Why Helloooo!
This week has been a series of really beautiful days, even though nothing terribly out-of-the-ordinary occurred. It's still nice to have a record of such days- the ones that would be completely forgotten, but that deserve to be remembered...
Tuesday was back to my usual activities, with TK in the morning, and a free afternoon and evening. A little curve ball was thrown my way when my youth pastor asked me if I would be willing to lead the sermon for the youth on Sunday morning- in Bahasa Indonesia. ("45 minutes, but no problem if it's only 30 minutes", he said. "Only" is an interesting word choice...) I anticipated spending the afternoon and evening preparing for this, and then ended up watching Harry Potter instead. (I felt a bit paralyzed at the idea of giving a sermon. That is something I've never done before!)
I got down to writing that sermon on Wednesday. I was given the topic, "Show Your Love For Jesus: Putting Jesus Number One" (ironically one of my biggest struggles), and I felt like I was back at university, writing a three point paper to illustrate the ways that we can show our love for Jesus. It was a good chance for me to reflect on my faith journey a bit, though I definitely threw in many examples of how much I struggle with this. It's all written now, and just needs to be practiced a few more times before tomorrow. I have never spoken for any length of time in Bahasa Indonesia (and admittedly, I sent it to a friend to get it translated- people wouldn't have had any clue what I was talking about if I tried to translate it alone/using google translate) so I'm pretty nervous for it, but Laura is coming to show her support (and she's assured me that there will be at least one person there who isn't devastated if it's a bit on the shorter side), and I'm really glad for this opportunity to stretch my comfort zones. I have already benefited from it; When I went in to talk to the youth pastor about it today, it just so happened that there was pizza in the office! Usually the giveaway foods are something floating in broth or wrapped in rice (those ones are generally appreciated more for the kind gesture of the offer than for the taste itself), so I figured that this must truly be a reward for my agreeing to speak on Sunday ;)
I taught at Gloria Patri on Wednesday night. It was my "All About Canada" night, and I was assured that there would be an LCD to show pictures. When we got there, however, there was no LCD to be had- they had forgotten to set it up. Luckily, Indonesians tend to be extremely patient, and between that and the fluid concept of time here, an hour and three different LCD projectors later (the first two wouldn't work), we were ready to go! After class, we headed out for dinner, to the DP Mall this time, where I got sushi and iced tea (both being new favourites of mine). We also stopped at an Indonesian souvenir kiosk where I got some really awesome souvenirs that I have been wanting for awhile, but haven't been able to find. It was a really great evening.
I woke up on Thursday morning and prepared for teaching Play Group. We learned the word "cow", and we've now created a big enough animal vocabulary- 4 words- to have some fun! We walked/crawled around like cats, dogs, horses, and cows (and dinosaurs, just for the heck of it), and then played some "race to the animal", my own little invention where the pictures of the animals are taped to the pillars in the church basement, and I shout the animal and they all scream with excitement and race around like the little minions in the movie Despicable Me (they even make the minion noises), trying to find it. I'll admit that this game is more for my amusement than theirs.
TK ends at 10:30 on Thursdays, and that gives me two hours between class and Ichthus FM. This is also often a really great time to talk to people back in Canada, since it's around 10:30PM on a weeknight there, and people are often on skype. I got to talk to my sister, who was sitting in the rec room of our house, which I hadn't seen since August! Skype is truly a remarkable invention. I felt like I spent some time in my cozy basement!
I began 'Relaxing Afternoon" (the radio show) on my own, my co-host arriving an hour in. It's a bit pathetic how hard-core I feel when I get to take control of the radio system (what's it actually called? I don't even know the name!), but choosing a topic is always difficult, so I floundered around for an hour, discussing this, that, and the other thing (and playing a lot more songs than normal), until Chris finally arrived. The show was salvaged, and we wrapped up, and then I headed to PPA. I had planned an activity with them, using the English phrases that I've taught them ("My name is...", "I am __ years old", etc.), and I was so impressed with the results! They all did such a great job, and I felt like I had accomplished at least a tiny little something teaching-wise. It was a fun way to spend the afternoon. There is a group of ladies there who always prepare dinner to eat, and who always want me to eat a big portion of whatever it is. The trouble is that my host mom then wants me to eat dinner after that (people just love it when I eat eat eat eat), and so I usually compromise by asking them if I can "bungkus" the food (take it to go- many kids do that there), and I have found that to be a method that pleases everyone. However, the meal on Thursday was quite difficult to bungkus, and they were particularly insistent upon my eating it. I pondered for a minute about whether to put up a fight over it, and then just gave in and accepted the food, and man, was I ever glad I did! The meal was called gado-gado, which is lontong (rice that has been packed and cooked in a banana leaf), a ton of fresh veggies, and peanut sauce. It was delicious! I think it was the first time that I completely finished a meal there, and the ladies were absolutely thrilled. I also tried Dragon Fruit and some tiny little green fruit that looked completely innocent, but that made lemons taste downright sweet compared to their sourness.
Tangguh, one of my students, lives at the PPA location, and their family raises chickens. I watched him balance a chicken on his shoulder, parrot-style (parrots are much better at this than chickens are, and the poor thing fell off and attempted to run away multiple times, but Tangguh was quicker), and then he came running over to me with one of the seven new chicks, and stuck it in my hand. We ended up hanging out in the chicken coop for awhile after dinner, and I learned about the different types of chickens, and watched as Tangguh and his two year old sister Felda ran after the chickens and swung them around by the leg, and tossed them in the air. It was a rough day for the chickens. Tangguh brought me a KitKat bar afterward, and I was quite touched by the gesture. KitKat bars are a bit more of an expensive chocolate here, and I know that he didn't have too many of them left. Kids are just beautiful. My host parents wanted to go to the mall to pick up some stuff for a package that they wanted to send to our church branch in Kalimantan on Thursday night, and I joined them. I can now tell you exactly where every mall is in Semarang, and can likely list off the stores in each one, and most of the products available in those stores. Ah, the unexpected things you learn when you go overseas for a year...
Friday was a big day for my TK-B class, as well as for three other TK classes in the area. We were all heading off on a big field trip to three different places of worship- a mosque, a Hindu Temple, and a Buddhist Temple. I was very curious as to how this was going to pan out- three places in one day with 200 five year olds is quite ambitious. I had forgotten that the typical focus of any outing here is more on the photo-taking, and much less on the experience of being in that place.It seems much more important to get that photo (or 10), and much less important to take in the sites and learn about the place being visited. I have experienced this several times now, and it still confuses me (I don't understand the value of the photo if you don't know very much about the context in which it is taken), but nonetheless, it provided an explanation as to how we would be able to squeeze in three different places in less than six hours (including a break for lunch, and time to get on and off the bus, and organize the kiddies into lines, and to actually get from point A to point B to point C to point A again). I counted eight separate group photo ops for our class alone, and then we also waited for the rest of the kids to get their pictures taken in the various locations. I have to say, it was impressive just how patient and cooperative those kids were. Organizing 28 kindergarten kids into one photo is nearly impossible at home, and this happened eight times! EIGHT!!! Even I wasn't smiling in the last ones. The trip was a really great chance to see some places that I hadn't yet seen though, and they were really beautiful, even if our time there was brief. Another perk was that my principal canceled class for TK-B on Saturday (the joys of running a private school!), and since my main focus on Saturdays is teaching TK-B, I was given a holiday. This meant a chance to sleep in this morning, and I took full advantage of the opportunity.
I got up and got ready for my meeting at church this morning at 11, where I sorted out some of the final details surrounding tomorrow's sermon. I've spent the afternoon practicing that (ohhhh man, the youth are going to have to grant me a LOT of grace and patience), catching up with a friend from home, and writing this blog post! I have no idea what the plans are for the evening, but it has been nice to have some time today to just catch up on my blog, and I'm sure that the evening will be enjoyable no matter what it brings.
Before I close this, I just wanted to thank you all yet again for your messages from home, despite my slow responses, and sometimes no response. Being overseas, one is constantly trying to find the line between using their time to connect with individuals at home and to immerse ourselves in life here. (In fact, during orientation, there was a whole workshop dedicated to this topic, which concluded with a warning to not allow yourself to spend too much time "in your home country", and the suggestion of connecting to home just once a week.) To alleviate unnecessary guilt and stress on my end (related to both not keeping in touch enough, and to being in touch too much), the compromise that I have come to is to read and enjoy those messages from home entirely guilt-free, and then use my blog as a means of updating everyone about life here. This allows me to put some quality time and effort into my blog updates, which gives everyone a much more detailed account of what I'm doing and how things are going for me. If the lack of individual responses has been interpreted as my not receiving or not caring about your messages, I am very sorry! I do not want anyone to think that they've been snubbed, because I deeply value each and every bit of news that I receive from home. I am all the more grateful for it when it is accompanied with an understanding that balancing time invested in home and here can be a challenge, and is one that I really do try my best to manage while I am here.
Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!
Love,
Ellery
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Monday, February 20, 2012
A Detailed Account of A Typical Monday
Gooood Morning!
Today, after a little interaction on the bus, I reflected upon how normal the most unusual experiences have become to me. If for nothing other than my own records, I thought today might be a good day to jot down a few of those experiences. I'm curious as to just how abnormal these things are in the eyes of those of you back in the homeland, as my perception has become a bit skewed!
