Seasons

,Because we have been here only 17 days, we obviously have not yet experienced any kind of seasonal change. There are two here...the wet and the dry seasons. If the wet season brings storms like the one we experienced a week ago, we're in for really loud natural entertainment. Right now we're in the midst of the dry season, and it's really not that bad. Someone commented to us yesterday that it's too bad we didn't come into the wet season because the vegetation is so much greener, but really, we were thinking that it's quite a bit greener than we'd thought it would be. What is really strange is the mindset that I personally cannot seem to shake, and that is that in a few months this heat will be all over and we'll be challenged by cool weather and torrential rains. Time to start thinking about buying wood for the woodshed!! Well, that is something I am going to have to deal with really soon, because this hot summer weather just keeps on going, and going, and going...

What is interesting is that we have discovered a seasonal change, in a sense. It's called "weekdays and the weekend." There is a definate distinction between noise levels, mall traffic and hours slept between weekdays and the weekend. For example, the sun rises every morning quite close to 6 am, give or take a few minutes. It is easy to tell when it is a workday because as the sun rises so do the maids and some of the drivers. You can hear the sound of sweeping in the driveways and of water being splashed onto soap-scrubbed cars. Our neighbour has a very happy little helper who loves to sing early in the morning. I am thankful for 2 things: I am an early rise and she has a good voice! I think that the birds are even louder on weekday mornings. Right now, Sunday morning at 8:10 am, all I hear as I sit in bed is the sound of birds, our a/c and the odd jet plane overhead. I heard sweeping earlier but with no voice, only the sound of straw on cement. I'm not sure if this is a normal phenomenon in Indonesia or just in the area that we live, which is full of ex-pats of some kind (teachers, missionaries, contractual workers of some kind) as well as some nationals.

Abby and I went to the mall yesterday, a Saturday, and it's a busy place! We went early to the supermarket in order to beat the rush, and although we beat it somewhat, we didn't miss it completely. There are certain things that I am extra thankful for our helper for, and shopping is one of them. I have been to the mall during the week and it's busy, but not Saturday/Sunday busy.

As for sleeping, like I said, it's after 8 and my entire household is still in bed. Sri is off for the weekend and so there is no one puttering around our house. During the week the adults are up by 5 am and the kids by 5:30. With school starting at 7:00 there is a lot to do before the bells ring.

The differences between the weekdays and the weekend are like night and day, and although I prefer quiet a lot of the time, I do appreciate the routine and bustle of the weekdays. Of course, I can have a nap if necessary whereas the rest of my family has to plug along for the entire school days, which runs from 7-3 and possibly to 5 if there are sports or choir practises afterwards. Life here is different and we do have to change a lot of the ways of thinking that we seem to want to cling to, but overall I think that we are doing well. As long as we have the "rest" that comes with the weekends, or Sundays at least, we can do this.

Thanks for reading.