Hello Everyone,
Here i am coming to you from Akron, in the United States of America. I cant believe this year has come to a end and this will be my last blog. I will be coming home to the wonderful country of Canada in 3 days! We left our assignments on wednesday of last week and had a couple days in Salatiga de-breifing with some of the SALTers that went to america from Indonesia and saying our last goodbyes. And then on saturday we left Indonesia to embark on a 45 hour journy to Akron. We flew from Samurang to Jakarta to Hongkong to L.A. to Atlanta to Philidelphia and lost our bags on the way ( we already got them back, we only had to live 1 day without them ) It was a good trip, our last time with just us SALTers from Indonesia. Now I'm in Akron for a re-entry program for the rest of this week. Its been interesting so far, there are 50 young people from America and Canada who have lived a year all around the entire world. So its been very good to talk with them about there expirences. So I'm sure i'll be telling you all alot more about it when i get home, but i just wanted to say thanks for your prayers and support this year. It has ment alot to me. God Bless you for this one last time.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Hello, it is July 9th today, 11 months ago I got on a plane and flew away from Canada. And in 15 days I will get on a plane and fly home to Canada. I can hardly believe the year is already gone. Its gone slowly at times but flew at others. I am spending my last week here in Pundong and then I have a week of re-entry retreat in Akron Pennsylvania before I come home. I am actually leaving my little village in less then a week. I have been spending my time going around and visiting all my friends and giving them there going away gifts, pictures of us together. It’s a strange feeling because I know it’s the last time I will see a lot of them ( for a couple years anyways, who knows if I’ll come back ) but its hard to feel sad because it doesn’t feel real yet. I don’t know when it’ll hit me but I’m sure it will.
I finished up all my teaching and home industries at the end of June. It was a funny feeling not having to prepare any more lessons. Last week all of us SALTers went on a little retreat together. We took a ferry 6 hours off the northern coast to a group of teny tiny islands. And spend a couple days snorkeling in the Java sea. It was beautiful. A couple of the days we went with a fisherman and he dropped us off on a deserted island and then we swam and saw fish and then he would come to the island and cook us lunch of freshly caught fish. Fish that was around a hour old, let me say I think that fish was the best tasting fish I’v ever eaten. It was wonderful . The first time we were there, we swam with sharks. Now this wasn’t a tourist destination where they have special sharks you can swim with and pay. We just went to a fish farm and asked if we could get in the water with some of the sharks they were raising to sell. They said sure so it was a pretty exciting adventure. It was a really nice couple days that we could spend with eachother before leaving. The MCC team here became like family. I still am amazed some times when I think about how we all have such different personalities but being in a different country and culture together has sure made us into lasting friends. ( I think I will cry quite a bit when I say goodbye to them all )
So I’m at a lose as what to say, I’m just getting ready to go home, organizing all my things, worrying how I’m going to get all my stuff into 2 bags, visiting many people ( my bottom is actually quite sore because I basically biked all day yesterday, and today will be about the same ) and beginning to worry about what it will be like coming back into western culture after a year out of it. I cant wait to see you all and thank you so much for your support and prayers this year. ( I will post one more blog after this when I’m safe and sound in Akron ) I cant wait to see you all.
I finished up all my teaching and home industries at the end of June. It was a funny feeling not having to prepare any more lessons. Last week all of us SALTers went on a little retreat together. We took a ferry 6 hours off the northern coast to a group of teny tiny islands. And spend a couple days snorkeling in the Java sea. It was beautiful. A couple of the days we went with a fisherman and he dropped us off on a deserted island and then we swam and saw fish and then he would come to the island and cook us lunch of freshly caught fish. Fish that was around a hour old, let me say I think that fish was the best tasting fish I’v ever eaten. It was wonderful . The first time we were there, we swam with sharks. Now this wasn’t a tourist destination where they have special sharks you can swim with and pay. We just went to a fish farm and asked if we could get in the water with some of the sharks they were raising to sell. They said sure so it was a pretty exciting adventure. It was a really nice couple days that we could spend with eachother before leaving. The MCC team here became like family. I still am amazed some times when I think about how we all have such different personalities but being in a different country and culture together has sure made us into lasting friends. ( I think I will cry quite a bit when I say goodbye to them all )
So I’m at a lose as what to say, I’m just getting ready to go home, organizing all my things, worrying how I’m going to get all my stuff into 2 bags, visiting many people ( my bottom is actually quite sore because I basically biked all day yesterday, and today will be about the same ) and beginning to worry about what it will be like coming back into western culture after a year out of it. I cant wait to see you all and thank you so much for your support and prayers this year. ( I will post one more blog after this when I’m safe and sound in Akron ) I cant wait to see you all.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Hello Hello, I hope I find you well on this lovely June day. As I write this it is June the 18th, I will be leaving Indonesia on a jet plane exactly one month from today. I can hardly believe that there is only one month left. Also next week is my last week of teaching, starting in July Ill be using my time to say good bye to friends and to get ready to go home. So only a week and half of work left. This week I have been telling people, “next week will be that last time.. “ and it always makes me a little sad to say that. Last Thursday a little girl came up to me after class and said, “I’m going to stay with my grandma for a couple week so I wont be coming to class I just wanted to tell you so you wouldn’t think that I forgot about your class” It was so sweet and then I had to say that I would be leaving before she came back and it was my first goodbye and I almost had a few tears in my eyes. So though I am looking forward to coming home, being with my family again, and with friends, it is a little bitter sweet.
