Presuming to know the will of God

I'm not normally given to writing out lesson-ish type blogs (I feel grossly under-qualified to do so) but I feel that I've stumbled upon a fairly significant thought today (at least for me).

We all have spiritual weakness and spiritual downfalls. If we are seeking God and obeying him, I believe that he will put us into situations where we have to either strengthen those areas of weaknesses or work on eradicating those wrong doings. Moving to Indonesia has had me working on one area of weakness, asking for help and being dependent on others. I really don't like to have to ask someone for help. In my flawed logic, asking for help means that I have failed in some way because I was not able to do it on my own. As a teacher, I have preached over and over that asking for help is not a bad thing, that it shows that you want to learn and want to do your best. However, in my own personal life, I still don't like to ask for help. I also have trouble being dependent on others. I like to know that I am able to stand on my own two feet. I also feel like I'm bothering others when I am relying on them so that I can get something done.

Indonesia has forced me into a unique combination of these two things, where not only do I have to ask people for help, but I also have to depend on them. Before I bought my scooter and learned to drive (and learned how to get a few places) I was dependent on my host family for pretty much everything. They were super great about it, but I still didn't like having to ask someone to drive me everywhere that I needed to go or to take me to the ATM, or the grocery store.

In some ways this drive for independence and my desire to not ask for help have been a good thing. It pushes me to learn quickly and to figure things out on my own. It has also given me that ability to figure things out on my own, but like anything in life, it should be a balance. Too much independence or never asking for help can lead to isolation, not do/figuring things out when I should, and sometimes just makes my life harder than it needs to be. I'm not sure that I've gotten very far on fixing my areas of weakness, but I have been made much more aware of them.

However, this is not my great Truth of the day (great to me, maybe not to any of you). At church we have been studying the book of Joshua. Today's lesson focused on the battle of Jericho (Joshua 5:13-16, 6:1-23). I've studied chapter 6 multiple times for our church youth group competitions, but I had't looked at 5:13-16 much before.

13 And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?
14 And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the Lord am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my Lord unto his servant?
15 And the captain of the Lord's host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.

The imagery of these verses was what initially caught my attention. Joshua is met by a mighty man of war with a drawn sword. He asks him whose side he is on and the man tells him that he is the captain of the host of the Lord. The commander of the army of God has come to fight with the Israelite. It's a powerful image especially since we sang "Whom Shall I Fear" during worship.

"I know who goes before me
I know who stands behind

The God of angel armies
Is always by my side

The one who reigns forever
He is a friend of mine

The God of angel armies
Is always by my side"

One of the things that was brought out during out discussion of the text, was that while Joshua asks if the man is for the Israelite or for their enemy, the man doesn't tell whose side he is on. He merely states that he is the captain of the host of the Lord. God is not on your side, he is not against you. He simply is. We are the ones that have to decide whose side we are on. Do we follow God and serve him? Or do we choose his adversary, the devil? 

The other piece of insight that I've come to is perhaps the most important for me at this moment in my life. It's something that I've know for ages, but it was made fresh and new in my mind today. The will of God is not always logical. Sometimes God's path for our life makes sense, sometimes it is logical. We see that in the Bible. And then sometimes it makes no sense. None. Not one bit. The Lord told Joshua to take Jericho. Joshua probably thought that that meant a siege, some sort of attack on the walls/gates around Jericho, and a battle. However God gave him very specific directions that made no sense. "Take your mighty fighting men and have then walk around the city once for six days. Have 7 priests with rams horns and the ark march with them. On the seventh day, walk around the city 7 times then blow the trumpets and have the people shout."

The story of Jericho is one that we hear often as children in church so it's easy to take at face value, but think about what your response would be if you were going to try to capture a heavily fortified city and your commander told you to walk around the city and then shout. Humanly those actions have no power against well built walls of stone. But with God, that obedience resulted in the walls falling and the city being destroyed. 

It's easy for us to look at life and think that we've got the future all figured out. We can connect the dots and make conjectures. Logically, things should follow a certain path and go a certain way. It's easy to get into that mind set and think, "Okay, surely this is God's will for my future. This makes so much sense." I was reminded today that that's not how it always works. I'm guilty sometimes of trying to make decisions on my own, going off of what I think that I've figured out (can you see my independence issues causing some problems here?). I was reminded today that I need to slow down and wait on God. I need to stop and look for the captain of the hosts so that I can get my orders. I can see a path that looks good and makes sense, but perhaps that's not the path the he would have me to take. I may be planning for a siege when all I actually need is to take a walk.  

