The End of Orientation

Selamat Malam! 

Today marks the end of our in-country orientation. I don't think I'll ever be able to fully appreciate just how lucky we were to have an orientation experience like the one that the MCC Indonesia crew puts on for their YALTers (that's SALT and YAMEN combined). Every day was packed full of awesome experiences, from eating at Warungs to visiting the homes of other MCCers to climbing a volcano to today, when I got to ride a motorbike for the first time!

At the end of our orientation activities today (which included four hours of language training- ooooh boy, do I have a lot to learn!), MCC gave us all motorbike helmets. In Indonesia, the vast majority of people use motorbikes as their main mode of transportation, and since we will be living in typical families, chances are high that we'll be riding a motorbike many places. Since I've never ridden one, Dan kindly took me out for a spin to get used to it. We did a pretty big loop, and on the way back, we went down a hill that had a really clear view of Mount Merbabu and behind it, Mount Merapi (one of the world's most active volcanoes). It was a spectacular sight, and I was completely filled with a deep sense of awe and gratitude that God has placed me in Indonesia (remind me of this when I hit that emotional low they keep talking about!). One thing I noticed was that, while I was clinging to Dan for dear life, people on the other motorbikes were perched on the back like it was a stationary chair. I passed a family of four on one. The mother had her two year old in one arm, and was feeding her infant a bottle at the same time. Forget about holding on! I think I have a ways to go before mastering the motorbike!

If you look really closely, you can see Merbabu behind the left side of the house in this picture, taken from Karen and Major's street. (Click on the picture to enlarge it!)

Tonight we were invited to Danielle and Brandon's (two more MCCers) for dinner. We all sat on the floor to eat, and now that I'm thinking about it, it was as comfortable as eating at a table!

Eating spaghetti Indonesian-style!

Tomorrow morning (tonight, for most of you who are 11 hours behind me), I will be meeting my host family for the first time! I will spend a week there, during which time, I will get to experience Idul Fitri, the celebration that occurs at the end of Ramadan. I've been told that it's a huuuuuge deal here, particularly in Semarang, and I'm really excited (and perhaps a bit apprehensive) to witness it! After a week in our host communities, we will return to Semarang with a new motivation to learn Bahasa Indonesia, and will spend six weeks with our language training host families (I already know who mine is, and they are AWESOME!!!!). I am nervous about tomorrow, but confident that MCC has made the best arrangements possible, and that the family I'll be with is excited to have me. I'm preparing myself for a week of cultural blunders, communication mishaps, and a lot of laughs!

I'm not sure if I will get a chance to post during this week. If I don't, I'll be back next week, excited to fill you in on the details of my week of many firsts!!

Until then, keep well! Have an awesome week, everyone!