So in getting ready to go home I have been making “Kanang Kanang” for everyone here, that is a gift to remember me by. So all last week I spent every afternoon biking all over Pundong getting pictures with people. My Kanang Kanang will be pictures of them throughout this year and picture with me. I printed all 122 pictures on the weekend and this week I’v been making little albums for people. Its really fun and I’m excited to give them out. My host mother was looking through all the photos and I was telling her little things about them and when she was finished you could tell she didn’t want to ask but she was wondering where all the pictures of her were. Haha. I had hid them before so she would be surprised, so I casually said “ you have to wait for your pictures Ibu, its going to be a surprise” and she was laughing and saying I was mean for teasing her like that. It was great fun.
Every Tuesday night we always have Bible study, last Tuesday afternoon my host parents went away to visit with some friends and said they would be home in time for Bible study, at around ten to seven they weren’t back yet so I decided to bike to my favorite families house and ask if I could follow them on my bike, cause I wasn’t sure who’s house the Bible study was at. I got there and they fed me, and chatted with me, and gave me a ride on the motorbike to the Bible study. It was so lovely that they were so immediately ready to take care of me. And when we were eating the mother told me not to forget her, and I said I never could and that she cant forget me either, and she said you are like my family I wont forget you. Well let me tell you that almost brought me to tears again. So the overall conclusion is that God has blessed me so greatly with so many wonderful friends, classes, workplaces, and co-workers. And though I’m so happy to go home I think I’ll be crying quite a bit when I go home, and that last week of good byes. Not looking forward to it.
Did I ever tell you that I have been bribing my students with stickers. A wonderful friend from church back home sent me some stickers in the mail, and I started taking them to class and saying “ if you answer three questions you get a sticker” or “write down these ten words and you can have a sticker” well the kids love it. When I brought the stickers to TK the kindergarten class I teach the kids went crazy. I think I almost lost my voice that morning. I say they have to color their pictures and then they can pick a sticker, I had to clarify after the first week because they colored their pictures so fast class was done in about ten minutes. When I went to Jogia last weekend I bought some Spider man stickers and I think they’ll go over well in my class this afternoon ( my class of 6 grade 1 and 2 boys, who I love, and who never sit in there seats they are always jumping around and when I give them a paper to fill in they sprawl all over the room and are silent until they are finished, they work so hard on those, I know favorites aren’t aloud but there is something about little boys I love, no idea why ;) )
Next week my fellow SALTer is coming to visit me in Pundong for a couple days to fallow me around and see what its like here. So that will be fun, and then for a week at the end of june and beginning of july all of us SALTers here are going to go on a snorkeling trip for a couple days. We are going to a bunch of little islands off the coast of Java. This will be our last little meeting and time together here in Indonesia. So this last month will be very full and busy and I’m sure will fly by like this year did. Im looking forward to seeing you all so very soon. God bless you!
So in getting ready to go home I have been making “Kanang Kanang” for everyone here, that is a gift to remember me by. So all last week I spent every afternoon biking all over Pundong getting pictures with people. My Kanang Kanang will be pictures of them throughout this year and picture with me. I printed all 122 pictures on the weekend and this week I’v been making little albums for people. Its really fun and I’m excited to give them out. My host mother was looking through all the photos and I was telling her little things about them and when she was finished you could tell she didn’t want to ask but she was wondering where all the pictures of her were. Haha. I had hid them before so she would be surprised, so I casually said “ you have to wait for your pictures Ibu, its going to be a surprise” and she was laughing and saying I was mean for teasing her like that. It was great fun.
Every Tuesday night we always have Bible study, last Tuesday afternoon my host parents went away to visit with some friends and said they would be home in time for Bible study, at around ten to seven they weren’t back yet so I decided to bike to my favorite families house and ask if I could follow them on my bike, cause I wasn’t sure who’s house the Bible study was at. I got there and they fed me, and chatted with me, and gave me a ride on the motorbike to the Bible study. It was so lovely that they were so immediately ready to take care of me. And when we were eating the mother told me not to forget her, and I said I never could and that she cant forget me either, and she said you are like my family I wont forget you. Well let me tell you that almost brought me to tears again. So the overall conclusion is that God has blessed me so greatly with so many wonderful friends, classes, workplaces, and co-workers. And though I’m so happy to go home I think I’ll be crying quite a bit when I go home, and that last week of good byes. Not looking forward to it.
