Bali

Several weeks ago now, I experienced my first Ramadhan in a Muslim country. I did not affect me much, but I was cautious to not eat in front of people I knew would be fasting, such as in taxis. I also was warned to keep a close eye on my belongings as at the end of the month people go home to their villages and are expected to bring home gifts. Not everyone has much to take. I noticed that I heard the call to prayer in the evening more often as it was louder. At sundown it was crowded the streets filled with people traveling to get food. I heard that some people even went to the restaurants and asked for their food to be brought out after sundown (it’s announced everywhere). I even heard the call to prayer in the malls on the loud speaker during Ramadhan. It was a good time to be remembering my Muslim neighbors and to keep them in prayer that they would find the truth and freedom of Christ Jesus.

As more carts of food came out and people stopped their crazy fasting and headed out to their villages to celebrate the Lebaran holiday with their family I headed out to Bali with two other teachers for a week. We introduced ourselves as Candy, Mandy and Sandy. :) They were great traveling partners, there was lots and lots of laughter. 

We could tell Bali was very different from Jakarta the moment we got off the plane. It smells of incense and fresh air. It is primarily Hindu and there are temples everywhere and little offerings for the gods in front of every door step, shop, and little temple or idols. They dress up their statues of gods with plaid skirts. The Balinese people were so friendly, humble and happy to share about their lives and culture. 

Our first stop was Sanur. We went parasailing, boating, visited an orchid garden, and did lots of shopping. We learned quickly how to bargain, although I don’t think my bargaining skills were ever perfected. I’m not very good at it and I got tired of it quickly. We did have some good laughs over the women who would say: “For you good price, morning price, for my good luck….” But if it was in the afternoon they would say: “For you evening price, closing price for my good luck” Or “for your good luck”. The best was when a vendor pulled us into his shop while Disha was looking at a comforter outside he whispered: “ For you I sell for 1 million – OK 300 – OK 100, for my good luck”…we didn’t even have to bargain he just brought down the price quietly it was hilarious. I talked to a driver we had who explained to me that for them selling was all about good karma. If I bought something at a high price I helped them out myself getting good karma and for them good luck, if I bought it at a low price it was good luck for me, good karma for them.  We enjoyed shopping in Sanur. I really enjoyed seeing all the art, especially the batik, it grew on me and by the end of the trip I had lots of items that were batik. Batik is a material that uses a dying technique involving removing wax. The stamps and patterns they use are very ornate and detailed. It’s what most traditional Indonesian clothing is made out of.

After two days in Sanur, we had found a favorite coffee shop and had grown fond of our hostel, but we were eager to visit Ubud. Ubud is more in the center of Bali. We went to a Kecak and Fire Dance. They were not joking about the fire part, a man actually danced in the fire and put out a huge bon fire with his feet. As he was kicking around in the flames a piece of it flew out into the audience. It looked like the lady whose lap was suddenly in flames was pretty calm, but it made the evening a little more exciting. The rest of the dance was amazing, a hundred men making music with their voices and noises, women in beautiful outfits dancing and telling a story that I couldn’t understand, but I’m pretty sure it involved a king, a beautiful princess and a possibly a triangle? I lost my brochure… In Ubud we also visited several museums and art galleries. The Balinese art tells stories from Hindu traditions and legends. The highlight of our time in Ubud was a cycling tour that took us to see a volcano and lake for breakfast, to a coffee plantation, through villages, into a compound and through beautiful rice paddies. We also saw a chicken farm, rice farmers, temples, wood carvers and tried all sorts of yummy foods. Well, mostly yummy, I’m still working on appreciating Durian – the fruit that tastes better than it smells. There is a reason it is covered in a spiky shell. I enjoyed learning about Balinese culture and our tour guide had an amazing story, was well educated and was very passionate about sharing about his culture and learning from other cultures.  In his lifetime he saw his village get electricity. It was a gorgeous bike ride, oh and did I mention it was 25 kilometers…downhill? :)

From Ubud we journeyed to the island of Lombok. We took the ferry which was a crowded four hour ride. For me, this was the most relaxing part of our journey. There was not much to do besides hang out on the beach or at our amazing bungalow in a hammock reading or sleeping or simply being. I got some great time along at the beach, just me, ocean and God. The sunsets were beautiful, a big red sun setting over Bali in the distance. We ate at restaurants right on the beach. We also got to watch the sun rise over the island as we were leaving on the ferry early in the morning. It was great. Where we stayed had a funny cute lady running the place, everything was family style. Our journey back to Jakarta felt like Planes, Trains and Automobiles, although this included taxis, ferries and airplanes. It was a good feeling to get back to Jakarta and realize that my apartment felt like home. I could have stayed in Bali or Lombok much longer, and I was so thankful for the break, but I was anxious to get back decorate my apartment with the things I had bargained for in Bali and settle into life in Jakarta.

