Nighttime ramblings

27 September, 2012

We are nearing the end of the 6^th week in Indonesia; wow, time goes by fast! The past 2 weeks have been similar to the previous ones but every day brings its own challenges, blessings and joys to be shared!

Language study is going well, although it is often overwhelming. The words keep coming and, without practice, they are easily lost. But we have had an awesome time with our language teacher(s) exploring Indonesian culture in Salatiga and the surrounding area. They have been fantastic tour guides! On the 12^th we visited a factory that produces enting-enting, a sugary peanut snack that is famous here. The workers were quite happy to host us for 20 minutes, as we tried pounding the peanuts and wrapping the finished products. Next we went to a batik store where we watched them produce this famous fabric. Batik is done by stamping hot wax onto fabric in varying patterns and then dying the fabric. The wax is boiled off and a white or lighter design is left. Batik is often just printed now, as the dying process takes quite a while and the price is more expensive. But it was so cool to watch them stamp the fabric here and see how it’s actually done!

On the 20^th we went to a village nearby and were treated with the greatest hospitality by a Muslim family. We ate snacks and lunch at 10:00 and enjoyed some Indonesian/Javanese conversation in which the YALTers contributed much nodding and smiling. We left for a short time to visit a waterfall close by. There is a tragic story here involving SALTers several years ago, but fortunately we were quite safe. The area resembled BC quite a bit, excluding the palm trees, bamboo and other such plants and we enjoyed taking photos. We returned to the house to eat our second lunch and take along some snacks for the road. We were ridiculously blessed by this family!

Yesterday we learned to play gamelan, traditional Javanese percussion. There were about 8 different kinds of metal and wood instruments and we learned to read the notation and played 3 different songs. Eventually we accompanied our host to the wayang, traditional Javanese shadow puppets. This is really interesting and I can’t wait to see more! The detailed, flat puppets are held up against a white background so the audience can see both puppet and shadow. One person always performs and there are hundreds of different stories, often involving gods, goddesses and struggles between good and evil. The stories can last up to 12 hours! Luckily ours was only 10 minutes :) That afternoon, we finally got to play badminton. The language teachers arranged for us to play and it was a great time! I love this sport. Indonesia has some of the best players in the world (don’t think about the London 2012 games, bear with me) so unfortunately Team Canada came up a little short this day! But man, it was fun. The court was at the top of a very long hill so I almost passed out coming up – I had reached my exercise quota by this point – but it was worth it! I do need to be careful to not exhaust myself though. Biking around town everyday does take its toll!

So aside from language class, there are many other things that we do here. I still love meeting with the MCC staff members every week. An MCC Global Service Learning (GSL) team was here for one week and it was great to see some staff that we met in Akron. We had the opportunity to take them to lunch one day; this was the first time we got to be “experts” and lead the way. It was a great challenge! Last weekend, another YALTer and I went along to Magelang to meet my host father’s family. They had a ceremony to pray for and remember their mother, who passed away a few months ago. The 6 older sisters of my host father are wonderful women who love to laugh and share what they have. Once again, I had platters of food placed in front of me and was constantly encouraged to makan lagi: eat more!! It was wonderful! I can only imagine what a great woman this was to raise these children that love to serve. We also went around the city a bit, walking around an amusement park (which was closed but awesome nonetheless) and a giant mall. We came back for the prayer and dinner. It was a Muslim ceremony and it was fascinating to sit in and observe what was happening. The fact that there were less than 10 Christians sitting in the two rooms with more than 25 Muslims was completely ok and there were no barriers in fellowship. They were praying aloud (men only) and I was praying in my head for this woman that we are all linked to and want to remember. Both to the one true God who hears all prayer. It’s a connection that goes beyond religious barriers and it intrigues me. I hope to discover more as I stay here longer and as interfaith dialogue increases.

That being said, cultural adaptation is continuing to move forward. It’s still difficult, as I weave my way through the rules and ways of life and the traffic jams in the streets. I am sometimes overwhelmed with how much there is to learn, especially the language, and how little energy I have to do it! I am often tired which makes interactions more difficult, as I have less patience. But, I am here to learn and that is giving me great joy. It helps a lot in my daily activities to be reminded of my purpose here and why I am in Indonesia of all places. This is a small slice of my part of God’s missional plan for the world. I am always striving to live missionally and make my lifestyle one of peace and love in serving and learning. This takes place wherever I am. This year just happens to be taking place in Indonesia :)

10. September, 2012

The past week and a half have been bagus sekali (“very good” – it sounds better in Indonesian)!