Did I ever tell you that I have been bribing my students with stickers. A wonderful friend from church back home sent me some stickers in the mail, and I started taking them to class and saying “ if you answer three questions you get a sticker” or “write down these ten words and you can have a sticker” well the kids love it. When I brought the stickers to TK the kindergarten class I teach the kids went crazy. I think I almost lost my voice that morning. I say they have to color their pictures and then they can pick a sticker, I had to clarify after the first week because they colored their pictures so fast class was done in about ten minutes. When I went to Jogia last weekend I bought some Spider man stickers and I think they’ll go over well in my class this afternoon ( my class of 6 grade 1 and 2 boys, who I love, and who never sit in there seats they are always jumping around and when I give them a paper to fill in they sprawl all over the room and are silent until they are finished, they work so hard on those, I know favorites aren’t aloud but there is something about little boys I love, no idea why ;) )
Next week my fellow SALTer is coming to visit me in Pundong for a couple days to fallow me around and see what its like here. So that will be fun, and then for a week at the end of june and beginning of july all of us SALTers here are going to go on a snorkeling trip for a couple days. We are going to a bunch of little islands off the coast of Java. This will be our last little meeting and time together here in Indonesia. So this last month will be very full and busy and I’m sure will fly by like this year did. Im looking forward to seeing you all so very soon. God bless you!
Friday, May 29, 2009
Well hello, I feel like its been a long time since I’v written, and guess its been about 4 weeks, I bit longer than usual. But I have a good excuse, MCC gives you 10 vacation days and I took mine all at once and had a wonderful vacation. But Ill get to that. First I want to say that I can not believe that it is almost june. Where has all this time gone. Just wanted to say that. So ill start off with my grandparents visit on the first week of may. They were on a tour of China and Indonesia with The Back to God Hour. They were in the city around half an hour drive from me for two days. So we had a short but wonderful visit. It was really fun to show them my life here and have them see it first hand. Pictures cant do it justice ( and now they herd my Indonesian language skills and can relate my efficiency skills ). I took them around to see my home industries and stop by a couple of my friends house. We of course ran out of time and by the afternoon I was rushing everyone through to try and make it so that they could meet everyone, we made it. Though our last stop was at the ceramic shop I work at and as we came there son climbed a coconut tree and cut us down some fresh coconut but we were so late to meet my friend in Jogia that I asked if we could take the coconut home. My grandparents were flying to Bali the next day and couldn’t carry 3 coconuts back to the hotel let alone on the plane. So we gave them to our driver. that night we went to a traditional Indonesian dance with my host parents from Salatiga ( I stayed with them during language study ) I was quite impressed and thought the dancing was wonderful. I stayed that night at the hotel with my grandparents and it was a nice little treat to stay in a fancy hotel and the breakfast the next morning was wonderful!! But it was such a blessing to see them and visit with them. It made me a little home sick but nothing to serious ;)
Then a couple days later I left for my two week vacation. I started out in Papua. It’s a island that is connected to Papua New Guinea ( I think that is spelled right ). A fellow SALTer lives there so I decided to get another look at a different culture inside of the Indonesian culture. Papua is not as populated as Java and is filled a lot of forests and undeveloped land. It was incredibly beautiful. We spent the week traveling around my friends area, as my friend interviewed women on Papuan birth traditions. It was a excellent way to spend the week. We went one morning to a island that could only be reached by boat and was on a huge fresh water lake. I think it is in the top 5 most beautiful sites I have ever seen. The water was so blue and clear and the clouds so white and the hills and trees so green and the sky a totally different brilliant blue. One thing I’v come to realize since coming here is God is a beautiful God. It was wonderful. Another morning we went to a village that was built entirely over the water. All the houses on stilts. After lunch we were asking where to put some of our garbage and the ladies pointed to a hole in the floor and pointed. It was almost physically difficult to throw the garbage down there. I think it is so ingrained in us not to litter that when I was told by the home owner to feel free to throw the garbage in the water it was difficult. It was also a lovely time to visit with my friend. She has her own little apartment and doesn’t live with a host family. So one of the highlights was eating her American cooking. On the day coming back from the village over the water we bought some fresh squid that was caught I think an hour before. And my friend experimented cooking it, I say my friend because I cant cook much of anything. It was pretty good . It was really interesting to see some of the differences in the culture. For example everyone in Java shakes hands all the time. When you come into a room, when you leave the room, even if you’ve known the person your entire life you shake hand in greeting. In Papue they don’t really do that. I kept feeling like people were slighting me. And then I realized oh I guess they don’t do that here. Shows some of the things I’m going to have to get used to when I come home eh. They also cook their friend bananas differently and don’t drink jasmine tea, which I have been drinking for the last 9 months and I realized I will miss it horribly when I go home. But it was all a wonderful experience!