November and December: Part 1

FYI: The names in my blog are pseudonyms. Most of the people that I write about wouldn’t mind having their real names in my blog, but I don’t feel like asking everyone, and since this blog is available to anyone, I prefer to play it safe and not actually identify anyone. Plus, it gives the people that I write about the chance to feel like they are spies with code names…

The Cliffnotes Version

Much has happened since my last blog post. Here is the short bullet version in case you don’t want to read the details, wait for the next post, or get bored further down the page.

·         Packed up the house in Manado (which included packing almost everything into a shipping container)

·         Flew to Salatiga (a city on the island of Java)

·         Started getting settled in the new house and the new-to-me city

·         Spent Thanksgiving day with friends

·         Flew to Singapore and back for my visa

·         Finished up the first semester of school with the kids

·         Sherry started a new job at the international school near by

·         Flew back to Singapore with Sherry for my visa

·         Spent Christmas day with friends

·         Enjoyed a few days off

·         Explored some ancient temples

The Move

Over the summer, Fred took a different position within Wycliffe Associates. Because of the change in position, the family was able to move if they wanted and they decided to move back to Salatiga, the city where they had done their language study when they first arrived in Indonesia. Salatiga is a smaller town, and has a large expat community due to the language schools here and the really good international primary and secondary school. 

So as October came to a close, the family started packing up the house. They planned to move the weekend before Thanksgiving, so many of our days in November were spent packing boxes. Slowly, bit by bit, the house was packed away.

The day that we left, several people came by, Fanny, the Priors, the family from Korea that had moved in next door a month ago. It was sad to say goodbye to the friends that I had made in Manado. I had met so many kind and interesting people. I was sad that I had only had a couple months to get to know them and to spend time with them. To loosely quote Bilbo Baggins, I knew them half as well as I should have liked to have known them.

Salatiga

We arrived in Salatiga after dark, so it took a while for me to get a decent sense of the city. Many people ask me which place I liked better or how they were similar or different. The two have distinctly different atmospheres in my opinion. Manado was a larger city, more modern, wealthier, and less conservative (due to the large number of Christians in the area). Though, at the same time, we didn’t live in the city itself, so the area we live in had a rural feel. Salatiga feels smaller and older, but much more compact than the area we lived in in Manado. In Salatiga we are within walking distance of several restaurants, shops, and the International school. The weather is also different. Manado had a truly tropical feel, whereas the higher elevation in Salatiga cools the weather slightly.

My grandfather and I, a long long time ago. :)

Upon arrival to Salatiga I met the legendary TJ, Sherry’s best friend here, as well as TJ’s family (husband, three sons, and two daughters, one of which is adopted). With that many people and a dog, multiple pet birds, a lizard, and a rotating string of guests and the kids’ friends, there is never a dull moment at their house. TJ’s big heart, delicious food, and big family means that holidays at her house are large and full of fun. She graciously invited the family and me to both Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner. It was wonderful to be able to spend the holiday with such a lively and kind bunch.

Being there at Christmas was especially nice. The weeks leading up to Christmas were tough ones for me. My homesickness seemed to kick into high gear after the move and left me feeling down. Then my grandfather passed away a week and a half before Christmas. He had been sick for a long time with Parkinson’s. When I decided to come to Indonesia, I knew that there was a good chance that he would pass while I was here, but it was still tough to deal with his death and knowing that I couldn’t be there for my family. Coupled with my homesickness, it made for a rough couple weeks. But with God’s help, I am making through.

Beep, beep, vroom, vroom

I did have a few other adventures. A big one for me was buying my own scooter.

In Manado, the family had a car, and we used that for most of the trips into the city or to other locations, but Salatiga isn’t designed with cars in mind. Many of the side streets are very narrow (just wide enough for one car). When we arrived here, Fred and Sherry bought two scooters, but with five people, two scooters weren’t really cutting it. So we checked around and had a couple leads on a used scooter for me.

One Saturday, I saw a post on the Facebook page where people can sell things in Salatiga. Someone was a selling a light pink and white Honda Scoopy. It was perfect! Honestly, if I had had to pick out my ideal scooter to go motoring around Salatiga on, it would have been this one. Ok, if I’m being completely and perfectly honest, I might have picked a blue, but still, it was adorable and so cute. I was just planning on buying whatever came up for sale first that was a good deal, I never imagined that I would get such a cute little scooter.