Before that, however, I'll give you a brief overview of my day yesterday, Sunday. I arrived at church at 7:30AM as per usual. Church here usually goes from 8-10, and we always arrive half an hour early, for a total of two and a half hours on the pew. We are also among the last to leave on most Sundays, as my host parents are heavily involved in church activities. Normally, we sit downstairs in the cafe area until about 10:45, and then head out for lunch from there. Yesterday however, there was a special youth service- a drama of sorts, titled "How Do I find My Soulmate?" The title was in English, but the rest was in Bahasa Indonesia, and while I can hold my own in a one-on-one conversation on most occasions, I am incapable of following any type of presentation or sermon. Still I thought, Well, it's a drama, so I'm sure I can follow along. This "drama" was to begin at 11AM and run until 1PM, the length of a regular church sermon. The church service came and went, and we headed on down to the cafe, where I sipped on a coconut milk beverage with pieces of coconut floating about in it (a very common and very delicious drink, I must say), and waited out the hour in between the two church events. I was offered food, but turned it down, thinking the coconut drink would tide me over until 1:00. 11:00 arrived, and upstairs I went to watch this eye-opening drama. 11:10 passed by, then 11:20... Things finally got underway at 11:30. I felt a bit uneasy, realizing that the service would now likely be going until 1:30 instead of 1, but at least this is a drama, I thought. Well, the word "drama" turned out to be very misleading. The event was in fact an "interactive sermon" (complete with in-depth personality quizzes to determine your ideal soulmate) in Bahasa Indonesia (which makes sense, of course). I will give it to them that the couch and chairs set up on stage gave the illusion of a dramatic component, and when the speaker sat down on said couch, I did feel like we were on the cusp of a drama of sorts. Had it ended at the 1:00 mark, or even at 1:30, I would have reflected upon the experience with near-fond memories. However, when I found myself still sitting on that pew at 2:30PM with nothing but that coconut drink in my stomach, I couldn't help but feel a trifle irritated. 6 hours on a pew listening to a language that one cannot comprehend, with only that hour break in between, does not bode well for one's sanity (or rear end... a more uncomfortable pew surely cannot exist). My host family finally came to my rescue, and I was whisked away for an incredibly delicious Indonesian lunch. My host dad says I only enjoyed it so much since I was so hungry, but it was hands down the best nasi goreng I've eaten here- served on a banana leaf! I will likely be asked several times in the upcoming week why on earth I would have left early (and the shocked and confused looks that I got as I made my swift and premature exit from the "drama" will forever stick in my mind), but I do not regret heading out. It may have been really interesting- the title was intriguing- but if you can't understand it, then it really doesn't matter if the content is really great, does it? My sanity was on the line!
I headed to Salatiga this morning around 8AM, arriving in Salatiga just after 9:30. My host sister and I were driven there by the driver of my host dad's company, and it was a pretty typical drive. One of my favourite things to observe was a guy giving his rooster a bath. There are tons of chickens and roosters that run around here, or that are kept under a bamboo "lid", as was the one in this case. The guy had lifted the one side, and was spraying the rooster down with a hose. The rooster looked thrilled, as one could imagine.
I stopped in at the office, which turned out to be empty today, as everyone was at a conference. I talked to the office helper, Pak Pri, for a few minutes, and checked my mail, and then headed towards the salon for a cream bath. The lady who gave me my cream bath just loved my hair, and seemed quite disappointed when I told her I didn't want it blow dried. She asked if I would like her to "pakai foam" (use mousse), and she looked so hopeful that I said of course she could. She painstakingly divided my hair into five sections, curled each section with her fingers (all the while talking about how pretty it is, though "terlalu panjang"- too long; people never seem to hesitate in telling you how they feel about your appearances), and then brought the mirror over for me to take a look. Five big curls isn't really my style, but she seemed quite proud of her work, and I wholeheartedly appreciated her efforts.
From there, I made my way over to Pak Lilik and Ibu Christin's house, as Ibu Christin had invited Laura and I for lunch. I enjoyed the walk, stopping to take a picture of a GIANT slug and to admire the newly painted neon green and orange mosque in the city centre (I suppose the calls to prayer weren't drawing in the masses, and an alternative attention-grabbing tactic was sought out). I also found a chameleon on my travels, which was cool! I rarely see chameleons. I took a few pictures of those roosters in cages, as well as a guy cutting down a tree. The safety requirements here evidently aren't too specific, because this guy had merely a rope tied around his stomach, and I don't think that he was even wearing shoes. Sometimes I'm just in awe of what human beings are capable of- this guy was scurrying around that tree like a monkey, hacking down branches with his little axe, left and right. It was crazy!
I caught an ankota the rest of the way to Pak Lilik and Ibu Christin's, and arrived just before noon. Their helper, Ibu Rini, was waiting for me, along with Steven, who greeted me with his usual heart-melting smile. There truly is not a child alive that could possibly exceed Steven in cuteness. He produced the Canada puzzle that my family had given him and Peter for Christmas, and we worked on that until Ibu Christin came home with Peter. Ibu Rini had made Jus sirsak (juice made from a fruit that tastes a bit like a jolly rancher), and I enjoyed that and an appetizer of french fries while Ibu Rini and Ibu Christin worked on a homemade pizza. Laura arrived, and we all finished the puzzle together (amazingly, only one piece has gone missing!), and then sat down to the most delicious pizza found in Indonesia- Pizza A La Bu Rini. Ibu Rini used to work in a restaurant, and I've yet to encounter fluffier dough or tastier sauce than that found in her pizza. There were even fresh bell peppers at the market today, so the pizza was better than ever! Ibu Rini said that she would teach me how to make the dough and the sauce the next time I'm there. I'm planning a sleepover to Pak Lilik's and Ibu Christin's sometime after the retreat. Pak Lilik came home for lunch too, and we all ate together. Afterward, Pak Lilik headed back to the conference, and Laura and I stuck around to watch Shaun the Sheep, a very popular kids show here that is quite entertaining for adults as well. We headed out around 2:30, in the rain that is typical of an afternoon during the rainy season in Central Java. We hopped on the number 9 angkota, and headed to the main corner to catch our buses home.
While we were waiting for our buses, a man beckoned us to an overhang to wait in a more sheltered area. He greeted me enthusiastically, and then asked me what my name was. He also asked for my cell phone number (I took the "don't have one" route this time... is that really awful of me?), and then asked me to write down my name for him. I truly did not have a pen or paper, but this did not stop my new friend! He asked if I was catching a bus to Semarang, which was conveniently pulling around the corner as I responded "Yes I am." He ushered me on the bus, and followed me up the bus steps (I left Laura standing at the corner, waiting for her own bus to take her in the opposite direction). I got the sense that the man would sit down beside me if I provided the opportunity, and to avoid an awkward situation, I sat down next to someone rather than finding two seats to myself, as I normally do. The guy disappeared to the back of the bus, and I put in my headphones. About two minutes later, there was a tap on my shoulder, and the guy handed me a piece of newspaper with his name and address written on it. "Don't forget to write me!" he called, and then hopped off the bus again. The funny thing is, this is by no means the first time that such an interaction has taken place. They happen to all of us "bules" (white people) on a daily basis. Not all interactions go to the point of being followed onto the bus, but it's definitely not completely strange to have that happen here. On Saturday, on my way back from visiting my student's house, a guy (presumably the father of the three kids on his motorcycle) blew me kisses from the other side of the road. I am often asked if I have a boyfriend (it's so nice to not have to make something up in response to that question! Thank you, Andrew!!), and the looks of dismay upon hearing my response are quite comical at times. (I can't even communicate with you boys! Do you really think I would go for it even if I was single?? That said, there was a girl a few years ago who married a guy she met here, so I suppose it's not completely out of the question.)
I got off the bus in Banyumanik, and switched to the angkota, which is normally the more unpredictable leg of the journey. It didn't disappoint me today! The driver was an unusually friendly one, and I don't think he'd ever seen a white person before, let alone one who could (kind of) speak Bahasa Indonesia. I thought he was going to pee his pants, he was laughing so hard at every word that came out of my mouth. The angkota was also filled with the chattiest group of women, who seemed to be best friends, although they all got off in different places. They asked me a million questions, and told me a bunch of times just how beautiful I am (it's the nose- people here have a thing for noses), and attempted to help me find my destination, unaware that I know the route quite well, having done it every week for over 4 months now. It was probably the most fun angkota ride I've had, and the driver didn't even try to rip me off, which is quite rare! I walked home, waving at the people who called out to me (one of them being one of my students- I heard "BU ELLERY!" from across the street), and finally arrived at my house, safe and sound, and eager to blog about the events of the day.
These last few days have been really good ones- Singapore worked miracles on my mental health! Nonetheless, I am still so grateful for your messages, letters, and emails- they continue to be one of my greatest sources of strength in this experience. The time is picking up rapidly now (February 20th! WHAT!?), and Pak Lilik said that everyone seems to feel that way after the visa renewal trip. He said that next year, the plan is to switch visa types so that people do not have to leave the country in order to renew their visas. He acknowledged the downside to that as well, and I must say, I'm thankful I slipped in this year, because I don't know what I would have done without that trip. That said, it has also had the opposite effect on a few people in the group, and they are struggling now to get back into the groove of their positions after getting a taste of the independence and Westernization that we've been craving. Thoughts and prayers for the team are always greatly appreciated!
Less than three weeks until team retreat, and there are some fun things happening in between now and then. I'll save those for another blog post ;)
Have a wonderful day!