I could go on and on about Bali, but my pictures will tell a lot more, check them out at: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2027648&id=98300792&l=5af3494841

 Since being back in Jakarta I have been busy with grading. The year 11 students had finals the day after the holiday. My teaching schedule has changed so that I am only teaching Fundamentals of English. I’m really excited about this change because it gives me the opportunity to have my own class, so to speak. This week I went on a year 11 leadership retreat in the Bandung area. It was gorgeous and green and cool and rainy. It was fun to hang out with students and other teachers. For some of the students it was their first or second time camping, so it was fun to see them rough it. The teachers did not stay in tents, but we did have an open air bathroom, which was interesting when it was raining. After getting back I enjoyed spending a morning at a spa with some new friends. I got a cream bath, massage and facial all for 9 dollars. Love Indonesia! I also attended my first Indonesian wedding. I only attended the reception, which is normal here. There was lots of food and some funny traditions. My favorite part was when a boy caught the bouquet and then the bride and groom gave him advice. They also had some other traditions that were new to me: after cutting the cake the couple gave a piece to the in-laws and the grandparents. When the couple came into the reception there were sparklers that went off and also after toasting to the couple we had more little fireworks and streamers go off. No dancing, but it was fun.

I was violently ill (just part of life in Indonesia, still getting used to the bacteria) when I got back and was feeling miserable. I was also a little sick with a cold before Bali and a little during the trip. But I'm better now and praying for a healthier month. I'm realizing that I'm feeling settled here. I'm praying that I can sink my feet in and invest as much as I can into life here. I'm grateful for God's faithfulness that I've already been able to be involved in youth ministry at a church here and that God has provided friends here and lots of great adventures and fun times here. I sometimes still wonder why God brought me here. I'm not sure what answer I'm looking for when I feel that way, in some ways I guess a big move makes the future and present all seem unstable somehow. So I'm learning to put my doubt on the cross and learning patience and trust in waiting for God's voice.

I posted a few more pictures in my Jakarta album: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2026291&id=98300792&l=5dd687a11e

Ancol: The Beach in Jakarta

Ancol is the beach in Jakarta. It's not very clean, not exactly a good place to go swimming. But it's the beach just the same, so I enjoyed seeing it.

Monas: National Monument

One of the views from the top...apparently when it is a clear day you can see the ocean, but it wasn't that clear when we were there.
Me and the Monas (I thought we were going to walk to the top, but I was happy to find there was an elevator)

Water in the Bathroom

Just as I was thinking I did not have a good cultural story from this past week I used a public toilet. In public restrooms in Indonesia there is usually water and if you are lucky toilet paper. Most of the restrooms I have been to have western style toilets and plenty of toilet paper, but I’ve learned to have tissue in my purse or to grab hand tissue on my way in. Only once have I had to use a Muslim style toilet where squatting skills come in handy. That was a rest stop. So, as I was saying your options for cleaning up after using the toilet are either water or sometimes toilet paper. Well, nicer toilets have a knob on them to shoot water out at you rather than having a bucket of water in the stall, others have handy moving water spouts. On Saturday I went to a church gathering, TGP, for the first time. Right before the service I used the restroom and I could not find the flusher, so I turned the funny-looking knob on the toilet. Ah!! Water came squirting out. The entire front of my pants was soaked. Hahaha. It was a great way to meet a lot of new people. Needless to say, I did not stand up when they asked me to introduce myself. I learned my lesson and had a good laugh. Now I know how to use the water at toilets here. I think I’ll stick with toilet paper.

Ginseng

This picture of is of a root of the plant Ginseng, which is used as an herb in tea, medicine and has all sorts of uses. I saw this root and several others displayed at the mall. They are framed and ready to be put up in your home! Aren't they lovely? You would be surprised to find out the one I took a picture is on sale for $6,000 US Dollars!!

After looking on-line, it looks like ginseng is thought to bring good luck, carrying some in your pocket can add a decade to your life and the most highly prized roots are the ones that look like a human body. I wonder if this one is meant to look like a human body...

Happy Independence Day Indonesia!

