Welcome to a documented experience of my year as an English Teacher and Community Worker in Java, Indonesia! For the next eleven months, I will be serving with Mennonite Central Committee's Serving and Learning Together program, learning the language, eating the foods, and fully immersing myself in the Indonesian culture.

Looking forward to sharing my experiences with you! Happy reading!

Sunday, May 27, 2012

More Adventures from Semarang!

Hello, my dear and faithful (or perhaps first-time) blog followers!

I was reminded of the need to blog when I was at dinner this evening, and spotted some less-than-common dishes. These included little silver fish, dried, fried, and eaten whole, as well as fish eggs, still in their "sac" (and in fact, extracted from the fish by my host mother herself, who made the exciting discovery of the "bonus" food when she was cutting up the fish for another dish, and discovered it to be a female mom-to-be). I laughed out loud at the sight of the little silver guys staring up at me from the plate, looking like they were just playing dead, and could at any moment start flopping around again. Somehow, I just don't envision such a dish to turn up on the dinner table at my home in Canada. (I'll have you know that I did indeed consume one of these fish, from tail to head, leaving nothing behind.)

This week was so jam-packed with activities and adventures, that I really should have posted halfway through the week in order to preserve all the memories, and yet could not find the time to do so! This week has likely been one of my favourites here in the Indo, save for a traumatic little encounter with a massively large insect, the details of which I have definitely not forgotten. But I'll get to that later...

Tuesday began as a Tuesday typically does, with TK in the morning. This week we've spent a lot of time upstairs in the church sanctuary, trying to get the TK-B kiddies ready for their graduation ceremony (coming up on June 9th). They are singing some songs, and I have been asked to accompany, which of course, I am honoured to do. The only glitches in this plan have been that, for one, the music for the songs was nowhere to be found, and for another, the kiddies have been practicing without accompaniment thus far, and have in turn, formed some very bad habits, both rhythmically and vocally. Several times this week, one of the teachers has bravely and patiently sung the songs to me over and over again while I've fiddled around on the keyboard, trying to get the notes right (and desperately wishing that I could remember something- ANYTHING- from all those music theory lessons I've taken over the years). We got the songs nailed down by Saturday, but we're now stuck with matching the kiddies to the keyboard, and I'm guessing that we'll be holding more than a few practices between now and June 9th, to sort out that little situation.

On Tuesday evening, my principal picked me up again, around 6PM, and took me to Simpang Lima, the unofficial centre of the city. Two massive "tents" (built out of metal, much more sturdy than the plastic ones) had been set up there, and were filled with batiks and foods from all over Indonesia. Batik, as I have mentioned before, is the name of the traditional pattern found on fabric here. There isn't just one pattern- in fact, there are thousands and thousands- but you can tell by looking at a fabric, whether it is batik or not. It is traditionally made by drawing a pattern on cloth, tracing it in wax, and dying the material. Batik fabric ranges vastly in price, depending on whether the pattern is hand drawn (VERY expensive) or stamped, what kind of material it is printed on, and how many colours (indicating the number of waxing-dyeing processes) can be found on the batik. (If you're interested, check them out here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batik). At this expo (which reminded me very much of those stalls that are set up in the huge buildings at the Exhibition grounds in Toronto), there were batiks from all different cities. I learned that Semarang has their own assortment of batik patterns, and many fabrics are printed with images of landmarks, leaves, and birds, that are unique to, or originated from, Semarang. My principal is one of the kindest and most patient women I know, and we walked around for a long time, with her explaining the different batiks to me. She did the same thing in the food tent, and of course, we had to stop and try some foods as well. A new one for me was "jus ubi ungu", which is a thick sweet purple juice, made from cassava. It was absolutely delicious!

Batik Material (left, done by hand; right, using a stamp)
 The Tuesday night endeavours were going so well that I actually got a little lump in my throat at the thought of leaving Indonesia... until The Incident. The Incident occurred- or rather, began- on the back of Bu Yanti's motorbike. She was taking me on a little ride around the city before dropping me off at home after our evening at the batik/food tents. All was going smoothly, and I was enjoying the (relatively) cool air as we zoomed along on the motorbike, when all of a sudden I felt something massive hit me in the chest. I prayed to the heavens above that it was a stone, but when I felt the light little pinch as the thing settled in for the long haul, I knew it was something living. I tried to brush it off (while trying to cause as little commotion as possible, as Bu Yanti was busily explaining the landmarks to me, oblivious to my situation), but when I felt it go down my shirt, I got a little more frantic. How big was it? Was it poisonous?! Still, I maintained enough composure to keep the situation from Bu Yanti, and thankfully the thing (which, might I add, I could not see, since my enormous hard-core helmet prevents me from seeing anywhere but straight ahead) crawled back out. I gave a few more frantic swipes, and at last rid myself of the thing. Except that I didn't. Somehow, it caught the wind, and not but two seconds later, I felt those little pincers on my lower back, as the thing made a new home for itself. Not wanting to touch it directly, I shook my shirt violently, and squealed a bit (causing Bu Yanti to ask what was going on, to which I responded "nothing", and she resumed her verbal tour of the city, which I had completely stopped paying attention to by that point- sorry Bu Yanti!). Finally, after a few more minutes of the most self-controlled bug removal process I could manage, I thought I'd lost it for good, and enjoyed what was left of the motorbike ride. At home, I stopped downstairs to chat with my host parents for awhile, and then came up to my room. I did a few more things, and then thought that I was really overdue for a shower, and proceeded to prepare for such things. It was then, as I was lifting my shirt over my head, that I heard a very significant thump on the floor behind me. I turned, and there, on the floor, lay one of the biggest, ugliest bugs I have seen in my life. To give you an idea of the horror of this moment, I'll boldly and honestly say that I would have rather it been a cockroach. At least a cockroach would have been familiar. This thing was long, with pincers on the front, and a hard top shell. I think it was brown, but I cannot remember because the moments that ensued were panic for both me and said bug, as we both frantically ran around, trying to escape each other (with one of us- I won't say who- muttering a stream of words that are not blog-appropriate). The plan in my mind was to trap it, and then summon my brave host parents to do the deed of killing it. I underestimated the critter though, because by the time I had my plan formulated, it had done a frenzied lap around my bathroom floor, and then hurled itself down my drain (lifting- literally lifting- the drain cover in the process). Needless to say, my anticipated shower was marred, and every trip to the bathroom since then has been a procedure of whipping open the bathroom door, jumping back, scanning the floor, walls, and ceilings, and then tentatively entering, keeping a pair of sturdy shoes nearby, in case the unwelcome visitor has plotted a sneak attack. The recovery process is going to be a slow-go, I think. I'm on the mend though, don't worry. ;)

