The final arrival, we made it!
Our first day in Salatiga, gorgeous weather and good fellowship
Downtown Salatiga, on a slow day
Thursday, 23 August 2012
Wednesday, 22 August 2012
Travel and Arrival in Indonesia!
Hello everyone, selamat sore!
This is my first post from Indonesia, although I have been here since Saturday evening. What a great place I am in!
The journey was very interesting and incredibly long! We left Akron, PA at 5:30am on Thursday the 16th and departed from Philadelphia at 10:00am. Flew across to LA and then finally across the Pacific! I have to say, Singapore Airlines really knows how to treat its customers! We were comfortable, well-fed and got to refuel in Tokyo! What a pleasant surprise to sit in that airport for an hour. We flew onward to Singapore - a great airport that exudes prosperity - and met the first YAMENer there. The Young Anabaptist Mennonite Exchange Network of MCC sends volunteers across the global South. The YAMENers on the Indonesia come from India, Zambia, Uganda and China. We met the rest at the Jakarta airport. Landing here was a relief, in that we were more than halfway done our travel and finally in the country where we would be spending the next 11 months. The sights, sounds and smell were very reminiscent of India 3 years ago, but yet they were so different! And Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian language) was almost completely foreign to me. Thank God for the language lessons coming in a few days!
On Saturday the 18th (Friday didn't really exist as we were jumping time zones), we were in Jakarta for 12 hours and then flew to Semarang, a smaller city in the north of Java. Picking out the two white faces in the small airport, we found the MCC representatives and departed for our home for the next six weeks, Salatiga. Salatiga is a reasonably-sized city close by, and the drive was slightly delayed by revellers in the streets. This weekend was the Indonesian national holiday and also Idul Fitri, the end of the Muslim tradition of Ramadan. We've been watching fireworks every evening for the past four nights! I look forward to Indonesian holidays; apparently there are many of them throughout the year, as the government recognizes Muslim and Christian calendars.
So, here we are in Salatiga! I am staying with the Exchange Coordinators, an awesome couple with a one month-old son. On the first day, our team of nine YALTers (SALT and YAMEN together - acronyms are very common in this organization) walked around Salatiga. The city was still moving at a lazy holiday pace so traffic wasn't bad. But no matter what the circumstance, there are always cars and people moving around! Opposite of how North Americans move on streets, I might add. I still look left when I should be looking right...
We also met some of the MCC staff here in Salatiga, as this is where the head office is. They are truly a family here and I am so excited to be part of it for a year!
For the past few days, we've been having sessions on policies, hanging around, getting to know each other, eating new and interesting meals (so far I have had nasi goreng, gado gado, ayam soto and mi ayam; look them up!) and catching up on sleep. For the past 2 days, we had our "survival Bahasa" crash course. A wonderful teacher brought us through basic Indonesian, so now we understand greetings, numbers, questions, family, likes/dislikes and other conversational topics. We finished today and boy, is there a lot to know! I feel slightly comfortable with it and hope that I retain everything. T. was a wonderful teacher, terima kasih!
In the next few days, our team is moving on to the homes of our language study host families for the following few weeks. I am looking forward to spending some time with an Indonesian family and practicing my Indonesian! I am excited to delve into the culture here and build relationships with these hospitable and wonderful people. I also learned about my host family for my assignment starting in October! More details to come when I get there.
Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers! It's only the first week in Indonesia but I am already quite comfortable here. Naturally I will get homesick at one point, and culture shock will come and go. But God is good and I am here to serve :) May he keep bringing my team into fruitful opportunities and keep us in health and safety. Also, my stomach still hasn't been too unhappy! As many of you know, I have some dietary restrictions and therefore was quite worried when coming here. But it's doing better than I expected, so far!
If anyone wants to send me mail while I am here in Salatiga, the address is:
MCC Indonesia Office
#3 Jl. Merbabu
Salatiga, Jawa Tengah
507324 Indonesia
And it doesn't take too long! If it's a package, please label it with "Personal Effects" or have the value listed as $0.
Blessings,
Lisi
"May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD my rock and my redeemer." Psalm 19:14.
This is my first post from Indonesia, although I have been here since Saturday evening. What a great place I am in!
The journey was very interesting and incredibly long! We left Akron, PA at 5:30am on Thursday the 16th and departed from Philadelphia at 10:00am. Flew across to LA and then finally across the Pacific! I have to say, Singapore Airlines really knows how to treat its customers! We were comfortable, well-fed and got to refuel in Tokyo! What a pleasant surprise to sit in that airport for an hour. We flew onward to Singapore - a great airport that exudes prosperity - and met the first YAMENer there. The Young Anabaptist Mennonite Exchange Network of MCC sends volunteers across the global South. The YAMENers on the Indonesia come from India, Zambia, Uganda and China. We met the rest at the Jakarta airport. Landing here was a relief, in that we were more than halfway done our travel and finally in the country where we would be spending the next 11 months. The sights, sounds and smell were very reminiscent of India 3 years ago, but yet they were so different! And Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian language) was almost completely foreign to me. Thank God for the language lessons coming in a few days!