Lots of love,
Ellery
Today, after a little interaction on the bus, I reflected upon how normal the most unusual experiences have become to me. If for nothing other than my own records, I thought today might be a good day to jot down a few of those experiences. I'm curious as to just how abnormal these things are in the eyes of those of you back in the homeland, as my perception has become a bit skewed!
Before that, however, I'll give you a brief overview of my day yesterday, Sunday. I arrived at church at 7:30AM as per usual. Church here usually goes from 8-10, and we always arrive half an hour early, for a total of two and a half hours on the pew. We are also among the last to leave on most Sundays, as my host parents are heavily involved in church activities. Normally, we sit downstairs in the cafe area until about 10:45, and then head out for lunch from there. Yesterday however, there was a special youth service- a drama of sorts, titled "How Do I find My Soulmate?" The title was in English, but the rest was in Bahasa Indonesia, and while I can hold my own in a one-on-one conversation on most occasions, I am incapable of following any type of presentation or sermon. Still I thought, Well, it's a drama, so I'm sure I can follow along. This "drama" was to begin at 11AM and run until 1PM, the length of a regular church sermon. The church service came and went, and we headed on down to the cafe, where I sipped on a coconut milk beverage with pieces of coconut floating about in it (a very common and very delicious drink, I must say), and waited out the hour in between the two church events. I was offered food, but turned it down, thinking the coconut drink would tide me over until 1:00. 11:00 arrived, and upstairs I went to watch this eye-opening drama. 11:10 passed by, then 11:20... Things finally got underway at 11:30. I felt a bit uneasy, realizing that the service would now likely be going until 1:30 instead of 1, but at least this is a drama, I thought. Well, the word "drama" turned out to be very misleading. The event was in fact an "interactive sermon" (complete with in-depth personality quizzes to determine your ideal soulmate) in Bahasa Indonesia (which makes sense, of course). I will give it to them that the couch and chairs set up on stage gave the illusion of a dramatic component, and when the speaker sat down on said couch, I did feel like we were on the cusp of a drama of sorts. Had it ended at the 1:00 mark, or even at 1:30, I would have reflected upon the experience with near-fond memories. However, when I found myself still sitting on that pew at 2:30PM with nothing but that coconut drink in my stomach, I couldn't help but feel a trifle irritated. 6 hours on a pew listening to a language that one cannot comprehend, with only that hour break in between, does not bode well for one's sanity (or rear end... a more uncomfortable pew surely cannot exist). My host family finally came to my rescue, and I was whisked away for an incredibly delicious Indonesian lunch. My host dad says I only enjoyed it so much since I was so hungry, but it was hands down the best nasi goreng I've eaten here- served on a banana leaf! I will likely be asked several times in the upcoming week why on earth I would have left early (and the shocked and confused looks that I got as I made my swift and premature exit from the "drama" will forever stick in my mind), but I do not regret heading out. It may have been really interesting- the title was intriguing- but if you can't understand it, then it really doesn't matter if the content is really great, does it? My sanity was on the line!
I headed to Salatiga this morning around 8AM, arriving in Salatiga just after 9:30. My host sister and I were driven there by the driver of my host dad's company, and it was a pretty typical drive. One of my favourite things to observe was a guy giving his rooster a bath. There are tons of chickens and roosters that run around here, or that are kept under a bamboo "lid", as was the one in this case. The guy had lifted the one side, and was spraying the rooster down with a hose. The rooster looked thrilled, as one could imagine.
I stopped in at the office, which turned out to be empty today, as everyone was at a conference. I talked to the office helper, Pak Pri, for a few minutes, and checked my mail, and then headed towards the salon for a cream bath. The lady who gave me my cream bath just loved my hair, and seemed quite disappointed when I told her I didn't want it blow dried. She asked if I would like her to "pakai foam" (use mousse), and she looked so hopeful that I said of course she could. She painstakingly divided my hair into five sections, curled each section with her fingers (all the while talking about how pretty it is, though "terlalu panjang"- too long; people never seem to hesitate in telling you how they feel about your appearances), and then brought the mirror over for me to take a look. Five big curls isn't really my style, but she seemed quite proud of her work, and I wholeheartedly appreciated her efforts.
From there, I made my way over to Pak Lilik and Ibu Christin's house, as Ibu Christin had invited Laura and I for lunch. I enjoyed the walk, stopping to take a picture of a GIANT slug and to admire the newly painted neon green and orange mosque in the city centre (I suppose the calls to prayer weren't drawing in the masses, and an alternative attention-grabbing tactic was sought out). I also found a chameleon on my travels, which was cool! I rarely see chameleons. I took a few pictures of those roosters in cages, as well as a guy cutting down a tree. The safety requirements here evidently aren't too specific, because this guy had merely a rope tied around his stomach, and I don't think that he was even wearing shoes. Sometimes I'm just in awe of what human beings are capable of- this guy was scurrying around that tree like a monkey, hacking down branches with his little axe, left and right. It was crazy!
I caught an ankota the rest of the way to Pak Lilik and Ibu Christin's, and arrived just before noon. Their helper, Ibu Rini, was waiting for me, along with Steven, who greeted me with his usual heart-melting smile. There truly is not a child alive that could possibly exceed Steven in cuteness. He produced the Canada puzzle that my family had given him and Peter for Christmas, and we worked on that until Ibu Christin came home with Peter. Ibu Rini had made Jus sirsak (juice made from a fruit that tastes a bit like a jolly rancher), and I enjoyed that and an appetizer of french fries while Ibu Rini and Ibu Christin worked on a homemade pizza. Laura arrived, and we all finished the puzzle together (amazingly, only one piece has gone missing!), and then sat down to the most delicious pizza found in Indonesia- Pizza A La Bu Rini. Ibu Rini used to work in a restaurant, and I've yet to encounter fluffier dough or tastier sauce than that found in her pizza. There were even fresh bell peppers at the market today, so the pizza was better than ever! Ibu Rini said that she would teach me how to make the dough and the sauce the next time I'm there. I'm planning a sleepover to Pak Lilik's and Ibu Christin's sometime after the retreat. Pak Lilik came home for lunch too, and we all ate together. Afterward, Pak Lilik headed back to the conference, and Laura and I stuck around to watch Shaun the Sheep, a very popular kids show here that is quite entertaining for adults as well. We headed out around 2:30, in the rain that is typical of an afternoon during the rainy season in Central Java. We hopped on the number 9 angkota, and headed to the main corner to catch our buses home.
While we were waiting for our buses, a man beckoned us to an overhang to wait in a more sheltered area. He greeted me enthusiastically, and then asked me what my name was. He also asked for my cell phone number (I took the "don't have one" route this time... is that really awful of me?), and then asked me to write down my name for him. I truly did not have a pen or paper, but this did not stop my new friend! He asked if I was catching a bus to Semarang, which was conveniently pulling around the corner as I responded "Yes I am." He ushered me on the bus, and followed me up the bus steps (I left Laura standing at the corner, waiting for her own bus to take her in the opposite direction). I got the sense that the man would sit down beside me if I provided the opportunity, and to avoid an awkward situation, I sat down next to someone rather than finding two seats to myself, as I normally do. The guy disappeared to the back of the bus, and I put in my headphones. About two minutes later, there was a tap on my shoulder, and the guy handed me a piece of newspaper with his name and address written on it. "Don't forget to write me!" he called, and then hopped off the bus again. The funny thing is, this is by no means the first time that such an interaction has taken place. They happen to all of us "bules" (white people) on a daily basis. Not all interactions go to the point of being followed onto the bus, but it's definitely not completely strange to have that happen here. On Saturday, on my way back from visiting my student's house, a guy (presumably the father of the three kids on his motorcycle) blew me kisses from the other side of the road. I am often asked if I have a boyfriend (it's so nice to not have to make something up in response to that question! Thank you, Andrew!!), and the looks of dismay upon hearing my response are quite comical at times. (I can't even communicate with you boys! Do you really think I would go for it even if I was single?? That said, there was a girl a few years ago who married a guy she met here, so I suppose it's not completely out of the question.)
I got off the bus in Banyumanik, and switched to the angkota, which is normally the more unpredictable leg of the journey. It didn't disappoint me today! The driver was an unusually friendly one, and I don't think he'd ever seen a white person before, let alone one who could (kind of) speak Bahasa Indonesia. I thought he was going to pee his pants, he was laughing so hard at every word that came out of my mouth. The angkota was also filled with the chattiest group of women, who seemed to be best friends, although they all got off in different places. They asked me a million questions, and told me a bunch of times just how beautiful I am (it's the nose- people here have a thing for noses), and attempted to help me find my destination, unaware that I know the route quite well, having done it every week for over 4 months now. It was probably the most fun angkota ride I've had, and the driver didn't even try to rip me off, which is quite rare! I walked home, waving at the people who called out to me (one of them being one of my students- I heard "BU ELLERY!" from across the street), and finally arrived at my house, safe and sound, and eager to blog about the events of the day.
These last few days have been really good ones- Singapore worked miracles on my mental health! Nonetheless, I am still so grateful for your messages, letters, and emails- they continue to be one of my greatest sources of strength in this experience. The time is picking up rapidly now (February 20th! WHAT!?), and Pak Lilik said that everyone seems to feel that way after the visa renewal trip. He said that next year, the plan is to switch visa types so that people do not have to leave the country in order to renew their visas. He acknowledged the downside to that as well, and I must say, I'm thankful I slipped in this year, because I don't know what I would have done without that trip. That said, it has also had the opposite effect on a few people in the group, and they are struggling now to get back into the groove of their positions after getting a taste of the independence and Westernization that we've been craving. Thoughts and prayers for the team are always greatly appreciated!