Wednesday was busy busy busy, from morning to night, with the usual activities, including my new English "tutoring" session with a girl from church. She's my age, and in school to become a lawyer. It's been really fun to spend an hour and a half with her on Wednesday afternoons, just chatting. This past Wednesday, the whole church staff decided to make our session into an English worship song sing-a-long, and it was such an entertaining time! For PPA, running low on ideas, I decided to give the kids an animal sticker each, handed them a piece of paper, and told them to draw a home for their new animal sticker friend. This proved much more successful and fun than I was anticipating (the Indonesian kids I know are quite passionate about their colouring), and the end results were so cute that I selfishly collected all the sheets to bring back with me to Canada. I want to stick them on my wall!

Wednesday night was the second last Gloria Patri Learning Centre evening, and we had a fun class, before heading to Bu Langlang's warung for dinner. I've eaten at this warung before (and I think I've mentioned it in past blog posts- the owner is from the church, and she has the biggest smile in the world, and is just unbelievably kind), and we were not disappointed. Bu Langlang had even gotten Kue Bandung prepared for me, because she knows it's my favourite. (At least I think that's what happened- she never said anything, but it was ready and waiting for us, and in my favourite flavour to boot). I've been invited to learn how to cook with her, an invitation that I wholeheartedly accepted since her food is so delicious. From dinner, Debora and I headed to Simpang Lima to see if that Batik Expo was still going, but it had shut down, so we headed on home on her motorbike (I with one hand on my chest, to prevent another little incident like the one on Tuesday).

Thursday was again a busy day, and made even busier (but more fun) by another batik endeavour with Bu Yanti and Bu Christin, another teacher. We went to a Batik store specializing specifically in Semarang Batik, and the owner there has offered me a free batik lesson. I've taken some batik lessons before, but this lady uses the electric wax machine (modern stuff!!) and I have only used the fire-lit wax, so this is bound to be a fun little adventure. I think I'm going sometime in June to learn alongside her- for free!! The kindness of people here is really overwhelming.

At PPA, we discussed plans for an upcoming end-of-the-year party, to take place on June 21 and 22 (two parties for two different groups of kids). The staff there are so excited about this, and I am too! We have all sorts of ideas for decorating, for food, and for games. We've decided to make a pinata too, which will be new for many of them. Speaking of parties, something that I have long been meaning to mention is my encounter with a boy who had never celebrated his birthday before. It was at the Gloria Patri centre, and Bu Linda brought a cake in for him. We all sang him Happy Birthday, and there were candles and everything. He's a really quiet boy, about 14 or 15 years old, and he just looked completely overwhelmed that people would bring him a cake and sing for him. It was a really special moment for me to witness, and one that sticks in my mind as a reminder of how much I take for granted, and how important it is to really appreciate those things that seem so little, like a birthday cake on my birthday. (So thank-you Mom and both Grandmas, for always making me a birthday cake. And mom, I won't be so picky about the shape anymore ;).)

Friday began on a not-so-positive note, for no other reason than I woke up on the wrong side of the bed, and for reasons I don't know, I could not muster up any positive energy for the vast majority of the day. It improved at PPA, when the kids went around in a circle and each told me something that they will remember about me when I leave (the focus on my departure is increasing by the day!). I was particularly touched by those who said that they will remember me for making them feel comfortable and at ease. I think that sometimes people here are intimidated by the presence of a bule like myself, and I am overjoyed that I can go home knowing that I have not left people here with that impression (or at least not my PPA kids anyways).

I was anticipating a bit of a break yesterday as this week has been so busy, but the day ended up filling up from beginning to end. I gave my TK-B kiddies their tests that I have been preparing this week. I'm responsible for giving them their English grades, and it's really tough to grade kindergarten aged kids. I made the tests really really easy, and promised each of them a sticker once the tests were done, and this saved me from dealing with tears, as I encountered when I gave them their tests last term. Giving out the stickers ended up being one of the highlights of my week. My TK kiddies have not been overindulged to the point of taking for granted the value of a high quality sticker, and it took me forever to get the stickers passed out, as each one of them carefully considered their options, and then equally as carefully, peeled the sticker from the sticker sheet. 

Silly little guys!




I may be a bit biased, but I think these kids are the most awesome kids in the world.

Just hangin'! ;)
I joined the play group for their dance competition/promotion for the school, which took place in a large department store. In the afternoon, after a delicious lunch of mashed potatoes and broccoli casserole (prepared lovingly by my host mom), we headed off to Kudus to drop off Nanek (my host grandma) at Ibu Vonny's sister's house. Nanek's sibling, who lives in Surabaya (about 6 hours away) is ill, so Nanek has gone there to spend some time at the hospital. My host father, who is originally from Kudus and is a food expert, brought us to one of his favourite places for some traditional Kudus food, and then picked up about a half dozen other dishes to bring home and eat there. I added cow lungs to my list of new foods, as well as soto kerbau (buffalo soup), and a few other little treats. I'm trying to cram as many new foods in me as I can! Saturday night was youth, and then a dinner of all the Kudus foods.