Today is Indonesia’s 64th Independence Day. We had most of the day off, with the exception of a flag ceremony students and teachers were required to attend. It reminded me of my elementary school days in Mexico. We stood in lines, all facing the flag, we were instructed to salute, stand at ease, stand at attention, stand at ease, salute again. I didn’t really understand, so I just followed what other teachers were doing around me. We sang national songs, I listened, and we counted the drops of sweat dripping off our foreheads as we stood under the hot sun. Independence day is celebrated in each little neighborhood by playing games with all the kids. This is a picture in my neighborhood of kids having a decorated bike contest. It looked like they were going to race, but I didn’t stay around for all of the festivities.

This bridge is so funny to me. It goes over a little canal that is on our way to school. Sometimes this door is padlocked. I'm not sure who it belongs to, but there are other bridges like it only a few feet away.

To see a few more pictures check out my album: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2026291&id=98300792&l=5dd687a11e . ( For those of you who don't have facebook. :) )

Cat with a curled tail...

The road my apartment is on. Gotta love the palm trees.

Stories from my neighborhood

In Jakarta there are stray cats everywhere. There was a cat outside the apartment this morning when I was leaving for school, I thought it was dying. But as I got closer I realized it was just sad the trash it was scrounging in didn’t have anything nutritious. A common sighting is a mangled sad starving cat in a trash dump on the side of the road. These are not the kind of cats you want to have in your lap when reading a good novel or even the kind of cats you want to get close to. They also don’t usually have tails, and if they do they are curled. It’s very strange. Some of the expats here have joked that cat-tail is a Jakartan delicacy.
Teaching is going well. I think I am getting into more a groove and figuring out a little more of what is expected of me. I am still learning the system and finding the things that frustrate me. But I like the kids. I’m not yet used to being called Barbie in the halls. Students are often confused when I tell them, my mother’s name is Barbi, I’d prefer to go by my real name: Miss Carol. Sometimes I confuse them even further and accidentally say Miss David. I’m still getting used to being called Miss Carol. They usually just call me “Miss”.
This last week I started missing random food items, such as beans, crispy lettuce, Mexican, bread and chai lattes. I did, however, find Oreos at the grocery store. It was an exciting moment for me. Anyone who has lived with me knows how much I love my black tea and Oreos to help me wind down at the end of my day. I also had Pizza Hut last week which tasted so American and so good. I’ve been happy to discover that eating out is really cheap. I’m loving the Asian cuisine. My favorite are the yummy tropical fruit drinks here.
I have now visited a few more malls – which is the thing to do in Jakarta. Eat, shop, eat, shop. Someone told me not to be fooled by the malls here and that Jakarta is really a ghetto. I would agree, this seems to be a city of extremes. But these malls are truly impressive, probably the nicest I have ever been to! One of the malls has a slide that shoots down eight stories. Another mall has these amazing restaurants, one that’s in the middle of a little lake, where you can eat in a boat.
Today I visited a part of my neighborhood I have been anxious to see. Laura and I walked through our neighborhood today to take pictures. Of course I forgot to charge my camera, so it died half way through, but I got a few good pictures. We wandered down a small alley way to see if we could find a shortcut and we ended up in a kampung, ghetto. It was tucked away from the larger houses close to my apartments, almost completely invisible to any passerby. The alley way in between the cement houses was probably the width of my arms. There were children playing, women sitting, talking, wandering what we were doing, trash burning and chickens running around. It was small and we weaved in and around until we reached a dead end, but we ended up in a dead end and had to embarrassingly walk back past all the children and women who were puzzled by our little expedition. I know that there are worse slums in Jakarta, but this was just a taste of the other extreme in this city. I enjoyed seeing the large malls with their glass elevators, but somehow seeing the tiny bit of ghetto reminded me of how much I have in this developing country.
Monday will be my one month anniversary in Jakarta! Hard to believe. I don’t feel like it’s been a month. I had a moment of panic when I realized that it had been that long. I thought, “have I done all that I should have in a month!” I’m not sure what my goals were for my first month or what they should have been, but I can definitely say I've learned alot!
I keep thinking about what my wise Dad told me when I got here - that my time here would bring alot of joy if I was willing to accept the changes that come with it. I've also thought about that song by Ginny Owens new life and the line: "show me how to sing along to this new song". My prayer is that God would show me how to accept changes and be changed by the challenges, and through it all remember the love and joy of God. I have to remember that God is faithful and his love is always present. "By day the Lord commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me". (from Psalm 42).

