Halfway to Canada

When I was little we used to talk about digging our way through the earth, getting halfway to China.  Here I am, in Taiwan, which is halfway to my childhood home.  We've got 14 more flight hours and then we're there.  To get rid of any pent up energy from the first leg of the trip, and to stretch my legs a little, I plugged into my mp3 and walked the store corridor.   It's a long stretch of expensive, beyond-my-finances and beyond-my-need stores, people movers, and high-priced snack bars, and nothing really caught my eye enough to make me stop.  While I was walking, the Eagles' 'Desperado' came on and I had a major flashback to my teenage past.  Memories of sitting in front of a campfire along a lake somewhere, sometimes roasting marshmallows and usually watching the stars, blasted my thoughts and made my heart skip a beat.  Over the years whenever a group of us got together for the evening or to camp for the night, someone always provided music, and Desperado is one of those 'summer songs' that whisks me back to those nights.  As an aside, I remember camping across from our place at Sproat Lake in a spot that we could only reach by boat.  Wouldn't you know it, the people I was with brought the usual necessities like tents and food, but what I remember most about that trip is the generator, stereo and 2 HUGE speakers that they plugged in smack-dab in the middle of nature.  I kind of liked it!  Probably those across the lake weren't so thrilled, but it sure made a good memory for me.

Who would have thought, in the 1980s, that 20-something years later I'd be walking the halls of a Taiwanese airport, on my way home for a visit, and that I'd be living in a foreign country like Indonesia?  Life sure takes some interesting turns, and gives us some challenges and opportunities to stretch.  I must say, I've been stretched over the last 3 years, but overall, I am extremely thankful.  I am so excited to be heading home that I feel like an 8 year old waiting for Christmas morning to arrive.  Only 14 more hours and we land on sweet Canadian soil.

Thanks for reading.

Yard Sale!

I've been grinning since Friday just before 3 and haven't stopped since.  Well, maybe a few times, but the grin keeps coming back.  The charity group that I belong to held a Yard Sale on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, and it was so fun for everyone involved.  Our goal was to collect enough "goods" to sell to the local drivers, helpers and yard maintenance workers (hired by the village to keep the place looking good) at really cheap prices, while raising some money for the medical fund for underprivileged children that we're involved with at the local hospital.   The first reason for my grinning?  My expectation, with having mostly clothes and small items, was $200-300, while my friend Dalenea's was a little higher at $500.  We ended up raising approximately $700 US in little less than 5 hours.

Sales like these are not all that common here.  In fact, we've only ever seen a similar sale at our school, held through the Parents Committee, and that one is usually quite successful too.  The second reason for my grinning?  Every time I see a helper or driver that knows I was part of the event asks me "Mrs, when's the next sale??"   Realistically, probably once or twice a year is enough with all the collecting and work that goes into one, but when I give that answer it brings a smile every time.  Now regardless of what position I hold this time next year in the charity group, I'll have to push for a 2nd Annual Yard Sale.

The 3rd reason for grinning is that every person who bought clothing at the sale that I've seen since Saturday has been wearing something they bought for themselves.  This morning my helper arrived from her home with a big smile on her face, her new pretty, green shirt on, and again, with the question "when is the next one?"  When we went shopping, I tapped on the window of my friend's car, waved hello to her waiting driver, and the next thing I know he's popped up next to my car with his new, long-sleeved men's dress shirt on, grinning, and helped us unload the groceries into my car.

To be honest, we could just give the things away that we collected.  In fact, with having help in our homes, that is usually what we do with anything that our children have outgrown or we've become tired of (kind of sad, isn't it, that we become tired of things so easily).  However, the buzz that was at this Yard Sale, and the sense of community was really neat.  Although the pace was really, really fast (can you say mind-spinning!?) most of the time, and we were all dripping with sweat, tired and thirsty, it was really fun to help people shop, make change, work as a team and, in the last hour, to practically give things away for free.  The guy who walked away with a swivelling office chair for about 20 cents didn't really know what to do with the chair (rode in on a motorbike) but was ecstatic he'd bought himself a chair.  My friend's helper didn't need anything, but she bought a bunch of baby clothes for her sister in their home village 12 hours away.  One security guard isn't married yet, but he bought a wooden high chair, some lamps, and a set of wooden blinds for a couple of dollars, for who knows who.  He went back and forth on his motor bike a few times just to haul his treasures away.  Each time he rode with a grin.  That made the collecting, sorting, printing, cutting, taping, sticking, folding and hauling all worth it.

Thanks for reading

Eating our way through the adventure...

Sometimes there are times in your life when you just have to. There's not really any reason not to, and it's fun to say you have. Like tonight. There's a great new couple here at our school, Brock and Lisa, and they're into truly experiencing the local culture. Since he's arrived, he's wanted to eat at a snake restaurant. Originally I thought the guy was pretty nuts--"unique" is a good word--and then I started to think about it. Why not? People eat weird stuff all of the time, and seriously, what a great thing to be able to tell my grandkids! In fact, I have an uncle, Uncle Ken, who traveled to Indonesia in the '80s, and during his trip to Sumatera, ate snake. I remember him telling me that it tastes just 'like chicken.' I thought he was really cool. Tonight, we learned that snake really DOES taste like chicken, at least cobra does, and it specifically tastes like chicken breast. Alligator does as well, although I found it a bit sour. Monitor lizard has the texture and slight flavour of fish, monkey is a sweeter meat, and python is a bit 'chewy,' like crab. Brock was the only one who tried bat (flying rats, who eats those???). He also topped off his personal adventure with a cup of cobra blood mixed with the cobra's bile and a little chinese wine. He said it tasted a little bitter. I'll take his word for it.