Today was a Sunday as typical as Sundays can be, and tomorrow is looking to be a typical Monday in Salatiga. I'm anticipating this week to be filled with music practices, preparation for an end-of-the-year party for Gloria Patri, prep for the PPA parties, and prep for the TK-A tests that I will be giving on Friday (along with more stickers).

Phew, what a post! Thanks for sticking with me!
Have an awesome day!

Lots of love,
Ellery

Monday, May 21, 2012

Ascension Day Break!

Good Morning!!

Happy long weekend Monday to my Canadian friends and family! I hope you've had a chance, or will have a chance, to catch some fireworks and other May Long Weekend festivities! To those of you in the Niagara region, I do hope that someone attended the Virgil Stampede, and rode the Zipper on my behalf. (Austin? I leave that job in your hands.)

As I was riding the bus today, I watched a woman walk by with a curved machete in hand. In my mind, I transported that same woman onto good ol' Mississauga Street in my hometown in Canada, and pictured her walking towards the plaza with her machete in tow. For some reason, I just don't think that machete would go over very well. It made me chuckle a little to contemplate yet again, how different our perceptions of "normal" are. Woman with a machete? Nothing weird about that! Chickens hanging in bunches from the back of a motorcycle? No problem! Buses that keep moving as you get on and off? Of course! A white woman walking down the street? Ooooo, everyone stop and stare, because that is weird.

I got away with a pretty easy week this past week, what with the five day holiday, beginning last Thursday. I was at school from Monday through Wednesday, engaging in my typical weekly routine. Gloria Patri was canceled on Wednesday, but my host sister invited me to join her and her friends to see a movie and grab dinner, so I was glad to be able to do that.

Thursday morning was church, an Ascension Day service. For some reason, Ascension Day is a national holiday (here in a primarily Muslim country... I feel as though we're being gypped over there in Canada), and is also a cause for (another) church service. We headed there at the usual time of 7:30 AM, and were there until about 10:30. From church, my host family and I headed off to Kudus, stopping for some oleh-oleh (food-based souvenirs) for those we were going to visit. Oleh-oleh is a BIG DEAL here, something I learned the hard way upon my return from my week in Gili Trawangan. Rather than being asked how the trip was, many people asked me, "Di mana oleh-oleh?" (Where are the souvenirs?) I hadn't really brought anything back for people, aside from my host family, and that left a lot (a LOT) of people quite disappointed. I've been closely observing the oleh-oleh tradition over the past few weeks, and have noticed that every single time someone goes to another city, even just for an afternoon, they bring back oleh-oleh for others, even those they aren't necessarily closely connected with. I guess that was expected of me, and by many people (even those I don't know all that well), since I'm well-known by a lot of people here. Awkward as it was, it was certainly a very tangible learning experience in cultural differences and expectations! Anyways, from the oleh-oleh store, we headed to Kudus, where we spent time with both Pak Har's and Ibu Vonny's families. My host father, the master orchestrator of surprises and get-togethers, worked hard to make it possible for me to see Jason during our visit. While it didn't happen exactly as anticipated, Jason and I wound up seeing each other by fluke, as we both ended up at the same restaurant in the mountains outside the city of Kudus, for lunch. What the odds of that were, I'm not sure. Why it didn't surprise me in the slightest, is also a mystery to me.

On Friday, I was picked up by my principal at 8AM to do some "jalan-jalan"ing (sightseeing) around Semarang. She had heard that I had not yet been to Lawang Sewu, and since that is just about the only tourist site here in Semarang (unless you count the Paragon Mall, which really actually is quite something), she felt it necessary that I see it before I leave. For those of you interested in history (thinking of you, Grandpa, Uncle Vic, and Andrew), Lawang Sewu (Javanese for "Thousand Doors", named because the number of doors within the complex total more than one thousand) was built for use by the Dutch in the early 1900's, as part of their railway system. It was taken over by the Japanese in 1942, and the basement of one of the buildings was turned into a prison, where several people were executed. The Dutch took it back during the Battle of Semarang in 1945, and the Indonesian Army claimed it after the war, where it was later returned to the national railway company. (Thank you, Wikipedia!) It is only in the last few years that the place has become a tourist attraction, though many are too scared to visit it based upon rumours of it being haunted (such rumours being perpetuated by the top-quality Indo horror film entitled Lawang Sewu: Kuntilanak's Vengeance). Anyways, we toured this new-found tourist site, which is still undergoing massive restoration efforts, and then headed over to the oldest church in Semarang, conveniently located in the part of the city called "Old Semarang City." The church is another remnant of the days of the Dutch, and it features a beautiful old pipe organ, and original stained glass windows. Here, however, I found myself to be more of a tourist attraction than the church, as people stopped me several times for pictures, and for an interview (both common occurrences). From the church, we made our way to the nearby Pasar Johar, whose claim to fame is that it was once the biggest market in Southeast Asia. I believe it too- the place is HUGE! I've been there once before, but saw none of the same places this time that I saw last time. Pasar Johar is about as traditional as markets come, with narrow maze-like passageways, surprise staircases, and just about every item for sale that a person could possibly think of. The one thing it lacks- and this is key- is people. Pasar Johar has been declining in popularity, as the younger generation is favouring clean, air conditioned malls and supermarkets over the traditional market. It kind of makes me sad to think of all of these local vendors who must really struggle to make a living as their stalls receive less and less customers. They can offer lower prices, but they cannot offer the modern comforts, and it seems that people are willing to pay the extra cost to shop with ease. I can understand why the shift is taking place- in fact, I'm a part of the shift that's taking place- but it's too bad that so many people lack the business they once had. After the market (where my principal bought some ikan asin, or salty fish), we headed out for Gulai Kepala Ikan, essentially fish head soup. I admit that I was quite leery of this little delicacy, but remembering the promise I made myself to say yes to new opportunities, I selected one of the varieties, and sipped my iced tea whilst nervously anticipating the arrival of said soup. Within 10 minutes, I found myself staring at what was indeed the head of some sort of fish, floating in a red broth with chiles and leaves. I took my first tentative spoonful, my principal eying me from across the table. Thoughts on the fish head soup? Absolutely delicious. It may even make the Top 5 List of Favourite Indo Foods. It was just awesome! I've had quite a bit of experience with picking fish meat right from the bone, so this really wasn't all that different, except that this fish still had the scales on it (it took forever to eat, since half the experience is pulling scales out of your mouth), and rather than picking the meat off the body, I was picking it out of the skull. I figured I'd go all the way, and ate the lips and eye too, which I'm sorry to say was rather anticlimactic- just more small pieces of meat. It was a great suggestion on part of my principal, and I was glad to add that on to my list of new experiences here in the Indo.