Once I saw the post, I did a little checking to make sure that it was a good deal and then got in contact with the woman selling it. It worked out perfectly because she was going to the same Christmas cookie exchange as me that day, so I could check it out there. Fred took it for a drive, to make sure that everything worked well, and told me that it was a great deal and that I should definitely buy it. So less than 12 hours after seeing the scooter, I became its proud owner.

Which then brought on the next adventure…. Learning to drive it. It’s not hard to drive, but it has taken me a little while to get used to my hand controlling the throttle and brakes instead of my foot, and coordinating all of the motions at once. Making a turn from a complete stop still gives me a little trouble, but I am getting much more comfortable with the whole process. 

Typical and Atypical Days

The last few weeks have been jam packed with normal and abnormal days. A typical day for me begins somewhere around 6 am. I usually get up, get dressed, and eat breakfast. If I have time, I usually will call either my mom or my sister and keep them up to date with what is going on. I also check Facebook and respond to the messages that come in while I’m sleeping and all of my friends and family back home are awake. After that we begin school. I work with one of the two kids, depending on who needs my help. I help them to study for tests and quizzes, read through lessons, make notes, work on projects, and answer any questions that might come up. We eat lunch around 11:30 and the kids take a recess break, and then we get back to work. Some days their course work only takes a few hours (especially in Sarah’s case) and we can do some hands-on, more exciting activities. Other days (especially in Sam’s case) we are still working at 5 pm.

After school is done, I do a variety of things. I might nap, read, Facebook, crochet, play games with the kids, bake, take a walk, or something else. Some days we go out for supper or maybe head to a movie or watch one at home. On Tuesdays and Wednesdays we have language lessons and on Thursdays we go to the nearby missionary campus and play group games with the kids of the kids of the missionaries that live on campus. Some weekends are lazy weekends spent relaxing at the house. Others are super busy with all day excursions or trips into town (a 30-45 minute drive depending on traffic).

The view out my window one morning

The past week found me dealing with my first major sickness while in Indonesia. I didn’t go see a doctor, so I can only give my educated guess/diagnosis, a really bad sinus infection. I had been feeling worn down the previous week, and woke up Monday morning with a ton of drainage, swollen tonsils, and a ton of pressure in the sinuses. As the week went on I opted to take some antibiotics and eventually saw some progress towards feeling better. One of my biggest complaints was just feeling worn completely out. By Friday I was feeling much better but still not back to normal, especially where my energy is concerned. Even today, I still have a touch of sinus congestion, some pressure in my ears, and a cough, but I’m hoping that the next few days will show even more improvements.

Last week also found me applying for my visa renewal. The process was easy enough on my end (filling out some paperwork, showing up at Immigration, answering a few questions, and having my picture taken) but involved at least an hour of waiting at customs (including waiting on a cashier to come back so that we could pay for the visa). I also completed the process of applying for my student visa. Under my current visa, I would need to renew it every month, which is doable, but would be a big hassle. Instead we opted for having me attend an Indonesian language school, which would then allow me to have a student visa which would be valid for a year. I’m excited about this option just because it will drastically improve my Indonesian.

This weekend was also an exciting time, packed full of adventures and new sights. The family has had some guests in town from Australia and wanted to show them some of the sights before they left today, and it was Sam’s and Sarah’s birthday weekend. So we had amble reasons to get out and do something new. On Friday, we went to Tomohon, a smaller city further inland and further up in the mountains.

While there we stopped at a traditional market to see what the locals had to offer and to do some shopping. Unfortunately, there was some construction going on in the market and there were less vendors than normal. But we did see several food vendors, people selling clothing and house hold objects, and meat vendors. The meat vendors were the most… interesting… of the bunch. This area of Sulawesi (called Minahasa) is known for the odd meats that they eat. The people here consider things like rat, bat, dog, and snake to be delicacies. I saw vendors selling all of those except snake. Other vendors were selling fish, seafood, chickens, bananas and other fruits, beans, peppers, and many other foods.

