Company's Coming!

They're almost on their way!  Tris' parents are heading here for their 2nd visit (first was Dec 2009) for almost 5 weeks and we're really excited.  This time will be a little different as last time it was over Christmas break and this time it's over April break (no Spring Break here...Spring doesn't exist!), so we don't have as much visit time.  However, we plan on making the best use of our time and hopefully they'll have a lot of opportunity to just relax.  One of my mom in law's favourite Indonesian things:  having her dirty clothes picked up in the morning and delivered the next day, washed, dried, ironed and folded!

March is flying by so fast it's making my head spin.  My days are full of books, reading, writing and lots of editing of papers and assignments.  I'm learning a lot in my first class, and am looking forward to learning in the second one that I just started last Monday.  It's a research/statistics class, and that kind of scares me.  It's kind of fun working alongside my kids, as they work on essays and projects, and meet school deadlines.



We still have fun around here, it's just more intentional.  Our school held it's annual Soccer Carnival a few weeks ago, and Tris and the kids were really into preparing for it.  Our house team (Merapi...named after the volcano) was going with a military theme, and so our family went along with another Merapi family, the Comries, to some shops far, far away in Jakarta to buy military garb.  Once all was said and done, they looked great.  Abby, our friend Sophie, and a few other girls did a cheerleading dance to get our team going (all-school assembly just before the carnival started).

I thought matt was going for 'sasquatch' but apparently this is military camouflage.

Report cards came out and the kids did really well.  It's neat to see what areas they're really developing into, and what gifts God has given them.  Abby loves to write, and it shows.  Matt loves art, especially photography, and it shows.  Below is a photo that he took for a lighting lesson in digital art.  He was supposed to use lighting to show emotion.  Here, it's hopelessness.  

Thankfully, this is just a staged photo.

We're off to Bali in April, something that we haven't done since Tris and Sunny were last here, and so we're really, really excited.  

thanks for reading.

Mock U.N.: Palestine & Page

 This morning I woke up late and when I walked out of my room there was this stranger in my home, packing up Matt's school bag and looking as if he was going to work in a Jakarta office building.  After taking a closer look I realized it was my son, dressed in his brand new pin-striped suit.  First suit ever!
Of course I had to drag him into the yard to take a photo, on the  pretext that his grandmother would never forgive me if I didn't update her on this most important occasion.  Wouldn't you know it, she called about an hour later and when I told her about the new suit, she asked "you took a picture, right?"  As an aside, to the left of Matthew are some pineapple plants that I just discovered...I knew the plants were there, but it wasn't until the rains came that I discovered the plants were fruit-bearing.
Anyways, back to the suit.  Matt and Tris went out last Monday night and purchased it for today's Mock United Nations.  A few weeks ago, for his Speak Up club, he was assigned the role of representative of Palestine.  Since then he's had to research and develop an argument on his position regarding Genetically Modified Foods as well as on the abuse of domestic workers working abroad (or something like that.  There's a specific term for that but it's too late and I can't think of it).

It was really interesting to go and listen to kids from a variety of schools imitate the United Nations.  They had to answer attendance when their country was called..."present and voting...", they had to address the chair only, speak in 3rd person, and never answer a question with a question.  Thats what I remember.  There was o so  much more going on, and it was interesting to see the kids working within the rules and structure, having to use their research to back up their arguments, and to think on their feet whenever confronted with a question they hadn't considered beforehand.

Abby also participated in the event as a page.  She and a few other grade 8s would silent walk around the room collecting notes from various countries, to pass to either another country or to the chair.  Notes had to be UN related only.  When it was time to vote on a resolution, the pages would have to watch the doors so that no one entered or exited.  It was neat to watch.

Matt and his buddy Eric were in it together (Eric represented Chile...in his new suit jacket).  In this photo Matt's really impressed that his mom is taking photos of him....it's my job and my prerogative.

In this final photo Matt is standing at the podium as Palestine, defending his right to vote.  I think it's probably the first time he's spoken publicly, aside from class speeches, and I think he did well.  He looked good doing it, regardless!

Today, Mock U.N, tonight a sleep over at the school for student council.  Tomorrow Tris and the kids are off to their monthly visit to an orphanage just outside of Lippo.  I think tomorrow afternoon will be one LONG nap....


Thanks for reading.