Riki came over late on Friday afternoon, just as I was finishing a MUCH-needed room cleaning. She slept over on Friday night, and on Saturday morning, we headed to Salatiga. I had arranged to spend the weekend at Pak Lilik and Ibu Christin's place, and so, after eating lunch with those who were in Salatiga, I headed to my former host family's house for the night. We had rendang for dinner, another one of my favourite Indo foods, and then I played with the boys until bed time. I opted out of church on Sunday morning (a much needed break- church here is nothing like church at home, and I have to say, I'm getting a bit drained), and woke up late to Pak Lilik frying pancakes for breakfast. Talk about a pleasant Sunday morning!! After breakfast, I went over to Dan and Jeanne's, where I met Riki, Nicole, Nancy, and Laura- all the girls except for Lweendo were in Salatiga for the weekend! We had just the most relaxing day ever, hanging out together in the huge closed-in porch, and then beginning the endeavour that had brought us all together in the first place- roll kuchen! For my non-Mennonite friends, roll kuchen is a Russian Menno food. It's probably the most basic of all the Mennonite foods I know, as it is simply fried dough. Simple as it is, however, the debates in the kitchen over how to prepare, fry, and serve the roll kuchen, would have made anyone think that roll kuchen is a vastly complex dish. Some of us used baking powder in our recipes, some didn't. Some used cream, some used oil. Some grew up with the fancy, twisted roll kuchen. Others grew up with the simple slit in the middle. Some remember them being small, some remember them big. Some of us eat them with watermelon, others had never heard of this tradition (shame on you, Riki!!! ;) ). Some of us have grown up eating roll kuchen as a side dish/in addition to meat. Others thought that this was preposterous. Some of us have eaten them topped with jam, others with sugar, and others with syrup. When it came down to it, we made a recipe with oil and baking powder, prepared both shapes, and opted for a meatless meal, but included LOTS of watermelon, and toppings to satisfy everyone's traditions. We slightly overestimated the quantity we'd need, and quintupled the recipe, leaving us with three extra platters that required inviting back-up consumers to plow through them. They were nothing like my Grandma's roll kuchen (think more along the lines of a thin, fried biscuit), but the first-time consumers (such as Paul, who introduced them to his friends as "strauss-heiffen", remembering that they were called something German-sounding, but forgetting the real name) were none-the-wiser, and everyone really enjoyed them. Sushant and Priti even came from Solo to attend the gathering. It really felt like a Sunday evening at home, with good friends and good food, and a beautiful home to enjoy it in.

With Bu Yanti, my principal, at Lawang Sewu (House of One Thousand Doors)


Surrounded by all kinds of "Ikan Asin" (Salty Fish) at Pasar Johar, the local traditional market
And in keeping with the fish theme, here we have the Gulai Kepala Ikan- Fish Head Soup

Today was another cooking/baking day for me, as Ibu Rini (Pak Lilik and Ibu Christin's helper) and Ibu Christin taught me how to make an awesome pizza dough and delicious pizza sauce. Ibu Rini used to work in a bistro, and picked up some tricks along the way. She's confident in her cooking skills, and she has every right to be- she's a phenomenal cook. Nancy joined me, and together we learned the secrets to a delicious pizza sauce (that also works as a spaghetti sauce), and an incredible pizza dough (that can also be used to make buns!). It was a fun morning, and I'm excited to tuck a few more recipes under my belt- soon I'll be cooking for myself and for roommates again! I stopped in at the office for a little while after lunch, where I found a letter waiting for me, which always makes my day! I hung out with Laura and Nancy for a bit, and we chatted about the upcoming baby shower that we'll be throwing for Karen and Major (not a surprise shower), which was fun to talk about! I said good-bye to Dan and Jeanne, who will be going back to the States for their home leave, beginning next week. They won't be back again until after us YALTers have all headed back home ourselves. We've been lucky to serve under their leadership, and I've learned a lot from Dan and Jeanne over these last nine months. I wish them a very restful and rejuvenating home leave!


I headed back to Semarang, arriving just after 5PM, and am now back here in my room. Tonight consists of prep for classes, as tomorrow marks the beginning of one of the last "normal" weeks here in the Indo. The Gloria Patri Learning Centre ends on May 30th, and the TK school year comes to a close on June 15th. I watched all my TK-B kiddies get their "grad" photos taken (complete with little robes and graduation hats- I've never seen anything as cute as that!!), and a tear came to my eye as I thought of hugging them all good-bye on their last day. They're an awesome group of kiddies, and I'll really miss them when they graduate.