Manado in the distance

After the market, we piled back into the car and headed to Mount Mahawu, a volcano. Seemingly there are volcanoes everywhere here, which is to be expected since Indonesia is in the Ring of Fire. As soon as we got out of the car, I could feel a difference in the air. The increase in elevation just to that point made a huge difference in the temperatures. It went from feeling like summer when we left Manado, to feeling like a brisk fall day. At first it was a little chilly. Then we began the climb. The path from the parking spot to the rim of the volcano was paved but it was so steep. I had to stop to rest several times, but I finally made it to the top. The view was amazing. From the top you can see Tomohon and Manado, you can even see all the way to Manado Tua, the volcano in Manado Bay. We could also see the crater of the volcano and I got to log my first Indonesian geocache. Which means that I have now found geocaches in 4 different countries (US, Argentina, Uruguay, and Indonesia).

The next day, we went to Starbucks (newly opened in Manado) and Pizza Hut to celebrate the kids birthdays and the end of school for their Australian friends. It was a nice time of good food and even better company.

On Sunday we went snorkeling again. We went the previous week also, but snorkeling is cheap entertainment and something that you can’t do just anywhere. The highlight of the previous week’s snorkeling trip was seeing a clown fish in an anemone. The child in me went right back to watching Finding Nemo. On this trip we did lots of jumping off the top of the boat (Sam’s favorite part of snorkeling) and lots of swimming. The first spot that we stopped at had tons of fish. I can’t help but marvel at that diversity of God’s creation when I go snorkeling. The fish were super friendly and wiling to come up close to us. We fed the fish some cookie crumbs and they swarmed around us. I even go to touch a few. Right before we got ready to leave that spot, a current picked up around the boats and the few members of our party that were still out in the water had some trouble getting back to the boat.

We then moved to a small bay and walked to the restaurant and had lunch (fish, rice, greens, pineapple, sweet and sour fried chicken). When we got back to the boat, the tide had gone out, leaving the boat engines unable to move the boat. So as a group, we pushed the boat and eventually got it far enough out that the crew could easily push it out to the deeper waters where the engines could do their thing.

After that, we stopped at snorkeling spot where sea turtles are commonly spotted. I didn’t see any sea turtles, but some of the other members of the group did. This location had a lot of different types of fish, including a few more clown fish. I swam away from the boat for a little while and then decided to head back and swim the other way for a while. After a little swimming I realized that I was making slow progress. I was swimming against a strong current. As I got closer to the boat, the current got stronger.

Three other people from our party were still in the water. We ended up swimming close to each other, and realized that we would need to swim further inland (out of the current), then past the boat, before swimming out and letting the current pull as to the boat. Despite the fact that I aimed for a spot 10 feet up current from the boat, I almost missed it. In the last 10 feet of swimming, I kicked it into high gear, and with the help of my snorkeling fins, just managed to grab onto the ledge around the boat. Sherry was close behind me, but I could tell that she was just going to miss it, so I threw out my hand and grabbed her. Even with my tenuous handhold on the boat, we were almost pulled away. One of the people on the boat threw out the life ring and used that to pull us to the boat’s ladder. Once there, the current was so strong that I felt like the boat was moving and pulling me along. I could barely get my feet on the ladder, but I did eventually make it into the boat.

The other two people that had been swimming with us hadn’t made it to the boat, but had instead let the current pull them back to the coral. The crew started the boat’s motors so that we could pick them up. Even the boat’s motors were having trouble pulling against the current. After we picked up the other two people we headed back to Manado. 

A weekend of new adventures, new friends, new words, and new foods

Lets go camping!!

Last week I got an invite to go camping with my language tutor, Fanny. She was going camping on a beach with some of her friends, including Ruth’s two older siblings, Adam and Tracy. It was reassuring to know that I would have two other native English speakers with me that could help me since most of Fanny’s friends weren’t completely fluent in English and I know almost no Indonesian.

We started the trip with an hour and thirty minute drive to the beach where the baptism had taken place. The drive there was filled with ukulele playing (they brought the ukulele instead of a guitar because of its small size), singing, percussion played on an empty water jug, rapid fire Indonesian conversations, and a smattering of English. I mainly enjoyed the novelty of the situation, the cool breeze, and the sometimes comedic singing. I couldn’t follow their conversations, but I could tell that they were all having a blast. I guess that happy company is contagious.