The first of September was my little brother’s 4^th birthday so we drove to Semarang to visit with family for the weekend. We celebrated with an excellent fish dinner, a short boat ride on the ocean – welcome to the Java Sea! – and cruising around the city and a massive shopping mall. This is a wonderful family I get to live with, I will be sad to leave them in a month.

After a short week of language classes, two days to be exact, the MCC team gathered at a hotel on the edge of the mountains right outside Salatiga. It was a beautiful location and our stay was excellent! The three and a half days of Team Meeting were filled with many things. Most important for me was getting to know everyone on the MCC team. The team is approx. 25-30 people and I enjoyed the company of all of them. We had “lectures” and discussions, watched documentaries, rested by the pool, ate together and worshipped together. On Friday afternoon, a small group of bold foreigners took on Andong Mountain (Gunung Andong), close to the hotel. It was so great!! It was a short but steep hike, the first trio making it up in 35 minutes. I am thankful to have made it up in this group so I could spend the most time at the top! The view was awesome, overlooking villages, rice fields, tobacco fields and other mountains. Across the valley was Gunung Merbabu, the big guy in the area. I can’t wait to climb that one in the upcoming weeks before we leave Salatiga! Stay tuned for pictures even more fantastic than these! :) The Team Meeting ended and we all returned to our respective positions in Java and one other island. It was a restful and encouraging time that we had; furthermore, it was followed by a wonderful dinner hosted by a fellow SALTer’s host mother. It was her birthday and she invited all nine of us YALTers for dinner. It’s times like this that I wish I could express my thanks with more than Terima kasih, sekali, sekali! I am surrounded by servant hearts and could not be more blessed.

1. Our third week of language study has started and I’m ready to take on the lessons! I just hope I can retain everything and use it to communicate effectively soon. Please pray that I take the opportunity to practice with native speakers on a daily basis. This may take me out of my comfort zone but it needs to be done :)

2. Please keep in your thoughts the rest of the Columbia Bible College interns that have departed/are departing for their internships. I’m so glad to be part of this group as well! Right now, I can say that there are students in Canada, New Zealand, Germany/Austria, Thailand, Honduras and two in Indonesia! These are awesome people that share a common passion for people and making God’s love known to all.

3. Please pray for my family in Canada as our home is going through a time of transition. Our house is in the process of being sold and everything must be sorted and packed. Christi is leaving for Austria in the next few weeks for a semester abroad, back in March 2013, and in December Sophi will be going to Austria as well. Our stuff will be in Kamloops, either in our mom’s apartment or a giant storage container. It’s strange to think that this is going on while I’m here and that next year I’ll go home to…a home all over the place! One without my Huckle, at that. My little poodle-terrier was with me for 16 years and passed away two days before I came to SALT. I’m still grieving his death…I miss my old man! I do admit that when they talk about eating anjin (dog) there is a pang of sadness... Speaking about strange food, two days ago I ate a fish head including an eyeball!

Anyway, I trust that God is always in control and he is keeping me present in my time here in Indonesia, praise him for that!

Sampai minggu depan (until next week),

Lisi  

Pictures from Sept. 5 to 8

So folks, I had a whole blog post written up but forgot to save it to a USB stick so I could post it at the MCC office here! Forgive my mistake... Instead, here are pictures from a Team Meeting and hiking we had last week.  

Tea break at Team Meeting, at the hotel Salib Putih ("White Cross")

The hotel grounds. Beautiful and on the side of the mountains around Salatiga.

Infinity pool! 

The view from Andong! 

View of the valley with Merbabu in the  background. You're next!! 

Hiking the ridge to the top

Half of the hiking group. Awesome people!

My friend from Uganda. Sophi, this pose is for you! <3

Some highlights from the past 2 weeks!

31. Agustus 2012

The closing of another day in Salatiga!
Two weeks in Indonesia and what can I tell you? I’d love to say that we are pretty much locals now, but that would be lying. “Foreigners” still suit the YALT team better. However, I will say this for us: we are living in typical Indonesian homes; kami bisa mengerti dan bicara sedikit bahasa Indonesia (we can understand and speak a little bit of Indonesian); nasi goreng (delicious fried rice) is our new favourite food and handling city traffic on bicycles? No problem!
One week ago I moved into the home of an MCC staff member. Bapak (father/Mr.) and Ibu (mother/Mrs.) live in a lovely, 2-bedroom home on the outskirts of Salatiga with their two boys, aged 3 and 7. They have so much energy! I have inadequate experience with children (believe it or not) and even more with brothers but they seem to like me! Lovingly called Kak Lisi (Kakak being older sibling) from the start, they treat me as their own. Ibu is great and I enjoy learning and listening as I try to speak more Indonesian with her. I am very happy to be living here for 6 weeks!

 My bedroom

My home!