Matt Dancing the Papuan Friendship/Hunting Dance

Want to watch this dude dance? Check out:

SPH - Bulan Bahasa 2010 from Brock Haylock on Vimeo.

Advertising Billboard

Two weeks ago Tris and I gave permission for Abby to accompany a few other grade 7 SPH students on a photo shoot. There is a new school opening up in Jakarta at Kemang, and the shoot was to promote it. Although we are just a small community outside of Jakarta, we still got our own billboard, as seen above. If you look to the bottom right you can see a motorcycle, which gives you an idea how big Abby's head is in the photo. Just in case you miss this one, there is a second, slightly smaller billboard about 3/4 blocks down the road. Abby's story on this photo: the girls had thought the shoot was over and so they were skipping around, being goofy, and then the photographer wanted one more shot. It's this final shot that made the grade.

Thanks for reading.

First Two Weeks of School

July 27 was the first day of school this year for Matthew and Abby. Even the third time around it's weird knowing that back in Canada, all our friends' kids are still on holidays. What's even weirder this time is that it was pretty cool in Canada while we were there (until the last week) and now we're hearing reports that there are over 400 forest fires in British Columbia, our home province. Weather can change so quickly! Not only can weather change, but as these photos prove, so do children.

As I do every year, on 27 July I pulled out my camera to capture that bittersweet first morning of school. If you'll notice, not only

has Abby's uniform changed from last summer (she's now in Senior School)

but our front door has shrunk drastically. It's amazing how much your children can change in one year. Just for fun I've included the photo of our first year here...TWO years makes a huge difference. I think that maybe Tris has shrunk a little around the middle since our first few days here as well.

Our first two weeks have been very full and we've whipped

into the swing of things quite well. Tris is coaching rugby and Matt has joined rugby as well. This is special for me because when I was in Junior High my dad was a "rugger"

coach and my older brother Darren played. Of course at that age I couldn't care less about rugby (was more interested in the players) but I still love that there's a second generation of father/son in the game. I regret that my dad won't be able to watch the games but I can at least keep him updated with photos.

Abby's waiting for basketball in January and right now is joining the Glee Club, which is just like the show: singing/choir and dancing. Matt is also joining, but both of them are not crazy about the name BECAUSE of the show. Our school no longer has a separate choir or hip hop club and Glee Club is their option. Either way, they get to sing and dance. Photos to follow, I'm sure.

Thanks for reading.

Exhibition...Almost over!!!

Abby's Exhibition project is almost over. Last week was the big public event, where the students presented their research through media (via slideshow, song, dance, skits, mime, etc) to an audience of parents, teachers, SPH students and students from other schools. The students did really well, and we were very impressed with the work that went into their presentations. After each one hour block of presentations, whether it was nutrition, natural disasters, education or pollution, all the students had another hour block to present from a small area where they had set up their posters, computers, hand outs, visuals. They were given a quota of needing to present to at least 3 parents and 3 teachers, as well as to some of the many students who funneled through. So many good comments came out of those classrooms by the adults!

Abby was in a group of 3 girls, and they rewrote a Jordin Sparks song (One Step at a Time) to talk about the need to educate others in nutrition. Here are the lyrics:

Hurry up, realize
That there are those poor in our eyes
Everything that they always wish for
Health, money, education
We gotta make that change

Want education but they don't have any school funds
Wondering how they're gonna get their education
And you know they can
If you lend a hand
Don't you know what their lives will be like
And you know that their school can change it
So in the world, they can fit
Waiting...

We live and we learn
To hold each others hand
To give what we earn
To change the people's lives
Through education
Of health, pollution, school and
Nutrition changed through our hands
We can make that change
Through education

Hurry up, realize
Every three minutes a child dies
All because health issues pass our eyes
Sicknesses, diseases, bad hygiene
Can effect their lives

Imagine and think where their next meal will come from
They're feeling weak, getting sick, they want nutrition
And you know they can
If you lend a hand
Don't you know what their lives will be like
And you know that their life's not easy
Hungry all day with thoughts so queasy
Waiting...