The view from our campsite

We arrived at the beach, gathered our stuff, and headed to our campsite. We climbed a gently sloping path through sparse trees before reaching the crest of a tall steep hill leading to small cove. I was a little astounded by how steep the path leading down the hill was, but with little hesitation, the Indonesians led the way down, carrying their packs and supplies, some carrying the large (approximately 5 gallon) water jugs, only slipping occasionally. Once we made it down to the small beach, we staked out the right hand side as our spot for the next 24-ish hours.

The women enjoyed some relaxation on the sand while the men set up our tent and worked on gathering fire wood and starting to prepare supper. I sat with Fanny for a while and we talked about basic subjects like our families, and what we liked to do. Fanny has a basic mastery of English, but still struggles at times.

After the sun had set, and twilight was truly setting in, she started to tell me her testimony. Fanny is attending a missionary school and will be leaving in February or March to serve as missionary, planting churches and spreading the gospel. She told me about how God had called her to the school and how he had eventually called her to go to the tribe. She had been worried about the financial aspect of going. Her church and family here won’t have the money to support her. Her mom reminded her that God had helped her to find the finances for her schooling and that he could do the same for missions work. Please pray for Fanny. She is a sweet, kind woman that loves God. I know that she will be a phenomenal witness for him and will do great things in his service.

No, he wasn't our supper or our lunch. He was just a very
very large and fluffy chicken that we spotted on the beach.

A little while later we enjoyed a supper of chicken (my portion was from the non-spicy batch that they made just for the foreigners among the group), rice, and sautéed greens. We spent the rest of the night singing, joking, and playing games. A few of the Indonesians spoke with me in English in hopes of making me feel more included and to practice their English.

We went to bed late and we rose early, just before the sun was peaking over the hills across the small bay from us. It was so peaceful to watch the sky slowly change colors and the sun slowly illuminating the worlds. After that we had a piecemeal breakfast and then ventured into the ocean. The ocean bottom was rocky and the surf was rough, so our swim didn’t last too long. We spent some more time singing and chatting and then took off a climb.

The small cove was situated between to rock outcroppings. We climbed over the ones to our left to a small cleft that had been worn into the rock. In the past, the group has jumped off the rocks and swam into the cave, but the ocean was too rough that day. We went back towards our camp spot and instead climbed back up the steep path and back to the main beach. From there we set off across another out cropping of rocks and then eventually back to camp.

At this point, it felt like it was 1:00 PM, but it was more like 10 AM. We did a bit more chatting and relaxing, had lunch (a close repeat to the previous night’s supper), and returned to relaxing, singing, and chatting, which eventually dissolved into napping. There were several trees that overhung the beach, providing enough shade that with the ocean breeze it was very comfortable.

I woke up to a selfie-athon. Fanny told me that Indonesians are fans of taking pictures and selfies. We must have taken 20-30 different selfies and photos on the beach. Some of us standing together, some of us laying on the ground, some of us scattered across the sand, some of just a couple people, some of people wearing each other’s silly hats. I’m not much of a picture person, I don’t like the way that I look in photos, but it was an entertaining and cheap way to pass the time. I think that by the end of this trip I will have mad selfie skills. :)

After that, we packed up and headed back home. I was completely worn out! Once I got home, I showered (becoming sand free for the first time in 24 hours), ate supper, and fell asleep. I slept 11 hours and still felt like I could have slept more.

A few new dishes

Fanny told me that I was becoming Indonesian when I asked to
take a picture. Unfortunately, everyone ended up with glowing
eyes. One of them joked that my friends were all vampires. 

That evening, I got a surprise visit from Fanny again. She popped in to invite me to go with her friends to try saraba, a hot drink made with ginger, lemon grass, and sweetened condensed milk. We went to a food cart along the road with tables behind it. The group ordered the drinks, fried bananas, fried tofu, and fried soy. All of the food was delicious! It was also accompanied by some good conversation. 

Jus avocado, artfully arranged by Sherry

The next day, I got the chance to try a few more Indonesian dishes. We had a rice dish that was made with coconut milk and saffron. There was also a type of fried soy that was pretty yummy too. Probably the most unusual item from lunch though was the jus avocado, a drink made from avocados, sweetened condensed milk, and chocolate. It seemed like such an odd combination. I usually think of avocados as something that goes with Mexican food, sandwiches, or chips.  However, when I tasted it, I was surprised at just how good it was. It was thick and creamy, and the avocado was perfectly complimented by the chocolate.

