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, July 22, 2012

A Week of Goodbyes and Hellos!

Hello hello!!

I am writing this to you from my comfy cozy bed in my beautiful bedroom... in AKRON!!! One of my first blog posts last year was titled something similar to the title I used for this post, and I re-used it here because I find it very fitting. This week is indeed a time of Goodbyes and Hellos, though the complete reverse of last year's experience. It already has been a time of saying good-bye to my Indonesian home and all that that includes, and it will also be a time of saying good bye to the SALT participants of 2011 and 2012, some of whom I've grown very close with, and all of whom I respect and admire and have learned from over the past year. This week will also provide me with the opportunity to say hello to my family, my friends, my boyfriend, and so many others who I CANNOT WAIT to see!! It's pretty exciting to be on this side of things!

We arrived here in Akron on Thursday evening, after 41 (that is not a typo) hours of travel. We had a busy and slightly stressful morning in Salatiga on Wednesday, trying to get everything sorted and packed and brought back to the MCC office, but amidst the craziness, I also got a chance to take a few more bites of fresh and delicious mango, say my goodbyes to Ibu Christin and the boys (six-year old Peter took my departure a bit harder than I anticipated, and I wound up calling him from the airport to assure him that we would see each other again), and enjoy some delicious french toast made especially for us by Pak Chris and Ibu Henny, Dan and Jeanne's house helpers. We also ran into a small crisis when Pak Chris accidentally sprayed his daughter Grace with pepper spray (the container looked like a flashlight, and he had no way of knowing otherwise). The poor girl was in a lot of pain, but nothing that a bit of ice cream couldn't fix!

Most of the MCC staff came over to Dan and Jeanne's place to say good-bye to us, and after final rounds of hugs and well-wishes and promises to keep in touch, we were on the road just shortly after 2PM (Java time), headed to the airport. We were met there by a small group of people that included some of Jason's close friends and family, and my host parents, as well as Pak Herry and Ibu Linda. In their typical insanely generous spirit, my host parents brought us two pizzas from Pizza Hut to enjoy in the airport while we waited for our plane. We took some final pictures, said our final goodbyes, and headed through the gate to embark on our journey back home...

The flight from Semarang to Jakarta is just an hour long, but we wound up with an over seven hour layover in Jakarta as our flight was delayed. We were stuck with our luggage during that time, but we were ok to just hang out on a bench for most of that time. Luck was on our side during check-in, and we were able to bypass the regular line and head straight to the group check-in desk, which was empty. We finally boarded our flight with Qatar airlines (awesome airline, I'd totally recommend it!) at shortly past 2AM, and settled in for the nine hour flight to Doha. We landed at about 6:30AM Doha time, and it was already 35 degrees outside!! SO HOT! It was really cool to land in a country in the Middle East, as I've never seen anything in the Middle East before. It was a lot like what I had pictured it to be- really really dry and very white/beige. The nice thing about our delayed flight in Jakarta was that it consumed the time that we would have spent in layover in Doha. We had just enough time to go through security (TIGHT security in Doha, my goodness!! I was not used to that, coming from the lenient land of the Indo), and meet up with three other SALTers who had flown in from Vietnam and Nepal. It was really cool to meet up with them again!

Our flight from Doha to Washington DC took about 14 hours, and we were pretty drained by the time we arrived in Washington, where we met up with even more SALTers, bringing our total group to 12. We were extreeemely lucky to have a practically flawless travel experience, with no problems at immigration and everyone's luggage arriving (including all three pieces of my checked luggage... I'm not a light packer.). Someone met us in DC, and drove us back to Akron, stopping at a convenience store along the way. It was my first time in a North American convenience store in almost a year, and I cannot express how exciting (and even a bit overwhelming) something that small can be! I went for a bag of Smartfood and a water bottle, and enjoyed those in the car.

We arrived at MCC Akron around 8:30 PM on Thursday, and were a bit surprised to find the kitchen closed. This ended up not being a bad thing at all though, because it gave us an excuse to go out for dinner. My first dinner back in North America? Sonic! Nothing like a top quality chili cheese/frito topped hot dog, and cheesey tater tots to welcome one back to North America, right?? And it was DE.LIC.IOUS!!! It could also be justified by the 40 minute walk that it took to get there ;) It started raining while we were eating, and having no other option, we began our walk back in the rain. Just as we were starting out, a car pulled over and a lady rolled down her window and told us to get in. Under normal circumstances I would never hitch hike, but I felt pretty safe being in a group of 7 people. It turned out that the lady taught with a parent of one of the people in our group, which was a cool little connection to make. It was such an awesome welcome back into North America, with such kindness being displayed on our first night back. I went to bed around 11 and had a completely normal night sleep.