We live and we learn
To hold each others hand
To give what we earn
To change the people's lives
Through education
Of health, pollution, school and
Nutrition changed through our hands
We can make that change
Through education

When you're feeling sad and scornful
The poor should be mournful
Remember how they are struggling
The only way to help them
Is through education

To hold each others hand
To give what we earn
To change the people's lives
Through education
Of health, pollution, school and
Nutrition changed through our hands
We can make that change
Through education

We live and we learn
To hold each others hand
To give what we earn
To change the people's lives
Through education
Of health, pollution, school and
Nutrition changed through our hands
We can make that change
Through education

We are very proud of the work that Abby did. Now she has 2 weeks to do her Action Plan, where she and another girl from grade 6 will go into a slum area and teach a class of young school children about nutrition, in context to their situation of course.

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!

I've got the Joy down in my heart

Have you ever had such a good day or week that you feel like you are going to burst with contentment and joy? One of those weeks where there's nothing really specific that you can point at and say "THAT made me happy..."? That is how I would describe my week. It's a bit ironic, really, because, like I said, I didn't really have anything specific that made this an extra special week, and in fact almost daily I have received some kind of sad or worrisome news. What I think has happened is that I've had a full week, and I like full. I've been with Abby in some capacity or other all week, either during a field trip (to a pollution/earthquake/water monitoring station and also to World Vision's staff launch of Child Health Now), a presentation in her class pod (Student Led Conferences where she showed me her school work and sang me 2 songs in music class, as well as a presentation by a Pelita Harapan school needing sponsorship), watching her play basketball at her SPH cup, and watching her sing a small solo for the Easter assembly in Junior Choir. In the same assembly Matt and his hiphop crew danced 2 songs, and I was so proud to watch them both during this school gathering. Abby and I also had the privilege of sharing dinner with a group of families who live in some nearby slums.

Also during this week a friend had a baby girl (beautiful Aliya, 2.5 kgs and lots of lovely hair), and old(-ish) friends have returned to Indo for a visit. If you visited before last June or read any of my blogs in the first year, you may remember Abby's grade 5 teacher, Mr. Jonny, and his wife Mel. They've come to visit SPH friends and have brought their beautiful baby Zoe, who is now six months. Their story a year ago is that Mel was thought to be having a tubal pregnancy and there were fears that the baby would not make it. Just seeing Zoe's beautiful smile shows how God answers prayer.

Intermingled in all of this good news are bits and pieces of sad and sometimes disheartening, most of which won't make it to this blog post. I will say that sadly, my good friend Jamie is leaving for the US in two weeks. Her presence here in Indo and in my own life will be sadly missed; she has been a tremendous encouragement to me during my transition to Indonesia and away from my home in Canada. She'll be breaking up the "Kimmie and Jimmie" team but, as the lesson is constantly learned here, that's the way life is and we've just got to be thankful for the blessings we receive as we receive them and as we reflect upon the past.

Like I've said, nothing terribly exciting or out of this world, but this week has been full of people and connecting. Next week I look forward to another field trip with Abby, a possible trip to Mangga Dua to buy a wig or two to take home with me (for the kids!!), dinner with friends, a trip to the orthodontist with Matt (it's the closest thing I get to a date with my son...he's trapped in the car with me for at least 3 hours that day and so we'll have a good chat I'm sure), my first meeting as Karawaci Ladies pres, cramming in as much time with Jamie as possible, as well as visiting a bit more with our Australian friends. While I am doing this, may I ask that you pray for our friend Zoey from British Columbia, who I have mentioned now and then on this blog as well. She goes in for some major surgery on April 15th, and I'll post specifically on what her parent's requests are.

Thanks for reading.

I often contemplate closing down our blog as we near the 2 year mark (July 2010), as writing about my day (I woke up, read my bible, said goodbye to my family heading to school, went for walk, showered, met with so and so...) can be redundant and for those reading, just plain boring. There are those times in our lives when exciting things happen and we want to share the news. There are other times when we trudge on with our daily activities and really, who wants to read about what we ate for dinner, and how long it took to get homework activities finished? However, as Tris has pointed out, this blog is just as much about recording our lives in Indonesia as it is about informing friends and family in Canada about what we're doing here. And so, the blog continues...