In the photo of Tris and I, he is trying monitor lizard and I am trying cobra (fried). Of all the items, the cobra won the award at our table for the item we'd most likely order again. It's

rather morbid, really, because it's the cobra that we met personally before he became our dinner. It was a bit like the proverbial bunny that the farmer's daughter names and spends time with, and then one day realizes Fluffy is in her soup (or chicken cacciatore, remember Mom??).

We started our dining adventure out by picking up Brock, Lisa and their little 1 1/2 year old, Bethany, and headed for Jakarta. On the way, we got a little lost in "Old Town" (old Dutch part of Jakarta) and were able to see a little of the older landscape outside of the car when Bethany decided that throwing up on her mom was the best way to get rid of the ache in her little tummy. Once Lisa was as clean as 3 baby-wipes, a bottle of ice-cold water and a purse pack of tissues could get her, we continued on until we reached "Istana Raja Cobra (King Cobra Palace) Restaurant." It literally is a hole in the wall with about 8 small plastic tables, a kitchen smaller than most suburbian clothes closets, and a 'snake room' at the back. I have to admit, though, it was a lot brighter and cleaner than I had imagined. The restaurant, I mean, not the snake room.

Meet 'Fluffy,' our dinner-to-be. After we placed our order (bat & alligator satay, fried cobra, fried monkey, fried monitor lizard, and bbq'd python), we headed to the back to pick our cobra. All of the other items on the menu were "pre-dead" and in the freezer, but unfortunately for

this dish, he was as fresh as they come. The most interesting thing that Tris and I noticed weren't the cages along the wall holding other diners' meal choices (green snake, 'earth' snake, a variety of other snakes), but rather the moving canvas bags on the floor. In these bags, which were hissing and rising up towards our voices, were King Cobras, and even through the bags I'm sure they could smell my fear. While we were watching the bags at our feet, our attendant was prepping the snake. It all happened quite quickly as the fellow showed us our snake choice, lopped off his head, hooked the body to the wall and slid the skin off the reptile. During the skinning, the head continued to move and the tongue to hiss. Very freaky. So very 'not me.'

Once we received our meat dishes, we shared them around and took photos, commented on the taste and texture, and finally realized that during our meal, little Bethany had drawn a lovely crayon masterpiece on the nearby table's plastic yellow chair. Rather squiggley lines, like snakes. How appropriate.

I'm not sure that a return visit to this restaurant will ever happen, unless our kids want to go (they were too busy swimming and watching movies to come along this time) or we have visitors who want the same 'unique' experience, but I admit, I am glad to be able to say I DID.

Thanks for reading.

...this is a little different from the new Bread & Butter Cooking Club that was born last week...new post to come full of delicious details!

Marriage

Marriage. It's a huge step. It also costs a lot. Not just the wedding itself, but the rest of it. I love my husband; he's my best friend in the whole wide world. There have been times when I'd like to kick him (seriously. I grew up with brothers...I did that kind of thing. Either that or stick him in the center of an inner tube and fling him down a hill...that is kind of fun though and it probably wouldn't let him know I was actually ticked off), where we don't really like each other that much, but we still love each other. In the beginning years we both admit that there were times where we'd wake up and look over at the other person, thinking "what have I done. I'm in this for life!" Mostly, however, I love being married. I love knowing someone's going to be there when I come home, knowing that if I can't eat all my burger I've got help, knowing I've got someone to make me take my vitamins when I can't be bothered, I like knowing that I'm beautiful to somebody, and I like knowing that I'm taken care of.

This is why I am sad. I'm sad because there are some really dumb guys out there. Sorry, male population, but there are! I've got some absolutely beautiful, intelligent, funny, adventuresome, non-threatening girlfriends who would love to find someone, settle down, have babies, make soup and berry pies (or eat out...whichever): someone to come home to. If I had my wish, I'd take the best of the best of the single men out there (and I'd find them!!), drill them for details, match them up with my girls and whah-lah! we'd have some good husbands for these lovely girls. I know I'm not supposed to play God and it's NOT my job, but the temptation is so big sometimes.

I just went to a bridal shower today. One of the new girls here was married 5 days before she moved to Indonesia, and two of her friends here threw her a post-wedding surprise shower, 2 months after her Big Day. I love going to showers, wedding or baby. There's always so much life involved, lots of hopes and dreams for the future, and usually some pretty funny stories if you pay

attention to what's being said around you. I especially love it when it's a surprise, and the bride actually falls for it, like Becky did today.

The shower was held at a new restaurant in town, Grasshopper Thai, where Emily the proprietor serves Thai food but will whip up a scrumptious English tea party for you as well. Today was a good day--an extra special day for Becky--spent with good friends.

Tris and I are working through the Love and Respect marriage series with a few young couples and a longer-term one, and we're getting a lot out of it. Each time we examine our own marriage, not only does it make me thankful for the man I've been blessed with, it makes me happy when I see others in my life blessed the same--difficulties, blemishes, even heartaches, and all. It also makes me wish the same for those I know want to be married, and that's been my prayer for these friends of mine for years. I'm happy to say that some of my prayers have been answered, and I know there are more to come:)

Thanks for reading.

Our First Indonesian Wedding (Sept 18, 2010)

Last weekend our family had the privilege of attending an Indonesian (Chinese) wedding. Other foreign guests said that it was quite a western wedding compared to some that they had been to before, but I've gotta tell you, we've never been to a wedding like it. The venue was a sports club called Pantai Mutiara (Pearl Beach) in North Jakarta, over an hour away from our home. Thankfully the weather was cooperative as it was held outdoors, under a beautiful three-starred night. Even the breeze blew in the right direction, and kept the smell of the surrounding waters away from the evening's festivities. If one looked at the water from the dock that we stood on (ohhh, the beams looked like the cedar beams used to make docks back home...) we could see the rubbish floating in the brown water, and it made me understand why one would host a wedding after dusk. It was the sound of the water lapping against the piles that made the water magical, definitely not the smell nor the sight.

