This was my third weekend back in Salatiga, and my second weekend with my host family here. I cannot say that anything tooo terribly exciting happened by Western standards, but if Pizza Hut is involved, it's always an exciting weekend here on Java!
On Friday night, Laura came over for what turned out to be the whole weekend! We biked home together, and ate dinner (ayam keremas was included in this meal, which is the eptiome of Indonesian food- fried crumbs!), and spent the evening on the balcony of the house, which overlooks much of Salatiga, just chatting. Before I went to bed, I took a long mandi (I broke down and asked for hot water) and attempted to combat the horrible skin outbreaks that are occurring as a result of the oily food. (So disappointing.)
On Saturday, Pak Lilik and Ibu Christine took us to Semarang, which is about an hour from Salatiga. It was raining the whole way, and I've a feeling we've now entered the beginning of the rainy season as it has rained or threatened to rain almost every day for the past week. (Still hot as ever though- the humidity has been working its magic on my hair). In Semarang, we stopped at a grocery store, and I got to try Lumpia- a specialty of Semarang that tastes much like a pad thai stuffed spring roll. After groceries, we visited Ibu Christine's father's house, where we tried yellow watermelon for the first time. Tastes about the same as the red stuff! The real treat came after that, when we went for... pizza! Pizza Hut is really special when your opportunities for pizza are limited! (It's not even like I've been all that deprived, but knowing I can't have it makes me want it all the more!) We skipped the tuna corn pizza in favour of meat lovers, which we learned includes hot dogs. Laura asked if next time we might be able to substitute the hot dogs for pepperoni, and I laughed at the thought of that question ever arising in Canada.
On Sunday morning, we went to a different church than the one that my family usually attends here. This one was a small catholic chapel at a convent up in the mountains, just outside of Salatiga. The priest was not Indonesian-born, and his Bahasa Indonesia was thus much easier to understand! I still didn't understand the point of the message, but I could pick up many more words than I could a few weeks ago! The location was stunning, and everything was so fresh and clean. It was a really beautiful experience. We went out for mie ayam after church, one of my favourite meals in Indonesia!
 |
| At the chapel! |
 |
| Mie Ayam and Jus Jeruk! Yum yum yum! |
In the evening, all of us YALTers got in a van and headed off to Ungarang, Nicole's host town, to attend church at the church she will be attending this year. We had been told that it was much more Pentecostal than the churches we had attended thus far, and it was definitely true! I realized what an impact the one hour church services I'm used to have had on me... by 1 hour and 15 minutes, I was glancing at the clock. At 1 hour and 30 minutes, I was tapping my watch. By 1 hour and 45 minutes, I felt surges of rage coursing through my body, at the length, but more so at myself for my inability to just sit and enjoy the service. I reached the peak of frustration at 2 hours, before succumbing to the fact that this wasn't going to end any time soon, and sat there with a sense of defeat. It ended seven minutes later. The negative reaction on my part has led me to think a lot in the last 24 hours about church and about worship. I am constantly realizing here just how narrow my views and beliefs are, and how necessary this year is for expanding them, even in ways I didn't expect. Why should I be angry at a long church service? Is that not simply a longer opportunity to spend time in the presence of other believers, worshiping together and hearing God's word? (I'm not suggesting this, Pastor Rudy! Your sermons are perfect at the length they are!) At the very least, should I not be encouraged by the commitment to and passion for Christ and to the church that the broader Christian community demonstrated last night? I believe that all of these experiences that have been a test on my patience are definitely God trying to teach me to be content in just being still. It's going to be a long year of learning!
 |
| My first full fish! |
Today we were back at the language lesson grind. During our break, Laura and I went out for food and drinks, and discovered a very unique method that an Indonesian used to observe us "bules" (foreigners). We were sitting on the curb (having moved from our original spot in the food court to remove ourselves from the gazes of the juice vendor gentlemen), and discovered a woman shining a mirror at us. When we looked her way, she just gave us a thumbs up and continued to move the mirror in various positions as though trying to get a perfect angle. We watched her do this for a little while before getting up to leave, at which time, she got up, waved good-bye to us, and went on her way. I am still perplexed as to what happened, but I admire the alternative method to the usual staring and pointing!
 |
| The mirror-shining lady! So inconspicuous... (I admire the attempt). |
Tonight is badminton again, and a birthday celebration for a new Indonesian friend! Nothing like a birthday party to make you feel welcomed!
Looking forward to another week of new and exciting experiences, and wishing the same for you, wherever you are!
Have a great day!
Love,
Ellery
No comments:
Post a Comment