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