As for the wedding itself, the actual ceremony had taken place earlier in the day, at 10 am. We were invited to both, but as is common, apparently, for such events, most guests only attend the reception. We arrived at 6:30 pm, and after our driver dropped our family off at the front doors, we walked down a beautiful pink & red satin-draped corridor through the hotel to the outdoor reception. A long red carpet led us down through the reception area where, after signing the guest book and leaving our monetary gift in a special box, we headed towards the cake, drinks and fruit plates. Lining the carpet on the outskirts of the dock were food vendor stalls, each labelled with their particular food for the taking. If you take a look at the photo above, you'll see pillars behind Kendri and Cyinthia, the happy couple and their parents, and the cake in between. That cake was HUGE! According to etiquette, none of the food or drinks were to be touched until after the wedding party arrived, which typically occurs about 30 minutes after the guests arrive.

It was fun to meet up with a few of our SPH community members, and a few old ones that have moved elsewhere, and to chat while we waited. Once the wedding party had arrived, the parents were introduced and the wedding couple strolled down the long red carpet, finally stopping under a flower and grape covered "love gazebo." It was here that Kendri, the husband, spoke some incredible words of love and admiration, in English, to his beautiful new bride (I told Matt to take notes for the future Kendri was so good!) that inspired older couples like Tris and I to gaze into each other's eyes for a split second and think of our own vows (ah, memories of new love) made to each other years ago.

Indonesians are quite into romance, and this was proven when, while the newlyweds fed grapes to each other, choreographed reams of tinsel hearts exploded over the couple and above the crowd. This happened a second time a few moments later after the couple finished feeding each other pieces of their wedding cake. What REALLY screamed romance, though, was when the couple leaned in for their official "wedding bliss kiss" and fireworks, yes...seriously...fireworks went off behind them. Our friend Becky was able to capture the incredible, out-of-a-movie scene on her Canon snap and shoot. You can't see the couple but you get the gist of the whole atmosphere. Very lovely.

There are very few opportunities to dress up in this culture, at least for our family, and so it was fun to put on our nicest clothes, wear heels (thankfully, they don't even sell nylons here) or dress shoes, and to sweat in clothes we don't usually have the fun of sweating in. Tris did that really well, even after he took off the dress jacket, but fortunately that was hidden by the shadows of the night:) When someone commented that Tris looks hot in this photo, little does she know how hot he REALLY is (and for the record, I agree, he does look pretty hot). Here's our family in regular form, and then posing properly for a nice family shot.

We really enjoyed our night and were glad to have been invited.

Thanks for reading.

Sea World Field Trip

I love field trips. Last week I had an opportunity to go on one to Sea World with some children who live in some nearby slums, as well as their teachers and two young women who are new to Indonesia and SPH (Jen and Becky). Part of the money that was raised a few weeks ago at the Karawaci Ladies' Trivia Night for Education went towards renting a bus, buying lunches and snacks and paying for the entry fee into the area where Sea World is located. When approached, Sea World very quickly and generously agreed to waive the entry fees for the children as well as the chaperones for the entire day. Not only did they pay for our entry, but they gave the children fun stickers and goodies to take home with them as well.

When we were inside Sea World, the children were able to see things they have never seen in their lives. They touched small sharks, sea turtles, sea creatures (no idea what they were!) as well as watched stingrays, sharks, turtles and large fish eat during feeding time. I had fun watching the creatures, but mostly I enjoyed the kids' faces. Priceless.

After Sea World, we headed to the beach. These kids live near a river and so most of them know how to swim. However, although they live on the island of Java, they'd never seen the ocean before, and therefore had never swam in it. Originally the teachers rules were that the kids could walk in the water only. After about 30 minutes, however, the kids pleaded their case and said how much they wanted to swim in the ocean (many times over), and of course, the teachers agreed. There was no way you could say no to their pleading.

These kids were amazing. They swam in jeans and t-shirts, shorts and shirts, some with clothes that were way too big when dry and that grew even bigger when wet, and not once did they complain that they were uncomfortable, too sandy, and even though they were shivering, too cold. Afterwards they changed with no comment, with no towels and with little privacy, and they were so excited to have had a chance to play in the ocean. I could learn a thing or two about being content from these kids.

What a wonderful way to spend my day! I can go weeks, even months here in Indo, enjoying daily life, living and learning what I can, but it's when I get to be a part someone else's life, to experience things that I have done before but with a new perspective, that I really experience an excitement about being here. I know that no matter where I live on this earth, I have opportunity to learn through someone else's eyes, and I am thankful for these kids and for the blessing of spending a day with them here in Indo.

Thanks for reading.

Trivia for Education 2010

And a fun time was had by all! I think that that would be the verdict on the 'Trivia for Education' charity night that Karawaci Ladies held last Saturday night. It was held in our local Aryaduta Hotel in the Mahogany Ballroom, and about 100 people attended. We had 5 "trivia masters" who asked questions on sports, entertainment, music, Indonesia and random trivia. We could have had even more categories if we'd had the time, but we managed to pack a lot into 3 hours.

When the holidays ended and everybody returned from their travels to home countries and the world in general, a few karawaci ladies put their heads together and planned. We'd booked the hotel before the holidays, but all the rest had to be done after that. We sent out letters requesting sponsorship and we were pleasantly surprised to find that the majority of businesses and individuals responded. We ended up with about 75 raffle prizes, which means that there was one for 75% of the crowd.