Two Week Anniversary

Another week has gone by! Today is my two week anniversary of being here. I'm celebrating by thanking God for helping me make more adjustments and getting more and more used to life here. This week I successfully directed a taxi driver to my apartment, got mosquito nets, spent an afternoon in my apartment without the AC, almost ate ants with my cereal, made peace with geckos, got a stomach bug, eliminated the stomach bug, discovered the badminton court at the gym, discovered the roller coaster in the mall close by, finally bought a new kitchen knife after resorting to use my scissors to cut vegetables, and taught my first three days at school, among a few other things.

My first few days at school went well. I love the energy that there is on a first day of school, so many people to see again, or meet in my case. I’m still not used to being a traveling teacher and am figuring out the schedule and missing having a classroom to call my own, but I’m understanding the system a little more each day. I’m helping teach year 11 English and year 11 Fundamentals (which is like ESL). I’m excited to teach the Fundamentals, because I love language acquisition and I have more resources for that sort of thing from teaching Spanish this last year. I’m praying that I can love my students, be invested in building relationships with them, be firm from the beginning and set up a good classroom environment, be dedicated, consistent and innovative.

Here are a few cultural moments / observations:

- - Riding on the oncot: I got to experience a good cultural moment one of my first days here. There are little mini buses that hold comfortably 8 people in the back on a little bench. I rode it with 15 people on someone’s lap. I tried counting the people, but I simply couldn’t see all of them. Plus, I was practically hanging out of the non-existent door so I was holding on tight. :)
I don’t know if I mentioned this before, but traffic is horrendous here. The rule is not to follow the rules and fight for your chance to get through the busy streets. Cars drive so close to each other and create lanes that were not intended to be there. I was also surprised when I first came that they drive on the wrong side of the road, which still catches me off guard when I see a child in what I think is the driver’s seat. And I still grimace when we turn left into what I think is oncoming traffic.
- - One of my students asked me if I had gone through skin whitening treatment to get my face such beautiful white skin. I just laughed. This pale skin was God-given. No treatment necessary. The people here want to have paler skin and instead of hitting the tanning beds and using bronzer they use skin whitening products. I’m guessing it comes from the workers outside getting tanned from the sun, and the higher class stays white from staying inside.
- - Indonesians care very much about cleanliness. Someone is always cleaning, at school or at the apartments. They bathe twice a day. I was very embarrassed when asked if I had showered at night, when in fact I had only showered in the morning!
- - It’s hard not to compare Jakarta to Central America. I don’t feel at home here the way I do in Central America, but strangely I do in the grocery store. It just has that developing country feel. The grocery store I’ve been to a few times here reminds me of a mini-version of HyperMas, the store my family often frequents in Costa Rica. It sells everything from cell phones, to clothes, to yogurt, like a Target. But unlike a Target, in the aisles there are people in the middle of the store with mics playing music, sometimes Barnie. There seem to be many more workers in the aisles. There are imported items, but I don’t think there are any guaranties on what you can find. Some things unique to an Indonesian grocery store: there is an entire isle dedicated to Ramen. Pasta is in a different aisle, of course. The cereal aisle has very limited options, eggs come in tens, not dozens, and rice only seems to be sold in very large quantities.

Thank you all for your e-mails and facebook messages. I have been so encouraged by my friends and family far away these past few weeks! I’m still adjusting to so many things, especially living by myself, but I know that God is able to allow my challenges shape me into who he wants me to be. And I know he’ll provide a community and friendships and lots of joy!

Getting ready to go on the flying fox. And yes, I did put on a harness and go down a zipline in a skirt. It was a spur of the moment kind of thing. :)

The view from our hotel in Puncak. Outside of Jakarta, Indonesia is green and beautiful!

First Impressions.