Friday morning at 7:30 presented me with the greatest treat I could possibly think of... BACON. Ohhhh, bacon, crispy salty bacon. What a breakfast!! Friday was free of any formal activities, providing us all with a chance to rest and start the road to recovery from jet lag, as well as start reconnecting with SALTers from other countries. It has been really interesting to realize that, while all of us had dramatically different SALT experiences, everyone shares common understandings and sympathies. It is really relieving to have this time to begin to readjust in such a relaxed setting, before going home and experiencing the excitement and challenges that come with returning from time abroad. We have been told that it is almost always more difficult to come home than it was to leave for a new country because one anticipates the new country to be different, but one cannot help but expect to be returning to the same life that they left behind when they began their time of service, and yet a year (or three years or five years or however many years spent abroad) has also passed at home, and with that come inevitable changes. I'm trying really hard to be aware of that reality, since it sounds like the reverse culture shock is an unavoidable part of the re-entry experience. I think it will be something that we're going to just have to take as it comes though, and for now I am not dwelling on the challenges that undoubtedly lie ahead, but am rather reveling in the absolute joy and relief that I feel right now in being back on home turf, and in all of the little things that never were exciting before, but are extremely exciting right now. (Like bacon, for example :p. And clean air. And quiet streets.)

Yesterday, Saturday, was the beginning of formal sessions, but they ended nice and early, providing lots of time for relaxation and chances to catch up on sleep. We went to the park, and I went for a few nice long walks, and took that time to just breathe in the clean air. The smell of the air was the first thing that hit me when I walked out of the DC airport. It just smells so CLEAN! We also walked to Turkey Hill, a convenience store, and I had an ice cream sandwich, which tasted absolutely heavenly. I have never been able to buy so much happiness for 70 cents before! Lunch yesterday was BLTs (more bacon!!) and dinner was enchiladas. Everything just tastes SO GOOD!!

Today we had pancakes and SAUSAGE for breakfast (I didn't realize how much I missed cheap and fatty breakfast meats!), and then began sessions for the day. Sessions today included a lot of "unpacking"- sharing how we were feeling about different things, what our frustrations and challenges and joys were during assignment, how we're feeling about being back, what we're nervous and excited for regarding heading back home, etc. In all honesty, I'm a bit sick of reflecting on my feelings and emotions (I had a lot of time to do that this year already), but we've been told that these sessions that may not seem helpful in the present are in fact quite helpful as we return back to our home communities, and since MCC has been doing orientations for quite a few years, I'm trusting that they're right about that. It's also really nice to hear the stories of others. There is a lot that I cannot relate to and a lot that I can relate to, and everything spoken is an opportunity to learn about others' experiences.

Mike and I have had a craving for Subway since February (when we went to Singapore), and we set out in search of Subway for dinner tonight rather than having dinner here. We got a bit sidetracked by an Italian restaurant, and wound up eating there instead. I had pizza, and I cannot tell you how delicious it was! Just incredible! I was struck by the portion sizes here... they are just HUGE! Portions in the Indo were like a third of the size of the portions I saw at that Italian restaurant.

Tomorrow is the last full day of orientation, and there are a bunch of sessions that I hope will be more lecture-style, and less interactive. One of them is supposed to be about how to share our stories when we get back home. We have been told that it can be really difficult to figure out how to respond to the questions we'll get at home, and I'm really eager to learn as much as possible from people here about how to effectively answer questions. I'm excited to get questions from people at home, and definitely hope that people will take an interest in my experience this year, and I really want to know how best to speak about this year in a way that answers questions concisely, while also doing justice to the experiences I've had and the stories that I am passionate about and eager to share. This experience of Serving and Learning Together certainly doesn't come to an end with the conclusion of orientation. That's both a daunting and awesome thought!

I'm over-the-top excited to get picked up by my parents on Tuesday morning, and head back to my beautiful little home town! The moments of seeing them for the first time, of driving down familiar streets, of pulling into my driveway, of stepping through my front door, of being greeted by my little sister (and maybe even more family??), of petting my cat, of eating my first home-cooked meal, are all moments that I have played and replayed in my mind for the last 11 months. There were times this year when I thought that this time would never come, and now it's here, and it's just as exciting as I was anticipating it to be! This week also brings with it some sadness, as I say good-bye to the remainder of my Indo Fam, the group of SALTers that have carried me through my toughest times this year, and who understand this experience and all that comes with it, more thoroughly than anyone else ever could. I'm really going to miss them, and it hurts to say good-bye. Despite that, I am so looking forward to the upcoming days of being reunited with family, with friends, with my boyfriend, and with my church community. I cannot wait to explore the places that are so important to me at home, to see my little Southern Ontario world with new eyes and new appreciation. It is a time of so much change and a cause for so much celebration and gratitude, and I am ready to embrace all of that in these upcoming days.