Tris was MC and he did a game called "Gotta Have It" where he asks for an item and whoever brings it up first wins a prize (this time it was a coupon or a starbucks bear). The best one was where he asked people to carry their best friend to him. A few people got tossed but it was fun:) We also had a few tables plan a theme and dress accordingly. Ours was the 'hairbrainers.' Tris had difficulty figuring out what to do with his hair...One of our tables came as nerds, and this is my favourite photo that came out of it:

our friend Joel grew his facial hair for a few days and shaved it to match his wonderful glasses (still not sure where he found those here in Lippo).

Ultimate nerd.

In the end, we raised about US$1850 to put towards our education fund (a new concept for Karawaci Ladies. Normally we raise for medical purposes, but those are much bigger amounts needed). Ultimately, regardless of the money raised and the raffle prizes won, I think it was a great opportunity for people in the Lippo area to meet and play together. We had a great mix of guests from our local school, university, businesspeople, Royal Doulton, a 'competitor' school outside of Lippo, an SPH branch school in Jakarta and some who I have no idea where they came from but who we were quite happy to have join us.

All in all, it was a good evening.

Thanks for reading.

Coming, Going, and Grade 6 Exhibition

So much happens sometimes that it's hard to take a moment to reflect. When I last posted, it was a quick cut and paste from an email I received from Stephanie regarding Zoey (please continue praying for Zoey, both for proper healing AND for patience as she lies completely inactive in her hospital room). In doing so, I forgot to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my mom officially on this blog. So mom, Happy Birthday! I love you:)

Last week was a very difficult one for me, as one of my dearest

friends here in Indonesia moved home to the US. Jamie and her husband Sheldon left on Friday and have safely landed in their hometown. It's a bittersweet event for me in that I selfishly wish she was here so that we could continue in the wonderful friendship we've established, yet I know that for Jamie to move home to be near family is so important to her. It really is like living a military life here in Indo, as people we meet move away to either their home country or to another job elsewhere. I'm not sure that it's something that I'll get used to, but I do appreciate the time I get to spend with incredible friends like Jamie while they're here. When it comes to friends, moving from Canada was hard, and so is staying here.

Speaking of friends, we've had the privilege to have the Malcolm clan come for a visit. They come from Nanoose (we met in Courtenay years ago and they were a part of our Life Group there) to visit friends in Bali for a few weeks, and we're their "Java" part of their trip. Tomorrow they head off to Jogja and then to see the volcanos in the Mount Bromo area. Their son is 13, in between Matt and Abby, and their daughter is 6. We've had a great time cramming as much fun as we can into 5 days: Taman Safari Zoo (and the vendors along the roadside up to the area), Mangga Dua (shopping Indo style), movie theatre for $2.50 each, a community event at our school, BBQ buffet at the local hotel, and today, a visit to Malabar (traditional market) as well as to our driver's in-laws' home as well as to his own home. We've packed a little bit of everything into our visit.

This upcoming week is a huge deal for Abby. This is the week that she presents her research and processing work for her Grade Six Exhibition project. She has been studying nutrition and, more specifically, malnutrition in the Jakarta area. She and other students, mostly girls, in grade 6 who are studying the same topic have had to connect with various organizations, arrange field trips into Jakarta and do interviews with people associated some how with nutrition. Some of the organizations they met with were World Vision, WHO (World Health Organization) and Unicef. I didn't even know what those organizations WERE when I was in grade 6, except maybe Unicef because of the little boxes we'd carry around for donations at Hallowe'en, so Tris and I are thrilled for the exposure she's getting.

There's always more to write, but I'll save a bit for later.

Thanks for reading!

A Visit to Ami's Village

It's amazing how rainy season is upon us yet I am looking out my window right now and the sun is beaming, the clouds are white and puffy, and there's laundry hanging that was only put out yesterday and is ready for ironing today. Although there are many things that can discourage us as we live in Indonesia, the weather isn't very often one of them. Even when it poured rain the other day while we were driving, it was still easy to love the rain. It was quite the adventure as the weather changed from sunny to gray to torrential downpour in about 20 minutes. I was visiting Ami (our helper) and her family in their village, and just as Haris and I were getting ready to get into the car, the rains came. By the time we exited her village and got onto the toll road, we couldn't see two feet ahead of us. When a huge bus splashed our car as it drove by, Haris had to come to an almost complete stop just so we didn't hit anything or anybody. Like I said, it was rather exciting. And mom, don't get your knickers in a knot. They have big buses and big puddles in Canada, too, even on our Island Highway:)

this is the view of Ami's village through our windshield during the

downpour

For months now I have been wanting to visit Ami, her family and her home,

and the fire in her neighbourhood gave me a chance to do so. A few friends of mine gathered some children's clothing and a few toys to donate to the family that lost their possessions, and so Ami and I drove with Haris to deliver them. I have seen a few homes before and was preparing for 'not so nice.' I was so pleasantly surprised when I saw that Ami lives in a 4 room, cement home, with a fridge, tv, running water, separate sleeping quarters, and a garden that she tends on her days/nights off. It's not a big home, but it was clean, tidy, full of furniture and photos. Thankfully, because of the cement walls, Ami's own home was untouched by the fire itself (just the smoke entered her home) and the family that had the fire didn't lose their home, only the possessions within.

Visiting the kampungs (villages) around Indonesia is what gives me the most life. When I look back over my 1

1/2 years here, it's the days that I have spent outside Lippo, inside a village, that have been my favourites, whether it's on the island of Java, Lombock or Bali. I'm not sure what it is, but I know that the Lord has given me a love for Indonesia and I'm not sure how He's going to use that in me. It always hits me as ironic, knowing that 2 years ago, other than an awareness of the huge tsunami, Bali, Suharto and Sukarno, I never really knew anything about Indonesia.

