More random thoughts by Kim

No photos today.
Thank you all who faithfully read of our adventures, and to those who just check it out once in a while. It's nice to know we are connected somehow. I have been printing off our entries and putting them in a binder so that 20 years from now we'll have a paper copy of what we're doing here. If we stay a long time I may need a room to store the binders in!!

There are so many little things that I keep thinking during the days and wish I had someone to tell, and then I realize that I can, thru this blog. Things like:

*for all of you who hate it when people talk in the 3rd person, you'll have to suck it up when you come to visit. Our school repair man that comes to our house to fix stuff is Pak (Mr) Bisner. Yesterday he was telling me in Bahasa Indonesia that "Pak Bisner will go to the school and then Pak Bisner will come back" and it sounds so weird for a grown man to be speaking that way. However, that's the way it is and I have to figure out how and when to address people like that. That is my new challenge in learning this language. By the way, if I was to write what he said in what I think is Bahasa Indonesia, I think it would be a little like this:
Pak Bisner pergi sekolah dan Pak Bisner kembali. Not sure if that's accurate but it's what is in my head at this point!

*We have a pet. Since people are not too fond of dogs and the cats here are rather mangy, we've decided to get a pet rat. However, we haven't seen this cuddly creature yet; it's probably because he's nocturnal and we're not. He does, however, communicate with us through the ceiling, and sometimes he scratches so hard that we think he might just fall through the ceiling tiles. He just wants to be near us! I am trying my hardest to find him and take a photo for my nephew Eli who says "Auntie Kimmie, I want to see your rat!" but it hasn't happened yet. On an aside, my friend had a cat trap out in her yard, found a cat in it but then realized it was just a really, really big rat (tikus). Hopefully our friend is not of the same breed.

*School is going well for everyone. Tris is heading to Tokyo in a few months for more BI (Baccau Laureate) training. It started out that he was going to India, then Australia (and we could have come along in the summer break!) and now it is officially Tokyo for a few days. I think he's looking forward to it, but I think that he's counting the days until our trip to Bali (say "Buh-lee, not baaa-lee) with the Comries and Alexis. Yes, I admit, I am doing a countdown myself, except that I don't really know the confirmed date of departure! I think it's Sept 29th but I'm not sure.

*Yesterday was the beginning of Ramadan and so the atmosphere is a bit different. Ramadan is a month of abstaining from food, drink, smoking and sex during the daylight hours. Our helper (as all Muslims will do) gets up around 3 am to cook, eat and drink before sunrise. They fast until around 6 pm; they're not even allowed water during the day. At the end of Ramada is Lebaran or Idul Fitri, which lasts around 7 days. This is when Muslims spend time with their families and then their friends. Helpers and drivers get their holidays during this time, with double pay for the month as well as transportation fees to get to where their families are.

*Last Friday night we went into Jakarta on what should have been a 45 minute ride. It was 2 hours because of traffic, and others who were attending the charity event took even longer to get there. Apparently Jakarta has some of the worst traffic in the world, and I believe it. Last night i went to the orphanage in Jakarta again and on the way home my friend Coral JUST missed a motorcycle that came right at her and at the last second sssqqqqqqqqqqquuuuuuuuueeeeeeeeeeeezzzed between her suv and an oncoming truck. Freaky. That's all that I can say. What's weird is that if she hit the motorcycle, because she's bigger, she'd have to pay damages.

*Speaking of driving, Tris and I are going to go and buy our licenses this Saturday. Like I'm going to drive anywhere! I'm not sure how much it costs but apparently when Matthew is of age, he can get his license here, go to BC and do the written test and drive there. Scary. Needless to say, we'll be covering our bases..ie/ like not even consider Matthew driving in Indonesia!!!!

*I am going to my third session of the ladies' study "moving on after moving in" tomorrow. It's a great study and a lot of the women are able to connect through it as well. It talks about mourning our losses almost as if we have had someone die, because in reality we really have taken on a new life. Just a reminder though, we're still Tris, Kim, Matthew and Abby and no matter what we learn, see or experience, we're still the people that left Courtenay. If we haven't changed after our stint here, though, I think something is wrong. Anyways, this book talks a lot about the stages of anger, frustration, feeling lost, denial amongst others that you need to go through. I don't know about the rest of my family (they seem to be just sliding into their roles here no problem) but I have experienced a bit of those. Maybe not denial, but then maybe I'm just kidding myself:). Most of the time, though, I am thankful we're here, thankful we are healthy and thankful I don't have to clean my toilets.

*I love the customer service here! For every job there are 2 people to help. For example, if I wanted to buy a pair of shoes, I would go into the shoe store, ask for help, and then have one clerk assist me and another stand by and watch. There is the odd time that if they don't have your size or they don't really understand what you are saying that they walk away and don't come back. However, I really do love the help. In a mall, if you buy a larger package, someone will help you carry it to your taxi (and maybe even help you find the taxi in the first place). If you are backing up your vehicle, no matter where you are, there's always someone willing to pop out of the bush or a building to direct you. If you buy a coffee, you walk away and they'll bring it to you. I don't think I'm doing the service here justice; you'll just have to come and experience it for yourself.

*Finally, I have a bible verse that I am studying in the book I was just telling you about (rabbit trails, I know) and it is Habbukuk 3:17-18. The original version goes something like this:

"Though the fig tree should not blossom, and there be no fruit on the vines, though the yield of the olive tree should fall, and the fields produce no food, though the flock should be cut off from the fold, and there be no cattle in the stalls, yet I will exalt in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation."

I was supposed to paraphrase it and thought I would share it with you to give you an idea of what minor issues we're going through here.

"Though the door locks stick and the mosquitoes will bit, and the garden grows wild with deep rooted weeds, though my seeds may not sprout and the brand new fridge's thermostat thinks that warm is an okay temperature, though the main shower leaks and the repairs will cause cement dust to settle everywhere, though the noises in my ceilings are caused by a large rat, yet Iwill praise God because God is God and He has given me everlasting life."

It sounds bad when it's on paper, but there isn't anything that can't be fixed or dealth with. If we were in our old house we'd have some of these same issues but we'd have to pay for the repairs!!

In a nutshell, we're adjusting, we're stretching, we're loving that we're in this together as a family and we're really, really looking forward to Bali!

Thanks for reading.