Less than three weeks until team retreat, and there are some fun things happening in between now and then. I'll save those for another blog post ;)
Have a wonderful day!
Lots of love,
Ellery
Saturday, February 18, 2012
...And Two Weeks Later...
Hello Hello, my lovely friends and family!
Once again, I apologize for the severe lag in posts, and for the mammoth essay that I am now writing to compensate for that lag. On the upside, however, this gap can be taken as a good sign; the last two weeks have been busy busy busy, and absolutely chalk FULL of fun things! I'll waste no time in sharing those things with you...
Last Tuesday and Wednesday passed by at a snail's pace, as the days leading up to something exciting seem to do, though Wednesday night was a highlight as we (my friend Debora and I) went out for an awesome dinner with Ibu Linda and Pak Heri, to celebrate Pak Heri's birthday. In this case, the excitement was Mike's arrival on Thursday night. Mike is a fellow Indonesia SALTer, but his placement is one of the two that are not on Java. Because of the distance and the flight costs, Mike has not been back to Java since we left Salatiga back in October. I anticipated his arrival with almost as much excitement as I did my dad's (though I managed to hold back the tears of joy this time...) After TK and a shortened session at Ichthus FM, my host parents and I headed to the airport. Mike's flight was on time, and it was a great little reunion with what felt like a long-lost member of our Indo Fam. My host parents treated Mike (and myself) like royalty, with activities and adventures every night. We enjoyed some AWESOME food, did some mall-hopping (malls are by far the most common hangout spot for youth and young adults in Semarang- I suppose some things are just universal!), and satisfied Mike's cravings for McDonalds, which cannot be found where he is serving. Laura joined us on Saturday night, and we went to a movie on Sunday night (more for the experience than for the actual film- "Chronicle" was among the most scarring movies I have ever seen. If it's playing in North America or wherever you are, I discourage you from seeing it.) Having Mike and Laura here was a huuuuge spirit-booster for myself, and it was especially exciting because our trip to Singapore (SINGAPORE!!!!) was on the horizon!
On Monday morning, after a little incident involving a bottle of blue nail polish that fell off my desk (and predictably shattered on the tile floor, flinging nail polish everywhere- it took me over two hours clean up today), Laura, Mike, and I headed off to Salatiga. We arrived in the late morning, and went straight to MCC, where, on top off all the good things that were going on, I found a package from my friend Rachael that arrived four months after she shipped it!! After checking week after week to see if it had arrived, I had given up on it, so it was such an awesome surprise! I opened my package, and then we headed for lunch to Cosmo cafe. Riki and Jason arrived in the early afternoon, and the five of us took a bis kecil (small bus) up to Kopeng to hang out at Laura's. A feeling of absolute contentment swept over me there, as I thought about how incredibly lucky I am to have these people in my life here. Being here has not always been easy (as you may well know), but my life has been SO enriched for meeting these people, and this experience has been worth it for that alone.
We returned from Kopeng in time for dinner at Karen and Major's, where Nicole met us. The eight of us talked about the logistics surrounding our trip to Singapore, and then we baked cookies (well, I ate freshly baked cookies) and played some Settlers of Catan (I lost miserably) before heading to Dan and Jeanne's for the night. I had the best night sleep that I have had since arriving in Indonesia (complete with good dreams!), and awoke to something that is next to impossible to find here- bagels! It was my first one in over six months, and those and the fresh banana milkshakes that Jeanne made, assured me that the day was going to be an amazing one.
Karen and Major and the boys (who had slept at Karen and Major's) arrived just before 8AM, and we were driven to the Semarang airport. Our two and a half days of pure bliss began the second we got through security, with Riki's purchase of fried cheese pockets that she generously shared with all of us.We boarded our plane just before 11AM, and flew to Jakarta (about an hour-long flight). Minus Mike, it was everyone's first time back in the Jakarta airport, and we were amazed at how beautiful it was. We certainly didn't remember it that way when we were coming from North America! Karen and Major had appointed Nicole as the person in charge of all money and passports, so I felt like I was traveling with my mom, who normally deals with paperwork; I could completely relax! From Jakarta, we flew to the Singapore airport, arriving around 4PM on Tuesday afternoon. I wish I could put into words the feeling of arriving there. The Singapore airport has been ranked number one in the world (though it is in stiff competition with the Hong Kong International Airport), and once you've seen it, you'll understand why. Besides being spotlessly clean (you could almost lick the floors), there are waterfalls, gardens, playgrounds, a pool, and a mini-forest growing inside. It's just ridiculous!! And coming from a place that doesn't rank number one in cleanliness (likely doesn't make the top 10 list either...), our jaws dropped at the sight of this place. I would have been perfectly content to spend our two days in the airport, but we had more to do than just hang out there, and so we went through immigration, grabbed a burger at McDonalds, and hopped on the (spotless, air-conditioned, punctual) SkyTrain which would take us to Philip and Iris' flat in Queenstown. Philip and Iris are friends of Karen and Major's, and they have past connections to MCC Indonesia. Philip is from New Zealand, and Iris is from Malaysia, and they have an adorable two year old son named Jeffrey. After a bit of confusion and disagreement in directions, we arrived at their flat on the third floor of a 30-floor apartment building, the most common living accommodation to be found in Singapore. Once the introductions were made, Philip and Iris spoke the magic words: "Here's a key. Come and go as you please." WHAT!? I wish I could convey to you just how much joy that brought me and everyone else on the team, all of whom are coming from six months of the opposite. We had almost forgotten what that kind of independence felt like like, and I will be forever grateful to Philip and Iris for allowing us to fulfill our craving for that.
We took full advantage of the chance to do just as we please, beginning about 10 minutes after we arrived in Queenstown. After dropping off our things, we hopped back on the SkyTrain to Holland Village, where we were told we could find a Mexican restaurant (yes, in Holland Village- odd, I know). Sure enough, Cha Cha Cha's was waiting for us (or rather, we waited for it, as it was Valentines Day, and every restaurant in that area was overflowing with people). We walked around for a bit beforehand, eating doritoes and marveling at the cleanliness (Singapore has very strict laws about litter, spitting, and gum chewing, and I wholeheartedly support these laws), and by 9:30PM, I found myself staring at a massive quesadilla and a dish of refried beans. We had been expecting mediocre Mexican cuisine, and our lowered expectations once again worked to our advantage. I don't even really eat Mexican food at home, but this meal was likely the new number one meal I've eaten in 6 months. (I'll acknowledge now that this blog post will be absolutely filled with references to food, as that was our top focus in Singapore.) It was also by far the most expensive meal I've eaten in 6 months (I gasp in horror when a food bill in Indonesia hits 30,000 rupiah, or about $4 CAN, just to give you an indication of what I've become accustomed to here), but it was worth every penny. We sat around chatting for awhile, and then headed back to the flat for a decent night's sleep.
On Saturday morning, we awoke around 7AM and had a quick breakfast at the flat, before heading to Pak Wahab's "visa office" to deal with visa renewal things. This visit- the sole purpose of our trip to Singapore- took place on a McDonalds patio on Orchard Road (the top shopping strip in Singapore), and consumed about 4 minutes of our time. It is a bit unnerving to hand all our personal documents and $1000 USD to a man who works out of a McDonalds, but these were our instructions by MCC, and they've done this more than once, so we trusted the system in place, and didn't give it a second thought.
From then until 4PM, the time was ours, and we used it as wisely as we possibly could. We began our day at an import grocery store, where I anticipated purchasing enough snacks to see me through until Andrew's visit in April. I eagerly grabbed a basket, and began exploring the options. After about 45 minutes, I went to the checkout line with my goods- one bag of chips and a box of Voortman's cookies. Turns out that reverse culture shock is entirely legitimate, and I was completely overwhelmed by the selection (and the prices) of the goods available to me. It was the oddest sensation to struggle so much with a grocery shopping trip, and I found it enough to just look at everything. It also struck me that part of the anticipation of going back to Canada is the food. I've already been sent packages that contain Western goodies like Kraft Dinner and Crispers, and I just didn't feel the desperate need to satisfy any more of my Western cravings; there's something exciting about the anticipation of waiting to fulfill them in July! No one else seemed to have any issues however, and purchases included Tostitos, salsa, Nature Valley bars, and Aero chocolate. Just outside the entrance to the grocery store, I stumbled across a very VERY beautiful invention- bacon wrapped sausage. The debate over whether or not to invest in a stick was short-lived, and within 30 seconds, I found myself savouring the taste of salty bacon. What a treat that was!
The six of us headed to a bookstore after that, and then to a really nice souvenir store. We then walked to a Subway to get subs, and then headed back to the flat to drop off our purchases. Nicole stayed behind for the day as she wasn't feeling the greatest, and we all took a few minutes to rest before continuing on our adventures. The five of us headed back out around 1:30, to Marina Bay Sands, a REALLY upscale hotel and shopping area right on the water. The shopping complex had a canal running through it, where one could ride boats if they so desired- inside! Bizarre. Since the prices were a mite out of our league ($6 for a cupcake...), we just looked around and took in the cleanliness, and then headed back to the Orchard Park area in time to pick up our passports. Jason ran ahead to do this, and by the time the rest of us caught up with him, Pak Wahab had come and gone, and all of our visa stuff was taken care of! We were free to do what we wanted for the rest of the time in Singapore!