One opportunity I have to learn more about Indonesia is through my volunteer work at World Vision. I'd love to be working within the communities but language is a huge barrier, as well as a few other things. For right now, I have asked if I could edit various documents like briefs, reviews and reports. Through these I am learning how WV works within Indonesia as well as becoming aware of statistics and conditions throughout Indonesian provinces. So far I've covered Papua, Kalimantan and Java and I've learned so much. This opportunity is a new one for me, and I'm curious to see what will come of this particular trail in my life.

Not only do I have a love for Indonesia, but my family has a love for its creatures, and we've been getting a whole lot of exposure to some of them lately. Stay tuned for photos and descriptions of various creature events that have occurred within our home in the last few weeks.

Thanks for reading.

this is a photo of the water tower in Ami's village, where some of the water was used to put out the house fire. Sand was also thrown on the fire, and there was a huge, smoky wet mess to clean up once the fire was put out.

Community

Early this morning, around 5:30 am, I received a call from my helper (some call her a maid but I don't go there). She was unable to come into work because, as she said, "there was some excitement in my home last night." Apparently around 10 pm, after her children were asleep, a fire broke out in the home just behind hers. She lives in what I think might be like a quad, where four homes are attached somehow. According to what I understood on a poor phone connection and basic English, the family completely lost their home. No one was hurt, but all was destroyed. There are a variety of types of homes in the kampungs (villages) I've seen, from cement and brick with ceramic roofs, to wood walls and wooden roofs, and the poorer ones of metal bits and cardboard or pressboard. My helper's is made of wood and cement, with a wooden roof, and so that would have been the same of the burnt home. When I asked how the fire was put out, she replied "Lots of water." The whole community got together, gathered water, and threw it on the fire.

I think Ami is extremely thankful for her neighbours, because she said her house would have been next had they not put out the fire. There is something to be said for community.

Just last week two of our staff members left SPH for Canada. They are a young, newly married couple who are an integral part of the teaching staff, and they've gone because the wife has been diagnosed with Hodgkins disease. She's gone back home for treatment, and both leave a huge gap here at SPH. Just before they left, Tris, Matthew and I had the privilege to say goodbye to them in their apartment, and they commented how overwhelmed they were by the sense of community that they've felt since the diagnosis. Students, parents, staff and teachers have showed their appreciation in a variety of ways, and it's good to see. Another national teacher is having to take another leave for cancer treatment as well, and all three positions are being filled by SPH teachers. Classes are being rearranged and people are taking on some areas that they didn't sign up for but they're content to do it, especially because of the circumstances. From my perspective, what I see is a very strong sense of community and I really appreciate it. It makes me feel good to be a part of it, if only as a teacher's wife. I only wish the circumstances were different for those having to take a leave.

Thanks for reading.

Bicycling Around The Bubble

Happy Birthday Tris! Forty three years ago yesterday my soul mate was born, and for that I am truly thankful.

Today was a day of errands and finishing small projects. Tris and Sunny left here for the airport at 3:30 am for a quick two night stay to Jogjakarta, the rest of my family headed to school by 6:30 am. I'd like to say I had a leisurely day lying around but I've done a lot of that lately and it's actually gratifying to be able to say I've had a productive day. Each day I intend to spend some time on my new Mac--more than just email, blogging and Facebook--with the goal of learning some new step everyday. I am a little intimidated by the whole idea of learning a whole new set of programs on the Mac, and of finding my way around Deakin University site (it's a very busy site with an incredible amount of branches), and so hopefully I'll learn the important stuff before classes actually start.

When Dale was here we visited Jogja, and while there I bought a batik tapestry (some might call it a batik tea towel..) of a map of Indonesia and its many islands. I had it stretched onto a frame and went to pick it up while Candace was visiting. It wasn't ready yet (3 months later) and so I tried again today. Six months later, I now have a map of Indonesia on the wall, or rather, on the floor leaning against the wall, waiting to be hung. Talk about rubber time. Hopefully it'll be hanging ON the wall by the time Rebecca gets here in February.

In the late afternoon I discovered I had 'beans in my pants,' which is an accidental combination of ants in my pants and beans in my belly. Not sure where it came from but when I asked my neighbour Rebecca if she'd like to come out and play she suggested we ride bikes around the neighbourhood, it was exactly what I was looking for. Instead of riding within the Lippo Village limits, we dragged our bikes through a hole in a cement wall and rode them along a cement path through rice paddies and corn fields. I felt like I was in a movie: she was riding a girlie bike complete with a wire basket on the front, and for a bit I had a scarf around my neck which had the potential to flow delicately in the wind as I gently rode the cement path. Realistically, once I rode around for a bit, the scarf felt like a woolen winter scarf wound around my neck, causing my face to turn a lovely shade of red even before we started. It looked good in the a/c of my vehicle an hour earlier, however. As an aside, the other day Sunny, Abby and I took ojeks (we were passengers on motorbikes) to a salon for a cream bath. I wore one of my new translucent brown, green and gold scarves, and it flowed in the wind while I rode on the back of the motorbike. I've decided it was such a cool look that next time I'm going to wear my sunglasses and bright red lipstick. I might even tie the scarf around my hair so as not to mess up my coiffe.