Anyways, I'll let you get back to enjoying this holiday Monday! Have a great day, everyone!!
Lots of love,
Ellery

Sunday, May 13, 2012

The Wedding

Good Morning!

I hope that this morning finds you happy, healthy, and in the celebrating spirit, because... it's Mother's Day! Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there! (And a special little shout-out to my own mom and grandmas, with whom I wish I could be today!)

Well I think this week officially wins for the longest week ever here in the Indo. It just draaaaagged by, and it seemed that it would never come to an end. But alas it did, as all weeks do, and here I am on Sunday afternoon, hanging out in the spare room with Laura, typing this post to you, my dear friends and family. (I think that sentence holds the most commas I've ever used in a single sentence. And I even omitted 2!) I think that a contributing factor to this seemingly endless week was that I went in to TK on Monday, rather than embark on my weekly adventure to Salatiga. I'm doing the same tomorrow (one of the teachers is absent), but the school week is only three days next week, and then there's a holiday from Thursday to Sunday. I'm making up for two missed Mondays in Salatiga by spending next weekend at Pak Lilik and Ibu Christin's place, learning to cook some delicious foods, and just hanging out with my little "brothers." I miss those little guys!

This week also felt extremely busy, much more so than usual. There was my normal schedule, of course, consisting of TK, radio, and PPA. On Wednesday night however, I was invited to the 13th birthday party of the daughter of a friend of Pak Har's, who is also an active member in my church here. In all honesty, it took me until Wednesday morning to decide if I was going, and I had to remind myself of the commitment I made at the beginning of the year to say "yes" to every opportunity that presents itself (a commitment that I have at times kicked myself for making, as it has landed me in some less-than-exciting situations. The fishing birthday for one, or the seminar on cervical cancer in Bahasa Indonesia, for another). I was finally told that I was going, and with a mix of relief that the decision had been made, and resentment that the power to choose was ripped from my hands, I headed off to the party at 5PM on Wednesday night. The party turned out to be a dinner for the girl, at a local Chinese restaurant. 43 guests turned out for the event, including teachers, friends, and some family. There was a huge meal, and the birthday girl walked out with 4 grocery bags and one (costo-sized) garbage bag full of gifts. The mom had invited me to sleep over that night, but I turned down that part of the invitation, as TK started early the next morning.

On Friday night, I attended a pre-wedding dinner for Ibu Vonny's cousin, at another local restaurant. The invitations to the wedding, which was yesterday (Saturday) were presented in a wooden box, and carved out of the box itself. When I saw those, I knew that it wouldn't be an ordinary wedding. The dinner on Friday night was also a hint of what was to come, with seven courses being presented at the dinner. Ibu Vonny's extended family were super warm and welcoming, and the ones I talked to seemed to love me (more in the "what a cute little child" way, but I'll take what I can get). I acquired a new "Oma", who laughed and echoed whatever I said in Bahasa Indonesia, and invited me to sleep over at her place sometime soon. (I'm really banking up the sleepover invites!) My host family seemed extra proud of me, telling everyone how I loved Indonesian foods, how I could really handle spice well, and how I am already fluent in the language (the three most important things to people here ;) ). It was certainly an ego-boosting event, and I enjoyed it much more than I expected to.

On Saturday, I had a free late morning and early afternoon, which I used to indulge in some pleasure reading (Harry Potter!), and then in the evening was the wedding. We arrived just shortly before six, and as I got out of the van, I noticed the "Congratulations" signs, and knew right away that all of my suspicions about the quality of this wedding were about to be confirmed. "Congratulations" signs are my way of explaining this massive (MASSIVE) signs from businesses or companies that know the couple and want to wish them well. Some weddings have none, some have 5 or 10. This one must have had about 70. We stepped inside the entrance to the hall, and my host family passed their envelope to the attendants (money is nearly always the means of gift-giving here), which they inserted into one of the seven boxes lined up. These were no ordinary boxes though. The boxes were at the base of fish tanks, and the money was shoved through a tube in the centre of these fish tanks, into the box below. That out of the way, we headed into the auditorium, stopping to take some pictures with the giant fake flower-covered peacocks in the front entrance. We walked under fake ivy with hundreds of lit lanterns, and then into the absolutely enormous auditorium. Seriously, it was so big that the rooms off the sides had big screen TVs in them so that they could see the events of the wedding from their seats. The entire hall was decked out in drapery and flowers and hanging paper flowers and peacocks. There was seating for nearly 2000 people, and it was filled. There was a raised catwalk lighted by six candelabras, leading to the main stage. The main stage was nearly concert-sized, which seemed necessary, because the sweeping staircase up to the mammoth fake cake (perched in a little gazebo about 15 feet off the ground) would have looked a bit squished on a smaller stage. Weddings here are typically filled with "entertainment" (most often a terrible MC and a guy with an electric keyboard) from beginning to end, and this was no exception. However, the electric keyboard was replaced by a white baby grand piano, and the couple had added violins, percussion, and woodwinds to round it out. The MCs were just as typical as always, but the entertainment, which included Indonesian Idol runner-up (flown in from Jakarta), was a bit atypical, to say the least. The eight course meal (also traditional of Chinese weddings) was catered by one of the most upscale restaurants in Semarang, and included shark's fin soup (animal lovers, please don't judge me- it was served right to me, and one really cannot get out of eating things here. Trust me!), steak, and roasted duck. The waiters did a little show with the appetizers prior to beginning the meal. Other features of the wedding include two bubble machines, a fog machine, and eight of those giant sparkler things that go off at big concerts, spewing pretty fire. I could go on and on about little details here and there, but I will conclude the wedding description just by stating that it was by FAR the most over-the-top wedding I have ever seen, and it was a truly memorable experience.

