for it in good food and pampering, is a good idea.
5) In the week after you get home, designate a whole day to print out all your pictures and put them in an album. Let every other picture slot be a note that describes a story in the trip. Do it the first week or you'll forget.
6) Take a travel journal that you jot stuff down in through out the day. Just simple sentences even. You'll probably be too tired at the end of the day to try to write out everything you did and the moments you had that you want to remember. Doing it at the time makes sure you wont forget it. Then you can write those things on the papers you stick in the slots designated for stories in your photo album.
1) Hire drivers if you can afford it. Really, it's better than trying to take taxis all the time, especially when going for day trips!
2) Indulge a little in hotels. A bad night's sleep can wreck the whole next day, plus being able to look forward to a hot shower, comfy bed, and AC makes the rougher, hotter, stuffier parts of the day much more bearable.
3) Have a designated picture taker and take an extra camera battery. (My dad's camera battery died half way through the day in Jakarta and while we didn't miss much it would have been nice to have more pictures of Monas.)
4) Save the last day to be a little indulgent in food and things of comfort. Like a massage. Because the next day is intense travel home and not getting pooped out the day before, or making up for it in good food and pampering, is a good idea.
5) In the week after you get home, designate a whole day to print out all your pictures and put them in an album. Let every other picture slot be a note that describes a story in the trip. Do it the first week or you'll forget.
6) Take a travel journal that you jot stuff down in through out the day. Just simple sentences even. You'll probably be too tired at the end of the day to try to write out everything you did and the moments you had that you want to remember. Doing it at the time makes sure you wont forget it. Then you can write those things on the papers you stick in the slots designated for stories in your photo album.
Parents Visit- Semarang, Kudus, Jepara, Jogja, Jakarta.
My parents left almost two weeks ago. They were here in Indonesia for a week and we decided to stay on Java and not try to visit any other island. For one, it's another $100 bucks (give or take) a person to get to another island (by plane. There wouldn't be time to take a boat) and plus my everyday life is lived on Java, and I could better show them around and plan a good trip for them.
Lombok was pretty nice (I went with my sister in December) and I hear Bali is fantastic, but Java has it's beauty as well. Plus it is, in my opinion, a bit more authentically Indonesian than Bali would be. Bali is a western vacation attraction and therefore filled with all things make-westerners-feel-comfortable. I feel like it would cater to the foreigner and not to the native population. Anyways, for these reasons and more, we decided to stay on Java.
The capital of Java Island and Indonesia is Jakarta. It is a huge, huge city full of malls, slums, museums, old buildings, new buildings, and ports. I find it hard to know when one city ends and another city begins here. There aren't huge tracks of land between the cities. There are shacks and houses and occasional rice fields but every city to me looks the same. To know when I have traveled into the next city I have to read store signs with addresses on them. Sometimes there are big arches above the road that say "Selamat Datang Kota ____" (literally Happy arrive city ___) and that lets you know where you are but not where the city begins. The towns just keep growing out past their welcome signs. I'm tempted to say there are too many people here, but as long as people have roofs over their heads and are happy, who am I to say they should stop procreating. Plus unemployment is at 8% which is a -3.5% change from last year and a huge improvement since 2007 when unemployment was at 12.5% (According to indexmundi.com).
So when I was bussing it to Jakarta last year I didn't really know when we had arrived there, I just noticed the houses getting less village-like and things become more congested. Then the malls started popping up and then I knew.
I actually met my parents in Semarang where they flew into after 24 hours of madness from Phoenix to LA to Hong Kong to Jakarta to Semarang. All their bags got their safe and I was happy as ever to realize they hadn't gotten lost in any of the craziness that is traveling in Asia.
We spent the night at the Dafam hotel, about 20 minutes by taxi from the airport and very close to Semarang's newest mall- the Paragon (complete with a Mac store and Starbucks!). It's a really great hotel. I had stayed there once before and the second time was just as good. Good service, good English, a great room with hot water, toilets, AC, carpeted floors and cable TV. The breakfast is an amazing assortment of juices, breads and jams, egg omelets made to order, savory Indonesian food, cereal, fruit, yogurt, and tea and coffee. We paid about $40 a night, and stayed two nights. My parents, who are used to pretty nice hotels in the US, were very impressed.
In Semarang we went to a batik workshop called Semarang Batik 16 in an outlying village, still in Semarang but about 40 minutes away from where we stayed. I only had a web site with a picture or two and an address and I was nervous there wasn't going to be anything there, but we weren't disappointed when we finally go there. We made our own batik at $5 a square, and then they dyed it for us and we picked it up the next day. In the bottom floor of the workshop there's a store and fabric cutting area, and on the top of the building is the interesting stuff- the actual waxing of the cloth both with stamps and by hand. It has a unique smell that wasn't unpleasant. It smelled hot and waxy. Some men were stamping with stamps about a hand span wide and tall in one room, and women were in the next sitting on low stools, dipping out liquid wax with small tools and tracing lines or filling in shapes on large pieces of cloth. So many colors and so many girls working, the walls were a raw, red brick, the window was open and there was a breeze... A really neat experience that my mom especially loved.