The bike ride was beautiful. The only way I could describe how I felt was that it was truly a bike ride on the Island of Java, not just a bike ride outside of Lippo. We meandered through green corn fields, high grasses (but didn't get too close because thats where snakes like to hang out), under palm trees, beside ramshackled huts that were made of bamboo, grass mats and blocks of salvaged styrofoam, next to newly turned red clay dirt mounds (often mixed with a variety of garbage), prepared for planting. Swallows were flitting about, diving across our path, doves were cooing in the distance, and roosters were strutting their stuff for the ladies nearby. Sounds rather romantic and lovely, and visually it was. The people we met along the way were quite friendly, giving us a ready smile, especially when we greeted them in Indonesian. The reality of it all is still there, such as the poverty as seen in the rusted, metal seated pedal bikes with ratty wicker baskets secured to its sides, the scrawny, sickly kittens mewing at the roadside, the workers coming home on rickety bikes, wearing threadbare clothing. The reality is that the land we live in is rich in beauty, but the people nearby live hand in hand with poverty. It's the same people who get up each morning, walk or ride their bikes to work in our village, and see how we live in abundance. I wonder what their perspective is as they walk through the fields, climb through the hole in the cement wall, and enter the bubble that is Lippo?

So many things to say...

I guess it's time. Looking back, I realize I've neglected my blog quite significantly, and so I need to sit down and organize my thoughts. There's so much to update and oodles of photos that I'd love to share. Let's see what I come up with:

This weekend, beginning on Thursday and ending on Monday night, is a holiday. It's Idul Adha here in Indonesia (muslim holiday somehow based on the story of Abraham--or Ibrahim in Islam--and Isaac, or so I believe. I wrote about it a year ago, where hundreds of thousands of goats, sheep and cattle are sold on the side of the road, purchased by wealthier families, and slaughtered/sacrificed in the mosques. The meat, once cut into pieces, is distributed in the not-so-wealthy villages) and it so happens to coincide with American Thanksgiving. As well as Idul Adha, our school has given staff and students extra days off, and I'm not complaining! As a result, a few of us got together and organized an "International Thanksgiving Family Potluck." It was held in a room at the university and 105 people attended, with each one contributing money towards the turkey, as well as a dish or drink. There wasn't much of an agenda, except that we sang a song of thanks around the piano just before grace. We've had positive feedback and although I missed having Thanksgiving...AGAIN...with family, it was really nice just to chat with people who we see around but are always too busy to talk with for too long. It was also nice to eat turkey:)

Yesterday (day after Thanksgiving dinner) a bunch of families headed to the beach! Although we live quite close to the ocean, the areas we COULD swim are not particularly pleasant, so we drove an hour and half southwest and ended up at Anyur Beach. It's my first beach experience on the island of Java, and it was quite nice. The roads on the way there are a bit of a laugh. Janet Weeda had me take a photo of the holes dug right next to our lane; they went on for kilometers. I had a good chuckle at how Worker's Compensation would feel about how close the traffic was to these holes.

Once there, we hung out, ate and swam. Oh, and fended off the vendors. Once they figured out that we weren't interested they backed off, but only to the perimeters. This hasn't been unusual in Indonesia, and I think it's similar all over the world. I'm sure each one of us has the same stories from various beaches around the globe.

Unfortunately, just before we left for the beach Matt suffered a bout of stomach illness, and decided to stay home. Of course, he felt fine after we left and regretted having to stay all alone, just he and the tv...for hours...and hours. He would have played Wii but he'd left part of it at the dinner the night before. He did have company, though. Our driver Haris stayed behind to deal with the construction guys who came and built a roof over our back garage area. For those of you who have stayed with us, you'll be happy to know that Ami and Haris now have a covered area during the rainy days. Ami also has her room, but the extra dry space is necessary and I think will be appreciated. When we returned home that evening, Haris had washed all of our dishes I'd brought to Thanksgiving and also lent out. There was a whole counter full and I sure was happy to come home to a clean kitchen. Weird, but Matt says he never heard a thing the whole time!

The photo is of Sophie and Abby. Tris brought his body boards for the kids to ride the waves close to shore, but I'm pretty sure they've been retired and will be soon replaced by a set of golf clubs. As for his rehab, he swam a kilometer today using both front crawl and breast stroke. That's wonderful, especially knowing he can do a full rotation of his right arm now.

As for me and my blogs, I think I've been putting it off because of lack of energy. I haven't said too much but since last April I've been quite nauseous in the mornings (no pregnancy here!!!) but because it lasted only a while I would forget to see the doctor later in the day. In the past 2 months it has gotten worse and has lasted throughout the day, with me always needing at least an hour nap during the day. We were concerned and local doctors didn't have much to say on the matter (except...'are you depressed?' because of my being tired. My answer "No...but I'm homesick. Does that count?"). Last week Tris took me to a hospital in Jakarta and we had a variety of tests done, and then last Thursday the diagnosis came in as a high content of e.coli. Not pathogenic, so all is well. I'm not going to take any antibiotics because they'll just kill all my good bacteria, and we'll fight it with vitamins, lots of water and acidophilus. I had started taking all those items last week and I think my immune system has kicked in or something. I'm not nearly as tired and I was even able to play ultimate frisbee today. I'd missed it for 3 weeks! I've had bouts of nausea but not nearly like it was before last week. So there you have it. E coli (which we all have in our systems, beginning at about 40 hours after our birth), and that's it. Some have asked if it is related to the dengue fever I had in January, but there's apparently no co-relation.

Well, that's it for just this weekend. Life has been busy. Lots of celebrations here lately, and Christmas holidays are fast approaching. Tris and Sunny arrive in less than 2 weeks and we're very, very excited. I do have to end this posting now because the main lights have been turned off, the new plastic Christmas tree is up (never thought I'd appreciate a plastic tree!!!), and the Christmas music is cranked. Time to decorate!!

Man, it's hot here. Christmas music seems funny, especially Frosty the Snowman.

Thanks for reading.

Power Outages

Six days until Aunt Sam!