While I have not outright said it, I don't think it's all that difficult, through reading my blog, to pick up on the lifestyle that I have found myself living here in Indonesia. The topics of affluence and status and their roles in my life here are ones that I have wanted to broach since my fifth day in this country, when I got my first glimpse into what my life outside of Salatiga would look like.This year in Indonesia has certainly taken a different path than I was envisioning, and has landed me in circumstances that I never could have anticipated when I signed up to do this experience. I have, many times, attempted a blog post on it, but have either erased the content or left it unposted, as the final products have not accurately explained what I have wanted to say. I still am unable to describe things or answer the questions that run through my mind, and rather than attempting that here, where my words could cause unintended offense or confusion, I've decided that this area is one that can be better unpacked and examined once I am removed from it, and can reflect upon it. There is a lot I'd like to say about this topic, but I feel like my blog is not the appropriate place to do so. Anyways, I just wanted to add this in here as a small explanation for anyone who has followed my blogs and been confused about the content and how it can be reconciled with with the goals and values of SALT, and as an acknowledgement that, while I am nothing but grateful to my host parents and to my host community for all they do for me, I too am filled with conflicting emotions and a lot of confusion surrounding particular elements of my lifestyle here.

With that, I leave you to enjoy what I hope is an absolutely beautiful day!

Once again, Happy Mother's Day!
Love,
Ellery

Monday, May 7, 2012

The Ordinary Beginnings of an Ordinary Week

Good Morning!

In typical Ellery fashion, I am in the "post frequently" phase of one of my "post-nothing-and-then-post-frequently" cycles. I thought that, in addition to a little update on the last few days, I'd use this post to write out some things that I have been reflecting upon, particularly pertaining to my purpose for being here this year. Forgive me for any off-course ramblings that may result. :)

I forgot to mention in my last post one of the little ways that God was at work in my life here on Friday. I woke up feeling rather blue, facing my first day "alone" again after 19 days of the company of other SALTers and Andrew. While I thought I did a good job of covering up my feelings at school, the teachers were not fooled (though they were kind enough to not say anything about it in the moment). 9:30 is always break time at school, and as I was sitting down for the half an hour "istirahat", my phone beeped. I checked it to find a text from Riki, saying that she was in my host dad's store at the moment, as her host family was buying a new computer. Riki! From a village three hours away! What were the odds of that? I didn't ask questions, but fairly ran home to find Riki in the shop. Within five minutes, we rearranged both of our schedules to accommodate an impromptu lunch date, and then Riki joined me at the TK for the rest of the morning. It was at this point that the teachers mentioned how I had seemed quite depressed in the morning, but was looking much happier now. I felt a little bad about that (that the company of my host community couldn't perk me up the same way that a fellow SALTer could), but it is in those "low" moments that I really need someone with whom I can easily talk to (because speaking in a language other than one's native tongue requires a lot of extra concentration), and who understands where I'm coming from. Riki gave me some positive affirmation after watching me teach a lesson, and then we were off to have lunch together. Even though she had to leave around 3, having Riki here for those few hours made such a difference in my mood. It was one time when the Indonesian randomness of life just happened to work in our favour! I think the good Lord above knew what I needed, and sent Riki my way to fulfill that need. It definitely salvaged the day for me.

On Saturday morning, after teaching a quick lesson to TK-B (we're in the midst of an animal unit, and learned about cats on Saturday), I headed off on another Outbound adventure with my play group. This is the fourth trip of this nature that I have taken between Easter weekend and now, between TK, PPA, and youth. This time, we went to an adventure park that had a "ropes"activity, a playground, a petting zoo, paddle boat rides, and a splash pad. We spent the morning going through the activities (or more accurately, standing under the scrawny palm trees while the three year olds endured the heat) , following it up with lunch at the park, before heading back to the church. A particular highlight of this little endeavour was when the animal guy threw corn for the caged pigeons to consume, and they all flocked at once, swooping dangerously close to my face in their mad dash for food. Fun times indeed.

That Friday get-together with Riki was followed up by yet another impromptu visit on Saturday afternoon, from none other than my dear Laura. Some people from her school had a revival to attend at the Holy Stadium in Semarang, and they offered to drop her off at my house while that was going on. We hung out for awhile, and then headed over to church for youth, before coming back and eating dinner at my place. Laura left around 9, and I was able to chat with Andrew for the first time since he left, making Saturday a really great day overall!

Sunday morning was church as usual (I think the pastor had banked up some passion after a somewhat subdued service last week, and we were all the beneficiaries of that), and then it was out for lunch to celebrate Pak Har's birthday. Now if there is one thing I can tell you about my host dad, it is that he knows and loves his foods. We don't always see eye-to-eye when describing a food as "enak" ("delicious"), but when it comes to eating out, he usually hits the nail right on the head, and the result has been some pretty phenomenal meals here in Semarang. Sunday was no exception, and I found myself seated in a Chinese restaurant (my host family is Ethnic Chinese), with a spread of shrimp, beef, soup, and- the highlight of the meal- Peking duck, before me. I've never tried Peking duck before, but it was absolutely delicious. In fact the whole meal was phenomenal- there wasn't a thing that I didn't enjoy. (Much unlike an experience a few weeks ago where I was taken out for "Padang", a type of restaurant that serves a small plate of a whoooole bunch- 23 to be exact- different dishes, and has you pay for the ones you eat, while the others are served to another table. These dishes are served at the typical room temperature, and items range from goat stomach to intestines to some sort of hoof, and everything in between. I liked precisely one of the 23 dishes.) After Pak Har's birthday lunch, we stopped by the Chinese Traditional Market, which smelled very much like raw warm chicken meat (likely because there was raw warm chicken meat for sale). Many people at the market were excited by the sighting of a bule, and I was able to take a whole bunch of pictures as a result. From the market, we headed off for the weekly trip to the mall, then to the bookstore, and then back home again. We laid low for the afternoon and evening, and I was wildly unproductive with my time.