From Papua I flew to Bali and met up with some friends there. Now Bali is a island which is next to Java and it the vacation center of Indonesia. It is full of beaches and resorts and hotels and many many Australians. And actually a equal number of Americans. So again one of the highlights was food, lots of American food, pizza hut, hamburgers, pasta. ( But I fond myself craving Indonesian food and everyday for lunch we ate Indonesian ). I also learned how to surf. Which was a ton of fun! The one things you have to be good at in Bali is bargaining, nothing has price tags. So the first day on the beach a group of gentlemen that rented surf boards and gave lessons approached us with a price. We held out all day and by the end of the day they had come down to our price. But I have found I’m not that great at bargaining. I’m good if its something I don’t really wont, I think the salesperson can sense that. But I was trying to buy a dress one night and the lady selling it to me could tell I really wanted it, my friend was beside me and he was very tired of being ripped off and his attitude and the fact that he kept pulling me away saying it wasn’t worth it helped me get the dress at the price I wanted. But if he was at my side I think I wouldn’t have gotten that price. For the second half of the week we all headed to the next island over. It took us quite I bit to get there, we firs took a car to the harbour, then took 4 hour ferry to Lombok, the next island over, and then traveled to the north of Lombok by car and then took a little motor bout to paradise on earth. We said on a little island called Gili. It was so tiny it took my around 40 minutes to jog around it one morning. And had white sand beaches and the highlight were was snorkeling. It was my first snorkeling experience and it was great. The coral and the fish, I felt like I was in Finding Nemo. I spent hours everyday snorkeling until my lips were swollen from the salt water. It was beautiful there, another tribute to how great our God is. And what a good God he is to give us this beautiful world to live in. I took a bus home to Pundong which was another interesting experience. It was a 16 hour ride, we left at 3 in the afternoon and I arrived in pundong at 7 am. So I actually was able to sleep most of the time. They woke us up at 11 at night and we stopped for supper and then back on the bus and to sleep again. After that wonderful vacation I had a wonderful sense of home coming to Pundong. It was so nice to be home, and see the rice fields, chat with my host mother, go to Bible study and see everyone from my church. Its nice to go away but its always nice to come back home.
So I’v been spending this week getting back into teaching and helping with home industries and bring everyone their Oleh-Oleh, which is a huge part of Indonesian culture. Everytime you go away you must bring gifts for everyone. Its difficult for me because I see so many different people at different locations and it gets quite expensive to bring gifts for everyone. But I picked up a big bag of sea weed, ( that you can eat and is quite tasty ) and I separated them into different little bags for everyone. Smart and thrifty I say . I actually only have approximately 6 week left here in Pundong. I wont be coming home till the end of july but we have a week of re-entry program at the head offices of MCC and some meeting and trips here in Indonesia. The little time left is defiantly giving me a different outlook on life here. Now I’m looking at everything and thinking how I will miss it when I go to my home. And I’m also getting very very excited about coming home and seeing you all! Well I wont let it get a month again before I write again. I hope you are all doing wonderful! And I’m praying for you all. God bless.
Then a couple days later I left for my two week vacation. I started out in Papua. It’s a island that is connected to Papua New Guinea ( I think that is spelled right ). A fellow SALTer lives there so I decided to get another look at a different culture inside of the Indonesian culture. Papua is not as populated as Java and is filled a lot of forests and undeveloped land. It was incredibly beautiful. We spent the week traveling around my friends area, as my friend interviewed women on Papuan birth traditions. It was a excellent way to spend the week. We went one morning to a island that could only be reached by boat and was on a huge fresh water lake. I think it is in the top 5 most beautiful sites I have ever seen. The water was so blue and clear and the clouds so white and the hills and trees so green and the sky a totally different brilliant blue. One thing I’v come to realize since coming here is God is a beautiful God. It was wonderful. Another morning we went to a village that was built entirely over the water. All the houses on stilts. After lunch we were asking where to put some of our garbage and the ladies pointed to a hole in the floor and pointed. It was almost physically difficult to throw the garbage down there. I think it is so ingrained in us not to litter that when I was told by the home owner to feel free to throw the garbage in the water it was difficult. It was also a lovely time to visit with my friend. She has her own little apartment and doesn’t live with a host family. So one of the highlights was eating her American cooking. On the day coming back from the village over the water we bought some fresh squid that was caught I think an hour before. And my friend experimented cooking it, I say my friend because I cant cook much of anything. It was pretty good . It was really interesting to see some of the differences in the culture. For example everyone in Java shakes hands all the time. When you come into a room, when you leave the room, even if you’ve known the person your entire life you shake hand in greeting. In Papue they don’t really do that. I kept feeling like people were slighting me. And then I realized oh I guess they don’t do that here. Shows some of the things I’m going to have to get used to when I come home eh. They also cook their friend bananas differently and don’t drink jasmine tea, which I have been drinking for the last 9 months and I realized I will miss it horribly when I go home. But it was all a wonderful experience!