I've been in a Jakarta for a week. It’s hot and muggy but I hardly notice as I go from air-conditioned apartment to air-conditioned bus to air-conditioned school to air-conditioned mall to air-conditioned taxi. It smells of smog, smoke and other smells, there is trash in the streets and in the small water canals that run through the city, pollution hovers over the city clouding view of nearby skyscrapers. But underneath the grime, colorful bougainvillea flowers and palm trees decorate the streets. The people of Jakarta are never without their beautiful smiles. My first meal out on the town was at a nice Italian restaurant near the apartments. My apartment is a nice little, but open studio with a balcony. The only downside to my studio apt is my kitchen: I have a tiny fridge, two burners, and a sink and enough counter space to chop maybe one carrot. I do have plenty of storage space: way more than enough. Everyone at IPEKA has been extremely welcoming and friendly. My team teacher, who is another single American has graciously helped me get around to the mall and back, helped me get a cell phone and introduced me to colorful, but not so flavorful jelly pastries and helped me with much more. I’m so grateful to have another young single American here. There are a few other single teachers, I’m excited to build community with people here.
I would be lying if I said that this has been an easy last few days. My second morning here I woke up absolutely covered in bug bites. I’m working on that one – getting some new screens and learning to kill mosquitoes in my sleep. (True Story). I also had a lovely trip to the hospital to get something for an unpleasant infection. Thankfully as soon as I said I needed to see a doctor someone from the school took me immediately. I’m still working on getting rid of my jet lag daze and getting a full night’s sleep. My first two days at school were a little overwhelming, as helpful as everyone is, I still feel unsure exactly what I will be teaching. The way the schedules are worked out at IPEKA is very different from what it would be like in an American school. And teachers, or at least from what I can tell, don’t really have their own classrooms. Teachers and students move around to different classrooms. The schedule, curriculum and nature of things are still very new to me.
What has been hardest in this transition time has been a feeling of loneliness. Living by myself and not really knowing anyone in this big city contributes. Everyone has been so friendly, but I don’t know yet what my community here will look like.
I was not expecting it to be so, but this retreat has I got a chance to room and bond with my team teacher Laura and get to know some other teachers at IPEKA. We found a fun ropes course and went on a “flying fox”. The teachers I was with were so cute and funny and made me take lots of pictures. I actually had lots of pictures taken of me at the retreat, my blonde hair made me feel like a celebrity a few times. I was able to reflect a lot at the retreat about God’s grace and the fact that he has been gracious to provide for me up to this point and to bring me here and I know he will help me make the most of my experience here.
Please pray that I would continue to adjust to everything here, the climate, the curriculum and schedule at school, and that I would be able to get into a routine and figure out how to live well and in God’s grace in Jakarta!
There so much more to tell, so I will blog again soon!

New Song

As I was sorting through all my stuff - I found the lyrics to this song by Ginny Owens. My friends Joseph and Stephanie wisely put them in a congratulations letter for my college graduation. The words seem fitting as I move on to a new chapter of life.

New Song by Ginny Owens

I've been grazing in the lush green pastures,
Watching time pass me by,
And I've been wading in the shallow waters,
Where everything is all right-
But today I know that something's different,
Something's disturbing my peace,
Oh, I can feel the changes in the distance,
And hear them calling to me-

The day is here, the time has come
To sing a new song,
It's very clear, I must move on,
And sing a new song,
It will define who I become,
This new song,
So show me how to sing along
To this new song-

I've been looking in the strangest places,
To find the source of my strength,
And even though the outcome never changes,
Still I search endlessly,
But no more wandering around in circles,
It's time that I cross the sea,
Now I'm trading in my cozy corner
For the bigger mystery

Going there means leaving here,
Saying yes means saying no,
Moving on means letting go of what is sure,
For more

Where in the World is Jakarta

The Journey Has Begun

I've finished my Master of Arts in Teaching and I'm off to the see the world. Indonesia is my current destination as I head out from my current home in the beautiful Northwest on July 9th, 2009!

I will be teaching middle school / high school Language Arts in Jakarta at IPEKA International Christian School. God has been so faithful to lead me up to this point, and it must be him leading because I would have never guessed this is where I would end up. I've loved my experiences teaching Spanish and love teaching language. This last year I have been re-learning Spanish grammar and re-discovering a love for Latin Pop, but this year has mostly been about learning how to teach, how to connect with a roomful of kids staring back at me and about accepting God's calling on my life to teach and build relationships with young people. I have so much to learn about teaching and about kids, and I'm excited to continue my journey of becoming a teacher in Jakarta. 

My experiences in Costa Rica, Mexico and Spain have helped shape my love of culture and travel and languages and have prepared me for cross-cultural experiences, but moving to Asia will be a completely new experience - totally out of my comfort zone. But I feel like this is what God has been preparing me for and what he is calling me to. 

I feel like the journey to Indonesia is already started as I pack up my things and prepare for life in a busy, humid city. And as I read about Jakarta's history, big malls, horrendous traffic, kampungs, and as I taste Sambal hot sauce and try to remember how to say hello in Indonesian. I'm sure there will be many exciting new things to learn and challenges up ahead. 

Thanks to everyone for their continued support and love! Stay posted for stories and updates to come!