Also in Semarang we went to a big Chinese temple, Sam Po Kong, that actually I wouldn't have minded not going to. It gave my mom nightmares that night and it wasn't the most interesting temple I had seen. It was also 40,000 rupias a person, which while that's only a little over $4, it's a bit considering that's what we paid for each of our dinners that night.
We went to a place called Kampung Laut for dinner. I'm mad that I have no picture here to post to give you an idea of this place... My dad took pictures non stop while he was there and I figured there would be no need to take them as well. The camera and therefore the pictures went back with him though.. Hopefully he will load them on facebook and I'll be able to put them up here. Anyhow, Kampung Laut in Semarang (actually I learned today the city's name means "rare tamarind")... It's a restaurant on the ocean and it's best all lit up at night. There are small bungalows that you can sit in with your party and it gives you a private atmosphere but your still part of the action of the lights and live music.. The lights, unlike most of Java I have seen, are not those fluorescent harsh bluish lights but soft yellow lights that make things feel cozy.. There is a bridge you cross to get to the eating area and it's all lit up with lights and they reflect on the water. The food has been excellent both times I've eaten there. I especially like the Zupa soup and gurami bakar (baked fried fish). And their gelato ice cream is pretty amazing as well. I recommend the mint. You can also actually rent fishing rods and fish there and have them cook your fish for you. Pretty cool. We picked up Tyler on our way and met Leanne there. I was glad for them to get to meet my parents and to be able to see them. We live an hour away from each other so it's not like we never see each other but they are my closest community from my own culture other than Joel so it's definitely a treat whenever I get to see them.
So Kampung Laut- go there.
After Semarang we went to Kudus where we stayed at the Kenari Asri hotel. It's no Dafam, but it works. There's AC and a bathtub which I indulged in. Their breakfast is decent and they are the only place in Kudus that serves beer, that I've seen. So funny.. When my parents and I came back from dinner one night we passed through the dinning room (kind of weird lay out for the third floor.. To get to your room you have walk straight through the restaurant) and there were about 15 men all slumped at a couple tables together with open Bintang beer bottles in front of them singing karaoke semi-drunkenly. It was pretty funny, the singing was horrendous and the men were all the kind of drinkers that get puckered out with alcohol so I wasn't sure if they were having a good time or if some of them were even awake. It didn't go on for too long and my dad thought it was pretty funny, so it was no bother. Man, if you are a lover of all things karaoke come to Indonesia. There's one on every corner and while in Kudus it's said that it's kind of a prostitute hangout place, in every other city I've been to in Indo, everyone does it and it's one of the few activities available to go out and do. If it weren't for church and church activities and teaching my life might be really pretty boring here. Although, we rarely eat at home at least in my host family so we're always going out for dinner which is nice.
While in Kudus I took my parents to Omah Mode which I would say if Joel's and my main hangout spot. It's a bit expensive for Indonesians so I've only been a couple times with non-western people. And they just jacked the prices up a good 24% so I might also be there less often then I have been going. I love it at night.. Like Kampung Laut, the lights aren't harsh and the pool which is right near the eating area has a fountain and is all lit up as well. I love it. Their menu is Indo-Thai, and they have great Phuket pad thai noodles. Their juice is also pretty good.. I recommend the guava, strawberry, or passion-fruit (markisa). The sirsat juice feels like it has shredded paper towel in it.
We also hit up KFC and it was nice for their tummies to get something familiar in them. For 15.000, RP ($1.75) you can get rice, chicken, and a fountain drink. I only discovered their amazing wraps last week. Was quite impressed. Peppery and all wrapped up in tortilla love. I miss my AZ for sure, and I think my dislike for Mexican food is gone. Rejoice.
We eat in Colo (pronounced "cho-low") as well, up on a mountain and it wasn't awesome. There was no view (the view is great during the day. For some reason you couldn't see anything at night. Oh come on, you know what I mean... There are usually city lights that are cool to look at at night when you're above a town...) and my dad got a little freaked out by the chicken head and feet sticking out of the meat plate.
We got chocolate milk at the Muria Milk place.... It's a dairy with the cows right next to it, and the milk is freshly squeezed and pasteurized. Right there next to you. So you can stare at the cows and thank them personally as you drink the delights of their udder. If I thought about that long enough I might gross myself into a lactose-free diet. But then there's my beloved cheese so... Thank you udders.
We took a day and went to Jepara and saw the old Portuguese fort area (there's not actually a fort there... It's just a short board-walk thing next to the sea) and wood making. I bought a couple of door stops. Love when souvenirs can have a functional purposes. The ride was rough on my dad's back and took forever so if I went back and did it again I might have only gone to the wood place and not the Portuguese fort. We saw so many teak trees and got to see the process of making some of the furniture and carvings which was neat. I love wandering in this country.. It's when you go to the back of the shop or take a wandering bike ride that you see the stuff that sticks with you.
We toured around the hospital where I teach and the University and I loved getting to show them my life. That's what sucks about being far away from people you love.. You can't relate experiences if they've never been where you are. They can only imagine and when they've never been to the country.. nay, continent!.. that you live on, how are they going to imagine anything close to what it is? So three cheers of Muria chocolate milk for planes and the efficiency of travel these days. I appreciate you bringing my loved ones to me. I don't appreciate you taking them home.