For the last week or so we've been dealing with power outages. At first they were short, only 4 hours. The last one lasted about 8. Thankfully we've been given a schedule and can adjust our lives accordingly.

What's happened is that one of the large power plants in Jakarta has lost a generator due to a fire. As a result a new part has been ordered for the generator, and there isn't enough electricity to go around while we wait for the part to come in and to get installed. The city turns off power in a grid system, and typically our area loses power during the day.

I really can't complain. We had the power out last week from 6-10 pm and it was HOT. There was the option of going to the mall but we chose to stay home and eat popcorn made on the gas stove instead (hooray for gas stoves...now that I know how to light one without it exploding in my face!). Honestly, when we were moving here my expectations were so low as to what our house and neighbourhood were going to be like, at least until friends emailed us a photo of our house, that I didn't know if a/c was going to be a part of our lives. Now that it is, I am just spoiled. Mostly we have a/c, and I have a car with a/c, and we have nearby areas we can go with a/c. Thankfully the school has a generator and it has a/c during the day, too.

I guess the most irritating thing is that sometimes the power gets cut off a little earlier than planned, and so I get caught unawares, and any computer work I am doing gets cut off right in the midd

What the heck is "lite rain?"

When it rains, it pours, so the saying goes, and it's pretty literal here. Yesterday was the official beginning of rainy season, I'd say. We were playing ultimate frisbee when off in the distance these huge dark "sinisterly foreboding" rain clouds gathered. Using wisdom gained from past experience, most of the players took off their running shoes and played barefoot. Good idea, because those clouds moved incredibly fast. We were drenched within minutes. It was actually a great way to play because you could run and sweat and the sweat would just wash off. It definitely confirmed for me that sometimes my inability to play (my desire to get OFF the field) has a lot to do with the humidity and heat. One thing to remember in the next 6 months, or those months with an 'r' in it, is to always carry an umbrella. I often think I should get someone to bring me a pair of those funky multi-coloured rainboots in the shoe shop on Fifth. I already get stared at, and I'm pretty convinced that the locals think I'm a little "special" if you get my drift. Buleh gila (crazy foreigner) would be an appropriate label sometimes.

We just got an email from Abby's teacher congratulating her on the gold medal in English that she just received (on paper so far). She wrote in an English competition that was written across Indonesia (not sure if it's just international schools or not) and got top marks. Tris thinks it's top 1%. I would have written that first but I don't want to seem too proud, so I eased in with discussing the weather. We are very proud of Abby and the work she does.

The last week has been interesting. Apparently there is a fire in one of the electric stations in Jakarta and so every day or two the authorities turns the power off in specific grid areas, to save power. Ours was off for 7 hours today, which is the longest yet. Usually it's just 3 or 4 hours, and it gets pretty hot without the a/c. Thankfully today we had another rainfall and it cooled the air down.

That's all folks.

Thanks for reading.

Swim-In Theatre

Day 5 of our holidays, yesterday, was yet another wonderfully relaxing day. The kids slept in really late, read before getting out of bed, and then did those things that make kids happy...hung with friends, watched a movie, etc. Tris has been doing physio in the school pool and yesterday I joined him. Actually, I walked over to the pool with a hat and a book in hand, and while he walked the pool and did his resistance exercises, I laid precariously on a cafeteria bench someone had dragged into the pool area. While I read I listened to both Tris' ipod and to the silence of no one else at the pool. Wonderful. All against a blue sky backdrop.

Sometimes I get a little antsy with all of the 'hanging around,' and so I began to bake. I made flour tortillas (if anyone has a recipe that doesn't cook crispy, I'm looking for one. I want my tortillas to roll, not stiffen up) and an apple/blackberry pie. Fresh apples but canned blackberries. Not quite the same but we will enjoy it just the same.

The highlight of day five for me was a pretty spontaneously planned gathering of about 5 families to play soccer. I love playing with all the ages...kids love playing soccer with their dads. Moms were on the field, but there's just something about kids kicking a ball with their dads that's fun to watch. After the game most of the gang headed to the pool to cool off while another mom, Alyce, and I headed to the mall for buckets of fried chicken. After a swim, everyone had dinner and then we watched Napoleon Dynamite on a projector screen next to the pool. It gets dark at 6 and so it's easy to have a dinner theatre by the pool and get home in time for a good sleep. I've never watched a movie from the pool before (I got a later swim in because I'd been at the mall buying chicken) and it was quite a magical experience. Of course I tried to capture it on film but it didn't work all that well. Sometimes things are best left in the corners of our minds rather than on film.

Today's plan? Water the garden, eat pie, read. We'll head out for dinner tonight and the kids are thrilled...no dishes! To me it's about the food; to the kids it's about the chores:) I am really hoping that our house help is having a good time with their families. Our driver, Haris, only had a 3 hour bus ride (no a/c, no bathrooms on the bus) with his family, but our helper Ami had an 8 hour ride. Potentially, because of traffic, her ride could take up to 24 hours. I thank my blessings when I'm in my nice litte a/c-cooled vehicle and I see a huge bus next to me, with arms and heads hanging out the windows. People always look so tired in those buses. I have nothing to complain about.

Thanks for reading.