Summer is slowly creeping up (well, not that slowly...I just realized that it's already the 21st of March already...happy spring, Canada!) and our trip home is looming, wonderfully bright, but looming nonetheless. There is so much to do and so many things to purchase! We have dentist appointments to make and to confirm (it's hard to do, even with email and skype), paperwork to prepare and clothes to pack. Well, really, not that many clothes, because it's my hope that I'll get to do a little shopping while I'm there. I am yearning for quality clothes that fit. Mostly, we are all looking forward to sitting around with family and friends, and chatting and eating and eating and chatting. That's all we really want. And to climb some mountains.

Our lives in a nutshell over the last month: Abby has started her grade six Exhibition series, which I liken to having to do a thesis on the given theme: education improves people's lives. Her focus will be on nutrition, and she'll visit local villages and organizations, write in a journal about the whole process of deciding on and developing her topic, create an action plan on how she can take what she's learned in her investigation and use it to impact society, and display what she's learned during Exhibition Week at the end of April. Sounds pretty intense, doesn't it? Thankfully the teachers suspend classes in a variety of subjects for a number of weeks and the students are able to fully focus on their projects.

Also, Abby is still in basketball after school, with Tris as her coach. They've had a few games, lost each one, and are learning how to be good sports. Tris is a great, patient coach and enjoys working with the girls.

Matt is still hankering to play the bassoon, which we have yet to rent. We went to his band concert on Friday night and we saw a bassoon solo (the only bassoon in the school)...the air that comes from your mouth has an incredibly LONG way to go before exiting the instrument!! I love it that he's wanting to tackle this. He's still in hip hop and the club has reached their goal of choreographing 7 dances this school year, which they're pretty excited about. Next week he heads to Bandung (the home of where Louis Pasteur did his experiments with milk...Indonesia...who would have thought??) for a 3 day field trip. They're going to stay in a hotel but will be doing a lot of things out of doors. They're expected to bring rain gear and this is always interesting; many parents aren't particularly fond of their children getting wet here. It is said that parents feel it will make the kids sick because of the cold. Of course, coming from Canada, it's hard to see this from their perspective.

Tris is in exam season and so is marking up a storm. He loves his job, loves coaching, and this week coming up is looking forward to a rugby clinic being held by a man who is, in the rugby world, akin to Wayne Gretzky in the hockey world. When he's not at school he's golfing, either in reality or in his head. Thanks to Rebecca, there are orange whiffle balls in our backyard and even a few in the neighbours!

As for me, next time someone asks me what I do with my day, I can give them more specifics. I have become the new president of Karawaci (Lippo) Ladies, a position I look forward to and expect many personal challenges and much growth from. We're an ex-pat charity group that raises funds for medical and educational purposes, to provide for children under the poverty line in our local community. I'm looking forward to the blogs that tell of our visits and ventures. Also, I am now volunteering with World Vision Indonesia. Mostly I've just edited for them, but I am waiting to see where and how I will be used next. In April I have the privilege of visiting an area in Jakarta where WV works (it's called an ADP, or area development program). If you sponsor a child in Jakarta, I may just meet up with them one day!

I do have a health prayer request, and that is that you pray for a specific diagnosis of what's going on in my body. Since I've had dengue, but not sure if it's related, I've been nauseous and a little more tired than normal. Over the year I've been diagnosed with a few things, one being overactive e.coli ("take your vitamins and drink lots of water..." didn't work) and most recently CFS (chronic fatigue syndrome). The latter was diagnosed by a doctor who barely looked at my file, listened to my list of symptoms and in a matter of less than 3 minutes, gave me a diagnosis. Only AFTER her diagnosis did she check my heart, my eyes/ears/tongue, etc. Never did ask about stomach issues, and my loss of 6 kg this year didn't phase her. Her cure? Change my diet and exercise less. Can you say frustrating??? Thankfully Tris was with me and insisted on the doctor running some tests. We'll get the diagnosis in a week, and have vowed we'll get it from a doctor who can speak speak the same language as us. I'm pretty sure it's not serious, just hasn't been diagnosed properly yet. And so we wait. Thanks for your prayers.

Thanks for reading.

A Week in Review

Rebes as been here a week already and time has flown by so QUICKLY! Unfortunately for her there aren't any trips to Bali, Lombok or Jogja, and due to driver-sharing we've even cancelled a trip to the mountains (and zoo and waterfall) but we've had a great time together regardless. A few days ago, during a school day, we spent the day in our friend's pool, worked on our red (tan just doesn't describe how we looked afterwards), and then went for manicures and pedicures. I've tried to talk Rebecca into another cream bath, but I think the bruises all over her body have discouraged her a bit.