From Papua I flew to Bali and met up with some friends there. Now Bali is a island which is next to Java and it the vacation center of Indonesia. It is full of beaches and resorts and hotels and many many Australians. And actually a equal number of Americans. So again one of the highlights was food, lots of American food, pizza hut, hamburgers, pasta. ( But I fond myself craving Indonesian food and everyday for lunch we ate Indonesian ). I also learned how to surf. Which was a ton of fun! The one things you have to be good at in Bali is bargaining, nothing has price tags. So the first day on the beach a group of gentlemen that rented surf boards and gave lessons approached us with a price. We held out all day and by the end of the day they had come down to our price. But I have found I’m not that great at bargaining. I’m good if its something I don’t really wont, I think the salesperson can sense that. But I was trying to buy a dress one night and the lady selling it to me could tell I really wanted it, my friend was beside me and he was very tired of being ripped off and his attitude and the fact that he kept pulling me away saying it wasn’t worth it helped me get the dress at the price I wanted. But if he was at my side I think I wouldn’t have gotten that price. For the second half of the week we all headed to the next island over. It took us quite I bit to get there, we firs took a car to the harbour, then took 4 hour ferry to Lombok, the next island over, and then traveled to the north of Lombok by car and then took a little motor bout to paradise on earth. We said on a little island called Gili. It was so tiny it took my around 40 minutes to jog around it one morning. And had white sand beaches and the highlight were was snorkeling. It was my first snorkeling experience and it was great. The coral and the fish, I felt like I was in Finding Nemo. I spent hours everyday snorkeling until my lips were swollen from the salt water. It was beautiful there, another tribute to how great our God is. And what a good God he is to give us this beautiful world to live in. I took a bus home to Pundong which was another interesting experience. It was a 16 hour ride, we left at 3 in the afternoon and I arrived in pundong at 7 am. So I actually was able to sleep most of the time. They woke us up at 11 at night and we stopped for supper and then back on the bus and to sleep again. After that wonderful vacation I had a wonderful sense of home coming to Pundong. It was so nice to be home, and see the rice fields, chat with my host mother, go to Bible study and see everyone from my church. Its nice to go away but its always nice to come back home.
So I’v been spending this week getting back into teaching and helping with home industries and bring everyone their Oleh-Oleh, which is a huge part of Indonesian culture. Everytime you go away you must bring gifts for everyone. Its difficult for me because I see so many different people at different locations and it gets quite expensive to bring gifts for everyone. But I picked up a big bag of sea weed, ( that you can eat and is quite tasty ) and I separated them into different little bags for everyone. Smart and thrifty I say . I actually only have approximately 6 week left here in Pundong. I wont be coming home till the end of july but we have a week of re-entry program at the head offices of MCC and some meeting and trips here in Indonesia. The little time left is defiantly giving me a different outlook on life here. Now I’m looking at everything and thinking how I will miss it when I go to my home. And I’m also getting very very excited about coming home and seeing you all! Well I wont let it get a month again before I write again. I hope you are all doing wonderful! And I’m praying for you all. God bless.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Hello Hello Hello again, and now it is the lovely month of May, already. Whenever I think of back home I always imagine its so cold and wish for alittle bit of the cold, but now its getting warm over there and I cant wish for a bit of your cold because its not there. Actually I decided that four seasons might actually be best ( slightly biased I know ) but at home when its winter I like it.. then when I get tired of it, it becomes spring and then when I’m ready for hot weather it becomes hot. Haha. Its good that I was born in Canada, and now I can appreciate it to the fullest. So this month has been really full and busy. Last weekend I went up to Salatiga and helped chaperon the grade eight class trip of my country reps youngest son. It made me feel like I was back in grade eight. It was a wonderful feeling. We went camping on the side of a mountain. There was lots of swimming in freezing cold water, zip lining ( which is attaching yourself to a cable and zooming across a gorge ) and eating, we had a certain amount of money we could spend and as leaders we decided a good way to spend some of was to have breakfast, first lunch and then second lunch, it was good food.