I am so grateful to each and every one of you for your thoughts and your prayers over this past year, and I am hoping that they continue during these weeks and months of readjustment and learning. Thank-you for reading my blog this year, and following me through my highs and lows. Thank-you for being willing to learn alongside me and for allowing my experiences to make their way into your own hearts and minds, and perhaps impact you in some way or another. The experience of SALT goes so far beyond myself. The purpose of SALT is to bridge communities, to learn from each other, and to gain a deeper understanding and thus appreciation and respect for our global family (a concept I still struggle with, and hope to keep grappling with). Blogging is one small way to help fulfill the purpose of SALT, and just by your willingness to read, you have engaged in that experience, and have in turn made this year even more worthwhile. Thank-you!!

As I mentioned before, I plan to post at least once more, maybe more, in the upcoming weeks and months. The experiences of this year are at their freshest right now, and are perhaps a bit too fresh to be able to process and understand. As I am able to start sorting through this year, I hope to blog a bit about the whole returning home process. Keep checking for new posts every once in awhile, because one will be coming! Until then, thank-you SO MUCH once more for your love and your support over this past year. You helped to carry me through, and I am forever grateful to you for that!

Looking forward to seeing many of you SO SOON!!!
With love and gratitude,
Ellery

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

The Last Night in Indonesia

My Dear Family and Friends,

After over 11 months outside of Canada, and almost exactly 11 months in Indonesia, I am spending my last night in the place that, just one year ago, I knew almost nothing about. One year ago, I had no idea who I would be meeting in Indonesia, what I would be doing, where I would be living... I didn't know the language or the culture. I didn't know the challenges I would face, nor did I know what incredible experiences I would encounter. And now here I sit on my last night in this formerly strange and unknown land, with my suitcases packed up once again, and my emotions just as mixed up as they were in the days leading up to my departure for Indonesia. I went back to the blog post that I wrote on my last night at orientation last August (August 17th, in fact, exactly 11 months ago today), and was struck by the words I found:
  
I'm anticipating tomorrow with a mix of excitement, apprehension, and pure dread! I've heard- and told myself- over and over that "it will be great, you'll have so much fun, you're living your dream..." All of that will be true at times, but what has resonated most with me is the words of my mother (it's always the words of a mother, right?): "This is a choice you're making. The alternative is to not go, and you'll regret that for the rest of your life." Now THAT is always true, and I've had to think of that several times over the past week in my moments of panic about the year ahead (but don't worry mom, I AM excited!). I've been told over and over this week that we're going to hit all-time lows (the part I am most nervous for), that it's going to be really hard, and that it's going to be completely worth it. I know that that's true too.

It may sound strange and maybe even a bit unbelievable to hear that I am anticipating tomorrow (and the days that follow) with almost exactly the same emotions. There's a lot of excitement, no doubt, and the list of things that I am excited about is practically endless- seeing my family and friends and boyfriend, eating my favourite foods, being back in my own bed in my own room, starting school and living in Waterloo again, conversing easily with people again, hot showers, going on bike rides... it is all SO exciting! That excitement is mixed with apprehension; a year is a long time, and things have changed at home. Some of those changes are ones I'm aware of, and I've no doubt that there are others I will discover when I get there. Friends have gotten engaged, have gotten married, have graduated, have moved on to full-time jobs or higher education at different schools. My sister moved from high school to university, and completed her whole first year at Waterloo in the time I've been away. For me, life at home froze almost completely, but for everyone else, it carried on as it always does. I think that the weird time warp feeling is often a challenge faced by those who spend time overseas, and I now have even more respect for long term service workers who dedicate much more than just 11 months of their lives to service, and must feel even more out-of-the-loop than I will when they return to wherever their home base is. My ongoing prayer is that I will be able to recognize changes at home as something positive and that I can rest in the assurance that everything works out just as it is intended to. I'm also praying for... wait for it... patience! Patience with myself and with others as the experiences and discoveries of this year are integrated into my life at home and as I come to terms with the fact that my life at home will be different than it was when I left, because I truly believe the words that I wrote last year- that this year abroad was completely worth it. It was hard, and oh man, did I ever hit all-time lows, but I am so SO glad that I did this year in Indonesia, and I believe that it has been, and will continue to be, completely worth the lows that I hit while I was here, and the challenges that we've all been told we'll face in our first weeks and months back home. I am glad to be on this side of the apprehension though, and to be going home to a community full of people who have done overseas work and even SALT specifically, and who are willing to be sources of support. I also have the incredible advantage of having had my parents and sister, and Andrew come to visit, so they have an idea of what I'm talking about. I think that will be really helpful! Overall, right now I am feeling SO incredibly blessed to have had the opportunity for this experience, and I'm really grateful for all the lessons that it has taught me already (painful as some of them were), and for what it will continue to teach me!