This morning I went to the TK rather than to Salatiga, as I normally would on a Monday, since I took last Thursday morning off to see Andrew off. Mondays are the kiddies' dance classes, and that is always a real treat to watch. I also learned how to cook a really delicious dessert/soup/beverage that Bu Intan has made several times this year, and that I really enjoy. I'm curious to see if I'll be able to find all of the ingredients for it back in Canada. If I can, I've found my substitute for hot chocolate and tea this winter! It's funny, before coming to Indonesia, and even in my first few months in the Indo, I thought that Canada doesn't lack anything, food-wise. Of course, I was coming at it from a Western food search perspective. Now, as I am trying to get my hands on some of my favourite Indonesian recipes, I find myself thinking, "man, I don't think I'm going to be able to get my hands on banana leaves or coconut jellies or "nangka" very easily." Even if I can find the ingredients, I have a feeling that they'll be rather costly. I cannot envision paying a lot for banana leaves, which are used here indispensably, found in even the cheapest dishes, and used to wrap food-to-go.

This afternoon consisted of a failed attempt to tackle the mess that is my room, and some searching online for Indonesian restaurants in Kitchener. The one that got good reviews costs $60-100 per person! I am going to have to make the most of this 2 months, food-wise especially...

Have a great day!
Love,
Ellery


Friday, May 4, 2012

A Visit From My Pacar!


Hello to you, my patient readers, from a very apologetic young lady in Central Java!

I do owe you a huge apology for the lag in posts. It’s been on my mind almost every day to get something up on my blog, but the month of April absolutely flew by, and now, almost exactly a month later, I am finally free and able to get something worth reading (I hope!) up here.

My biggest prompter was Bu Lucy, a lady from PPA Sendang Guwo, who presented me with a gift today, and reminded me (unknowingly) that these special moments are forgotten if they are not recorded. The gift was a key chain, handmade by Bu Lucy herself, with a picture of Andrew (my boyfriend) and I in it. It’s big and blue and covered in glitter, and it is filled with love and care, which is what I find so special about it. Almost every day, the love of my host community is demonstrated to me, be it in the spaghetti that Bu Intan made especially for me, the surprise Birthday cake that the staff at church got for Andrew (and the accompanying song) on his birthday, the Rendang that Bu Ira sent over for lunch today, or in the half-eaten cookies that my TK kiddies offer to me. (Did anyone pick up on the food theme there?) If I were to record every loving act that my host community shows toward me, I could have filled my whole journal. And that’s despite my days of moodiness and resistance to the culture, which still pop up here and there. I’m truly showered with unconditional love each and every day, and just when I seem to forget it, something like the keychain comes along to remind me.

The month that has passed since my last “real” blog (April 7) dragged by at an unfathomably slow rate, and then picked up speed around April 18th, which just so happens to coincide with the arrival of Andrew and Ellen, Mike’s girlfriend. The weeks prior to Andrew’s arrival were filled with Easter activities (yes, after Easter- for some reason, the actual date of these major holidays isn’t really all that important. Case in point: the Christmas banner at church, which was taken down in March), an unexpected little endeavour to Jogja and Solo, a visa renewal/SALTer reunion, and a few days with Mike. In fact, last night was my first night alone again in 20 days.

The trip to Jogja and Solo was completely unexpected, and was brought on by the visit of an MCC worker from Laos who arrived a few days prior to an MCC conference, and wanted to do some sightseeing. I was thrilled for the opportunity (which was presented to me on the Wednesday), and on Thursday morning (waaaaay back on April 12th), Wendy and I were off to see Borobudur (the Buddhist temple that we also visited when my parents were here) and Prambanan (a cluster of Hindu Temples), and hit up some Batik stores in Solo. We spent the night at Sushant and Priti’s house (MCC workers from India) and enjoyed a fabulous homemade Indian meal for dinner. We also got a chance to go to Kopeng to see a really pretty waterfall there (which would have totally been worth it if not for the gridlock traffic that we encountered on our way home.) It was a packed two days, but definitely a lot of fun! 

That Saturday, Riki arrived, followed by Laura on Sunday morning, and Mike on Sunday afternoon. Jason was the last to arrive on Sunday evening, and us Canadian YALTers enjoyed a night together before taking care of visa renewal stuff (just in Semarang) for the last time, on Monday morning. Visa renewal was followed by a great lunch, and then Jason headed back to Kudus, and the rest of us headed back to my place. Riki and Laura left on Tuesday, and that left just one (long and seemingly endless) night before Andrew and Ellen’s arrival.

On April 18th, after 8 months and 11 days apart (but who’s counting?), Andrew arrived, along with Mike’s girlfriend, Ellen. I cannot tell you how awesome it was to finally see him again, and it’s also hard to explain how normal it felt for him to be here, right from the get-go! We spent Thursday and Friday in my host community, following my normal schedule of TK, Ichthus, and PPA. It’s amazing how quickly so many things that I’ve been talking about these past 8 months, became clear to him. Within 2 days, he had tried a handful of Indonesian foods (including fried papaya leaves and deep fried whole catfish), ridden on a motorbike, spoken on Ichthus FM, saw my PPA Sendang Guwo site, played Zombie and “Dinosaurus” with my TK kids, watched a bunch of top-quality Indo action films in the home of one of my students, been sung to twice and presented with two cakes for his birthday (as well as pose with me for a picture of me feeding him the cake, an idea that my Indo friends thought was “so cute”… we thought otherwise), and introduced to most of the people that I most often interact with here in the Indo. The days were jam-packed, and he was jet-lagged, but he participated in everything wholeheartedly, asked tons of questions, and interacted with everyone despite the language barrier. I was so impressed!