I’v been meaning for a couple weeks now to tell you about how it is to teaching TK, which is kindergarten. So I teach TK one morning a week for an hour to about 20 kids. I think it might be my least favorite class to teach, the children are adorable but are very very naughty. I think I prefer grade 2 or 3 where they can take notes and its easier for me to explain games and stuff. The kindergarten kids wont sit still long enough to teach a game. I usually teach them a couple words and then get them to color pictures of the object I taught them. Then we can review the different color names as well. We also sing ‘head and shoulders knees and toes’ and ‘old macdonald has a farm’ ( which by the way I found out I taught them the words wrong because I forgot how they went, but I’m to embarrassed to tell you what I taught them ). The little girls are usually pretty content to color but there are maybe four boys who fight and wrestle probably for the whole hour. The teachers don’t really do much to stop them so I usually just yell my teaching instructions and try to ignore them. It is an interesting experience let me tell you. But the TK school is right near to my house so I always get to hear the little kids yelling out ‘mbak jelita’ which is Miss Janessa, in Indonesian whenever I walk by.
So my grandparents are coming to visit me on Monday. I am very very excited to be able to show them all around my little world here. I have plans to take them around to all my home industries and to meet some of my favorite families ( I know favorites aren’t aloud but I do have them ) My host parents have to be away at a conference the whole day so I’m hoping we can squeeze an hour of so of a visit with them in. Ill tell you more about the visit after the even occurs ;) Our ministers wife had been studying in Japan for the last four year and came home last week. She is one of those people that you immediately know will be a kindred spirit. She speaks very good English and is very sweat we got along very good on our first meeting and I’m looking forward to getting to know her better.
Well I’m sorry it is a rather short blog today, I’m wrestling with the printer here trying to get it to work so I can print out some lesson worksheets, its not going to swell. So I best get back to that. It might be awhile before I can write again since on may 10th I’m going to be visiting a fellow SALTer on a different island and then the next week heading over to another island for alittle vacation with a couple of SALTers and friends. I will let you know all about it when I return. Hope you are all doing well and God bless you.
Just a little note to add onto the end, I had a very interesting experience yesterday. My Friday morning home industry was canceled so I decided to go for a morning jog. My jog was successful, the night before there was a lot of heavy wind so I had to brush a couple tree branches out of the way but other then that it was lovely. As I was nearing the end of my run my eyes started to hurt a little and feel as though they were swelling up. I biked the ten minute bike ride home from my running bath and by the time I looked in the mirror my eyes were both swollen rather large. It looked like big water blisters around my eyes. I was quite freaked out, so I took a bath and when my host mother say me she got quite worried and got me to ride my bike to my friends house to see if they could take me to the doctor, by then I was quite afraid myself. While being the wonderful people that they are my friends were ready within a matter of 5 minutes to take me to the doctor, but after trying to get an appointment and finding a hospital with a doctor that specializes in treating skin problems, the swelling started going down. So it was quite dramatic there for about an hour. We figured out that on my run I had ran into some bamboo branches and if you didn’t know ( I was unaware of this ) bamboo is highly infectious and if touches your skin makes it quite itchy and if gets in your eyes, as I found out causes them to swell quite a bit. It was a interesting experience when it was over, I was slightly panicked in the moment but I had some cream left over from when my eyes were swollen from my allergy to mangos. So they are back to normal size and health now, that is my eyes I mean. So it was an interesting Friday morning
I’v been meaning for a couple weeks now to tell you about how it is to teaching TK, which is kindergarten. So I teach TK one morning a week for an hour to about 20 kids. I think it might be my least favorite class to teach, the children are adorable but are very very naughty. I think I prefer grade 2 or 3 where they can take notes and its easier for me to explain games and stuff. The kindergarten kids wont sit still long enough to teach a game. I usually teach them a couple words and then get them to color pictures of the object I taught them. Then we can review the different color names as well. We also sing ‘head and shoulders knees and toes’ and ‘old macdonald has a farm’ ( which by the way I found out I taught them the words wrong because I forgot how they went, but I’m to embarrassed to tell you what I taught them ). The little girls are usually pretty content to color but there are maybe four boys who fight and wrestle probably for the whole hour. The teachers don’t really do much to stop them so I usually just yell my teaching instructions and try to ignore them. It is an interesting experience let me tell you. But the TK school is right near to my house so I always get to hear the little kids yelling out ‘mbak jelita’ which is Miss Janessa, in Indonesian whenever I walk by.
So my grandparents are coming to visit me on Monday. I am very very excited to be able to show them all around my little world here. I have plans to take them around to all my home industries and to meet some of my favorite families ( I know favorites aren’t aloud but I do have them ) My host parents have to be away at a conference the whole day so I’m hoping we can squeeze an hour of so of a visit with them in. Ill tell you more about the visit after the even occurs ;) Our ministers wife had been studying in Japan for the last four year and came home last week. She is one of those people that you immediately know will be a kindred spirit. She speaks very good English and is very sweat we got along very good on our first meeting and I’m looking forward to getting to know her better.
Well I’m sorry it is a rather short blog today, I’m wrestling with the printer here trying to get it to work so I can print out some lesson worksheets, its not going to swell. So I best get back to that. It might be awhile before I can write again since on may 10th I’m going to be visiting a fellow SALTer on a different island and then the next week heading over to another island for alittle vacation with a couple of SALTers and friends. I will let you know all about it when I return. Hope you are all doing well and God bless you.