Jogja and Jakarta were our last stops before they left. At Jogja we stayed in the Ibiz hotel off of Malioboro road, the main shopping center. It was a great hotel perfectly located. Great buffet breakfast with an awesome machine that grinds the coffee beans right before they are brewed. My dad and I were impressed. We shopped a bit on Marlioboro... Prices are great. There are legit stores but it's the market atmosphere of the stalls that line the street that people are after. Batik galore, t-shirts, souvenirs, jewelry, henna, bags.. That doesn't begin to list everything they have for sale down that street. The light posts were all decorated when were were there for some parade they had just had. It is the capital of Javanese culture and if we had had more than 20 hours there we would have hit up some museums and possibly seen a traditional Prambayan play. Instead we found a little travelers cafe and eat pesto bruschetta and tuna and shopped in their environmental safe-the-world shop that I loved. We then went and checked into the airport and then went and saw the Prambanan temple for a way too short 30 minutes. It is gorgeous and I like it more than Borobudur. I hope to make it out there again before I leave in July.
In Jakarta we stayed at the FM7 hotel near the airport. An ok hotel with a good restaurant, a great work out room complete with a pool, sauna, and hot tub, and free shuttle to the airport. The internet wasn't free and the bathroom was open in the room which made going to the restroom a bit awkward in a room for three.. We went on the sweetest tour of the old fish market and a local fishing village with an associate of a man named Brahm. I would recommend Brahm himself and not the guy we went with, but he was ok. It was where he took us and not he himself that made it awesome. We had lunch at the Batavian Cafe located in the main old Dutch square, and it was the best food and atmosphere I've had so far here in Indonesia. However, it was not Indonesian at all. It was like 1940's decor, a complete bar.. I felt like I was at a manor in some plantation. Big windows, big chairs, crisp white linen table cloth, jazz playing in the background... Oh and loads and loads of pictures filling the walls. Most of them from the 1940's. Famous people and famous photographers. Even the bathroom stalls had framed pictures in them. I really loved it. Got a mint cappuccino frap that was to die for and munched on an assortment of cheese and home made bread for lunch. Split a salad with my mom... What a vacation from Indonesian reality. It's good to find those atmospheres that allow you to get away from it all for a few moments. After a long lunch we faced the heat again and walked around till we decided to get an anggota (small van bus) to Monas, the national monument. Good thing we did because we would have been walking forever. The Monas is a huge torch, about the size of the Statue of Liberty I would say.
They left the next day for Hong Kong and I left about the same they did but headed to Semarang. It was a little tough the first day they were gone but I had activities lined up with the community and teaching started the next day so it was really ok. I'm doing much better now that I was before they visited. Just, mentally, culturally... More focused, more in perspective.
My parents were TROOPERS here. I drug them everywhere, and, while now that they are back in the States they're sick, they weren't sick once here and never complained. Blessed people they are.
Hopefully these give someone out there ideas about what to do when visiting Indo. There are a couple of things I would change but mostly, it went so well.
Thanks mum and dad. Love.
So Kampung Laut- go there.
After Semarang we went to Kudus where we stayed at the Kenari Asri hotel. It's no Dafam, but it works. There's AC and a bathtub which I indulged in. Their breakfast is decent and they are the only place in Kudus that serves beer, that I've seen. So funny.. When my parents and I came back from dinner one night we passed through the dinning room (kind of weird lay out for the third floor.. To get to your room you have walk straight through the restaurant) and there were about 15 men all slumped at a couple tables together with open Bintang beer bottles in front of them singing karaoke semi-drunkenly. It was pretty funny, the singing was horrendous and the men were all the kind of drinkers that get puckered out with alcohol so I wasn't sure if they were having a good time or if some of them were even awake. It didn't go on for too long and my dad thought it was pretty funny, so it was no bother. Man, if you are a lover of all things karaoke come to Indonesia. There's one on every corner and while in Kudus it's said that it's kind of a prostitute hangout place, in every other city I've been to in Indo, everyone does it and it's one of the few activities available to go out and do. If it weren't for church and church activities and teaching my life might be really pretty boring here. Although, we rarely eat at home at least in my host family so we're always going out for dinner which is nice.
While in Kudus I took my parents to Omah Mode which I would say if Joel's and my main hangout spot. It's a bit expensive for Indonesians so I've only been a couple times with non-western people. And they just jacked the prices up a good 24% so I might also be there less often then I have been going. I love it at night.. Like Kampung Laut, the lights aren't harsh and the pool which is right near the eating area has a fountain and is all lit up as well. I love it. Their menu is Indo-Thai, and they have great Phuket pad thai noodles. Their juice is also pretty good.. I recommend the guava, strawberry, or passion-fruit (markisa). The sirsat juice feels like it has shredded paper towel in it.
We also hit up KFC and it was nice for their tummies to get something familiar in them. For 15.000, RP ($1.75) you can get rice, chicken, and a fountain drink. I only discovered their amazing wraps last week. Was quite impressed. Peppery and all wrapped up in tortilla love. I miss my AZ for sure, and I think my dislike for Mexican food is gone. Rejoice.