Me and one of my little brothers, hanging out with my camera

I had a wonderful birthday! 25. Agustus, the first full day with my family, was spent mostly outside of the city. Driving out of Salatiga was the best gift, as I got to see rural Indonesia for the first time. I was in a state of awe and silent excitement as we passed rice fields, palm tree forests, brick homes of all sizes and colours and village markets teeming with fruits I haven’t even heard of! Because our destination was too full of other holiday tourists, we had lunch and then walked around a Catholic church garden. The air was clear up there on the mountainside and Merbabu stood tall across the valley. I will be hiking that mountain in the upcoming weeks, I can’t wait! I received roses from my family, a wonderful card from the other YALTers and staff and many messages from home and abroad. Thank you all! :)
On Monday we started language training at a small school downtown. Indonesian is not a very difficult language; I am especially thankful that my pronunciation is aided by being able to speak German. They are so similar that way! There is a lot to memorize and that is the hard part. Our vocabulary is still so small. During breaks we walk around the area and try different warungs (food stalls). I think I’m at the point now where, if I get lost, I can find my way in a relatively short period of time. As a class, we took an angkota (minibus) and today we walked around town, using our language skills to buy things. Not many people speak English on a regular basis but thankfully most understand hand gestures!

 The language school (sorry it's sideways...)

More words? And oh, there are no verb tenses?

A typical Indonesian day is different than I am used to but I am enjoying it a lot! Families wake up between 5:30 and 6:30 to get their children to school at 7:00. The mandi pagi (morning wash) is taken now, via bucket and dipper. Our language class starts at 8:00. An hour lunch break is around noon and many people eat out as food is very cheap everywhere. Most things are actually quite cheap from a North American perspective but we’ve been learning to look at it in the Indonesian context. School ends at 1:00 and work ends between 4:00 and 5:00, which means time for mandi sore! The evening wash is quite refreshing and gets one ready for the short evening, as it starts getting dark around 6:00. Dinner is eaten afterwards and then it’s time to relax (or, in my case, run around in circles chasing little boys, toy cars and flying stuffed animals). Bedtime is between 8:00 and 10:00. By this time, I’ve sweated as much as I could (average temperature is 25 degrees with 70-90 % humidity during the day), my brain is full of a new language and I am ready for bed!
Our main mode of transportation around town is the trustworthy bicycle! On Monday we were set to go with helmets and waiver forms headed by “In case of death…” (Just kidding. These were filled out before leaving home). I ride with two other SALTers that live close by and the ride to the language school takes about 25 minutes, the MCC office being a halfway point. It’s mostly uphill on the way there and I can happily say that I’ve made most hills! I’m just super slow on them and my legs turn to jelly for the next 30 minutes… The best part of our journeys through town is the traffic. The left-handed driving is almost normal now but drivers are all over the road! Honking doesn’t mean “Hey, friend!” like it does in Canada. Rather, it’s “I’m passing you”, “I’m bigger than you” or “Get out of my way!” It’s a little nerve-wracking to manoeuver around motorbikes and cars and arrive at school without getting hit, but it’s a challenge! And I’ve enjoyed it :) By the end of 6 weeks, we will be so fit and have thighs that almost make it to speed-skater standards. I wish.

My motor helmet, for when I ride on the back with someone. This is so much fun too!

This is what the next 5 weeks will look like! I trust that God will take care of us all. We have been relatively healthy (save for a few cases), safe on the roads and are all enjoying our homes. We are increasingly independent as we find our way around Salatiga, in preparation for 10 months of living alone in cities around Java and Papua. I still love coming together with the MCC staff and learning more about their lives and work in Indonesia. It makes me think of my purpose for being here and what brought me here. While this year is about SALT and my CBC internship, it’s really about God and his mission. I am a small part in his plan that has been taking place for thousands of years, but wow what a privilege! To use the gifts and skills that he has given me for his glory and his name is awesome. Shalom, shalom… The world is thirsting for shalom and justice and grace and right relationship and I hope that, if anything, I can be an ambassador of this beautiful picture, wherever I am.
Thank you for reading the ramblings of a [cautiously] intrepid Canadian in Salatiga, a striving servant of the LORD. Thank you also for your prayers and thoughts! Selamat sore!
Lisi

Hello!

Halo!
This mini blog post is to notify everyone that I will write a real post very soon! I am doing well here, 12 days into my time in Indonesia. I am healthy, living with a wonderful family - experiencing brothers for the first time! - and am learning an awesome language! God is so good.
Sampai nanti,
Lisi

Beginnings in Indonesia

 Waiting in Jakarta for 12 hours

 The final arrival, we made it!

Our first day in Salatiga, gorgeous weather and good fellowship

Downtown Salatiga, on a slow day