Highs and Lows... and Lower Lows

Hey there Everyone!

Once again, I have allowed quite a bit of time to go by in between posts! On the plus side though, I have a week’s worth of experiences, and I can sift through them, weed out the boring experiences, and perhaps provide you with a more interesting post as a result.

Saturday of last week was once again the day that I was responsible for English lessons at the TK (kindergarten). The week before, I had painstakingly drawn and cut out 55 shirts, shorts, shoes, skirts, belts, and people for the kiddies to colour and, in the case of the people, paste clothes to. I had run out of time to actually complete the activity that day, but there was no way on earth that all that work was going to waste, so the kids made the puppets last week. I didn’t exactly time it perfectly (the puppet-making went 45 minutes past the allotted 30 minutes) but they seemed to enjoy it, and perhaps they learned a little something from it too.

While I’m on the subject, let me just say a huuuuuge thank-you to every single one of my elementary school teachers, particularly Mrs. Pyle, Mrs. Fowler, and Mrs. Edgar, who set me out on the right track back in kindergarten and grade one. I have a newfound respect for teachers- it is a hard job. I’ve always known it isn’t easy, but man, the time that you have to put into it in order to be one of those really memorable and effective teachers is astounding. I’m guessing that it must get easier over time, as you settle into a groove, but still! After 16 years straight of school, I thought that this year would be a bit of a break... instead, my current stress levels rival the stress that I feel the night before an exam that I haven’t properly studied for! One enormous blessing is that the kids in the TK are a dream to teach. Every one of them is enthusiastic and excited to learn. They have so much patience with me as I struggle to explain things to them in Bahasa Indonesia. They eagerly learn songs, they ask for stories and they gasp in excitement every time I turn a page, and they are always willing to participate wholeheartedly in any activity I plan. I couldn’t ask for a better group of kids.

Last Saturday evening was the weekly youth service, and it was followed by ice cream, which is a rare treat. My host family had specifically instructed me not to eat too much of it, as we would be going out for dinner afterwards, and man, did we ever go out for dinner! It was my host sister’s birthday, and we went to her favourite restaurant- S2- to celebrate. S2 is a Chinese/Japanese/Western restaurant cluster, with a common outdoor eating area. You can also order off of any menu no matter which restaurant you’re sitting in. It was all lit up, and it was quiet (or rather, devoid of street noise), which is a rare find in Semarang. It was such a nice evening, and one that I really needed after a busy week.

Sunday is a church-and-mall-walking-day for my host family, and we did just that- went to church, and then headed to the mall to do some walking about. I’m not the world’s biggest shopper, but they say that they do it for the exercise, and I am more than happy for some “exercise” opportunities here. I lack the same opportunities to walk and ride my bike like I did in Salatiga, and I miss it a lot!

Monday was my day off, and I used it to go to Salatiga to visit Ibu Christin and the boys, drop by the office, make some Kraft Dinner, and hang out with Laura. She came back with me to Semarang, and we spent the evening at the mall (yes, by choice! Shopping is the big thing here), and ended our adventure with a trip to Pizza Hut. She ended up spending the night, and we had a quiet evening at my house, watching Harry Potter before heading to sleep. We also made a list of everything that is stressing us out here, and then reasons why we needn’t stress so much. As you will read, though, putting the ideas into practice is proving more difficult than I thought.

Laura accompanied me to school on Tuesday morning, and heard my TK-B class sing Away in a Manger (my biggest accomplishment thus far in my teaching career), before she headed back to Kopeng, where she is serving this year. From the moment she left, my emotional state- which had really been teetering on the brink of mental breakdown- tipped too far one way, and I slid right down into what could be the most negative mental state I have ever found myself in. I got through the rest of the day, as well as the events of the evening. I did get invited out for supper by Indonesian friends, which was my first invitation to do something just for fun, and I was grateful for it.