Language learning 

I started my official Indonesian lessons the week before last. However, my attempts to learn the language started several months ago. Once I agreed to come to Indonesia, I started doing some research and found a free learning Indonesian podcast. The podcast was well done, and helped to kick start my language learning in two ways. The most obvious way was that it taught me a few basic phrases and vocabulary. The other great thing that it did was it exposed me to the sounds of Indonesian. Through listening to the Podcast and also occasionally listening to Indonesian radio, I became more familiar and comfortable with the sounds of Indonesian.

One of the things that also helps me is that this isn’t my first foreign language. I have been studying Spanish since 2002. Through that long study I have learned some skills and tricks that help me to learn languages, like using flash cards to study, and knowing the importance of continued exposure to the language. One other thing that is helpful is my desire to learn the language, which in my opinion is the most important resource that a language learner, and in fact all learners, can have.

Over the course of my time here, I have picked up on some Indonesian words. I’m a bit isolated from Indonesian in the house. If I were living with Indonesians or spending more time among them, I would have more of a sink or swim type situation that would force me into learning Indonesian much more quickly. However the language is still a big part of my life. I see Indonesian labels on the food, the neighbors speak Indonesian, if I watch cartoons on our tv, they are dubbed in Indonesian and the rest of the tv shows have Indonesian subtitles. Communicating with Indonesians is also a huge motivator. I want to be able to make my way around and make basic transactions on my own.

So, I digress. In the course of my lessons I have learned basic motion words (run, sit, stand), basic animals (cat, dog, cow), location words, and basic numbers. I’ve been working with Fanny. She speaks very little English during our lessons, which means that not only am I learning basic vocabulary, but I’m also learning question words like what, where, and how many. In the grand scheme of things, I haven’t learned much, but I’m proud of the little progress that I have made. 

One other good aspect of my language learning is that it is reminding me of what it was like to learn Spanish for the first time. I hope to teach Spanish one day, but since it has been so long since I was learning basic vocab and struggling to just communicate my basic thoughts, it’s sometimes easy to forget just how frustrating it can be when you don’t know the word that you need or the joy of remembering and correctly using a simple phrase. It’s been a very good reminder of just what a first year Spanish student might be going through.

Anything can be an adventure....

I’ve been in Indonesia for a month now. I have definitely settled in and am even starting to get used to the heat. I find myself thinking, “Oh, it’s not too bad today,” then I check the temps and find out that it’s still in the 90’s. I haven’t had any grand adventures in the last few weeks just some small ones, though anything can be an adventure with the right mind-set.

One of the adventures is language lessons. I started taking language lessons with Vanny. I've only had one so far, but I'm looking forward to learning more Indonesian.

The other thing that I did was attend an Indonesian church service and baptism at a beach. The Prior's two daughters also got baptized. The beach was about 2 hours from the house. The trip gave me a chance to see a little more of the area around Manado, including some more rural areas. Once we arrived at the beach, the church service began. I didn't understand much of the service, but I was able to experience an Indonesian service. Afterwards, we moved to the water. About 10 people were baptized. Afterwards we had a pot-luck. I tried a few things, but also had two servings of the nachos that Abby Prior made.

Here’s some recap of a few of my older adventures.

Hikes:

There is a missionary family from Australia nearby, the Priors that like to go on hikes and walks. They are good friends with Fred and Sherry and the family, so we’ve gone along on several of their walks. The first one was during my second week in Indonesia. We met up at the Priors house, where two locals (friends and neighbors of the Priors) joined us as our guides.

The last few feet of the trial

We decided to walk through the hills that day, so off we went. The walk started along the road, then we took a short cut through a couple yards. One thing that I’m learning about Indonesia is that the people here are more open about letting others on their property than in the US. For me, at least, it would be a little odd to just go traipsing across a stranger’s yard with permission, but it seems to be fairly normal here in Indonesia. After that we walked along the road for a little bit and then started through an open field like area and quickly made it to the hill part of the climb, which took us through coconut trees. There where giant piles of old coconut shells from when they had last harvested the coconuts.

Manado in the distance

At first the climb was easy, but it kept getting steeper and steeper, right up to the last few yards, which were pretty close to straight up and down. By that point I was beat, but I pushed on and with tired legs, and made the summit. The view was worth every single bit of effort. The hill wasn’t the highest in the area, but it did put us up above everything but one other mountain. You could everything. The sky, the coconut tree topped mountains, the volcano, the river, the houses, even all the way to Manado Bay, which was a glistening sliver against the horizon. We stayed for a while, taking in the view, chatting, resting, and rehydrating. We didn’t stay for sunset, but as the sun sank lower in the sky it blazed red. It was a beautiful view.