I had my exit interview with MCC yesterday, which consists primarily of the Exchange Program Coordinators reading through a review that they wrote of me as a service worker this year, and provides an opportunity to offer feedback on all things assignment-related, as well as a chance to tie up any loose ends that need tying up. While it is a united body in its beliefs and values, I've learned that MCC looks quite different in every country that it serves, for a variety of reasons. Not all countries have a position specifically for Exchange Program Coordinators, for example, and that factor alone would shape the experience of SALTers and YAMENers very differently than our year here in Indonesia. We also had the advantage of serving beneath in-country representatives who have been in the country for over a decade, and who have an incredible wealth of knowledge about situations and circumstances in Indonesia. Before coming here, I took it for granted that MCC was just one big collective body, and didn't consider that the context in which MCC is serving would impact how MCC functions within different parts of the world. I'm really excited to get back to Akron and hear about MCC in other contexts of the world!

In addition to my exit interview yesterday, I seized the opportunity to have one last cream bath (those incredibly indulgent head/shoulder massages that do not exist in North America), and we followed that up with a final lunch at Cosmo, one of our tried and true little places. We had just a few hours between lunch and dinner, when Jason, Mike, Laura, and I met up with my host sister Valen and her friend for dinner. We tried pork fried noodles and rice, which was quite delicious. For "dessert", we headed to a warung that sells ronde (pronounced "ron-day"), a hot ginger beverage with roasted peanuts, jellies, and sesame balls. I cannot say I particularly liked it (I did finish the cup, so I gave it a fair shot), but it's a traditional drink in Salatiga, so I'm glad that I tried it.

Today was a free day, and since the power was out from about 9:30 onwards, I used the morning to get all of my suitcases organized, packed, weighed, re-organized, re-packed, and re-weighed. For lunch, a bunch of us met up and went to "Depot Trio", a row of warungs with a variety of culinary options. I went for gado-gado today, as it is one of those foods that I certainly won't get to eat at home unless I make it myself. Gado-gado is a mix of a variety of vegetables- in this case, tomatoes, potatoes, cabbage, and lettuce-, as well as lontong (rice steamed in a banana leaf), hard boiled egg (yes Austin, I ate that!), and tofu. It is all covered in a slightly spicy peanut sauce and then topped with crispy cracker-ish type things (called kerupuk), and it is SO delicious! I also got a fresh strawberry juice. The fresh fruit juices found on Java are absolutely incredible. SO fresh and delicious!! The afternoon was more packing and playing with Dan and Jeanne's dogs, and then we had dinner with Karen and Major and Sushant and Priti at a fried chicken restaurant. On the way home, we learned about a little craft show/fair type thing going on, so we went to that and wandered around. It was really cool! There was a stage set up for a Wayang performance (traditional Javanese puppet shows), so we saw all of the puppets, which was awesome! I got some singkong keju (cheese-y cassava), which was strangely tasty, and we looked at the art and the batik stalls that were set up there. It was a really awesome way to spend our last evening here!

The plan for tomorrow is to bring all the stuff to MCC that we are not bringing home with us, and then I want to visit Pak Lilik and Ibu Christin and the boys one last time before I leave. We're planning on having one last Indonesian meal for lunch (soto, a type of soup), and then we head out around 2:00PM from Salatiga. Our flight departs from Semarang at 5:30PM tomorrow night, and we fly out of Jakarta late at night. We are supposed to be arriving in Washington, DC on Thursday the 19th around 3:20PM, and then we head back to Akron for a few days of re-orientation. This means that if all goes according to plan, my next post will be back in North America! It feels entirely surreal right now!!

Thinking of all of the YAMENers, SALTers, and IVEPers, who are traveling in these next few days, and praying for safe and happy travels!

See you on the other side!!
Lots and lots of love,
Ellery




Sunday, July 15, 2012

Back in Salatiga...

