Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening to you, wherever you may be in the world!
I woke up this morning feeling in one of my dream-like states, where nothing felt real. I had a similar phenomenon happen to me when we went to "Lottemart", the Indo equivalent of Costco or Sam's Club. It's the feeling I get when everything feels just slightly off from "normal" (and the fact that Lottemart had the exact same floor plan and product placement layout as Costco, only with different products, is a prime example of that skewed sense of normal).
My walk to school this morning was particularly noteworthy today (though it probably is every day, but as I have mentioned, "normal" takes on a new form here). I was rounding the corner by the school, when out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a... I want to say man, but it could go either way... making a beeline toward me, "pacman-ing" (in the words of my father) his way across the street. (Though I have been informed that the game "Frogger" is a more accurate description- my apologies to those of you who know your games better than my dad and I!). Anyways, this person was unusually tall for an Indonesian, and extremely skinny. The most notable aspect of his appearance, however (not counting what I detected as a crazed gleam in his eye) was the leopard print miniskirt that he was wearing. He attached himself to my side (as close as anyone I have met here will get, though they keep their hands to themselves, which I greatly appreciate), and followed me a few steps. My guess is that he was hoping for some cash, though I was not looking directly at him so I am not certain. It was the most persistent situation of that that I have found myself in, and required that I stop completely, take a few steps backward, and make very deliberate "leave me alone" hand gestures (which I really don't love doing, I always feel like I'm shooing someone away, and "shooing" another person does not sit very well with me) before he moved on. Needless to say, this further perpetuated the "dream-like" state that I already felt I was in.
I noticed on my walk home, that a rival cell phone shack has set itself up not but 15 feet down from the original one (I believe I've mentioned this one in previous posts- the owner is really friendly and we always say hi to each other on my way to or from church). This new booth does not seem to have the loyal clientele of the other one yet, but perhaps within the next few weeks, I'll see more people milling about. What more reliable place to purchase a cell phone from than a roadside vendor, right?
There is also a becak (rickshaw) that parks itself about a foot and a half from the driveway of where I live. Most often, the driver is someone I have seen before, but on some occasions (like today), it is someone new. I love their reactions when, just as they finish asking me if I would like a ride, they see me turn into my driveway. They're usually pretty cool guys, and I've learned that a lot of them support their entire family on the money that they make as a becak driver. My moments of becak need are few and far between, or else I would use them more often.
I tried Indonesian-ized sushi on Sunday for lunch, and I have to admit, it was better than any sushi I have eaten at home! I was quite impressed. Monday was off to Salatiga, and I got to see Laura, who is my oasis of familiarity in this desert of... unfamiliarity. (That metaphor didn't come out as well as I was expecting.) Her friends at STTS took both of us out for lunch to a beautiful- truly beautiful- warung in the mountains of Kopeng, with delicious food and a breathtaking view. That evening, I attended what was either my sixth or seventh Christmas celebration (eight or ninth if we count the two 3+ hour New Years services), and this one included a gift exchange. I am now the proud owner of a Niko AM/FM portable radio, and can enjoy tuning into Ichthus FM whenever my heart desires!
I got home from school today at around 1PM, and we headed to the tailor again after lunch. Almost all of my pants and a few of my shirts needed altering, and today they wanted to check a few items to make sure they were altering them properly. I was VERY impressed! They even took into consideration the fact that "you will get big again", and left the extra fabric to accommodate such a situation.
I decided today that I needed to get out and do some adventuring on my own (an impulsive desire came over me, and I seized it, for those moments are not the most common for me). I headed off in my comfy running shoes, to explore what I thought was just a small market near the mall. It turned out to be much bigger than I expected, and I only made it a little ways down (stopping for a photo op with a boy who kindly forewarned me that it would be going up on facebook) before turning around to continue my adventure in different places. It would have been a good picture-taking day had I remembered to bring my camera, but luckily, I still have plenty of time! ;)
I finished an entire book today in one sitting. It's called "Heaven is For Real" and it is the account of a young boy's trip to heaven and back. It was a really uplifting and encouraging read, and I've found myself feeling a bit more lighthearted because of it!
Tomorrow is the five month mark in my SALT year (FIVE MONTHS!!), and it also means that I get to open the January gift that my sister sent me- I always look forward to waking up on those days!
Have a good one!
Love,
Ellery
No comments:
Post a Comment