We eat in Colo (pronounced "cho-low") as well, up on a mountain and it wasn't awesome. There was no view (the view is great during the day. For some reason you couldn't see anything at night. Oh come on, you know what I mean... There are usually city lights that are cool to look at at night when you're above a town...) and my dad got a little freaked out by the chicken head and feet sticking out of the meat plate.
We got chocolate milk at the Muria Milk place.... It's a dairy with the cows right next to it, and the milk is freshly squeezed and pasteurized. Right there next to you. So you can stare at the cows and thank them personally as you drink the delights of their udder. If I thought about that long enough I might gross myself into a lactose-free diet. But then there's my beloved cheese so... Thank you udders.
We took a day and went to Jepara and saw the old Portuguese fort area (there's not actually a fort there... It's just a short board-walk thing next to the sea) and wood making. I bought a couple of door stops. Love when souvenirs can have a functional purposes. The ride was rough on my dad's back and took forever so if I went back and did it again I might have only gone to the wood place and not the Portuguese fort. We saw so many teak trees and got to see the process of making some of the furniture and carvings which was neat. I love wandering in this country.. It's when you go to the back of the shop or take a wandering bike ride that you see the stuff that sticks with you.
We toured around the hospital where I teach and the University and I loved getting to show them my life. That's what sucks about being far away from people you love.. You can't relate experiences if they've never been where you are. They can only imagine and when they've never been to the country.. nay, continent!.. that you live on, how are they going to imagine anything close to what it is? So three cheers of Muria chocolate milk for planes and the efficiency of travel these days. I appreciate you bringing my loved ones to me. I don't appreciate you taking them home.
Jogja and Jakarta were our last stops before they left. At Jogja we stayed in the Ibiz hotel off of Malioboro road, the main shopping center. It was a great hotel perfectly located. Great buffet breakfast with an awesome machine that grinds the coffee beans right before they are brewed. My dad and I were impressed. We shopped a bit on Marlioboro... Prices are great. There are legit stores but it's the market atmosphere of the stalls that line the street that people are after. Batik galore, t-shirts, souvenirs, jewelry, henna, bags.. That doesn't begin to list everything they have for sale down that street. The light posts were all decorated when were were there for some parade they had just had. It is the capital of Javanese culture and if we had had more than 20 hours there we would have hit up some museums and possibly seen a traditional Prambayan play. Instead we found a little travelers cafe and eat pesto bruschetta and tuna and shopped in their environmental safe-the-world shop that I loved. We then went and checked into the airport and then went and saw the Prambanan temple for a way too short 30 minutes. It is gorgeous and I like it more than Borobudur. I hope to make it out there again before I leave in July.
In Jakarta we stayed at the FM7 hotel near the airport. An ok hotel with a good restaurant, a great work out room complete with a pool, sauna, and hot tub, and free shuttle to the airport. The internet wasn't free and the bathroom was open in the room which made going to the restroom a bit awkward in a room for three.. We went on the sweetest tour of the old fish market and a local fishing village with an associate of a man named Brahm. I would recommend Brahm himself and not the guy we went with, but he was ok. It was where he took us and not he himself that made it awesome. We had lunch at the Batavian Cafe located in the main old Dutch square, and it was the best food and atmosphere I've had so far here in Indonesia. However, it was not Indonesian at all. It was like 1940's decor, a complete bar.. I felt like I was at a manor in some plantation. Big windows, big chairs, crisp white linen table cloth, jazz playing in the background... Oh and loads and loads of pictures filling the walls. Most of them from the 1940's. Famous people and famous photographers. Even the bathroom stalls had framed pictures in them. I really loved it. Got a mint cappuccino frap that was to die for and munched on an assortment of cheese and home made bread for lunch. Split a salad with my mom... What a vacation from Indonesian reality. It's good to find those atmospheres that allow you to get away from it all for a few moments. After a long lunch we faced the heat again and walked around till we decided to get an anggota (small van bus) to Monas, the national monument. Good thing we did because we would have been walking forever. The Monas is a huge torch, about the size of the Statue of Liberty I would say.
They left the next day for Hong Kong and I left about the same they did but headed to Semarang. It was a little tough the first day they were gone but I had activities lined up with the community and teaching started the next day so it was really ok. I'm doing much better now that I was before they visited. Just, mentally, culturally... More focused, more in perspective.
My parents were TROOPERS here. I drug them everywhere, and, while now that they are back in the States they're sick, they weren't sick once here and never complained. Blessed people they are.
Hopefully these give someone out there ideas about what to do when visiting Indo. There are a couple of things I would change but mostly, it went so well.
Thanks mum and dad. Love.
Friday, February 04, 2011
January, February..... hello, March.
It's been a busy few months. When I don't update my blog it's usually because: 1) I feel like I only have negative things to say and I feel like I should keep them to myself 2) I am busy as heck and finding 10 minutes to update the blog is impossible 2.5) It's impossible for me to write a post in a mere 10 minutes and so actually I need more like an hour 3) I can't accurately put into words what I want to communicate (I haven't figured the issue out in my head yet so I can't blog it) 4) My laptop breaks and I have no access to the internet.