We stopped for a beverage at The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, and then took the SkyTrain to Little India, to satisfy a craving for Indian food. Little India was a really cool part of the city, with lots of little shops and restaurants. We went to a vegetarian restaurant that proved to be delicious (though I passed on the food item that was labeled "Mango Milk Barfi"), and then went to a little souvenir shop to pick up a few things. We had planned to do the Singapore Zoo Night Safari that evening, and conveniently, there is a bus stop specifically for the Night Safari in Little India. We were picked up around 7:30, and driven a ways away to the zoo. The Singapore Zoo is supposedly the best zoo in the world, and after the night safari, I can understand why! The zoo is designed in such a way that it looks like the animals are roaming freely. They use trenches and hidden fences to give the zoo a natural look, as well as tons of trees and lots of space. The result is spectacular- it feels like the hyenas could just leap across the road and consume the water buffalo that live on the other side. (Man, it must be torture for the hyenas to look at those water buffalo all day, without any way to get to them). A night safari is such a cool thing, because the night life of many of these animals is so rarely seen. We took a tram that we could hop on and off of, and saw animals from all parts of the world (as well as a ton of deer, who, I believe, are the equivalent to pretzels in party mix- the item that no one wants, but that beefs up the content.) We went right into the bat cage, and watched as Jason flinched and flailed every time a bat flew by (Aunt Debbie, you would have loved this exhibit!). We hung around the zoo until 11PM, and then took the same bus back, and caught the last SkyTrain ride of the day, back to the flat. We were absolutely exhausted, but blissfully content after our day of sightseeing and eating.
We decided to go out for breakfast on Thursday morning, and found a place in the mall that served the traditional bacon/eggs/hashbrowns/toast. This was another first for me here on this side of the world- it was delicious! From there, we headed back the The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf to have another drink and sit on their beautiful patio. Finally, around 10:45, we begrudgingly tore ourselves away from the streets of Singapore, to pack up and head back to the airport. Our flight left at 3:30, and we left enough time to grab lunch (Subway) at the airport. Our flight was delayed, giving us a bit of extra time to sit and chat, and then before we knew it, we were back on the plane to Jakarta. We had to say good-bye to Mike there, as he had to head back to his placement, and the rest of us boarded our flight to Semarang.
My host parents met us at the airport, and took Riki, Jason, and I back to our place (Laura and Nicole took a taxi back to Salatiga). They eased us back into life in Indonesia with a stop at KFC, and Jason and Riki slept over at my house. Jason left yesterday morning, and Riki stuck around until this morning, which I was really grateful for. It's really hard to go from having so many people around to being alone again, but the transition was made much smoother with the staggered departures of my dear Indo Fam. We had our expectations set quite low for our return to Java, and the good thing about that was that being back hasn't been as hard as I was expecting. I know we were only gone for two nights, but I was worried that after getting a taste of familiarity (Singapore is a VERY Westernized city), I would really struggle with my return. However, thus far, I've found that that trip had the opposite (and much more positive) effect on me. Besides being refreshing and fun, Singapore reminded me of what I felt like back before arriving for this year away. I had become really worn out prior to Singapore, and had forgotten what it felt like to feel just carefree and lighthearted. I forgot what that feeling of independence was like. It was such a relief to discover that my struggles here are not a permanent personality change. I was becoming really worried that this experience was making me a worse person rather than a better one, and that thought was beginning to consume me, and really paralyze me. It took just that one day of stepping outside of my circumstances to realize that that is not the case, and that knowledge has actually taken away a lot of my stress, even in being back here. I feel like the rest of this year will be substantially easier now that the weight of that belief that I was becoming a worse person has been lifted. In fact, I'm feeling downright excited about these upcoming months! Three weeks from now we have the MCC team retreat, which includes everyone serving with MCC. That means that Mike, Nancy, Allan, and Catherine will be there as well! Another month after that, Andrew and Mike's girlfriend Ellen are arriving, and we have some really exciting travel plans in the works. Mike and I are REALLY looking forward to their visit! Besides that, there is a potential missions trip that I will be going on in May, and then we're into June and July! I only have these few short months left to live my Indonesian life. I am really going to try my best to enjoy it to its fullest (even the food struggles!!), since this experience is a one-time deal! Life is just easier when you're able to enjoy it.
Anyways, I'll let you get back to whatever you were doing before you stopped to read this! Thanks so much for reading!
Have a great day!
Love,
Ellery
Once again, I apologize for the severe lag in posts, and for the mammoth essay that I am now writing to compensate for that lag. On the upside, however, this gap can be taken as a good sign; the last two weeks have been busy busy busy, and absolutely chalk FULL of fun things! I'll waste no time in sharing those things with you...
Last Tuesday and Wednesday passed by at a snail's pace, as the days leading up to something exciting seem to do, though Wednesday night was a highlight as we (my friend Debora and I) went out for an awesome dinner with Ibu Linda and Pak Heri, to celebrate Pak Heri's birthday. In this case, the excitement was Mike's arrival on Thursday night. Mike is a fellow Indonesia SALTer, but his placement is one of the two that are not on Java. Because of the distance and the flight costs, Mike has not been back to Java since we left Salatiga back in October. I anticipated his arrival with almost as much excitement as I did my dad's (though I managed to hold back the tears of joy this time...) After TK and a shortened session at Ichthus FM, my host parents and I headed to the airport. Mike's flight was on time, and it was a great little reunion with what felt like a long-lost member of our Indo Fam. My host parents treated Mike (and myself) like royalty, with activities and adventures every night. We enjoyed some AWESOME food, did some mall-hopping (malls are by far the most common hangout spot for youth and young adults in Semarang- I suppose some things are just universal!), and satisfied Mike's cravings for McDonalds, which cannot be found where he is serving. Laura joined us on Saturday night, and we went to a movie on Sunday night (more for the experience than for the actual film- "Chronicle" was among the most scarring movies I have ever seen. If it's playing in North America or wherever you are, I discourage you from seeing it.) Having Mike and Laura here was a huuuuge spirit-booster for myself, and it was especially exciting because our trip to Singapore (SINGAPORE!!!!) was on the horizon!
On Monday morning, after a little incident involving a bottle of blue nail polish that fell off my desk (and predictably shattered on the tile floor, flinging nail polish everywhere- it took me over two hours clean up today), Laura, Mike, and I headed off to Salatiga. We arrived in the late morning, and went straight to MCC, where, on top off all the good things that were going on, I found a package from my friend Rachael that arrived four months after she shipped it!! After checking week after week to see if it had arrived, I had given up on it, so it was such an awesome surprise! I opened my package, and then we headed for lunch to Cosmo cafe. Riki and Jason arrived in the early afternoon, and the five of us took a bis kecil (small bus) up to Kopeng to hang out at Laura's. A feeling of absolute contentment swept over me there, as I thought about how incredibly lucky I am to have these people in my life here. Being here has not always been easy (as you may well know), but my life has been SO enriched for meeting these people, and this experience has been worth it for that alone.
We returned from Kopeng in time for dinner at Karen and Major's, where Nicole met us. The eight of us talked about the logistics surrounding our trip to Singapore, and then we baked cookies (well, I ate freshly baked cookies) and played some Settlers of Catan (I lost miserably) before heading to Dan and Jeanne's for the night. I had the best night sleep that I have had since arriving in Indonesia (complete with good dreams!), and awoke to something that is next to impossible to find here- bagels! It was my first one in over six months, and those and the fresh banana milkshakes that Jeanne made, assured me that the day was going to be an amazing one.
Karen and Major and the boys (who had slept at Karen and Major's) arrived just before 8AM, and we were driven to the Semarang airport. Our two and a half days of pure bliss began the second we got through security, with Riki's purchase of fried cheese pockets that she generously shared with all of us.We boarded our plane just before 11AM, and flew to Jakarta (about an hour-long flight). Minus Mike, it was everyone's first time back in the Jakarta airport, and we were amazed at how beautiful it was. We certainly didn't remember it that way when we were coming from North America! Karen and Major had appointed Nicole as the person in charge of all money and passports, so I felt like I was traveling with my mom, who normally deals with paperwork; I could completely relax! From Jakarta, we flew to the Singapore airport, arriving around 4PM on Tuesday afternoon. I wish I could put into words the feeling of arriving there. The Singapore airport has been ranked number one in the world (though it is in stiff competition with the Hong Kong International Airport), and once you've seen it, you'll understand why. Besides being spotlessly clean (you could almost lick the floors), there are waterfalls, gardens, playgrounds, a pool, and a mini-forest growing inside. It's just ridiculous!! And coming from a place that doesn't rank number one in cleanliness (likely doesn't make the top 10 list either...), our jaws dropped at the sight of this place. I would have been perfectly content to spend our two days in the airport, but we had more to do than just hang out there, and so we went through immigration, grabbed a burger at McDonalds, and hopped on the (spotless, air-conditioned, punctual) SkyTrain which would take us to Philip and Iris' flat in Queenstown. Philip and Iris are friends of Karen and Major's, and they have past connections to MCC Indonesia. Philip is from New Zealand, and Iris is from Malaysia, and they have an adorable two year old son named Jeffrey. After a bit of confusion and disagreement in directions, we arrived at their flat on the third floor of a 30-floor apartment building, the most common living accommodation to be found in Singapore. Once the introductions were made, Philip and Iris spoke the magic words: "Here's a key. Come and go as you please." WHAT!? I wish I could convey to you just how much joy that brought me and everyone else on the team, all of whom are coming from six months of the opposite. We had almost forgotten what that kind of independence felt like like, and I will be forever grateful to Philip and Iris for allowing us to fulfill our craving for that.
