Out With a Bang!

Mari, Orang-orang! (“Hey there, people!”)

I am officially in the home stretch of our orientation and language training! In some ways it feels like I’ve been here forever, but at the same time, I cannot believe how fast these last six weeks have gone. We packed a ton into them, and yet still had ample downtime. It’s really cool to think about how far we’ve come in the last six weeks. While our language learning may have hit a plateau about two weeks in (the downside of having so many opportunities to speak English), our ability to be more and more independent grew each day, and I have had no reason to complain about a lack of independence over these past couple of weeks especially. The more we put ourselves out there, the more friends we’ve made here, and thus the more opportunities we’ve had to do fun things (and we’ve almost always had willing chauffeurs). I realized last night that we truly have made some wonderful Indonesian friends here in Salatiga, and was overwhelmed by their kindness and generosity at a really beautiful send-off party that was thrown for us YALTers. I’ll get to that later though…

Friday was a BIG day for me. Since the day we arrived in Indonesia, we have been talking about the (entirely optional) opportunity we would have to hike Merbabu, the third tallest mountain in Central Java. (This may not sound like a very impressive claim to fame, but for me to climb a legitimate mountain- not just a glorified hill- is an accomplishment worth noting, so I thought I’d throw this fun fact in.) I had made the decision upon arrival in Indonesia that I would seize every opportunity that presented itself, and so I had no choice but to say yes to the hike. I awaited this day with a mix of excitement and a sense impending doom, but it came regardless, and by 4:30 PM, I found myself in a little mountain village, laden with camping gear (yes, an overnight endeavour!), filled with determination and a twinge of regret that I’d opted to do this over baking cookies and watching Phantom of the Opera at Karen and Major’s.

I was a bit worried when I found myself gasping for air before we were even off of the village’s cobblestone road, but I eventually settled into a (glacial) pace, and two hours later, after two far-too-short breaks, we arrived at base camp. There, we pitched three tents, and started a campfire. Eager to make the most of this experience, I informed the group that I didn’t need a tent- I would be sleeping under the starry sky, in true camping spirit. About an hour later, once the fire died down, and the body heat from the hike had long worn off, I found myself to be the first person inside a tent, bundled in two of everything, wrapped in my paper-thin sleeping bag (one shortcut I took in an attempt to minimize the weight of the backpack), deeply regretting not hauling up the parka that Pak Lilik had lent me for the hike. (When I had told him I didn’t need it, he looked at me skeptically and said “Well I hope you’re right.” I wasn’t.)

Hanging out at Base Camp. The crazed gleam in my eye denotes my true feelings. We're attempting to make grilled cheese here!

We had allotted ourselves four hours to sleep before waking up at 3AM to complete the trek to the summit for sunrise. (I slept for maybe fifteen minutes, and spent the rest of the night trying out different tactics to keep warm.) Finally, our alarms went off, and we were on our way again, with flashlights in hand. Freezing and exhausted, I hauled my weak body over logs and up rocks, slipping over and over again on the bone-dry, dusty path and loose gravel. There were times when I thought I wouldn’t make it, and I was livid at no one in particular for leading me to believe that I could reach the summit. For once in my life, however, my spiteful nature turned out to be a blessing; Jason, fed up with our speed (or lack thereof), said to me, “Well, I’m going to go ahead. If I don’t see you there, I’ll assume you didn’t make it.” My eyes narrowed, and my jaw clenched. Oh I’ll make it, I resolved, In fact, I’ll make it before you do. The audacity to assume I may not make it!” While I did not exactly make it before Jason (or even before sunrise), I heaved myself over the last ridge (I had gotten a smidge overeager to reach the goal a few minutes prior, and had spent my last reserves of energy attempting to get out of the pickle I found myself in when I attempted to scale what I thought was the path, but turned out to be a slippery wall of rock), and onto the summit at about 6:30AM. One might assume that I would be filled with adrenaline, excited to take in the view. Not I. I cast a weak “I made it!” smile at the group before curling up into a ball and falling asleep. 

I didn’t make it to the summit for sunrise, but I think that this view may have been even more beautiful…

 When I was able to move again, I took the time to observe the view. It was a cloudy day, which made it even more awesome, because all we could see was a sea of puffy white clouds, and a few other mountain peaks poking out around us. I was filled me with a sense of awe, that my non athletic, wildly out of shape self could hike so high as to be above the clouds. 

I made it to the Summit! Merbabu makes Andong (the last mountain I climbed) seem like a mere hill. Behind me is the tip of Merapi, one of the world’s most active volcanoes.

We hung out at the summit for awhile, and then began the trek back to the bottom, which, while slow, was not nearly as difficult as the upward hike. We were back at base camp by mid-morning, and I was truly rewarded for my efforts then, when I saw not just one, but THREE wild monkeys in the nearby trees! I can finally check that off of my list of things I want to see in my lifetime.

Don’t pity my seemingly pathetic excitement- the monkeys looked a lot closer in real life! (In case you cannot see him, he’s pretty much in the middle of the picture, directly to the left of the tree that is missing some bark).

The remainder of the hike went by relatively uneventfully, and we were back at the cars- filthy, hungry, thirsty, and tired- by early afternoon on Saturday. We stopped for a quick lunch and then headed to our homes, where I took an hour-long mandi (it took an exceptional amount of water and scrubbing to get the dirt off my body), and was sound asleep by 7:30 PM.

This is my cozy little room at Pak Lilik and Ibu Christine’s. Cleanliness is not my strong point.

 On Sunday morning, I attempted to get out of bed, and found that my legs were nearly useless. I spent a solid minute or two just trying to stand up, and then hobbled toward the bathroom, much to the amusement of Pak Lilik, who asked me how I was feeling (“Not well” was my response). Pak Lilik and Ibu Christine took pity on me however, and after church I was treated to a full (and I mean full- it took me by surprise) body massage by a tiny old Ibu with three teeth and deceptively strong hands. She took her job seriously, and ensured that not even one patch of sore leg would be missed. She laughed and laughed as I attempted to endure the pain. It felt good in a way, but it will certainly be a few days before my legs make a full recovery.

On Sunday night, we were invited to Bu Rini’s, a really beautiful restaurant nearby, for a going-away party that was put together by some of the girls we’ve gotten to know through language study. These girls have done so much for us in the last six weeks- taking us places, inviting us to events, sending texts of encouragement, helping us with language practice, giving us rides- and yet it was them who threw us a party! I have just been blown away by the warm welcome we’ve received here in Salatiga, and last night was yet another reminder of how blessed we have been thus far. They had even made brownies from scratch for us (a difficult task, we were informed), knowing that we love to eat, and knowing that we’ve been craving Western food. They also booked a special angkota to take us home afterward, as the angkotas stop running around 5:30 PM.

Della, Desi, and Via, our new Indonesian friends, threw us a beautiful going-away party at Bu Rini’s. Thank-you so much, girls! (Jason hears “you’re really tall!” a lot here).

Today was our last Monday of language training. I decided last night that there was no way in the world that I would be able to bike to school this morning (the smallest incline sends shooting pain through my calves), so Pak Lilik kindly drove me to school. I got the chance to talk to my parents before class started- they had just finished watching Amazing Race, which took place in Indonesia this week! 

The rest of the week is filled with final adventures, packing, and saying good bye to those we've met this week. I'm sad to be leaving Salatiga, but excited to begin my placement in Semarang.

That's it for today! Have an awesome day, everyone!

Love,

Ellery