Hello Hello!

I am writing this post from my absolute favourite spot in Indonesia- the massive day bed in Dan and Jeanne's screened-in back porch. Over this past year, I have seen some jaw-droppingly beautiful places and experienced many incredible things, but nothing can compare with that feeling of complete contentment that comes from being surrounded by good company, good food, and a comfy cozy environment. It feels good to be back!

I got back to Salatiga around noon on Thursday. My last day in Semarang included a Dim Sum breakfast (Chinese food, which is a favourite of my host parents, who are ethnic Chinese themselves), an incredible Italian lunch, a farewell presentation from the kiddies at PPA, and dinner at a warung, where I tried pigeon for the first time- and LOVED it! Why don't we eat pigeon at home? It would solve that issue of excessive pigeons in big cities, and they really are delicious little birds! A bit oily, but super crispy skin! Absolutely delicious. My host parents made me a beautiful photo album as a going-away gift (among a few other things, because they consistently take generosity to a whole new level), and in addition to their gifts, people dropped by all evening and even the morning of my departure, with last-minute kenang-kenangan that they wanted me to take home. I think I received as many gifts in the last few weeks as I have in all my 21 birthdays combined. Or at least close to it ;)

My host parents and pastor's wife brought me to Salatiga, and we picked Nicole up on the way. Nancy, Mike, and Laura were already here, and my host family treated us all to lunch at "Bizztro" (double Z) before dropping us all off at the MCC office and saying our final (or semi-final, because I think they are coming to the airport on Wednesday) good-byes. They made sure to stress that we- all of us YALTers, as well as my family and friends- always have a home in Indonesia if our travels should ever lead us back here. I know that that is an absolutely sincere offer, and I really hope to get a chance to take them up on it in the future.

While it was sad to say good-bye to the host family, it was AWESOME to be reunited with the team, particularly Mike, who we haven't seen in over two months. Our YALT team gets along incredibly well, and they truly feel like a little family for me here. We spent most of our afternoon on Thursday just catching up and going through our luggage and re-packing (well at least I did). In the evening, all of us went to the Pancisila for dinner. The Pancisila is like the city centre, with a huge inner green surrounded by a wide band of sidewalk. A lot of food vendors gather there in the evenings. The food is really cheap and really delicious, and it's a lot of fun to sit on the mats that are set up, and listen to street performers and watch kids race around on ATVs. It's a bit of an experience every time! Later in the evening, the last of the team- Lweendo, Jason, and Riki- arrived back safe and sound after a loooong day on the road. We all chatted for awhile, then watched Mama Mia before heading to bed.

Friday was a busy busy day, with a baby shower planned for the early afternoon, and the YALT send-off dinner in the evening. Karen and Major's baby was due a few days ago, and we had the shower planned for Friday the 13th, with our fingers crossed that little baby Edward would hold off on making his appearance until after the shower was over. It turns out that Friday the 13th isn't nearly as unlucky as people think it is, for Edward cooperated and the shower went off beautifully! Nicole and Nancy were in charge of decorations for the Shaun the Sheep themed shower (a British claymation kids show that is similar to Wallace and Grommit, and is extremely popular here), and they went ALL OUT. The back porch was completely transformed! Laura and I were in charge of food and games, but so many people helped out to make it all come together. We had a water balloon toss (re-named "Don't Break Your Water"... that was actually the only game) and enjoyed some delicious foods, including our "Shaun the Sheep Shaped Cupcake Cake", which turned out beautifully! It was a lot of fun, and a lot of the MCC staff were able to make it.

Our YALT dinner took place that evening, as Nicole had to depart earlier than the rest of us (Saturday morning) because she was here on a different visa than the rest of us. The original plan was to go out for dinner, but plans were changed, and instead the MCC staff cooked us an INCREDIBLE meal of homemade satay with peanut sauce, vegetable curry, puri (?), a type of Indian bread, mint chutney, rice, and for dessert, a chocolate birthday cake (for both Riki and I), and cookies. The meal was SO much better than a restaurant ever could have been, and it was quite a treat to be able to just sit back and enjoy while the rest of the MCC staff did the work. (Thank-you!!). A slideshow was also put together, and I was struck by just how much our little Indo fam has gone through together this year, ranging from really awesome to really challenging, and everything in between. I feel SO blessed to have had these people in my life this year, and I cannot express how much I'm going to miss them when we have to say all of our good-byes. (And going back to the food part of this event, I'll also add that that satay grill that I mentioned in my last post wound up being put to good use on Friday night, and I feel a bit less like a fool for purchasing such a seemingly useless item!)