We took full advantage of the chance to do just as we please, beginning about 10 minutes after we arrived in Queenstown. After dropping off our things, we hopped back on the SkyTrain to Holland Village, where we were told we could find a Mexican restaurant (yes, in Holland Village- odd, I know). Sure enough, Cha Cha Cha's was waiting for us (or rather, we waited for it, as it was Valentines Day, and every restaurant in that area was overflowing with people). We walked around for a bit beforehand, eating doritoes and marveling at the cleanliness (Singapore has very strict laws about litter, spitting, and gum chewing, and I wholeheartedly support these laws), and by 9:30PM, I found myself staring at a massive quesadilla and a dish of refried beans. We had been expecting mediocre Mexican cuisine, and our lowered expectations once again worked to our advantage. I don't even really eat Mexican food at home, but this meal was likely the new number one meal I've eaten in 6 months. (I'll acknowledge now that this blog post will be absolutely filled with references to food, as that was our top focus in Singapore.) It was also by far the most expensive meal I've eaten in 6 months (I gasp in horror when a food bill in Indonesia hits 30,000 rupiah, or about $4 CAN, just to give you an indication of what I've become accustomed to here), but it was worth every penny. We sat around chatting for awhile, and then headed back to the flat for a decent night's sleep.
On Saturday morning, we awoke around 7AM and had a quick breakfast at the flat, before heading to Pak Wahab's "visa office" to deal with visa renewal things. This visit- the sole purpose of our trip to Singapore- took place on a McDonalds patio on Orchard Road (the top shopping strip in Singapore), and consumed about 4 minutes of our time. It is a bit unnerving to hand all our personal documents and $1000 USD to a man who works out of a McDonalds, but these were our instructions by MCC, and they've done this more than once, so we trusted the system in place, and didn't give it a second thought.
From then until 4PM, the time was ours, and we used it as wisely as we possibly could. We began our day at an import grocery store, where I anticipated purchasing enough snacks to see me through until Andrew's visit in April. I eagerly grabbed a basket, and began exploring the options. After about 45 minutes, I went to the checkout line with my goods- one bag of chips and a box of Voortman's cookies. Turns out that reverse culture shock is entirely legitimate, and I was completely overwhelmed by the selection (and the prices) of the goods available to me. It was the oddest sensation to struggle so much with a grocery shopping trip, and I found it enough to just look at everything. It also struck me that part of the anticipation of going back to Canada is the food. I've already been sent packages that contain Western goodies like Kraft Dinner and Crispers, and I just didn't feel the desperate need to satisfy any more of my Western cravings; there's something exciting about the anticipation of waiting to fulfill them in July! No one else seemed to have any issues however, and purchases included Tostitos, salsa, Nature Valley bars, and Aero chocolate. Just outside the entrance to the grocery store, I stumbled across a very VERY beautiful invention- bacon wrapped sausage. The debate over whether or not to invest in a stick was short-lived, and within 30 seconds, I found myself savouring the taste of salty bacon. What a treat that was!
The six of us headed to a bookstore after that, and then to a really nice souvenir store. We then walked to a Subway to get subs, and then headed back to the flat to drop off our purchases. Nicole stayed behind for the day as she wasn't feeling the greatest, and we all took a few minutes to rest before continuing on our adventures. The five of us headed back out around 1:30, to Marina Bay Sands, a REALLY upscale hotel and shopping area right on the water. The shopping complex had a canal running through it, where one could ride boats if they so desired- inside! Bizarre. Since the prices were a mite out of our league ($6 for a cupcake...), we just looked around and took in the cleanliness, and then headed back to the Orchard Park area in time to pick up our passports. Jason ran ahead to do this, and by the time the rest of us caught up with him, Pak Wahab had come and gone, and all of our visa stuff was taken care of! We were free to do what we wanted for the rest of the time in Singapore!
We stopped for a beverage at The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, and then took the SkyTrain to Little India, to satisfy a craving for Indian food. Little India was a really cool part of the city, with lots of little shops and restaurants. We went to a vegetarian restaurant that proved to be delicious (though I passed on the food item that was labeled "Mango Milk Barfi"), and then went to a little souvenir shop to pick up a few things. We had planned to do the Singapore Zoo Night Safari that evening, and conveniently, there is a bus stop specifically for the Night Safari in Little India. We were picked up around 7:30, and driven a ways away to the zoo. The Singapore Zoo is supposedly the best zoo in the world, and after the night safari, I can understand why! The zoo is designed in such a way that it looks like the animals are roaming freely. They use trenches and hidden fences to give the zoo a natural look, as well as tons of trees and lots of space. The result is spectacular- it feels like the hyenas could just leap across the road and consume the water buffalo that live on the other side. (Man, it must be torture for the hyenas to look at those water buffalo all day, without any way to get to them). A night safari is such a cool thing, because the night life of many of these animals is so rarely seen. We took a tram that we could hop on and off of, and saw animals from all parts of the world (as well as a ton of deer, who, I believe, are the equivalent to pretzels in party mix- the item that no one wants, but that beefs up the content.) We went right into the bat cage, and watched as Jason flinched and flailed every time a bat flew by (Aunt Debbie, you would have loved this exhibit!). We hung around the zoo until 11PM, and then took the same bus back, and caught the last SkyTrain ride of the day, back to the flat. We were absolutely exhausted, but blissfully content after our day of sightseeing and eating.
We decided to go out for breakfast on Thursday morning, and found a place in the mall that served the traditional bacon/eggs/hashbrowns/toast. This was another first for me here on this side of the world- it was delicious! From there, we headed back the The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf to have another drink and sit on their beautiful patio. Finally, around 10:45, we begrudgingly tore ourselves away from the streets of Singapore, to pack up and head back to the airport. Our flight left at 3:30, and we left enough time to grab lunch (Subway) at the airport. Our flight was delayed, giving us a bit of extra time to sit and chat, and then before we knew it, we were back on the plane to Jakarta. We had to say good-bye to Mike there, as he had to head back to his placement, and the rest of us boarded our flight to Semarang.
My host parents met us at the airport, and took Riki, Jason, and I back to our place (Laura and Nicole took a taxi back to Salatiga). They eased us back into life in Indonesia with a stop at KFC, and Jason and Riki slept over at my house. Jason left yesterday morning, and Riki stuck around until this morning, which I was really grateful for. It's really hard to go from having so many people around to being alone again, but the transition was made much smoother with the staggered departures of my dear Indo Fam. We had our expectations set quite low for our return to Java, and the good thing about that was that being back hasn't been as hard as I was expecting. I know we were only gone for two nights, but I was worried that after getting a taste of familiarity (Singapore is a VERY Westernized city), I would really struggle with my return. However, thus far, I've found that that trip had the opposite (and much more positive) effect on me. Besides being refreshing and fun, Singapore reminded me of what I felt like back before arriving for this year away. I had become really worn out prior to Singapore, and had forgotten what it felt like to feel just carefree and lighthearted. I forgot what that feeling of independence was like. It was such a relief to discover that my struggles here are not a permanent personality change. I was becoming really worried that this experience was making me a worse person rather than a better one, and that thought was beginning to consume me, and really paralyze me. It took just that one day of stepping outside of my circumstances to realize that that is not the case, and that knowledge has actually taken away a lot of my stress, even in being back here. I feel like the rest of this year will be substantially easier now that the weight of that belief that I was becoming a worse person has been lifted. In fact, I'm feeling downright excited about these upcoming months! Three weeks from now we have the MCC team retreat, which includes everyone serving with MCC. That means that Mike, Nancy, Allan, and Catherine will be there as well! Another month after that, Andrew and Mike's girlfriend Ellen are arriving, and we have some really exciting travel plans in the works. Mike and I are REALLY looking forward to their visit! Besides that, there is a potential missions trip that I will be going on in May, and then we're into June and July! I only have these few short months left to live my Indonesian life. I am really going to try my best to enjoy it to its fullest (even the food struggles!!), since this experience is a one-time deal! Life is just easier when you're able to enjoy it.
Anyways, I'll let you get back to whatever you were doing before you stopped to read this! Thanks so much for reading!
Have a great day!
Love,
Ellery
Monday, February 6, 2012
Made it to the Summit!!
Why helloooo there, Everyone!
As I had hoped, a little rush of relief hit me on Saturday, February 4th- halfway!!! Mentally, I have hit that peak, and am on the downward trek. And the second half is supposed to be easier! That's what everyone says, anyways. I am guessing that by May or June, I'll look back and be like, "Where did the time go!?" and I'll really start thinking about all the things I am going to miss about this place. As of now, I'm enjoying the knowledge that the longer half is behind me.
I last posted on Thursday, and a few little things have happened between then and now. I nearly got run over by a food cart the other day, on my walk home from school. It was bound to happen really, just based on the sheer volume of those things! There are a LOT of carts that come out of the woodwork around lunchtime, and camp out outside of schools. They sell foods like Mie Ayam (noodles and chicken), bakso (the dreaded meatballs that I loathe), rujak (fruit with a spicy caramel dip), and all sorts of assorted fried goods. This one was a rujak cart. The carts are usually taller than the person steering them, and too full of food to see through; if that person is not paying complete attention, I can see how they could come into a situation of hitting someone, or being hit themselves! For once, I was appreciative that people were taking notice of me in the street, because if a group of girls would not have shouted, I would not have glanced behind me to see the rujak cart nearly clipping my heels, and I would not have scurried out of the way! The man behind the cart thought this whole little encounter was more humourous than anything, and he cast a huge smile in my direction as he hurried on past me. It was a laughable little moment.