Just a little note to add onto the end, I had a very interesting experience yesterday. My Friday morning home industry was canceled so I decided to go for a morning jog. My jog was successful, the night before there was a lot of heavy wind so I had to brush a couple tree branches out of the way but other then that it was lovely. As I was nearing the end of my run my eyes started to hurt a little and feel as though they were swelling up. I biked the ten minute bike ride home from my running bath and by the time I looked in the mirror my eyes were both swollen rather large. It looked like big water blisters around my eyes. I was quite freaked out, so I took a bath and when my host mother say me she got quite worried and got me to ride my bike to my friends house to see if they could take me to the doctor, by then I was quite afraid myself. While being the wonderful people that they are my friends were ready within a matter of 5 minutes to take me to the doctor, but after trying to get an appointment and finding a hospital with a doctor that specializes in treating skin problems, the swelling started going down. So it was quite dramatic there for about an hour. We figured out that on my run I had ran into some bamboo branches and if you didn’t know ( I was unaware of this ) bamboo is highly infectious and if touches your skin makes it quite itchy and if gets in your eyes, as I found out causes them to swell quite a bit. It was a interesting experience when it was over, I was slightly panicked in the moment but I had some cream left over from when my eyes were swollen from my allergy to mangos. So they are back to normal size and health now, that is my eyes I mean. So it was an interesting Friday morning
Friday, April 17, 2009
Spring is here.. for you all.
Hello Hello Hello, How does this wonderful month of April find you all? I hope it finds you well, the wonderful cold weather you all like to complain about is probably letting up and the flowers are coming out and the air is warming up and you can all get out and take some lovely walks ( that’s a maybe and depends on personality I suppose ). This month is finding me very well, well today it is finding me very well I have just lived through my first stomach flu in Indonesia, but the other day I was not so well, quick sick indeed. Actually this was not the first stomach sickness I have had here, I think one of the first weeks I was here I got sick but that was eight months ago soo…. Ill just count this as the first in my little village of Pundong. So on Saturday night my host parents left to go to neighboring city and I had made previous plans and also wanted to see what Easter is like here in Pudong, So this was the Saturday before Easter Sunday. I went to sleep at a regular hour for me ( unthinkingable hour for a Saturday night at home ) and woke up a couple hours later with quite a fever and stomach pain ( and alittle vomiting ill spare you the details on that ). Never the less I figured I would be able to get through it, as I have suffered far worse pain ( haha ) The problem was that if I didn’t show up for Easter morning Sunday service the entire church would think I was skipping church. ( they all knew I was home alone and would be coming to church for Easter ). So my dilemma was let everyone think I was skipping church, or text someone and let them know I wasn’t feeling good and chance that they not all decide to come over try to fix a mild stomach flu with 5 different kinds of medicine and try and get me to eat rice. Well I decided to text my friend because I would never hear the end of it if I skipped church. The result of this text made me feel very loved and cared for and also special, but was not necessarily the nicest thing to happen when you feel sick. I made it till around 12 noon before people started stopping by. If I was sleeping they would just come right in and wake me up and of course, they all.. tried to get me to eat rice, which is a very difficult thing after you vomited an hour before. They all also tried to get to the root of the problem, which in Indonesia is usually one of two things, either you have eaten to much spicy food ( though this does not stop there eating spicy food even though every time they get sick this is the cause, according to them ) or the wind has entered you. Let me say that again ‘the wind has entered you’ so they women would come in.. feel my forehead and face and say to each other ‘angin masuk’ direct translation ‘wind enter’ and then I would mention the day before I had eaten a lot of hot food and they would look at eachother and shake there heads. It was really quite great to watch this in all of them. ( I don’t know how the wind enters you or how it leaves I just know this is what is always said ) That evening though I was still feeling pretty bad so I got two of my favorite ladies to bring me to the doctor. This is where I began to feel like this sickness was a blessing. They picked me up and we put all three of us on a motorcycle (me in the middle so I wouldn’t fall off I guess ) and went to the doctor where these women tried to spend the equivalent of a friend spending a 100 dollars on medicine for you at home. ( this with how much they make and the money exchange and wow I’m become quite an economist ) I explained my organization will pay for my medical expenses and they were ok with that. Then they took me home, heated water so I could have a hot bath, asked what I wanted to eat, and went to the store and bought it when there wasn’t all the ingredience in the house. Got there two daughters to stay in the house with me until my host parents came home. Asked me if I missed my mom. And were altogether wonderful to me. This is bringing tears to my eyes again as I write this. I told them that God has given me a family here in Pundong and not only one mother but two. I just feel like they went above and beyond in taking care of me and I just felt like was God was giving me a wonderful gift in being sick because I got to see fully the wonderful people he has placed around me. My host parents came home that night after I went to sleep ( oh oh not before another 6 or 7 people stopped by together to wake me up and give me some apples. I had mentioned in passing when someone was trying to feed me rice how I wouldn’t mind eating an apple or some fruit. So I got up and made myself eat an apple because they were so kind to bring them to me ) My host mother went into full cooking form trying out all kinds of different things so that I would eat. She cooked all my favorite foods and special food they eat when their sick and even offered to buy me my favorite snack, which I turned down because it is bread fried in a ton of butter with chocolate and sweeten condensed milk melted in the middle, and I didn’t think that would be the best thing to eat getting over the flu. She was wonderful as well. So I slept for two days getting rested up ( maybe alittle more then usual but my host mother didn’t want me working so I gave in a slept, not that hard actually ;) ) So overall it was a great experience that I wouldn’t want to repeat.