I woke up at 3AM on Saturday morning, along with Mike, Laura, and Riki, to accompany Nicole to the Semarang airport. The Indonesian YAMEN team (consisting of Nancy, Lweendo, and Nicole) have their re-orientation in Cambodia rather than the US, where it is hard to get visas, so Nicole was headed there to wait for Nancy and Lweendo so that they could begin their re-orientation activities. Nicole was really sad to leave early, and we were really sad to send her off, but she's made it safely to Cambodia (arrived at the wrong airport and had to bus 8 hours to Phnom Penh, but she handled the little mix-up with the stoicism that Nicole is known for), and hopefully she'll be able to at least get some time to relax and enjoy these few days. We arrived back from the airport and I slept until almost noon, and then Laura, Mike, and I walked to Bu Wati for grilled chicken and rice. From there, we headed to a fun little souvenir shop, and then walked to Laura's old host family's home (she stayed with a host family during language training back in September/October) to say thank-you and good-bye. Her old host family runs an orphanage out of their home, and they currently have 19 children between the ages of 5 months and senior high school. Laura isn't exactly a big fan of children (to put it lightly), but I was thrilled for the chance to hold a few babies, which I haven't actually had that many opportunities to do this year! We had a nice little visit and then headed back to the Jantzi's for a bit of a break before dinner. Dinner was nasi goreng at Karen and Major's, followed by a time of answering random questions in order to prepare us for the questions that people at home may ask us upon our return. I'm curious about how many of those questions we'll get when we get back! All year we've been answering questions that people here have had about life in Canada. It will be interesting to see what the flipside looks like! We played some Dutch Blitz in the evening and then came back and watched a movie before bed.

We were at Karen and Major's again this morning, for pancakes and a time of worship. We did that in place of attending an actual church service, and us YALTers who have spent quite a bit of time introducing ourselves and re-answering questions and sitting through really really long sermons in Bahasa Indonesia, were quite grateful that this alternative was provided. We sang a bit, and Sushant gave a message about how God turns our failures into successes, and how even though we may feel like we failed either in specific situations or in our overall year of service (or both), this year was not about what we were able to accomplish, but what God was wanting to accomplish through us. I felt like it was a much-needed reminder that it is not my place to judge whether this year was a success or a failure; I wasn't placed in Indonesia to accomplish my own goals. I was placed here for reasons beyond my understanding, that I cannot possibly have a clear vision of. It's a relief to know that, because if the success of this year was measured by my own accomplishments, I would be coming home a very guilt-ridden, defeated, frustrated, and dissatisfied young woman.

After breakfast, five of us took the bus to Semarang, with the intention of grabbing lunch and seeing a movie. We wound up just grabbing lunch, as the theatre was absolutely packed. There was a really cool craft show going on too, and we wandered through that a bit before heading back up to Salatiga. Tonight, the plan is to have dinner at the Pancisila and then play some games at Karen and Major's. I cannot think of a more enjoyable way to spend an evening here in Salatiga!

I have my exit interview with MCC tomorrow afternoon, and in the evening, Mike, Laura, and I are having dinner with my host sister Valen, and her friend. We're trying a new place that gets so busy that she asked us what we'd like to eat from there today so that she could order in advance. (The options were fried rice, fried noodles, or fried rice/noodles... they do two things, but they must do 'em well!!)

I'm hoping to post once more while I'm here- I'm not ready to end the in-Indonesia portion of my blog yet!

I hope you're all well and happy! Thanks for reading!
Have a great day!

Lots of love,
Ellery


Tuesday, July 10, 2012

The Grand Finale!

Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening!!

We were told at orientation (and several times throughout the year) that the end of the year will end up getting really busy as everyone will want to spend a bit of time with us before we head out. We were also advised to hold out on buying souvenirs here because we would likely receive many MANY gifts (I've mentioned before that gift giving is a very big part of the culture) and we would run out of room to bring everything home. Given my somewhat impatient nature and my "but this may be the only opportunity!" mentality, I held out on buying anything to bring home until about mid-February, and have been picking things up here and there ever since. Of course, the orientation leaders hit the nail on the head, and I have received kenang-kenangan (souvenir, or memory) after kenang-kenangan, not only for myself, but for my parents and my church as well. The generosity is positively overwhelming, and my jam-packed, well overweight suitcases are a testament to that generosity (and perhaps a wee bit to my own souvenir purchasing problem- the traditional satay grill, for example, was one of those impulse buys that just isn't going to make it back with me. I've a feeling a good ol' barbecue will be both faster and less likely to create excessive smoke, should I ever feel the urge to barbecue my own satay...). Anyways, all that to say that I have been absolutely flooded with love and kindness and generosity these last few days in particular, taking the shape of souvenirs to bring home, lunches, dinners, parties, prayers, church services, speeches, and I'm sure much more.