Yep, the latter actually happened. My beloved Mac which I have consistently praised and defended against the verbal attacks of PC lovers has died. First it was the hard drive. Started making this clicking sound and then one day the tragic grey back-lit screen with a flashing folder and question mark appeared and never went away. And then my dad brought a new hard drive with him and my Mac wouldn't accept it. Boo.
Consequently, the pictures I have taken in Indo for the last 6 months save the ones I uploaded to Facebook, are now (temporarily, I hope) lost. I threw up in my mouth a little bit when I realized through reading Mac trouble forums on the internet that people who had the same issues as I did often did not get their hard drive contents back. I have decided to be in denial and pretend there is no way that is the case with my computer, and so now it's in Phoenix with my parents and headed to a local Apple repair shop. Worse comes to worse I heard sticking it in a freezer will give me enough time to get most of my stuff off the drive. My dad suggested a hammer and swears beating his hard drive worked once for him but I am skeptical. Things don't usually break into place. Except for the Big Bang. Explosion of nothing creates an awesome, intricate world with people who breathe and love. You don't have to be a skeptic to doubt that one. Just eyes to see the beauty and gift this world is. Not a mistake or a creation of chance. It was an intentional creation of love made by the Son of God. A canvas that he is using to paint a painful picture of love, struggle, and ultimately redemption. We're in the middle of that somewhere. I believe it and I'm trying to live out my life based on that belief.
Back to blogging and my recent absence... Here was a blog post I wrote back in...eh... December, I'd say. Maybe early January....
"I have recently been thinking a little more clearly and directly about my attitudes toward the Indonesian culture. And it's taken me a little more deeper into thoughts on foreign cultures in general and the way us humans react to being exposed to a different way of life and thinking that what we are used to.
I read in a friend's facebook status something on the order of this today.
Before I go into the quote I'm going to take a second to address some of the facebook dissing I've been hearing lately. I am an avid facebooker. I try not to "stalk" people I don't know well, but it's fun to see pictures of friends' engagement picture, or my brother's new sneakers, or my dad's illegally taken pictures of a movie he's watching the story line of which he wants to share. And, other than family, I have awesome friends- friends who want to improve the world, who want to dig in deeper into the meaning of justice and who God is and what Christianity is about. They post some facebook statuses that convict me, that make me think, that challenge me, that are largely beneficial to me. Statuses, links, music, articles. Facebook itself isn't all that awesome, but the friends I have on it are great, and because of that, I use it frequently. Since they updated how feeds work I largely only get feeded the good stuff. So if you think facebook is lame, maybe it's because your friends are lame. Just saying.
The quote was by Wade Davis.
"The world in which you were born is just one model of reality. Other cultures are not failed attempts at being you; they are unique manifestations of the human spirit."
I have had an attitude recently about the culture around me. I'm just being honest here. It's beautiful and interesting for a while, and then when you start living here long term it becomes annoying and frustrating. I've been working through that annoyance and frustration ever since I realized that fighting against the culture was getting me nowhere. The problem was not with the culture, and the culture was not going to change for me because I was resisting it. Luckily the people here have been largely gracious to me and not pointed out my arrogance. That, or my cultural resistance has been largely internal and wasn't communicated through my actions. I hope for the latter. Either way, it's there, and it's given me a miserable few weeks. That said, it's lead to deeper thinking about what I expect from the world and it's people and why we do what we do. It's been showing me my culture and my own very deeply ingrained ideas about how the world should want to be. The world should want to be like me, and try to correct the areas it is not like me. That sounds horrible, but I'm really no different than anyone else. When an Indonesian goes to the US for the first time, I'm sure they feel a similar resistance and confusion. This is not to justify my actions but more to connect me and my experiences with the larger human condition and psyche in order to come to bigger conclusions about culture and human exposure to the different.
As individuals we live like our community revolves around us. So when things are different than what we like or believe communities should be like, there is a resistance and we either sit and gripe or we set out to change those things. Same with our country. We believe it revolves around us and so we fight against it when we believe it is different than how countries should be. So we're in this pattern of resistance. But it's not huge because we grow up in these cultures, and learn to accept them, so the resistance is there if needed but normally it's not huge.
And then you put a human in this condition straight into another country, another community, another culture. Then it's like "Whaaaaaat!" We start resisting like crazy because A) We are people of resistance. We resist all that is different than what we think it should be, because what we think it should be, is what we fight for. What we think is universally right. B) Because there is so much TO resist. We haven't had the opportunity to be acculturated subconsciously like everyone else has. So much more of a struggle.
You combine those two, plus the positive fact that you now feel like you LIVE here. The first 4 months.. a visitor. Now, I live here. Legit. Then you get a lot of resistance.
I'm trying to see the "unique manifestations of the human spirit here". To calm my natural urge to resist that which I think all people should be, which naturally is what I am, and realize that every individual I meet is just as fully human as I am. They each have their own reality. They have, collectively with each other and those from history which they have never met, created this culture which I parachuted into. All that I see, and all that I criticize, is created by people. By criticizing it, I criticize the people. By resisting it and desiring it's change, I am resisting it's people and seeing, instead of who they are, what I want them to be and all the ways that they are not me. It's shameful, and I'm glad that I have realized it.