On Tuesday we went into Jakarta to Antique Row (Jalan Surabaya) and I loved watching Rebecca gathera crowd with her bartering. Each vendor was eager for her to see what they

had to offer and, after a while, needing a breather, she deeked into the car for a bit to sort her thoughts and rupiah. When she drove away she had less rupiah but lots of bling in her bag. Not once did I intercept or interpret, and she came away with the goods we'd hoped she'd find for her jewelry making (and a few things to wear just because...). It was a good day!

Yesterday we spent at my Wednesday bible study (the photo of all the girls gathered...including brand new baby Keira), which included a trip to the new Burger King in the mall, and a later trip to the mall to find a few things for Abby. Tris is off to Puncak at a school retreat for a few nights, and so we just ate dinner around the tv and watched American Idol; it was a day of rest that was much needed and appreciated. I have to admit that we did take a few minutes in the quiet of the afternoon for some laughs. What do you get when you take two women who are sweltering hot and looking for something to do? You get two silly, grown women sitting on the cool tile floor making faces at the camera.

What I shouldn't tell is which floors we're sitting on. Let's just say, what do you think of my batik shower curtain?

Today we're heading into Jakarta in search of clothing outlet stores and bead stores.

Not sure which direction to head but that's all part of the adventure. Tomorrow we head to a school in Cikarang to watch Abby in a Spelling Bee. Twenty four students from our school are headed that way and so we'll go and give our support.

Thanks for reading.

One More Day of School & Baby Update

Tomorrow is the end of the 2009 school year and parents (and grandparents!) are invited to watch the All School Assembly tomorrow. Tris, Matt and Abby each will participate in the program; last year I sang in the choir but this year passed on the opportunity. Tris is singing in the teacher choir, Matt is dancing hip hop, and Abby is in the Junior School choir. Once they're home, they get almost 3 1/2 weeks of holidays off of school.

Our little baby boy update is a good one. He is still in the hospital and has to stay there until he gains weight; he has to reach 3 kilos before heading home. Once home his parents will have to create as sterile an environment as possible when changing him and tending to his medical needs. Over the next year he'll have to have 2 more surgeries, each one dependent again on his weight gain. Please continue to pray for him. His parents are aware that many people are praying for their son.

Tris and Sunny have been here 6 days now and have been having a healthy blend of "busy and rest." We've gone to some slums and met some beautiful women and children, they've had massages (only once...gotta get them back soon!), and shopped for Christmas at both a local outdoor market and at the local mall. Sunny joined me and the ladies at our Wednesday bible study today, and tonight all of the family went to our favourite local Chinese food restaurant ("Eastern").We've toured the school and although it's big, they've got a pretty good grasp of where to go to at least get to the pools. We have some travel plans in the future and I am PRAYING that my camera will be fixed very, very soon. Yesterday we literally had a day of rest, where mostly we just stayed home and relaxed during the day. Sometimes that's very necessary, and it was a good thing.

Nothing much else to report. I hope that those at home are taking advantage of the snow, enjoying the cool, fresh crispness that you just don't get here, and are gearing up for a joy-packed, if not relaxing, Christmas season.

Thanks for reading.

Panti Pintu Elok Orphanage

Today, Monday, I had the privilege of joining Abby and about 12 other grade six students, along with my friend and grade 6 teacher, Johanna, on a trip to an orphanage. The grade sixes are studying social justice issues for this unit, and so the entire grade has divided up into 5 groups and headed out of Lippo. At this point I'm not sure what the other four groups did, but we went to a Christian orphanage that has been running on faith for 20 years. The purpose of the grade six visit was not to see the children (which was good because most were in school) but to find out how the structure of the orphanage works.

Pintu Elok orphanage was started in 1989 by 5 founding members. Originally there were 15 children, and that has grown to 65 in 2009. What they (and I) learned was that this is a totally faith-run orphanage, and they have run this way for 20 years. They do not advertise or promote their organization; when they have a need they just pray for it. They have testimony after testimony of someone showing up at their door at just the right time with rice and veggies, or noodles, and sometimes someone donating anonymously just the right amount of rupiah. None of the staff, even the founders, receive any kind of wage. Talk about sacrifice.