The beginning of the intense celebration period began on  Thursday night, when I was taken out by Ibu Linda and Pak Herry (from Gloria Patri) and their daughter Vania, for a good-bye dinner. The intention was for it to be a thank-you dinner for them from me, but Ibu Linda brought along a birthday cake and made it my birthday party in Indonesia (because I'm not here to celebrate the actual day), and then both she and their pastor's wife (the pastor from their church and his wife joined us too) handed over gifts. The table beside us wound up being people from their church, and they footed the bill for all of us, which was extremely generous especially considering that I don't even know them. (I also don't know the pastor who gave me an absolutely beautiful scarf as a birthday/going away present. I just cannot keep up with the generosity!!)

My birthday party/going away party from Bu Linda and her family and pastor.

On Friday morning, my host mom and I, along with some other ladies from church, headed up to Salatiga to pick up my host sister, and the continued on to Kopeng to pop in for a few minutes on a church retreat going on at a hotel there. Since we were driving right by Laura's campus, we picked her up, and she joined us for the morning in Kopeng. It was a nice relaxed atmosphere (mainly because the 50 or so children were in a seminar for the duration of our visit), and were it not for the loudspeakers of a nearby mosque bellowing out the Friday morning service (all of which echoed off of the surrounding mountains), it would have been a downright quiet visit. We sat outside and just enjoyed the cool air and the beautiful view (which we realized must be of National Geographic quality, but we've become so used to it now that it's hard to see it that way), and consumed the treats that Andrew sent me in a package that I found waiting for me at MCC that morning. We had lunch at a warung with an incredible view, and then headed back to Semarang, dropping Laura off on campus again.

Saturday morning and afternoon were free of all plans and activities, and I used it to devour a book that I've been dying to read. In the evening, I headed to the usual Saturday night youth service, which I discovered was titled "Last Night With Ellery." (Officially! It was on the slides and everything!) It was an awesome night, with most of the youth in attendance, and a short little sermon given by Pak Anto (the youth pastor), as well as a short message from me. They prayed over me, and then we concluded the service early because, unbeknownst to me, there were plans to go out for dinner together! We headed over to Cabe (pronouned "cha-bay"), for a wonderful dinner with a really fun group of over 20 people.

Sunday morning was my last church service, and I wore a gorgeous new batik dress that the TK had given me as a going away gift. I was prepared to say a few words and then sing a song, but I was not prepared for the mini sermon that they would give for me, nor for the beautiful gifts that they had me open in front of the church, nor for the church-wide prayer sung for me, nor for the prayers and gifts and greetings for Niagara UM Church (my church at home), nor for the prayers and gifts and greetings for my parents, nor for the tears that I couldn't stop from flowing down my cheeks. It took me until now to realize how loved I have been this year, how much energy and time the church has invested in me, how accommodating they've been, how willing to engage in a cross-cultural learning endeavour that was completely beyond anything their church has ever done before. My position changed just a few days before I got to Indonesia last August, as the church that was originally going to host me realized that they couldn't take me on. For me, the implications of this were nothing more than an email explaining that I would be in a different church than MCC originally expected, and that they couldn't tell me who my host family was until the day before I got here (which, at the time, was something I was really angry about.) Sola Gratia agreed to take me on with almost no time at all to prepare. My host family stepped up to volunteer to host me without knowing a thing about me (which is HUGE commitment), and despite their concerns about not knowing enough English to communicate with me, and fearing that I could get sick (note that their concerns were about ME, and not about them- their selflessness just blows my mind). I had a going-away lunch party yesterday, thrown by my host parents, and they invited everyone they could think of within the church (and a few outside of the church, like Pak Lilik and his family) who has helped me in some way this year. There were 67 people in attendance. This excludes people from Ichthus FM, kids from TK, kids and parents from PPA, kids from Gloria Patri, and a few other people I've gotten to know through random little connections. It was incredible to see all at once, how many people have made an effort to connect with me in some way this year- taking me to the movies, inviting me out for a meal, giving me rides, inviting me to join their group at church, and so on. My pastor spoke at the lunch, as did my host dad, and Pak Lilik. People gave me gifts, and asked for pictures with me. I in no way deserved such a send-off, but it was given anyways, given joyfully, and by my host parents, who have endured me at my worst this year with constant patience and love and a sincere desire to understand. Sunday was just an overwhelming day for me. (I give credit to Pak Lilik for all the photos you see below)
 
My Pastor (Pastor Soegiharto), his wife, and two of their three boys. Those of you from NUMC should know that these incredible people have sent a gift home with me for you, and have expressed a deep desire to build our Global Church through connecting as church communities. Looking forward to hearing your ideas on how we can make that happen after I get back :) 

My youth group! What a fun group of people!! (The man on the far right is Pak Anto, my youth pastor
 
Celebrity shot! The ladies thought I was being treated like a celebrity, so we documented it.