So really my resistance to the culture and my focusing on what is different goes deeper. The life of Jesus foremostly teaches the love of people and the utter importance of it. I need to work on loving people, and I really do think that will help me with the cultural adjustments.
So here is a promise: I will work on seeing "culture" as people, and when I am negative about culture, I am negative about people. I will do my best to not try and change people or think negatively about the ways they are different then me. I am not God's prototype of perfection and I am not the standard. I am but one unique manifestation of the human spirit. The world in which I was born, the family, the my surroundings, is just one model of reality. This will be a life long learning, because we are always trying to change those around us to be like us. This is a lesson that cross cultural living is teaching me that I will hopefully apply to the rest of my life.
I am not the prototype, I am not the standard. Celebrate and be who you are, and celebrate and let other be who they are. Then watch, enjoy, and love. "
That has been my last two months. A long struggle, but I do feel that I am on the other side, and better for it.
There's something about being in the midst of struggle but living there for a while, and working through it. It's worth it.
January was spent teaching English at the local hospital. I've made a good friend there and several potentially future good friends. I also did some workshops and the university, hung out with my community and church, travelled with my sister and best friend for the first week of the month, and gained about 5 pounds.
February was a fun month with traveling to Singapore for a couple of days to renew our visas. Love that country. It's a little superficial and does not have a clear culture and identity just because of its people's diversity, but they have western food, clean bathrooms with toilet paper, and a diversity of colors sizes and shapes of people, so I like the place.
We stayed at this hostel called The Hive and at $20 a night per person, it was a good deal. Only 2 MRT (metro) stops away from Little India and only about 20 minutes MRT travel to Orchard, the main shopping district. I had been to Singapore before with Joel before coming to Indonesia to get our visas the first time, so it was nice coming back and knowing the ropes at least a little bit. We did good and there was no huge getting lost dilemmas although we cut it a bit too close getting to the airport the morning of our departure. The trip was largely centered around food and we got some awesome results from Joel's Singapore food research. Some great Mexican, Egyptian, and Indian food as well as great coffee and western food purchases at Cold Storage. Two late night McDonalds runs.. When we weren't stuffing our faces we were on a metro on our way to stuff our faces. :) Not really. We walked around a lot and got to shop a little and see some sights. Oh yeah, and we got our new visas. :) Before and after going to Singapore we stayed at Dan and Jeanne's place for two nights and I always enjoy that. I feel so at home at their house and so rested when I spend time there. I want my home to be like theirs one day.
Also in February my parents came to visit. Amanda and Jerica's visit was a little rough in some spots, just not super planned out, so I planned out my parents visit to the hour and it was worth it. It was less stress and we had a great time fitting in all we could in the short 7 days they were here. I got to see Indonesia through their eyes and that blessed me and gave me new motivation for being here. This really IS an awesome, beautiful place and I love traveling around this country and getting to know it more. We spent a day in Semarang resting and making batik, 3 days in Kudus seeing my life and community there, an hour in Salatiga visiting MCC office people, a day in Jogja seeing the sites and souvenir shopping, then a day in Jakarta taking a half day tour that took us through the old fishing area and some off the beaten path trails and discovering the best little Batavia Cafe in the old Dutch square and stuffing our faces with cheese and bread. I ran them ragged and I'm sure they'll sleep for a week now that they are home in AZ, but it was worth it. I had a rough couple of hours after they left but I jumped right back into work as soon as they were gone to that has helped with not missing them.
So February was travel and family.
March will be work and no travel. I have a very full schedule but I'm excited about it. The first day of teaching was today. It was short and good, and I napped for 4 hours when I got home. I had gone a few nights with less than my normal 8 hours of sleep and therefore needed to catch up. Unfortunately that means that it is now 1am and I am still awake as ever. Maybe that is due to the coffee I just drank... I love breaking the rules and doing stuff like drinking coffee at night. Just cause I can. And because I like coffee at night. It makes me think clearer and since it's at night that I do most of my thinking, it works out well.
I am only teaching 2 or three classes a week this semester and the rest of my teaching in Small Speaking Groups solo. I'm excited for that. It's more my style than lecturing is. I'll be working on writing a book with the senior advisor to the Minister of Education for Indonesia. I'll be doing some editing for my Bahasa Indonesian language teacher in Salatiga. I'll be teaching two evenings a week- once at a friends house teaching some guys TOEFL skills and then the other evening teaching the youth at my church. On Fridays I will continue teaching the nurses at the hospital. Thursday nights is Christopherus, an interdenominational Bible study/worship. And Tuesday nights are Papa Ron's Pizza nights, buy one get one free.
It's going to be a busy month, I'd say.
I'm going to be much more intentional about painting this month. I haven't painted but once since I got here and my creative juices are fermenting.
It's one in the morning and it's time to go wash my face and then stare at the ceiling until I can fall asleep. If I don't go do that now, I'll get too scared to go later in the night and I'll end up waking up with grit on my teeth and a pimply face. I'm not a fan of the dark and my imagination gets crazier the later the night gets.
