Yogyakarta, here I am!

 29 Oktober, 2012

I’m finally writing from Yogyakarta, the centre of Javanese culture and hospitality! But before I dive into that story, some pictures from my last week in Salatiga.

Merapi, seen from Merbabu's summit. Dangerously beautiful, I now live  close to this guy. 

We visited an organic farm. Check out the size of that bundle of parsley!

Visited a boat shop. These are mostly used for fishing.

Taking a boat ride on a lake right outside of Salatiga.

I was so blessed by my time here; the people, the town and that beautiful mountain Merbabu greeting me every morning were reasons that I would’ve loved to stay. But comfort sometimes needs to be disrupted for change. And this is a change I was ready for! I was looking forward to Yogyakarta for months so it was time to get there and see it. Sad to say goodbye to fellow YALTers but trust that they're doing well in their new communities!

On October 14th, I was picked up by my new host parents. My father is a professor of architecture at one of the many universities in Jogja; my mother stays at home, selling cosmetics and organic supplements. They are wonderful! The first few days were a challenge as we were getting used to each other and the language barrier between us. My host father speaks a bit of English and my mother speaks less. I have two host brothers, ages 22 and 24. The younger son is still a student of architecture in town and the older one works in Bali. He was visiting this past weekend for a holiday and I was lucky to hang out with him for a few days. This family lives in a large house on the northern outskirts of Jogja, 20 minutes away from the city centre and my school. I have the upstairs to myself, including a bathroom and “living room” with a TV. 

The next day I started at the Universitas Kristen Duta Wacana (UKDW). Walked into the PPBA (foreign language centre) and the ladies greeted me with shrieks of joy! I am this year's Native Speaker.The staff was so welcoming right away and I appreciate them all. The first two weeks were pretty slow, as classes were on a break, so I spent a lot of time in my own office! I am part of helping plan events for the English Club, a weekly meeting for students to practice English. We got right into planning a games hour (on the 19th) and the Halloween Party on Nov. 2nd. Today I started my first day of classroom assisting. I will be joining teachers for required English classes and sharing stories, helping with the lesson, answering questions, etc. However, this morning I received an SMS that the teacher of my first class was sick, so I was going to manage half of the class by myself! So after another staff member opened the class, I was alone. Was not too confident in my ability to communicate concepts of our super easy English language but I think it went well. They left the classroom happy and with my Facebook name and blog address. The other class went well and I look forward to the rest of my classes this semester. I was also on the campus radio today, promoting the English Club, our Halloween party and sharing about Halloween. I was so nervous, this was a new experience! 

Aside from assisting the PPBA I am joining the local GKMI, Mennonite Church, where my host family attends. From my first meeting, I was so excited to be a part of this small church. Although I can't understand the services and bible studies, I felt immediately welcomed here too. It's a giant family and I am not a guest but a sister in Christ. I love the global church! This past weekend was the family retreat, where about 90 people attended - almost the whole church. There were people from all ages and I had such a good time! Met some of the youth girls, I am excited to get to know them better. The retreat was in a beautiful area called the Dieng Plateau. By the city of Wonosobo was the Tambi Tea Plantation where we stayed. I woke up early one day and walked through the plantation and it was breathtaking! It's right on the foot of Mt. Sundoro. It was such a treat to spend time in the mountains again - the scenery (my favourite), the fresh air, the feeling of being cold, snuggling into a real blanket, being provided with a hot shower... It was great! We also got a tour of the plantation, wow! This was such a treat. 

ASIDE from the university and church, I've been busy with other things too! My family has been great at introducing me to new things and taking me places. Visited so far: an ancient Hindu/Buddhist temple site, built in the 9th century; a village devastated by the 2010 Merapi eruption, now thriving in tourism; a Javanese art and culture museum; the main shopping centre of Malioboro and the evening hang out place for youth, for a nice cup of kopi Joss (coffee served with a hot coal). I've enjoyed it all and this city is slowly becoming familiar to me.

I have been so blessed these past two weeks by my family, the university and the church. It almost feels like it's too good to be true! Instead of waiting for something to go wrong, though, I will thank the Lord! This SALT position seems to be such a good fit and I look forward to the next 9 months here in Jogja. 

I ask for prayer for motivation, perseverance and strength! I keep realizing that I have a lot of work to do for my internship and when opportunities come to go someplace, I always take them. Which is great, but I need to learn to say no. Time for discipline! I also find myself tired often, especially when I was sick last week with a super sore throat and a bout of heat rash. I'm all better now - it's finally rainy season so the awkward in-between season period is over, praise the Lord! 

I have started an online photo album, so I can finally post many pictures at one time! Link:

https://picasaweb.google.com/101166710549137784356/LisiInIndonesia?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCIrU983np_eOqgE&feat=directlink

Keep following! Thanks for your prayers and thoughts :) I am incredibly blessed to be here and am thankful for everyone that's making my time here possible! For everyone in Canada, I hope you're enjoying the Fall season! It's one of my favourite things and I miss it here. I love walking through the Fall colours, breathing brisk air and starting a new semester (yes, I miss school). Enjoy :)

Love from a global servant learner, 

Lisi