We re-did this exact hike this week because the Priors had a few friends in town from New Zealand. I jumped on the chance to re-do the hike, mainly because I wanted to take some pictures. I had forgotten my camera the first time, and also because it was a challenging walk. The second time wasn’t any easier. I was the slowest member of our group, and had to stop for the most breaks, but once again, I made it! My Fitbit tracker showed that we had gone up 260 ft.

The second hike that we did was the Tuesday before last and then again last Saturday. The Priors are part of an organization in Manado called the Hash House Harriers, an international walking group. They typically have a big hike and then socialize and eat afterwards. Abby, the mom of the Priors, and Sherry were organizing this hike, so Tuesday was our test run, and Saturday was the real thing. Both times we went out with the local guys who had led us on my first hike.

The walk took us through the fields and rice paddies near the house. It was a good thing that we had our guides with us, because the rice paddies are like a maze. We were walking through the fields on narrow 1-2 feet high partitions that they build up between the rice paddies. The “walls” are usually about 1-1.5 feet wide, but in places they have fallen away. You had to keep a close eye on where you were going or else you would end up with a shoe full of mud (which I did on both walks). There were also breaks in the walls for the water that is used to flood the rice paddies flows through. These were particularly treacherous in places because the tall grass that grew on some of the partitions made it near impossible to tell where they were.

I learned that the farmers stay in small huts in the middle of the rice fields once harvest time comes. This is so that they can keep the birds away from the rice. To do so, they create a pulley system of strings attached to balanced bamboo poles. When they pull the strings the bamboo poles move, scaring off the birds. An entire field can be guarded from one small hut in the middle with 30-40 strings meeting at the one point. It’s an ingenious system.

Food:

Fish, sambal, veggies, and rice

Manadonese food is known for its spiciness. Since most of the family I’m with don’t like spice, most of the food that we eat at home is mild. However, I’ve gotten some very spicy things when eating outside of the house. I went to Vanny’s birthday party, and her friends had made food for everyone. I tried to avoid the things that looked spicy, but I ended up accidentally getting a spicy potatoes. I took one bite, and I was done. It was so spicy that my lips were tingling for at least 30 minutes.

Restaurants are plentiful in Manado. The Manadonese seem to enjoy eating. There are a variety of American options (Pizza Hut, McDonalds, Wendy’s, KFC), but there are also many many local restaurants. I’ve only been to a few, but I’ve been told that most sell a version of nasi goreng, or fried rice. I’ve gotten this a couple times because it is a safe standard. You can get the meal with a variety of meats, but chicken is probably the most popular option. The meal comes with fried rice, a type of puffy rice crackers, your choice of meat, and a fried egg.

Some of the eating areas

Across the road from our house is a well-known fish restaurant. The restaurant has one central ordering and kitchen area. The sit down part of the restaurant is a bunch of small-ish pavilions that are built over top of a pond and are connected by walk ways. The restaurant is the equivalent of an Indonesian fast food place. The most popular dish at the restaurant is, of course, the fish, which is served with white rice, greens (cooked deliciously in butter, garlic, and onion) and sambal (a spicy sauce that the Indonesians use like ketchup). The unique thing about the fish, at least for an American, is that they don’t just serve you a fillet, they serve you the entire fish, head, eyes, tail, fins, bones, and all perfectly cooked. It’s not the most appetizing presentation in my opinion, but it was definitely good. We went again a few days later with the Prior's guests

Exploring my new home

Time got away from me. I could have sworn that it had only been a week since my last blog post, but somehow it's been two weeks. Instead of going chronologically, I'll address things by topics.

The first category is... Snorkeling!

When I first found out about this position, I learned that there was amazing snorkeling near by. I had never been snorkeling in my life, but it sounded interesting and fun. Before I left the states I bought a snorkeling set (a mask, a breathing tube, and flippers). I got them a few days before I left and didn't figure that I would have a change to try them out before I got here. However, one of my sister's and mine best friends decided that the day before I left would be girls day. We got pedicures and then headed to the pool. I decided to bring my snorkel gear along. I felt a little silly in the pool with my snorkel gear, but I'm glad that I decided to practice with it because it took a little while for me not to feel like I couldn't breath when wearing the mask and using the breathing tube.