There are two cell phone stands that I pass on that walk each day (one being newer than the other, and that new one seems to be acquiring more and more employees, but no more customers), and I always say hello to the men working there. The other day, one of those guys asked me for my cell phone number, and I gave an apologetic shake of the head. He's been slightly less friendly since then. Random people asking for cell phone numbers is very common here. When Laura and I were on the angkota on our way to meet Nicole last weekend, a friendly woman struck up a conversation with Laura, gave Laura her business card, and then asked us for our numbers. Laura had been wise enough to leave hers in her pocket for the ride, and had an easier time getting out of giving her number away. I had not been as on-the-ball, and I knew the woman had seen my phone. Honestly, my decision in the moment was to give my number with a few skewed digits, and then pretend to receive her "missed call." It's always a tough call in those moments because a valid excuse is hard to come up with, and yet we are not wanting to give our numbers to complete strangers. We've discovered that people who we still perceive as strangers, sometimes, after just one encounter (like the lady on the angkota), perceive us as friends, and will text us accordingly (and texting is a huuuuge part of the culture here). Even though the whole fake number/missed call scene went off without a hitch, I felt bad about lying, and have decided to take the straight-up "Sorry, no you cannot have my number" approach. I feel bad saying no, but for my sake and for the sake of the next SALTer who will be given this phone with this number, I think it makes the most sense.
On Friday, I was picked up by motorbike for PPA, in a monsoon. It was raining so hard that we could barely see, and the wind was blowing the water everywhere! My host parents waved me good-bye despite the weather (a testament to how much more laid back things have gotten around here), and I wrapped myself in a poncho and hoped for the best. I was absolutely soaked by the time I arrived at PPA, but I gained a bit more sympathy for the people who have to do that often here. Since motorbikes are the number one most common mode of transportation (cars are expensive and more cumbersome than anything, given the traffic here), people usually rely on them to get everywhere. If you have to be somewhere, and the rain is falling- well tough luck for you! More brutal than the rain itself is the flooding that it causes. Semarang sits pretty much right at sea level, and the drainage system, particularly closer to the sea, is not good enough to keep up with the water. People can often be found wading or driving through ankle-deep water (which is none-too-clean, I can assure you). It doesn't take all that much rain for flooding to occur, and it really makes life more difficult for people here. I think, like we get sick of cold and snow, people here must get pretty sick of rain and floods. The rainy season should be gearing down in the next six to eight weeks (though I've been warned that it often goes into late April), and it will be nice to have clear days and sunny skies back. One benefit of the rain, however, is that the weather is cooler! I suppose it's best then to just enjoy what we've got while we've got it!
On Saturday, I went to TK, and then decided to go for a walk in the afternoon. It's nice to sometimes grab a drink and people-watch from the comfort of the coffee shop in the nearby mall (a rare opportunity to reverse the who's-observing-who situation), and I added that to my walk. Nothing too exciting popped up during my adventure, though I guess it's always unique just because it's happening here in Java. I am always offered many rides, both by angkota drivers and by becak (rickshaw) drivers. I am called to and stared at and smiled at from the second I leave the driveway to the second I return to it, and if I am in the right mood, I can find it really endearing. One woman even called to me from inside her house, out the open window, asking me (as many people do), "mau ke mana?" ("Where do you want to go?") That phrase is used as we would use "How's it going?", and is expected to be answered in the same manner (short and sweet- no one really cares all that much where you're going, just as we don't really want to hear how things are really going when we ask someone that in a casual way). The typically acceptable response is "jalan-jalan" (literally translated, this means "walking-walking", and I've heard that translation used by people here, if no one has told them that it makes no sense in English. The gist of it is that you're just exploring, looking around).
I slept over at Laura's in Kopeng last night, and we had a nice low-key evening. Her place is a beautiful respite from the city. It's so rural, and the air is clean, and it's quiet. It smells like Up North, and it is nice and cool and clear. It's just beautiful! The two of us headed into Salatiga today, and while I was at the office, a package arrived for me from my Grandma and Grandpa Penner. It was pretty much a treasure chest, both in size and in content. It was just incredible! Packages certainly make a person feel loved! (*cough, cough* ;) )
We did our typical activities of hanging out at the office and grabbing some lunch, and were thankful for our decision to leave at 12:45 instead of 12:50, as we made it into the warung just as the torrential downpours started. It was so loud that Laura and I ate most of our meal in silence, having given up trying to compete with the sound of the rain pounding down on the tin roof above. Nonetheless, it was a great day! I came back to Semarang a bit earlier than usual, by bus (though I was offered a ride by a man in a van... I declined the offer), and am now spending the evening cleaning up a bit, and sorting through the goodies that were sent in that treasure chest of a package!
Anyways, there's just a little bit of the day-to-day goings-on in my Indonesian life right now. I hope you're all doing well wherever you are! Congratulations to all you YALTers out there on sticking it out thus far! I hope that, despite the challenges, your time in your placements has been filled with a lot of joyful, rewarding, and exciting moments thus far, and I hope that those moments will come more and more frequently as you go through this second half of your term!
Take care!
Love,
Ellery
As I had hoped, a little rush of relief hit me on Saturday, February 4th- halfway!!! Mentally, I have hit that peak, and am on the downward trek. And the second half is supposed to be easier! That's what everyone says, anyways. I am guessing that by May or June, I'll look back and be like, "Where did the time go!?" and I'll really start thinking about all the things I am going to miss about this place. As of now, I'm enjoying the knowledge that the longer half is behind me.
I last posted on Thursday, and a few little things have happened between then and now. I nearly got run over by a food cart the other day, on my walk home from school. It was bound to happen really, just based on the sheer volume of those things! There are a LOT of carts that come out of the woodwork around lunchtime, and camp out outside of schools. They sell foods like Mie Ayam (noodles and chicken), bakso (the dreaded meatballs that I loathe), rujak (fruit with a spicy caramel dip), and all sorts of assorted fried goods. This one was a rujak cart. The carts are usually taller than the person steering them, and too full of food to see through; if that person is not paying complete attention, I can see how they could come into a situation of hitting someone, or being hit themselves! For once, I was appreciative that people were taking notice of me in the street, because if a group of girls would not have shouted, I would not have glanced behind me to see the rujak cart nearly clipping my heels, and I would not have scurried out of the way! The man behind the cart thought this whole little encounter was more humourous than anything, and he cast a huge smile in my direction as he hurried on past me. It was a laughable little moment.
There are two cell phone stands that I pass on that walk each day (one being newer than the other, and that new one seems to be acquiring more and more employees, but no more customers), and I always say hello to the men working there. The other day, one of those guys asked me for my cell phone number, and I gave an apologetic shake of the head. He's been slightly less friendly since then. Random people asking for cell phone numbers is very common here. When Laura and I were on the angkota on our way to meet Nicole last weekend, a friendly woman struck up a conversation with Laura, gave Laura her business card, and then asked us for our numbers. Laura had been wise enough to leave hers in her pocket for the ride, and had an easier time getting out of giving her number away. I had not been as on-the-ball, and I knew the woman had seen my phone. Honestly, my decision in the moment was to give my number with a few skewed digits, and then pretend to receive her "missed call." It's always a tough call in those moments because a valid excuse is hard to come up with, and yet we are not wanting to give our numbers to complete strangers. We've discovered that people who we still perceive as strangers, sometimes, after just one encounter (like the lady on the angkota), perceive us as friends, and will text us accordingly (and texting is a huuuuge part of the culture here). Even though the whole fake number/missed call scene went off without a hitch, I felt bad about lying, and have decided to take the straight-up "Sorry, no you cannot have my number" approach. I feel bad saying no, but for my sake and for the sake of the next SALTer who will be given this phone with this number, I think it makes the most sense.
On Friday, I was picked up by motorbike for PPA, in a monsoon. It was raining so hard that we could barely see, and the wind was blowing the water everywhere! My host parents waved me good-bye despite the weather (a testament to how much more laid back things have gotten around here), and I wrapped myself in a poncho and hoped for the best. I was absolutely soaked by the time I arrived at PPA, but I gained a bit more sympathy for the people who have to do that often here. Since motorbikes are the number one most common mode of transportation (cars are expensive and more cumbersome than anything, given the traffic here), people usually rely on them to get everywhere. If you have to be somewhere, and the rain is falling- well tough luck for you! More brutal than the rain itself is the flooding that it causes. Semarang sits pretty much right at sea level, and the drainage system, particularly closer to the sea, is not good enough to keep up with the water. People can often be found wading or driving through ankle-deep water (which is none-too-clean, I can assure you). It doesn't take all that much rain for flooding to occur, and it really makes life more difficult for people here. I think, like we get sick of cold and snow, people here must get pretty sick of rain and floods. The rainy season should be gearing down in the next six to eight weeks (though I've been warned that it often goes into late April), and it will be nice to have clear days and sunny skies back. One benefit of the rain, however, is that the weather is cooler! I suppose it's best then to just enjoy what we've got while we've got it!