On Saturday the 18th (Friday didn't really exist as we were jumping time zones), we were in Jakarta for 12 hours and then flew to Semarang, a smaller city in the north of Java. Picking out the two white faces in the small airport, we found the MCC representatives and departed for our home for the next six weeks, Salatiga. Salatiga is a reasonably-sized city close by, and the drive was slightly delayed by revellers in the streets. This weekend was the Indonesian national holiday and also Idul Fitri, the end of the Muslim tradition of Ramadan. We've been watching fireworks every evening for the past four nights! I look forward to Indonesian holidays; apparently there are many of them throughout the year, as the government recognizes Muslim and Christian calendars.
So, here we are in Salatiga! I am staying with the Exchange Coordinators, an awesome couple with a one month-old son. On the first day, our team of nine YALTers (SALT and YAMEN together - acronyms are very common in this organization) walked around Salatiga. The city was still moving at a lazy holiday pace so traffic wasn't bad. But no matter what the circumstance, there are always cars and people moving around! Opposite of how North Americans move on streets, I might add. I still look left when I should be looking right...
We also met some of the MCC staff here in Salatiga, as this is where the head office is. They are truly a family here and I am so excited to be part of it for a year!
For the past few days, we've been having sessions on policies, hanging around, getting to know each other, eating new and interesting meals (so far I have had nasi goreng, gado gado, ayam soto and mi ayam; look them up!) and catching up on sleep. For the past 2 days, we had our "survival Bahasa" crash course. A wonderful teacher brought us through basic Indonesian, so now we understand greetings, numbers, questions, family, likes/dislikes and other conversational topics. We finished today and boy, is there a lot to know! I feel slightly comfortable with it and hope that I retain everything. T. was a wonderful teacher, terima kasih!
In the next few days, our team is moving on to the homes of our language study host families for the following few weeks. I am looking forward to spending some time with an Indonesian family and practicing my Indonesian! I am excited to delve into the culture here and build relationships with these hospitable and wonderful people. I also learned about my host family for my assignment starting in October! More details to come when I get there.
Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers! It's only the first week in Indonesia but I am already quite comfortable here. Naturally I will get homesick at one point, and culture shock will come and go. But God is good and I am here to serve :) May he keep bringing my team into fruitful opportunities and keep us in health and safety. Also, my stomach still hasn't been too unhappy! As many of you know, I have some dietary restrictions and therefore was quite worried when coming here. But it's doing better than I expected, so far!
If anyone wants to send me mail while I am here in Salatiga, the address is:
MCC Indonesia Office
#3 Jl. Merbabu
Salatiga, Jawa Tengah
507324 Indonesia
And it doesn't take too long! If it's a package, please label it with "Personal Effects" or have the value listed as $0.
Blessings,
Lisi
"May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD my rock and my redeemer." Psalm 19:14.
Monday, 13 August 2012
Some tidbits of Information
1. If anyone doesn't know what SALT is all about, please check out http://salt.mcc.org/. Furthermore, check out http://www.mcc.org/ to learn more about Mennonite Central Committee - what they do and where they do it. I am so excited to be a part of their work for a year! Their staff has been great this past week and I look forward to meeting the MCC Indonesia team in several days!
2. If anyone would like to make a donation, please send cheques to:
MCC Canada
134 Plaza Drive
Winnipeg MB
R3T 5K9
The memo line must read " Elisabeth Schrottner - PDA", for Personal Drawing Account.
3. I have changed the settings on here so now anyone can leave a comment on this blog! :)
Lisi
2. If anyone would like to make a donation, please send cheques to:
MCC Canada
134 Plaza Drive
Winnipeg MB
R3T 5K9
The memo line must read " Elisabeth Schrottner - PDA", for Personal Drawing Account.
3. I have changed the settings on here so now anyone can leave a comment on this blog! :)
Lisi
Akron, Pennsylvania
Hello everyone!
Thank you for your continued support and love. I am so blessed to be here!
My week has been awesome. There are 53 SALTers and 29 IVEPers participating in Orientation. The International Volunteer Exchange Program is a counterpart to SALT (Serving and Learning Together) in which young adults from around the world come and work in North America. I have had a great time getting to know people from Laos, Cambodia, Korea, Bangladesh, Germany, Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Argentina and Egypt. I've also enjoyed getting to know my fellow SALTers from around N. America. This week has consisted of lots of rest, hanging and playing around the MCC compound, sessions on culture and mission, prayer, displays of cultural talent and lots of good Mennonite food! We are wrapping up the Orientation on Wednesday and most of us fly out the next morning. We are going to be in every continent except Europe and Antarctica! It has been amazing to prepare spiritually and mentally with everyone and to be surrounded by similar goals and passions. I can't wait for Re-entry (when we all return to Akron next July) so I can hear stories of crazy adventures and especially how God has worked!
Here is my schedule for the first few weeks in Indonesia, starting Aug. 18th:
1. A few days in Salatiga, Java, home of the MCC Indonesia headquarters, for rest and a "crash language course" in Bahasa Indonesia
2. A week in our placement communities (Yogyakarta, Java for me) with our host families. I am anxious and excited to meet the family, as I have no idea who they are! SALT has a reputation for being ambiguous in the details regarding one's position - which makes life just that much more fun :)
Until next time, may the joy of the LORD be with you all! I hope you are all enjoying your summer!
