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