Week 3 (also a bit late...)

It’s a bit cooler today. Yesterday it rained for most of the day. It’s rained nearly every day this past week. It’s a bit annoying because the air gets so humid, and even though it’s not hot, you still get sticky from the dampness. Although it is a nice break from the hot weather.

Teaching here is hard work. The more we do, the bigger the gaps are between those who a catching on and those who still seem to have no idea. I’m used to teaching in small group styles, but with no understanding of activities, and me not being able to explain them, it makes it quite difficult for them to work independently. It’s also hard because the volume in the classroom is so loud because they all need each other to translate for them. It’s been great, though, to see some of them catching on, and it’s not the same battle that it was in week one to get them to understand. Maybe that’s because they’re learning more English, maybe because I’m learning more Indonesian, and quite possibly a mix of the two. The most difficult thing is when someone is hurt or in trouble or done something wonderful – I can’t talk to them like I would and English speaker and using a translator is second best, but still loses a little of the atmosphere in translation, ha! Oh  well. It’s not really a big problem in the scheme of things, but one of the most frustrating areas of life at the moment.

I’m still pretty tired. Communal living has its ups and downs. Ups are that you don’t have to be alone if you don’t want to be, that there’s always something going on, that you get to live with your friends. But the downs are that if people want to stay up talking until 11pm then that’s their prerogative and having a bedroom directly next door to the communal space doesn’t help my sleeping, ha! But in time I will get used to it. Luckily I sleep well in the heat – nights are beautiful here – no blankets necessary!

It’s great when teams come to work/visit. I just said goodbye to some new friends, doctors Conrad, Theresa and Winnie. It was great not only to have people to speak English to, but also to join with people who have a kingdom mindset and are prepared to come here every year for two weeks and teach, train and assist in the clinic. Currently there is another 4 Aussies who will be working here for 3 weeks – long may the English continue! That said, my Indonesian is reasonable now, although I have to speak really slowly and run through all the Indo words I know to see which one it is I want to use!!

Yesterday was fun. I was invited out to breakfast at one of the girls’ houses in the closest big city and about 5 people came with us. There were already 4 girls there and they made a huge brekky!  Then half of them went to church and the rest of us stayed behind to help prepare the lunch. I got to have a turn at grating the coconut, it was so fascinating watching them do it. I had to watch the whole time in case I slipped and accidentally slit my wrist! Ha! The kitchen is outside in this house, cooking over a fire or two. They also had a gas burner inside. There were plain concrete floors and no doors yet (just curtains over the bedroom doors). I think the house was still in the process of being built. We then walked down the road to Cindy’s house where the whole way I was a celebrity! Kids came out and just stared – it was so funny! Some of them asked for photos and others were too scared to even wave hello. Eka’s little sisters eventually warmed up to me and then they wouldn’t let me out of their sight! When the others came back from church, we ate lunch and then some other people who were also in the town at that time came and joined in. Following that we went to the beach. Everyone piled into the van. We had 16 ppl in a 9 seater van!! Luckily it wasn’t too hot a day. The beach water was so warm! Almost too warm really. But beautiful and clear. After that we went home and played in the rain. It was so cold at that stage that the rain felt warm!! (Although in reality it was probably still 23 degrees or something).

Mmmm, fish heads included (a delicacy for some - I can't get there myself...)

All the mums wanted photos with their kids. The little one on the stool wouldn't come any closer than that and would cry and run if I reached for her, ha!

The beach. The water was sooo warm! And clear as too.

Cultural assimilation complete!

Some of the 15 people in the 9 seater car!!

That was probably the most eventful day that I’ve had thus far. Although there have been some pretty memorable moments.

One morning there was a baby owl up at the Dapur (kitchen where we eat). Sooo cute! The baby pigs are cute as too – I want one for a pet!

The cutest animals ever!! If the wind is right I could stand there for ages watching them play with each other. In this pic one is sleeping on top of the other, soooo cute!!

Another cute as animal here.

I saw a rooster sprint from one end of the field to the other just to chase off a rooster that was harassing a hen only to then start chasing that hen himself, lol! She had chicks with her too! Hmmm, think he could have waited til the kids had left home. There are chickens everywhere! The Scarborough’s son Viktor got given a chick who thinks it belongs inside. It just keeps coming in whenever it gets the chance! I think it’s a little too tame!!

The cool people here listen to Justin Bieber, Westlife, Celine Dion, Oldschool Britney Spears and a various range of worship music. And when I say people, I mean boys too. In fact, there are lots of guys who walk around playing music on their phones of the sort mentioned above. It cracks me up no end!!

I have come to realize that Australia has big bugs compared to New Zealand, but Indonesia has big bugs compared to Australia!!! Here are some of the things I have jumped out of my skin at:

·         I had a giant beetle fly into my face

·         A giant rat ran over my foot in the market place

·         I stepped on a giant snail at night time

·         A huntsman sized spider running up my wall in my (very small) room!

And some funnier moments when I jumped out of my skin when I stepped on a pen on my bathmat. (Brain must have connected that something hard should not be on my bathmat and just went into survival mode and jumped!!! Ha ha ha!) My heartrate also jumped up significantly when  a small black plastic bag floated down from my top bunk past my face. Ewww… who know what that could have been!

When these fly at your face you think that the world is about to end... They're everywhere!! Giant beetles! Ew!

These butterflies are all over the place here too - all good until they too fly into your face, ha!

I have included some more photos, because photos tell a thousand words (even though I’m probably close to 1000 already).

My friends Kety and Yulisa with one of my school kids, Feronika, in the background.

A pic of my first outing to the river with the girls - at that stage I only knew 2 of their names, but now we're all buddy-buddy which is good fun!

If I could put out a request – we desperately need beginning readers in English, so if any of you are primary school teachers, or know any, if you have a selection of outdated readers that can be given to us in Indonesia – please contact me and we can look into getting them to a contact at Careforce Church before October when a team is coming out to visit. Thanks!!

As for me – I think that’s all I have to report now. The kids and I are singing to everyone tonight, so that should be cute as! They’re really adorable, I love them all!

Thanks for your continued thoughts and support!

Much love! Xoxo

Aimee