On Saturday, I went to TK, and then decided to go for a walk in the afternoon. It's nice to sometimes grab a drink and people-watch from the comfort of the coffee shop in the nearby mall (a rare opportunity to reverse the who's-observing-who situation), and I added that to my walk. Nothing too exciting popped up during my adventure, though I guess it's always unique just because it's happening here in Java. I am always offered many rides, both by angkota drivers and by becak (rickshaw) drivers. I am called to and stared at and smiled at from the second I leave the driveway to the second I return to it, and if I am in the right mood, I can find it really endearing. One woman even called to me from inside her house, out the open window, asking me (as many people do), "mau ke mana?" ("Where do you want to go?") That phrase is used as we would use "How's it going?", and is expected to be answered in the same manner (short and sweet- no one really cares all that much where you're going, just as we don't really want to hear how things are really going when we ask someone that in a casual way). The typically acceptable response is "jalan-jalan" (literally translated, this means "walking-walking", and I've heard that translation used by people here, if no one has told them that it makes no sense in English. The gist of it is that you're just exploring, looking around).
I slept over at Laura's in Kopeng last night, and we had a nice low-key evening. Her place is a beautiful respite from the city. It's so rural, and the air is clean, and it's quiet. It smells like Up North, and it is nice and cool and clear. It's just beautiful! The two of us headed into Salatiga today, and while I was at the office, a package arrived for me from my Grandma and Grandpa Penner. It was pretty much a treasure chest, both in size and in content. It was just incredible! Packages certainly make a person feel loved! (*cough, cough* ;) )
We did our typical activities of hanging out at the office and grabbing some lunch, and were thankful for our decision to leave at 12:45 instead of 12:50, as we made it into the warung just as the torrential downpours started. It was so loud that Laura and I ate most of our meal in silence, having given up trying to compete with the sound of the rain pounding down on the tin roof above. Nonetheless, it was a great day! I came back to Semarang a bit earlier than usual, by bus (though I was offered a ride by a man in a van... I declined the offer), and am now spending the evening cleaning up a bit, and sorting through the goodies that were sent in that treasure chest of a package!
Anyways, there's just a little bit of the day-to-day goings-on in my Indonesian life right now. I hope you're all doing well wherever you are! Congratulations to all you YALTers out there on sticking it out thus far! I hope that, despite the challenges, your time in your placements has been filled with a lot of joyful, rewarding, and exciting moments thus far, and I hope that those moments will come more and more frequently as you go through this second half of your term!
Take care!
Love,
Ellery
Thursday, February 2, 2012
A Post of Confessions
Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening!
Another week gone by! I'll get right to the point of this blog- confessions.
Another week gone by! I'll get right to the point of this blog- confessions.
This past week has admittedly been a challenging one, emotionally. I find myself stressed and anxious but I am confused about the root cause of it. It is highly likely that at least part of it can be attributed to the act that I feel like I am constantly flying by the seat of my pants when it comes to preparing for the classes I teach. I don’t lack the time to prepare for these classes, but I do lack the motivation. While everything in my position is going as well as it could possible go, I think it would be fair to label my current state as perhaps mildly depressed. The lack of motivation creates a vicious cycle of paralyzing anxiety that leaves me, as I’ve said, really unable to properly prepare myself, which does nothing to help the anxiety. It’s so easy for me to tell myself, “Just start working and you’ll feel better!” It’s another thing entirely to actually do it. I find myself making list after list after list of things to do, which gives me temporary relief from my anxiety, but in reality, a list is of no use if nothing gets crossed off of it.
My spiritual life has taken a steady hit too, and I just don’t feel the presence of a loving God in my life here right now. I feel like the God that is there is not a very loving or compassionate one, and I’m left feeling quite frustrated and anxious, and somewhat abandoned. Praying about it has not been helping, and in fact makes me more angry than anything. I have been reading the Bible more than I ever have in my life, and find it to be anything but a comfort. I feel like I must have a problem, like there is something I’m doing wrong that God requires me to fix or change, before He will allow me to feel His love and His approval. That feeling goes against both my head knowledge, and against everything that sets the Christian faith apart from others- that there is nothing that we as human beings can do to earn the love and grace of God. We’ll always be undeserving of it, and yet we’ll always receive it anyways. Knowing it is one thing, but feeling it is quite another. In my quest to understand why my spiritual life has taken such a dive, several things come to mind.
First, I find that church here is so different. Besides the language barrier, it is extremely evangelical, a worship style that I am not accustomed to and not completely comfortable with. I find it a challenge to accept it for what it is, and the more “intense” it gets, the less engaged I become. I have come from 21 years of one hour, low-key church services, comprised of hymns with the odd praise and worship session thrown in, a 20-30 minute sermon, and a few prayers. Here, sometimes I feel like my days are organized around prayers, and it seems that peoples’ lives here revolve around church. That’s really great if that is what gives a person that spiritual nourishment. I wish I could feel that same way. I want to appreciate everything about the opportunities to immerse myself in such a God-focused life, and I have spent hours asking God to just help me understand the spirit of evangelical worship so that I can at least respect it as it deserves to be respected. As of now though, I have not reached that place.
Secondly, church life here also lacks that comfort that church at home offers. A huge part of spiritual nourishment for me comes from seeing those familiar faces every Sunday, from realizing the blessing of being part of a bigger family, who knows me and cares deeply about me, and who I know and care deeply about. I’ve been attending church here for less than four months. That cannot possibly compete with the years I’ve spent at Niagara UM, or even the involvement I've had in church life in Waterloo. I also get a lot of spiritual fulfillment from one-on-one discussions, from impromptu worship sessions, from being outdoors... I have had next to no access to any of those things, and am struggling to feel God in other ways.
It’s very maddening to feel this way during the year that I need God more than anything (at least that's the sense that one gets when the security of the familiar is taken away) and during my year of service to others, where I was expecting to have the energy and mental capacity to show others the love of God (I’m sure you get the vibe that that is not going as expected). I think I made the mistake of assuming that a closer connection with God and a greater sense of peace would overwhelm me this year as has happened in the other times that I have been overseas. I’m sensing a much-needed lesson being taught here, but I do not know what it is as of now. I’m getting pretty sick of waiting it out, but I've said before that I am not very patient, and perhaps that too is all part of some greater lesson to be learned. I just hope I'll come out stronger for it all in the end!
But finally, on to lighter things! A little incident happened at the Solo Zoo two days ago, involving a lion and a very unlucky camel (I’m sure you can sense where this is going). A forgetful zookeeper didn’t double check the lock on the lion cage, and the lion escaped from his home, and entered the home of the camels. One camel survived the surprise visit, but one camel did not… I’m not sure who was more unlucky, the victim, or the bystander who had to observe the whole scene. The lion was promptly tranquilized and removed from the camel cage upon discovery of the scenario. I am unsure as to the fate of the forgetful zookeeper. This was the “big news” in Central Java this week! While people in North America were hearing about cyclones in Indonesia, we who are actually in Indonesia were hearing about the latest incidents at the local zoos (in addition to a word or two about the weather). Funny how that works!
I spent last weekend with Laura. We got to spend three nights together, which was just what I needed! On Friday night, my host mom made the most delicious meal that I have eaten in Indonesia, called Zuppa Sup. This is a cream-based soup, with corn and chicken, baked in the oven with puffed pastry. You really can’t go wrong! I taught TK on Saturday, and then Laura and I headed to Banyumanik to meet Nicole for lunch. We wound up sticking around and chatting until well after 3:00, and then Laura and I came back home in time for a break before youth. After youth, we headed out for dinner with my host family, and then hit the sack nice and early. Sunday was church and then out for a late lunch on the other side of Semarang. It was nice to see a part of the city that I hadn’t seen yet. We stopped at the grocery store on the way home, and I made the exciting discovery of cream cheese here in Semarang! On Monday, Laura and I headed to Salatiga for my weekly trip, which included a coffee date with Karen, some time at the office, and some walking around the city. We accidentally took a non-air conditioned bus on the way here. We typically take the air conditioned buses because, besides the comfort of air conditioning, they are considered safer than the non-A/C buses. They are more expensive, which keeps the clientele a bit higher in caliber, and reduces the risk of pick pocketing, as well as eliminates street performers, who are permitted to hop on and off the non-A/C buses. We did get the treat of a street performer, but we also felt completely safe, and saved a few cents too! Nonetheless, I opted for the A/C bus on the way home, and arrived back in Semarang around 5PM. The evening was a relaxing one, and I went to bed nice and early to prepare for the week.
Tuesday began my week of typical activities- TK, PPA, Gloria Patri, and today, Ichthus FM. It’s a pretty standard week here in the Indo! Mike arrives next week on Thursday, for his 4-day trip to another MCC site (I feel honoured that he chose mine, but I have a sneaking suspicion that part of the motivation was the access to city life- he said Semarang is like L.A. compared to the area he’s living in… I cannot imagine where he lives). Mike’s visit blends right into our trip to Singapore to renew our visas. We’re only gone for two nights (one full day), but the six of us who are heading out (Lweendo and Nancy already went in January as their visas expired earlier) have been awaiting our 2-night trip with as much anticipation as a full-blown vacation. We are SO excited!!
The rest of this week looks to be pretty low-key, with typical activities to keep me busy enough. I anticipate my weekly trip to Salatiga on Monday, and then Mike’s arrival and Singapore will bring us right into Mid-February. Saturday is the halfway mark! I think that once we are passed that day, a lot of us will feel a bit better mentally, just knowing that we are into the shorter half!
Anyways, thanks for sticking with me through a less-than-uplifting post!
I hope you're all doing well! Thinking of you often!
Lots of love,
Ellery
I hope you're all doing well! Thinking of you often!
Lots of love,
Ellery
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