Yep, the latter actually happened. My beloved Mac which I have consistently praised and defended against the verbal attacks of PC lovers has died. First it was the hard drive. Started making this clicking sound and then one day the tragic grey back-lit screen with a flashing folder and question mark appeared and never went away. And then my dad brought a new hard drive with him and my Mac wouldn't accept it. Boo.
Consequently, the pictures I have taken in Indo for the last 6 months save the ones I uploaded to Facebook, are now (temporarily, I hope) lost. I threw up in my mouth a little bit when I realized through reading Mac trouble forums on the internet that people who had the same issues as I did often did not get their hard drive contents back. I have decided to be in denial and pretend there is no way that is the case with my computer, and so now it's in Phoenix with my parents and headed to a local Apple repair shop. Worse comes to worse I heard sticking it in a freezer will give me enough time to get most of my stuff off the drive. My dad suggested a hammer and swears beating his hard drive worked once for him but I am skeptical. Things don't usually break into place. Except for the Big Bang. Explosion of nothing creates an awesome, intricate world with people who breathe and love. You don't have to be a skeptic to doubt that one. Just eyes to see the beauty and gift this world is. Not a mistake or a creation of chance. It was an intentional creation of love made by the Son of God. A canvas that he is using to paint a painful picture of love, struggle, and ultimately redemption. We're in the middle of that somewhere. I believe it and I'm trying to live out my life based on that belief.
Back to blogging and my recent absence... Here was a blog post I wrote back in...eh... December, I'd say. Maybe early January....
"I have recently been thinking a little more clearly and directly about my attitudes toward the Indonesian culture. And it's taken me a little more deeper into thoughts on foreign cultures in general and the way us humans react to being exposed to a different way of life and thinking that what we are used to.
I read in a friend's facebook status something on the order of this today.
Before I go into the quote I'm going to take a second to address some of the facebook dissing I've been hearing lately. I am an avid facebooker. I try not to "stalk" people I don't know well, but it's fun to see pictures of friends' engagement picture, or my brother's new sneakers, or my dad's illegally taken pictures of a movie he's watching the story line of which he wants to share. And, other than family, I have awesome friends- friends who want to improve the world, who want to dig in deeper into the meaning of justice and who God is and what Christianity is about. They post some facebook statuses that convict me, that make me think, that challenge me, that are largely beneficial to me. Statuses, links, music, articles. Facebook itself isn't all that awesome, but the friends I have on it are great, and because of that, I use it frequently. Since they updated how feeds work I largely only get feeded the good stuff. So if you think facebook is lame, maybe it's because your friends are lame. Just saying.
The quote was by Wade Davis.
"The world in which you were born is just one model of reality. Other cultures are not failed attempts at being you; they are unique manifestations of the human spirit."
I have had an attitude recently about the culture around me. I'm just being honest here. It's beautiful and interesting for a while, and then when you start living here long term it becomes annoying and frustrating. I've been working through that annoyance and frustration ever since I realized that fighting against the culture was getting me nowhere. The problem was not with the culture, and the culture was not going to change for me because I was resisting it. Luckily the people here have been largely gracious to me and not pointed out my arrogance. That, or my cultural resistance has been largely internal and wasn't communicated through my actions. I hope for the latter. Either way, it's there, and it's given me a miserable few weeks. That said, it's lead to deeper thinking about what I expect from the world and it's people and why we do what we do. It's been showing me my culture and my own very deeply ingrained ideas about how the world should want to be. The world should want to be like me, and try to correct the areas it is not like me. That sounds horrible, but I'm really no different than anyone else. When an Indonesian goes to the US for the first time, I'm sure they feel a similar resistance and confusion. This is not to justify my actions but more to connect me and my experiences with the larger human condition and psyche in order to come to bigger conclusions about culture and human exposure to the different.
As individuals we live like our community revolves around us. So when things are different than what we like or believe communities should be like, there is a resistance and we either sit and gripe or we set out to change those things. Same with our country. We believe it revolves around us and so we fight against it when we believe it is different than how countries should be. So we're in this pattern of resistance. But it's not huge because we grow up in these cultures, and learn to accept them, so the resistance is there if needed but normally it's not huge.
And then you put a human in this condition straight into another country, another community, another culture. Then it's like "Whaaaaaat!" We start resisting like crazy because A) We are people of resistance. We resist all that is different than what we think it should be, because what we think it should be, is what we fight for. What we think is universally right. B) Because there is so much TO resist. We haven't had the opportunity to be acculturated subconsciously like everyone else has. So much more of a struggle.
You combine those two, plus the positive fact that you now feel like you LIVE here. The first 4 months.. a visitor. Now, I live here. Legit. Then you get a lot of resistance.
I'm trying to see the "unique manifestations of the human spirit here". To calm my natural urge to resist that which I think all people should be, which naturally is what I am, and realize that every individual I meet is just as fully human as I am. They each have their own reality. They have, collectively with each other and those from history which they have never met, created this culture which I parachuted into. All that I see, and all that I criticize, is created by people. By criticizing it, I criticize the people. By resisting it and desiring it's change, I am resisting it's people and seeing, instead of who they are, what I want them to be and all the ways that they are not me. It's shameful, and I'm glad that I have realized it.