My host family. The most generous and selfless people you will ever lay eyes on, I'm absolutely sure of it.

All of these people came out just for me... I was absolutely overwhelmed.

On Monday morning I got up and headed downstairs for breakfast. Usually there is a container of bread on the table, and a pot of tea beside my plate. That morning the tea was there, but there was no bread. My host mom came out of the kitchen and asked me if I would like bread or if I would like Zuppa Soup. Zuppa Soup just happens to be one of my new most favourite foods in the world (sort of like chicken pot pie in soup form, complete with the puffed pastry on top!), and so I opted for the delicious soup, which came fresh out of the oven. I enjoyed that in the company of my principal and a friend of Valen's (a friend of hers invited me to her graduation ceremony next week in Salatiga, and I feel quite honoured!). Valen and her friend headed back to Salatiga, and my host mom, principal, and I headed off to "Kampung Batik" (a small batik store in a little neighbourhood) to get some things that Nicole had asked me to pick up for her. I spent the rest of the morning cleaning/organizing/attempting to pack, and doing some laundry. Around 1:00, some people from church picked me up for yet another going away party, this time thrown by the church staff, the TK staff, and the PPA staff. There were well over 20 people, and we had lunch in a big pavillion overlooking a pond. A representative from each group of people (church, TK, PPA Sendang Guwo, and PPA Sola Gratia) each spoke for a few minutes, and then I had my chance to try to thank them for everything they've done for me this year. Lunch was ikan bakar (grilled fish, one of my favourite foods here), satay, rice, vegetables, and a few other things, including molen (bananas wrapped in a flaky pastry, another favourite of mine). My TK staff gave me a beautiful gift, and we got some pictures and played some games as well. In the evening, my host parents took me out for dinner to "New Planet", the first place we ever ate at when I newly arrived in Indonesia. I hadn't been there since that first night, and it was a funny contrast- that first night, I was so nervous and homesick that I couldn't choke down more than 2 pieces of garlic bread and a couple of fries. Last night, I had no problem consuming... well, substantially more than that.

I spent the majority of today packing and organizing, with a nice lunch date thrown in there (one of the upsides of this leaving business is all the delicious food!). Tonight we're meeting my pastor and his wife for dinner. I really enjoy their company, they're a really fun couple! Tomorrow is my last day here in Semarang, and I'll be spending it packing and cleaning and attending one last "ibadah" (church service). I'm not sure what else the day will hold.

It looks like this is my last post from Semarang- we meet in Salatiga again on Thursday, for a week of "disorientation" activities that include some meetings with MCC, a good-bye dinner, and most importantly, a chance to be together with our MCC Indo Fam one last time. It's bittersweet for me, as I'm now feeling pretty sad about leaving my life in Semarang (always goes that way, right?), and because I know that after this week is over, I will no longer be able to spend time with my dear YALT family and the MCC staff. At the same time, I know it's going to be an AWESOME week, and the prospect of getting back to my loved ones at home remains as exciting as ever, despite the pain of leaving so many wonderful people here.

I will definitely post at least once more before I leave Indonesia (we fly out of Semarang next Wednesday, July 18th, and are supposed to be back in Akron in the evening of Thursday, July 19th, where we'll be involved in re-orientation activities until Tuesday, July 24th, when my parents will be picking me up and taking me back to my beautiful homeland- TWO WEEKS from today!), and I will also post in Akron. I'm also wanting to do a reflection post or two once I get back to Canada and have had some time to adjust and look back on this year, so if you've been following my blog regularly, don't stop as soon as I return to Canada! I'll let you know when I'll post my final blog entry.

I hope you're all doing absolutely wonderfully, and I am SO looking forward to talking to a lot of you IN PERSON in just a few short weeks!! SALTers, IVEPers, and YAMENers, wishing you an awesome last week in your host countries, and safe travels as you return home!

Have a great day!
Lots of love,
Ellery