In Him,
Lisi
Touring the MCC Resource Centre
Thank you for your continued support and love. I am so blessed to be here!
My week has been awesome. There are 53 SALTers and 29 IVEPers participating in Orientation. The International Volunteer Exchange Program is a counterpart to SALT (Serving and Learning Together) in which young adults from around the world come and work in North America. I have had a great time getting to know people from Laos, Cambodia, Korea, Bangladesh, Germany, Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Argentina and Egypt. I've also enjoyed getting to know my fellow SALTers from around N. America. This week has consisted of lots of rest, hanging and playing around the MCC compound, sessions on culture and mission, prayer, displays of cultural talent and lots of good Mennonite food! We are wrapping up the Orientation on Wednesday and most of us fly out the next morning. We are going to be in every continent except Europe and Antarctica! It has been amazing to prepare spiritually and mentally with everyone and to be surrounded by similar goals and passions. I can't wait for Re-entry (when we all return to Akron next July) so I can hear stories of crazy adventures and especially how God has worked!
Here is my schedule for the first few weeks in Indonesia, starting Aug. 18th:
1. A few days in Salatiga, Java, home of the MCC Indonesia headquarters, for rest and a "crash language course" in Bahasa Indonesia
2. A week in our placement communities (Yogyakarta, Java for me) with our host families. I am anxious and excited to meet the family, as I have no idea who they are! SALT has a reputation for being ambiguous in the details regarding one's position - which makes life just that much more fun :)
3. Return to Salatiga for 6 weeks of language training
4. Return to Yogyakarta to begin working as an English Language Coach and Community Worker for the rest of the year
Until next time, may the joy of the LORD be with you all! I hope you are all enjoying your summer!
In Him,
Lisi
Arrival in Akron - welcome to Pennsylvania Dutch Country!
MCC's "Welcoming Centre" - a small retreat compound of lovely guesthouses. I'm in Asia house
Time well spent in fellowship
The dining room
SALTers having a "campfire"! Sonia going to Indonesia and Erica going to India
Wade, our SALT coordinator, Teddy going to Mexico, Frank going to Bolivia and Erica
Quilting done by volunteers. There are so many devoted workers in this great organization!
Wednesday, 8 August 2012
Departure!
Well this is it, I'm off on my SALT adventure and blessed opportunity to serve the LORD in Indonesia! I'm currently sitting at YVR (Vancouver Int'l) and waiting for my flight to Chicago. Eventually I'll end up in Pennsylvania tonight and head to Akron for a week-long orientation session at the MCC headquarters. I am so excited to meet my fellow SALTers from North America before we all head to our respective countries! On August 16th, I will fly with 7 other SALTers to Jakarta Indonesia. Bouncing around between Yogyakarta (my city) and Salatiga (MCC Indonesia headquarters) for a while, I will learn Bahasa Indonesian and settle into the Indonesian context. Then I start my position as an English language teacher and Community Worker! Can't wait :) But for now, I need sleep, a real meal and the peace of God to sustain me through this next time.
Saturday, 4 August 2012
Almost there
I'm leaving Kamloops in 3 days! The past few days have brought about so many new stresses and emotions. It didn't help that the other Indonesian SALTers and I had to suddenly apply for a different single-entry visa on Tuesday! I still don't have my passport back from the consulate in Vancouver, but hopefully Canada Post will do its job well and get it back to me asap!
Aside from not having a passport or visa, there's packing to be done. I've never packed for 11 months before! What do I need to buy that will sustain me for a year and that cannot be bought in Yogyakarta? Should I pack anything that will be damaged by ridiculous humidity levels? Oh dear...
So the excitement is here- yes - but it's seemingly contained at the moment. I am, however, praising the LORD every day for this opportunity to go and serve in Indonesia. Man, he is doing great things everywhere and we need but to recognize this and join in his grand mission! God desires the shalom - peace, justice, righteousness, mercy - that was initially present in every aspect of humanity and his created order. Let's have a heart that beats in time with God's and crave the world that he made so perfectly! I pray that you all, wherever you are, and me in Indonesia will take every chance we get to spread his love and shalom.
Until next time (sooner than last, I promise) and all for God's glory,
Lisi
Aside from not having a passport or visa, there's packing to be done. I've never packed for 11 months before! What do I need to buy that will sustain me for a year and that cannot be bought in Yogyakarta? Should I pack anything that will be damaged by ridiculous humidity levels? Oh dear...
So the excitement is here- yes - but it's seemingly contained at the moment. I am, however, praising the LORD every day for this opportunity to go and serve in Indonesia. Man, he is doing great things everywhere and we need but to recognize this and join in his grand mission! God desires the shalom - peace, justice, righteousness, mercy - that was initially present in every aspect of humanity and his created order. Let's have a heart that beats in time with God's and crave the world that he made so perfectly! I pray that you all, wherever you are, and me in Indonesia will take every chance we get to spread his love and shalom.
Until next time (sooner than last, I promise) and all for God's glory,
Lisi
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)