So really my resistance to the culture and my focusing on what is different goes deeper. The life of Jesus foremostly teaches the love of people and the utter importance of it. I need to work on loving people, and I really do think that will help me with the cultural adjustments.
So here is a promise: I will work on seeing "culture" as people, and when I am negative about culture, I am negative about people. I will do my best to not try and change people or think negatively about the ways they are different then me. I am not God's prototype of perfection and I am not the standard. I am but one unique manifestation of the human spirit. The world in which I was born, the family, the my surroundings, is just one model of reality. This will be a life long learning, because we are always trying to change those around us to be like us. This is a lesson that cross cultural living is teaching me that I will hopefully apply to the rest of my life.
I am not the prototype, I am not the standard. Celebrate and be who you are, and celebrate and let other be who they are. Then watch, enjoy, and love. "
That has been my last two months. A long struggle, but I do feel that I am on the other side, and better for it.
There's something about being in the midst of struggle but living there for a while, and working through it. It's worth it.
January was spent teaching English at the local hospital. I've made a good friend there and several potentially future good friends. I also did some workshops and the university, hung out with my community and church, travelled with my sister and best friend for the first week of the month, and gained about 5 pounds.
February was a fun month with traveling to Singapore for a couple of days to renew our visas. Love that country. It's a little superficial and does not have a clear culture and identity just because of its people's diversity, but they have western food, clean bathrooms with toilet paper, and a diversity of colors sizes and shapes of people, so I like the place.
We stayed at this hostel called The Hive and at $20 a night per person, it was a good deal. Only 2 MRT (metro) stops away from Little India and only about 20 minutes MRT travel to Orchard, the main shopping district. I had been to Singapore before with Joel before coming to Indonesia to get our visas the first time, so it was nice coming back and knowing the ropes at least a little bit. We did good and there was no huge getting lost dilemmas although we cut it a bit too close getting to the airport the morning of our departure. The trip was largely centered around food and we got some awesome results from Joel's Singapore food research. Some great Mexican, Egyptian, and Indian food as well as great coffee and western food purchases at Cold Storage. Two late night McDonalds runs.. When we weren't stuffing our faces we were on a metro on our way to stuff our faces. :) Not really. We walked around a lot and got to shop a little and see some sights. Oh yeah, and we got our new visas. :) Before and after going to Singapore we stayed at Dan and Jeanne's place for two nights and I always enjoy that. I feel so at home at their house and so rested when I spend time there. I want my home to be like theirs one day.
Also in February my parents came to visit. Amanda and Jerica's visit was a little rough in some spots, just not super planned out, so I planned out my parents visit to the hour and it was worth it. It was less stress and we had a great time fitting in all we could in the short 7 days they were here. I got to see Indonesia through their eyes and that blessed me and gave me new motivation for being here. This really IS an awesome, beautiful place and I love traveling around this country and getting to know it more. We spent a day in Semarang resting and making batik, 3 days in Kudus seeing my life and community there, an hour in Salatiga visiting MCC office people, a day in Jogja seeing the sites and souvenir shopping, then a day in Jakarta taking a half day tour that took us through the old fishing area and some off the beaten path trails and discovering the best little Batavia Cafe in the old Dutch square and stuffing our faces with cheese and bread. I ran them ragged and I'm sure they'll sleep for a week now that they are home in AZ, but it was worth it. I had a rough couple of hours after they left but I jumped right back into work as soon as they were gone to that has helped with not missing them.
So February was travel and family.
March will be work and no travel. I have a very full schedule but I'm excited about it. The first day of teaching was today. It was short and good, and I napped for 4 hours when I got home. I had gone a few nights with less than my normal 8 hours of sleep and therefore needed to catch up. Unfortunately that means that it is now 1am and I am still awake as ever. Maybe that is due to the coffee I just drank... I love breaking the rules and doing stuff like drinking coffee at night. Just cause I can. And because I like coffee at night. It makes me think clearer and since it's at night that I do most of my thinking, it works out well.
I am only teaching 2 or three classes a week this semester and the rest of my teaching in Small Speaking Groups solo. I'm excited for that. It's more my style than lecturing is. I'll be working on writing a book with the senior advisor to the Minister of Education for Indonesia. I'll be doing some editing for my Bahasa Indonesian language teacher in Salatiga. I'll be teaching two evenings a week- once at a friends house teaching some guys TOEFL skills and then the other evening teaching the youth at my church. On Fridays I will continue teaching the nurses at the hospital. Thursday nights is Christopherus, an interdenominational Bible study/worship. And Tuesday nights are Papa Ron's Pizza nights, buy one get one free.
It's going to be a busy month, I'd say.
I'm going to be much more intentional about painting this month. I haven't painted but once since I got here and my creative juices are fermenting.
It's one in the morning and it's time to go wash my face and then stare at the ceiling until I can fall asleep. If I don't go do that now, I'll get too scared to go later in the night and I'll end up waking up with grit on my teeth and a pimply face. I'm not a fan of the dark and my imagination gets crazier the later the night gets.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)