Children are not just brought into the orphanage randomly. First research has to be done, as much as can be, into the child's family situation or lack of, the financial situation of the child's parent(s), as well as whether the child really needs to be raised in an orphanage. Many of the children come from broken homes where the mother is unable to raise her child due to financial difficulties. As a result, none of these children are adoptable. That's ok, according to the woman who we spoke with, because many of these children grow up and move away, yet they return just like our own children would, during special holidays and events. The orphanage loves them into maturity and they often come back and reciprocate, by volunteering with the newer or younger children.

One of the things that impressed me about the way that the children are raised is that when food donations come in, it is given to the children directly, not the volunteers. This ensures 1) that the children get the food and it is evenly distributed to them; the volunteers have no access to this distribution: 2) the children learn responsibility, independence and also how to share as a community, rather than learning self-survival. They learn at an early age how to give to those around them and how to work together as a family rather than individual units.

The photo above is of two of the children who live at Pintu Elok. They are Charlie and Estherina. Charlie is 1 1/2 and shy, and Estherina is 2 1/2 and quite willing to say hello. Each of the children that we met throughout the morning, whether they were coming or going, were all very well-socialized and would shake your hand in greeting.

When asked what kinds of things they need at this time, they said hygiene products, like soap and shampoo, dish soap and bleach. Obviously, they'll always need food donations as well.

It was neat to see the response of some of the children from SPH. Many of them are talking of returning to bring supplies or to just play with the children. It's a treat to know that we can go and play with the kids, because many orphanages here do not want that. The average person is denied entrance in order to protect the children, I guess. At Pintu Elok, we have been told that we are welcome anytime. That's great, because it not only gives the kids at the home some extra attention, it gives our kids an opportunity to give beyond themselves. Even here in Indonesia, it's sometimes hard to find ways to teach our kids to look beyond their own comforts and their own desires and to meet the needs of someone else. To me, that's more important even than excellent grades in school.

Thanks for reading.

Abby's Award

Blogs are for the blogger to do whatever they want to with, right? Well, as a mom, I am using this opportunity to praise my daughter's achievements. As I wrote in the last posting, today the family was to head to Jakarta to an award ceremony for a Math/English competition, in which Abby received a gold medal. Unfortunately for me, some little bug came back from Bali with me and so I have remained at home with lots of remorse at missing the event and a little guilt that it's the 2nd time I've missed something of Abby's due to illness. It's good Sam is here to stand in as the female figure and to cheer Abby on. Matt was lured to the three hour event by the promise of a Marriott lunch afterwards:)

It has been through word of mouth only that I have heard of Abby's achievements, and it wasn't until last night when I read a letter sent home with Abby of what exactly the University of New South Wales International Mathematics and English competition is. Here is a quote from the newsletter:

SPH {our school, Sekolah Pelita Harapan} results are comparable not only within Indonesian but also across the region. Several of our students will receive recognition...and will be awarded Gold or Silver medals as the highest achievers in Indonesian and the region.


...Please sit down with your child and affirm their efforts as this was not a basic assessment but a world standard competition.

I thought that was pretty exciting, and then when I looked at her results, she's placed in the top 1% (it was a rumour we'd heard but not yet confirmed until last night).

Thanks for letting me share this bit of news with you.

Thanks for reading.

Sports Day, Health Day, Retreat, Birthday Day

Happy 6th Birthday to our niece Lucy who lives in Canada, and Happy 8th Birthday to our nephew Tristian who lives in Germany! We love and miss you both!!!

We've had a great week and the 'great' extends back into last week. Last Friday was the Senior School Athletics Day and Matt participated in running long distances and in long jump. I love the photo where he's running because he has such a good looking stride. In the 400 m he ran a good race, sprinted to the finish with gusto, yet the guy beside him was just that much closer to the finish line and he missed 3rd place by a hair. Like I said, he looked good doing it. He loves to support his house team (named Merapi after an Indonesian volcano and represented by green) and so had and overall 'green-ness' about him.