Day 3 of Holidays

Day 3 of a very low-key holiday. This time last year we were in Bali for the first time, and this year we've stayed home, mostly due to Tris' shoulder pain. It's kind of fun being home without school/work, especially since for some reason a lot of people have not gone on holidays anywhere. We finally get a chance to socialize and get some down time together. This morning we headed to the olympic pool to exercise and then to the family pool to chat with others. What a nice way to spend the morning!
Big news here: McDonald's in the next city sells breakfast!! With many people away to the outskirt villages of Java (the island we live on) or further, traffic is minimal and it would only take 10 minutes to get to that McDonalds. Speaking of driving, both Tris and I got our Indo licenses last weekend. Tris renewed and I got one for the first time. Now I can drive around without trepidation of being pulled over by the polisi. A friend of mine was driving without a license (not uncommon, licensing isn't a big deal...costs $8 for a license and you don't need a test or anything) and was let off when she burst into tears. No longer do I have to save up my tears just in case...sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

On our first day of holidays I headed into Jakarta with Tris for his physio. What would take 1 1/2 hours in Courtenay took us 4 hours because of traffic. Everyone is trying to get out of town.

Yesterday, Day 2, I had lunch with a friend. She found a loaf of REAL pumpernickel bread and some sauerkraut and so of course, we had Reubens. O yum! Because Idul Fitri (the partial reason for our school holiday) is similar to Christmas, many businesses are closed for the week. Because of that my friend, Coral, and I headed to our favourite salon and I got a massage while she got a facial before they closed for the week. That was a GREAT way to start the holidays.

That's our holiday. Very different from what we'd usually be doing...camping, gardening, swimming at the lake, but a good holiday nonetheless.

Thanks for reading.

Indonesia is a good place to be

Summer must be coming because it's getting longer and longer between blogs. The weather hasn't changed much, but it seems my computer time has shortened. It probably has had something to do with the fact that Dale was here for 3 weeks and that afterwards the kids had assignments to finish up before the end of school. Now that school is officially out (as of this afternoon), we're prepping to head off for a bit of time away. Most people are heading back to their home countries but we've decided to stick a little closer to Indonesia. I'll be heading to Singapore for a history tour/conference and I'll meet Tris and the kids in Bali.

Sometimes the reason I don't blog is because I have so many ideas that I put off writing anything down. Tonight I want to share a few things that are truly Indonesian. First, there are a few funny stories about communication or lack thereof, and second, we have a few silly labels around our house. Finally, I have a list of wonderful things about Indonesia and I think the end of our first school year is a great time to examine it.

The other day the woman that we are sharing a driver with, Sarah, called me and told me a funny story. Our driver, Haris, was at work for about 3 hours when he approached her and told her that his ankle was dead. The translation for the word dead here can mean 'dead' or 'off' and it wouldn't seem too odd to say that an injured ankle was a dead ankle. I'm sure that we say weirder things when we speak Indonesian. She asked how he hurt his ankle and Haris answered "fell in the bathroom." Throughout the day she hadn't seen him limping so she assumed he must have just done it. He asked if he could go home for a little bit and then return home. What was weird is that he was going to go home for a bit and then come back to work. If his ankle hurt, why would he go home and then return in a few hours? I can't remember how she figured out the whole story, but eventually her husband Mike, who had no knowledge of Haris' hurt ankle and his wanting to go home, received an sms (text message) saying "my uncle is in the ground now. May I come back to work?" Apparently Haris' uncle had died in the late morning and was buried within a few hours of his death. It is a common Indonesian custom to get the body into the burial plot before sunset, and so the funeral is as spontaneous as many of the deaths themselves. Family members can attend the burial and be back at work within a few hours. Sarah and I have decided that we need to learn how to say "I'm very sorry for your loss" in Indonesian, and make sure that it's a proper translation!

Another funny story happened while mom and dad were here, but I didn't figure it out until months later. Recently I was going through our cooking cupboard and found some ginger oil, which is ginger infused into sesame oil. It's quite expensive and I couldn't remember having bought it, so I asked our (past) helper. She told me that when I was sick with dengue fever, my mom asked her to pick up some ginger oil to help me feel better. What my mom had asked for was 7Up or Ginger Ale. Just a slight misunderstanding, but I refuse to drink the stuff!

When Dale was here she noticed a funny label on my barbie-sized mix-master. It seems odd that they'd label something 'food grade' when it's made specifically for the kitchen in the first place. Where else would you use a mix-master? Art class? How would you advertise that? "Everyone needs a mix-master! And this one is safe for food, too!" Obviously advertising is focused on the consumer, and here it seems most Indonesians ride or own a motorbike. Check out the description of this L'Oreal hair gel: "Resists hair being messed up by hands, clothes and helmets." I chuckled at that...in BC it could say "Resists wind, rain, sleet, snow and ski helmets." Too bad it doesn't really do what it says.

Finally, now is the time that everyone is leaving us for their home countries, whether they're going for a visit or permanently. As a result, it's a little difficult for those of us who have decided to stay behind and tour locally, because we miss family, friends and all things Canadian (in our case). With so much emotion flowing during this time, I've had to focus on the positive things in Indonesia. I'd like to end this post by sharing the really good things about Indonesia with you:
*you can buy fresh strawberries, melons and pineapples any time of year. They vary in price but they're always reasonable. Sometimes the pineapples and melons are dirt cheap.
*the thunder storms are the coolest! The storm can sometimes be right overhead, and the thunder shakes your bones it's so close.
*if you wait long enough during a rainstorm, eventually you can walk outside again because the rain DOES stop within a decent time.
*you can hire someone to clean your house, wash/hangdry/iron your clothes, and cook your meals as well as someone to drive you anywhere you want to go.
*it's pretty cheap to eat out
*it's tropical and palm trees are everywhere. My favourite trees are coconut, mango or frangipane. I actually think that frangipane might be a bush, to tell you the truth. A really big bush. that smells incredible.
*the SPH school community is extremely welcoming.
*there are oodles of photo ops.
*depending on the time of year, it could cost our family less than $1000 to visit Bali, one of the world's finest tropical destinations, for a few days.

There is more but I'll leave you in suspense. We do miss our family and friends.
Thanks for keeping in touch, and thanks for reading.