Still, despite that, I slept horribly that night, and woke up early to talk to Andrew, which resulted in him listening to me bawl for an hour about all of the stresses that I am feeling right now. (Sorry, Andrew!) We ended the call right before I had to go to school, and I got to school with a puffy face, and red eyes. I was asked to pray that morning, and it was probably the shortest prayer in the history of prayers (one teacher hadn’t even gotten her head completely bowed yet), and the combination of everything led the teachers to question my emotional state. Now let me just say that, under normal circumstances, I consistently employ the “I’m a Mennonite, and I’m a Penner” mentality, and I highly value my ability to put on a brave face despite what my true feelings may be. But these are not normal circumstances, and so when one teacher asked me if I’d like to take the day off, I said, “yes.” She went and talked to the principal, and the principal felt so bad for me that she started crying and then I was crying and it was just a big crying mess. She one-upped the offer for the day off, and asked me if I’d like to go to the beach (not actually a beach, but that is the word they use for Marina) for the day. Since my pride was already shot (today, three days later, there are still people at the church asking me if I’m still sad, and that I shouldn’t cry), I eagerly accepted the invitation. The principal made a few arrangements, and within ten minutes, the two of us were off to the beach for the day.

The beach day started out completely normal, and extremely relaxing. The principal stopped and picked us up some snacks, and we just sat by the water, eating and chatting about the fishermen and the crabs and the port (Semarang is a Port city). A turn for the… more unique (I won’t say worse because rock bottom happened that morning already) happened about two hours into our day. I noticed small boats driving around along the shore, and asked about them. The principal asked me if I’d like to go out on one, and I said “heck yes I would!” so off we headed towards the docks. When we got there, however, there were no people, and only a few big boats left. Our fallback plan was to get some fruit from a passing vendor (they go around with a cart, and cut up the fruits that you want and make you a fruit platter!) and sit at the docks and watch the fish.

About 45 minutes later, a group of people walked our way. The principal said something to me, but I didn’t understand anything except that these people were from the church. As they approached, the principal stood and greeted them. They talked for a minute, and then the principal told me that they were going out on a boat, and would I like to join? Well of course, I said yes! I thought nothing of the fact that it was mid-morning on a Wednesday (an odd time for a boat tour, particularly a boat tour taken by those who live in the city), and that one lady was holding a small clay pot in her hands.

I eagerly clambered aboard the (massive and extraordinarily unwieldy) boat, and found a place to sit. I felt the most content that I had in days, and thoroughly enjoyed our departure out of the harbor. We chugged along in this big wooden boat for about ten minutes in what I thought was blissful silence, before the principal said to me, “Ok, we’re going to pray now.” Pray now? I thought, What could we possibly need to pray for at this moment? Well it turns out that that jar had more significance than I originally thought- it held the remains of the husband/father of the people on the boat, and we were out at sea to spread his ashes. Mortified, I did the only thing I could do- join the prayer circle, and then quietly observe as the ashes were scattered. I was then invited to partake in the throwing of flowers, and given that I really didn’t have an excuse not to (I was on a boat out in the ocean, you see) I accepted the invitation, and joined in tossing rose pedals out to sea. Afterward, I quietly sat back down, waiting for the boat to circle the scattered ashes a few times before heading back to the dock. I muttered a “thank you for letting me join” (just to ensure that the experience could be made as awkward as possible), and the people from church headed off.

I learned quite a bit from this experience. For one, the surrealism of it made me completely forget my homesickness, which was a real bonus. For another, I learned about customs and rituals related to funerals here in Indonesia. Most importantly though, I learned yet again how incredibly community-oriented the people are here. In Canada, no way would anyone outside the family be allowed on that boat. Here, I was welcomed wholeheartedly, and even invited to participate in the ceremony. I’m not sure that I needed to learn it that way, but at the very least, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that really tops the “I must be dreaming” feeling I had at the Dolphin show last Friday.

The week settled back into a normal schedule after Wednesday’s little episode. I taught at the TK, as well as at Compassion (where I learned the hard way about the importance of organization and preparation) and at Ichthus FM. I acquired a new teaching position at the Gloria Patria Church, which gives me an opportunity to spend time with a former IVEPer, meet some more kids, and enjoy dinner with an English-speaking crowd. It is really nice to have that chance every so often.

Today I taught TK, where I was rewarded for the hard work I put into making puppets to accompany the book “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” (34 puppets in total). The kids LOVED it, and I think it was an easier concept than last week’s activities. We went shopping in the afternoon, and then I went to church for youth tonight. I was invited out a second time after that, to just hang out, head to the mall, and eat ice cream and nasi goreng (fried rice). I got home late, and talked with my family for a bit. That brings me to this moment!

I’m off to bed! I REALLY hope to get pictures up soon! Sorry, everyone!

Love,

Ellery