We left on Saturday morning for a MUCH anticipated trip to Gili Trawangan, an island off the coast of Lombok, which is off the coast of Bali. Laura and I had done the vast majority of planning for the trip, and had decided to cut costs by taking the bus/ferry/speedboat combo there, and flying home. The trek there took about 30 hours from start to finish (the same amount of time that it took Andrew and Ellen to get here from Canada), but it was cool to get a chance to see Bali (we had to drive across it to get to Lombok), and ride some ferries and speedboats. The trek was also almost immediately forgotten upon our arrival in what I can only describe as true tropical paradise. Laura and I had done some research back in November and December, and had concluded that Gili Trawangan was the best match for our needs/desires- away from Java, reasonably priced, authentically Indonesian (not too overly touristy, like much of Bali tends to be), lots of good food options. We hit the nail right on the head- Gili Trawangan not only met, but far exceeded my already high expectations.

From the moment we arrived until the moment we left, we soaked up all that the island has to offer. Gili Trawangan is the biggest of a series of three popular Gili islands, and is the most developed. It is said to be the up-and-coming Bali, with tourism spiking just in the last five years. That said, there are still no motorized vehicles on the island, just bikes and horse carts, and there is just one 20-minute walk stretch of shops and restaurants and spas. The rest of the island is still filled with a lot of natural space, including a big hill that we climbed to watch the sunset over the mountains of Bali, on Thursday night. The population of Gili Trawangan is around 800 people, and the only access is by speedboat. The entire island takes less than two hours to walk around, which gives you an idea of how small it is. We visited in what is considered low season, which added a multitude of perks to the already perfect place, including cheaper prices for accommodations, and crowd-free beaches. The water was crystal clear, and we snorkeled several times (even taking a snorkeling trip to all three islands one day), and saw beautiful fish and huge sea turtles. The beaches were both sunny and shady, and there were tons of places to sit. In fact, every restaurant was literally on the beach (the “floors” were sand), and we set up our base at an Austrian restaurant with little gazebos right on the beach.

Our accommodation was a little place called Martas, run by a British woman who wants nothing more than to make your time as stress-free and enjoyable as possible. She bent over backwards to help us out, and everything was “no problem!” We stayed in a 2 bedroom “bungalow”, with a huge day bed outside, and a loft room upstairs. Breakfasts were included, and consisted of whole wheat toast and eggs or omelets or crepes, fresh fruit and fruit juice, and coffee or tea. Martas is a block off of the main strip, so right near the action, but removed enough to make it quieter than other accommodations. The whole trip was just one great thing after another, and I feel so lucky to have had that experience.

We flew back, leaving Ellen and Mike in Lombok to head back to Mike’s placement, and arrived back in Semarang on Saturday night. We were immediately plunged right back into the swing of things here, starting with two back-to-back church services on Sunday (7:30-1 on the pew, with an hour in between there for visiting at church). I was glad that Andrew got the chance to experience the more realistic parts of my placement as well. We all headed to Salatiga on Monday, and did a normal Monday routine for me, adding a visit to Pak Lilik and Ibu Christin’s to that. There was a thick envelope awaiting me at the MCC office, and inside I found letters from a whole bunch of kids at NUMC, my home church in Canada. Letters and packages mean so much for us here, and it was so special to get a tangible reminder of the people who are thinking of me and praying for me often, even after 8 months.

On Tuesday, we went to TK as usual, and then we headed out in search for Kopi Luwak, a really special (and a tad on the pricey side) coffee made from coffee beans that are found in the droppings of an animal called a Luwak. How one first discovered this delicacy I’ll never know, but the coffee that results is said to be the most delicious coffee in the world, and can sell for up to $50 a cup in North America. Thankfully, it didn’t cost anywhere near that here, and Andrew claimed it was a pretty awesome cup of coffee. (He let me try a precious sip, but it was lost on me, as I’m not really much of a coffee drinker.)

Wednesday is one of my busy days, so we were kept going from morning until night. The evening was a particularly good one though, as it was a chance for Andrew to talk to some native Indonesians in English (it’s my night at the Gloria Patri Learning Centre, where I help teach with people who have spent time in North America). We went to a delicious warung for dinner, owned by a woman from the Gloria Patri church. She fed us until we could eat no more, and then didn’t let us pay a cent for any of it. It was so generous, and the food was absolutely fantastic.

I had to say bye to Andrew yesterday morning, and while it was definitely not a fun thing to do, I was able to hold back any tears (mainly because I knew people would ask if I cried- people here have a funny thing with crying. It’s like crying is one of the most embarrassing things you could do, and people laugh at me for it! And yet it’s the first question I got from a whole bunch of people today), and I sent him off with the knowledge that the longest time apart is behind us, and I’ll be back in just 10 weeks.  

Speaking of that, it really is just two and a half months until I’m home! This year has felt like a strange time warp, moving slowly and yet unbelievably quickly at the same time. While I am undoubtedly excited about being reunited with my loved ones at home, I’m glad that I still have time here, as there are still quite a few things I’d like to do before I leave. These next two and a half months are filled with lots of good things, and I’m betting that they’ll fly by!

Well, there’s the long-overdue update! Thanks for bearing with it. I hope that everyone at home is doing well! Sending love, thoughts, and prayers your way!

Have a great day!
Love,
Ellery