Saturday saw Abby and I volunteering at another Rotary sponsored Health Day in the village just beyond the walls of our school. It's a village that I can hear but I can't see, so it was great to get a new perspective on it as we drove through and later, took photos from the rooftop of the school. Little did Abby know that when she volunteered to come along with me she was going to be the 'dental demo' for our friend & hygienist, Dalenea. She was a good sport, especially since by 10 am she'd had her teeth brushed 7 times. I have to admit, I did nothing except move a few things and wipe up a few spills. I had my camera and had a prime opportunity to take photos of the village and the school children within the school. Needless to say, I took a few hundred. I invited a friend, Amy Sanders, along for the experience and she's just bought herself a new camera as well, so we had quite a time running around the school, from top to bottom. Of course, we respected the Saturday classes going on, and the villagers/staff in the school, but we were able to take photos we'd not feel comfortable enough to take if we were to just enter the village on our own.

Janet Weeda is a lecturer at the University Pelita Harapan (UPH) and her nursing students were asked to join Rotary Club for a day of information and demonstration of health and dental care for grade ones in the village school. Abby, myself and Amy (pink) invited ourselves along, and Dalenea (brown) was asked to do the dental care station. The kids were so attentive and loved it! I think my favourite photos were the ones of the kids close up, either laughing or watching intently.

These kids are practising brushing their teeth in the sink. Mostly they had a cup of water and a bin to spit in.

Biggest news this week? It's a toss up! Matthew and Abby are at their Spiritual Retreat for 2 nights, 3 days, and Matthew will celebrate his 14th birthday with his friends during this time. When they return they'll both get quite a treat...Aunt Sam arrives the same afternoon that they do! If we time it right, all three should be walking through our front door this Friday within an hour of each other. I've got an Angel Food Cake (purchased by mom, delivered by Dale) waiting to be baked especially for the occassion and we'll have a nice birthday dinner Friday night.

We've had a blessed week. Hope you are enjoying yours!


Thanks for reading.

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.

Let's Discuss Good Stuff for a Bit

Happy Birthday to Dale for September 30!

Things we are looking forward to in the near future:
*Aunt Sam (Tris' aunt) is coming to Indo and arriving on Matt's 14th birthday (October 15th). We're getting excited!
*Tris and Sunny (Tris' parents) are coming for 5 weeks beginning December 11. We're not doing the countdown yet because it's too hard. I don't let myself begin anticipating someone's arrival until just weeks before, or else the wait is too long...BUT we are still getting excited to see them, too.
*I am going to be Auntie Kimmie for the 3rd time for Tyler and Tanya sometime around the beginning of December. That means Abby and Matt get another 'sepupu' and mom and dad one more 'cucu'. This is very, very hard for me to not be there or see the baby, or see Lucy and Elijah's response to the baby, or TJ with his newest, or Tan after she does one more great job of making an incredible baby, OR see my kids with the little one. Wow, hard to type that without tears. I miss family.

Speaking of new ones, these are the newest editions to our family:

This is a photo of Darren, my big brother, and his wife, Chrystal. They were married September 12 of this year. Congratulations, Darren and Chrystal. We are looking forward to meeting Chrystal and her 2 girls next summer. Welcome to the family!

Tris' cousin Jain was married to Peter on the same date as Darren and Chrystal. Although we wouldn't have been able to go to both weddings even if we lived in Canada (one on the island, one in Alberta), we are sorry to have missed either one. Congratulations to Jain and Peter!


Our Australian friends, Jonny and Mel, that I've written about over our time here, aren't blood family but we love and miss them since they've moved back to Adelaide, Australia. They've just had a baby girl, Zoey Sheree, and we're hoping one day to meet her.

On our end, as much as Abby wants to adopt, there are no babies in our home and no weddings yet. Matt's learning how to flirt but hey, that's all for now. Abby's not interested in boys, and in fact, they're "horrid," to quote Ab.
Junior school had an Athletics Day yesterday and Abby ran in 7 of the 8 events. She came home a very tired young lady yesterday, but had a good time. She placed first in a relay and 2nd in long jump. I ran a relay for parents at the end but I didn't place. I just ran.


Totally aside, but something exciting to me...I went to a gardening area along a main road in Jakarta, where you walk along the road, dicker and sweat in the hot sun until you have a car full of plants. I bought a hydrangea plant and it sits outside my kitchen, across from my rosemary plant (which one day will be a bush). In my front yard is a basket of petunias that I have to admit are getting a bit faded in the sun...they need a new location. The hydrangea plant at home would be about $25. I bought it for rp 30 000 ($3).

Thanks for reading.