It took a while but we were finally invited to a Javanese wedding! Our good friend and neighbor Pak Jono’s niece was getting married just down the street. Her father is dead so Pak Jono was standing in for him at the ceremony. We had a great time but left with a lot of questions (many still unanswered!) about the ceremony. Here are just a few pictures:
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I hate to think about how long it’s been since I’ve posted anything. I know it would only take a few clicks of the mouse to find out but I don’t really want to know. Needless to say things have been pretty busy. We returned to America, had twins, got all their paperwork together, got their visas, returned to Indonesia and started language school again. We’ve got three days left in Unit four and then a short break before starting Unit 5. I’m planning on doing some “catching up” over our few days off but we’ll see! I have lots of pictures I want to put on here and hopefully the internet will cooperate. Until next time (which could be a few months!)…
The Mayor of Salatiga
Another gap in the blogging. I’ve heard the cries of my fans and I will give you what you want! Things here have been pretty busy. This is our last week of unit 1 (of 9) in language school. We still struggle to have a simple conversation but things are much better than when we arrived two months ago. I went to the ATM today to get some cold hard cash out (How I miss being able to use my debit card everywhere!) and was inspired for this post. Anyone who knows me very well knows that I love Texas. I think most Texans do and it’s a hard thing for people not from Texas to understand. What other state sells tortilla chips in the outline of their state? I guess Hawaii has their state shape in the bottom of every bag of chips but that doesn’t really count. We’re frequently asked by people we meet (Indonesians) where we’re from and they all know about Texas. Don’t believe me? Below is a picture I took in the ATM booth in town.
Our Sled
We were supposed to have language school orientation this past Friday but for some reason it was cancelled. Since we had already arranged childcare Becky and I took the opportunity to do a little exploring. This waterfall is about 11 kilometers from our house. We went down (and back up!) 850 steps to get to the bottom. It was worth the trip!
Kalipancur
I found this guy in our bedroom the other evening. Becky is very concerned that people will think we live in poor conditions. Sure, there’s a few more bugs inside than we’re used to having but overall the house is pretty nice. Just driving past some of the houses here where our neighbors live will change a persons perspective pretty quickly.
Scorpion
In peace I will both lie down and sleep, for You alone, O Lord, make me to dwell in safety. Psalm 4:8
It seems like from the day we found out we were going to Indonesia we started hearing about durian (aka “stinky fruit”). Having been in country a little less than a month I have already had the opportunity to partake of this delicacy. It is the very beginning of durian season but I was assured by an expert that this was a good one. My friend Brian invited me over to try durian with my future neighbor Pak Jono. I was excited to finally try durian after all I’d heard about it. I had heard so much about how bad it smelled that I was a little surprised that it didn’t smell as bad as I had expected. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t a pleasant smell but it also wasn’t so bad that I couldn’t eat it. In the past I have spent quite a bit of time in landfills and I think that’s really the best way to describe it. There are landfills that only take construction material and there are landfills that allow food waste (where your household garbage goes). This smells like the food waste landfill. The taste is hard to describe but it wasn’t bad. In my opinion though wasn’t great. I’ve been told it’s an acquired taste and I wouldn’t be opposed to trying it again. Overall it was a fun time of bonding with friends and future neighbors!
The Fruit
The evening started innocently enough. Becky made some wonderful tacos for dinner and we enjoyed some quality family time around the table. Shortly after dinner I walked back to our bedroom and spotted something black flopping around on the floor. Upon closer examination I realized it was a bat. I was slightly disturbed but from the looks of it this bat didn’t look so good. I was confident it was on its “way out.” I needed to make a phone call to a friend in town so I found a cardboard box and placed it on the floor over the bat. I went and made my call and returned to the situation (little s, not to be confused with the “Situation” from Jersey Shores). I constructed a B.R.T. (Bat Removal Tool – patent pending) and slowly lifted the box. No bat. Great, I thought, the bat is hanging inside the box and all I have to do is take the box out of the house. I get the box out to the back porch and flip it over. Once again, no bat. I scour the bedroom looking for the bat and come up empty handed. Becky will tell you than I am the optimist in our relationship (perhaps to a fault) so I assume that the bat was miraculously healed and flew out of our bedroom the way it came in. Thinking my job here is done I go to the gym with a friend When I get home about an hour later I execute my due diligence and again briefly look for the bat. Nothing. I go into our office to start some homework and I hear nervous call from Becky. Yup, she found the bat. He is hanging on the curtains in our bedroom in plain view. I don’t know how I missed him. I shook the curtains out two or three times looking for him. Now that we found the bat we have to get him out. We seal off the hallway leading to our bedroom and open the back door (which is fortunately close to our bedroom). I gently remove the entire curtain rod and curtains and carry them out the back door to the porch. I tried to get the bat off of the curtains but he would not move and he even started screeching at me. The curtains are still hanging in the back yard and I’m not entirely sure what I’ll do if he is still there in the morning.
Me and my assistant with the B.R.T.
The bat hanging from the curtains in our bedroom.
Little bat feet (claws?)
The theme song from batman was running through my head the entire time.
This is the view from our backyard. We had an unusually dry weekend so we spent some time playing outside. I always seem to find some new creature and I can't help but take a picture.
This thing is the size of my hand. He has set up shop under our porch and I am seriously contemplating starting a spider relocation program.
This lizard was about 10 inches long. I think he was feasting on the termites in the stump.
This wild beast started to charge me.
It's not a big Christmas tree but it's our Christmas tree!
Today marks two weeks since we set foot on Indonesian soil. All in all things are going really well. I realize we are still in the “honeymoon” stage but I am hopeful things will continue to go well. We know we have a lot of people praying for us so thank you! There are some definite differences here and they’re not terrible but they do take some getting used to.
1. Rainy Season
I used to think Houston was humid. Indonesia is basically like swimming with your clothes on. At least during rainy season it is amazingly cool (almost cold at night) but everything is damp. It’s kind of like when you are camping and you wake up to a dew filled tent. Since we don’t have a dryer and it rains every afternoon sometimes the clothes never really get dry. You get that musty smell occasionally but we are learning little tricks to use in our war on mold.
2. The Call to Prayer
You could do pretty well here without a watch. The regular sounds of the call to prayer let you know what time it is. The 4:00 AM one seems exceptionally loud but we hear it is possible to get used to it and eventually sleep through it.
3. Going Back to Class
We started our first week of language study with our tutor Ibu (Mrs.) Johanna. She is a sweet and patient woman! Sometimes (Okay, most days) we feel like our head is going to explode trying to learn Indonesian. We must sound like such idiots when we try to speak it! I guess that’s part of the process. I can’t say I like it but I guess it’s good for keeping one’s pride in check.
4. The Food
We can’t complain about the food. It’s actually really good and pretty cheap. We went to a pretty nice restaurant last Sunday after church and the four of us ate for about $7. We do miss cheese but other than that we’re living the dream. Check back with me in about 4 months and I may be singing a different tune but for now life is good.
5. Playing Russian Rulette
Praise God we’ve been pretty healthy since we got here. I know it’s only a matter of time before our bodies are ravaged and if you think about it too much it will ruin your meal. You could always be wondering if this is the bite that will ruin the next couple days of your life. It kind of puts blessing the food into a whole different perspective.
I hope none of these sound negative. We are learning to love our new home and as we continue to learn the culture and language I think we will feel even more at home. It is a beautiful place with wonderful people. You should come visit sometime!
Pak Ronny and his paintings
Always wear your helmet when pushing a stroller
Reece joining in. You can never be too safe!