So other then that.. I had a wonderful week visiting my friend in here placement. We live in totally different environments so it was good to see what she is experiencing. She lives in the big city with a wealthy family. Her host mother is an English teacher so she has a translator right in the house. She teaches at a high school that is working towards teaching all subjects in English so the kids that go there and the teachers are all almost all fluent in English. So that’s a little sketch of her life here. Haha. She is always almost always in air conditioning. Lucky girl. But living in a different culture is the same whether you are in a little village or in the big city and she is having a great experience here as well. Her parents came to visit her over the Easter holidays and she spent a day down here with me so they could see what the village life in Indonesia is like. That was really fun to show off my little village and also gave me some great ideas for when my grandparents come down to visits me at the beginning of May!!! Yay. Did I mention that before, well they are going to China and taking a little trip through Indonesia as well and can spend a couple days with me. I’m very excited about it.
So I’m sure you are all curious about Indonesian Christian celebration of Easter. I wish I could tell you all about it. I did go to a Good Friday service so they have those the same as us. But unfortunately my sickness fell on Easter Sunday so I missed the big day. People that came to visit me kept mentioning that everyone was at church all day eating food. So… I don’t know what went along with that. But that was my Easter. Ill ask some of my friends in other placements how there’s was and see if I cant get an idea of what its like. I do know it is not a big family holiday like at home. But I’m sure it was lovely.
So I havnt been doing much teaching this week because I was recovering and the week before I was with my friend in her placement. So its been pretty busy. But this week Ill be settling down to my work and teaching. Which reminds me I have to go teach my grade 1 boys in half an hour. Gotta go work up a nice sweat in the 15 minute bike ride over there. So I hope you are all doing well and I’ll try to write again soon! God bless you and see you soon!
So other then that.. I had a wonderful week visiting my friend in here placement. We live in totally different environments so it was good to see what she is experiencing. She lives in the big city with a wealthy family. Her host mother is an English teacher so she has a translator right in the house. She teaches at a high school that is working towards teaching all subjects in English so the kids that go there and the teachers are all almost all fluent in English. So that’s a little sketch of her life here. Haha. She is always almost always in air conditioning. Lucky girl. But living in a different culture is the same whether you are in a little village or in the big city and she is having a great experience here as well. Her parents came to visit her over the Easter holidays and she spent a day down here with me so they could see what the village life in Indonesia is like. That was really fun to show off my little village and also gave me some great ideas for when my grandparents come down to visits me at the beginning of May!!! Yay. Did I mention that before, well they are going to China and taking a little trip through Indonesia as well and can spend a couple days with me. I’m very excited about it.
So I’m sure you are all curious about Indonesian Christian celebration of Easter. I wish I could tell you all about it. I did go to a Good Friday service so they have those the same as us. But unfortunately my sickness fell on Easter Sunday so I missed the big day. People that came to visit me kept mentioning that everyone was at church all day eating food. So… I don’t know what went along with that. But that was my Easter. Ill ask some of my friends in other placements how there’s was and see if I cant get an idea of what its like. I do know it is not a big family holiday like at home. But I’m sure it was lovely.
So I havnt been doing much teaching this week because I was recovering and the week before I was with my friend in her placement. So its been pretty busy. But this week Ill be settling down to my work and teaching. Which reminds me I have to go teach my grade 1 boys in half an hour. Gotta go work up a nice sweat in the 15 minute bike ride over there. So I hope you are all doing well and I’ll try to write again soon! God bless you and see you soon!
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Just a note.
Today on the way home from teaching i stopped at my store ( the one i always go to ) and was chatting with the owner and mentioned i needed to buy some more water. ( because my host parents were gone and i ran out at home, they came home this morning though ) and the owner of my store said " oh you dont need to buy water, i saw your host mother buying a large jug across the road at that store" and I thought.. well there are some perks to living in a small town were everyone knows eachother. ( I didnt know the store owner knew my name much less who i was living with ) But it made me feel like i belong. so thats my little story for today.
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