Before we left

One our way to Bunaken

Anyways, last Saturday the family and I headed out to Bunaken, an island northwest of Manado. We had rented a small boat with several other friends. The trip over was very nice. The weather was warm, but not stiffing, there was a nice breeze and the water was absolutely gorgeous.

The super clear water

The  blue starfish I found

Once we got there, they stopped the boat a little ways from shore. We were parked close to the reef, but just beyond where the reef dropped off into the ocean. The water there is so deep that you can't even see the bottom, just deep blue water and the sun struggling to light a little bit of it. I got talked into taking the first jump off of the top of the boat with Sam and his friend Ruth. It was a good way to get acclimated to the water.

After a few more jumps, I put on my snorkeling gear and headed towards the coral reef. I was amazed by all the different types of coral, fish, and sea creatures that inhabited such a small space. It was amazing!! There were dark colored fish, and neon fish, and rainbow fish, and orange fish, and black and white fish. There were also blue starfish. I even got to pick one up later.

One of the "guests" at the restaurant/hotel 

After a while at that spot, we got back in the boat and headed around the island, to a small cove. We got off there and walked to a restaurant/hotel on the island. We had a traditional Indonesian lunch with liberal amounts of relaxing, chatting, and jokes. The other expats with us were a varied group. We had one from Canada, one from Sri Lanka, and three from the States. Two of the people from the states were in Indonesia for research, one was studying monkeys and the other was studying the people and how to help them. They both lived in remote areas, and lacked refrigeration, AC, and a community of expats. Their stories of life in the jungle reminded me that I should be thankful for all of the many things that I do have here in Indonesia, even if I am missing my mom's biscuits and gravy.

After lunch we stopped in two different locations for more snorkeling. I would have spent the entire afternoon in the water, but my feet started cramping from the fins. However, I did still spend a good bit of time in the water, and saw even more interesting things. I wish that I had a waterproof camera to take some pictures of it.

The movie theater

The Gold Theater lounge 

In Indonesia there are two choices for the movies, regular or gold. The regular is pretty similar to an ordinary movie theater in the use, with just a few difference: you choose which seat you are sitting in when you buy your tickets, and the seats a little bit more comfortable. I went to the regular theater the Sunday before last. It was an enjoyable experience. But then I went the gold theater the next Sunday… It was a true experience. 

Comfy seats!!

When you go to the gold theater, you don’t purchase your tickets at the regular register, you first enter to Gold Theater Lounge, a completely separate area with chairs and tables where you can purchase your ticket. Once you have selected your seat you can purchase your food, which ranges from normal movie theater fare, such as popcorn and candies, to full meals, like spaghetti or a hamburger and fries. Once you place your order and pay (my movie, a frozen coffee, and an order of fries cost about $10) you can wait in comfort for the theater to open. Once inside, you find your seat, put up the motorized recliner’s footrest, and snuggle in with the provided blanket and pillow. A little ways into the movie, the staff will bring you’re your food, not in plastic cups nor disposable dishes, but in real glass dishes. You can eat in the comfort of your recliner, then relax and watch your movie. When you go to leave, there is no clean up required either. You just leave your dishes and the staff takes care of them. It may even be better than watching a movie at home in your pjs, because you don’t even have to get up for your snack or glass of pop.

American restaurants:

After our snorkeling adventure we went to McDonalds for supper. It’s a good option because it is close to the port, cheap, and none of the already exhausted members of our party have to cook super. The menu seemed like a slightly stripped down version of the US menu. They had the basic hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, chicken nuggets, and fried, but no wraps or salads. One interesting item on the menu was a fried chicken leg and rice meal. Fried chicken and rice is seemingly a staple here. 

We also went to Pizza Hut one day. Some the options we very familiar, like the cheese pizza or the "America's Favorite", which was like a cross between a meat lover's pizza and an everything pizza. There were also a few other, odder options, like tuna melt pizza. We didn't not try that one.

Salamat Datang - Welcome

The view from my bedroom.

My “host family”, the family that I would be living with, were waiting for me when I walked out of the airport. We made our way to the car, loaded up the suitcases, and headed for home, which was only a short 5 minute drive from the airport. I tried to look everywhere during that ride. Fred, the father of the host family and his wife Sherry played travel guide pointing out and explaining things of interest.  

I spent the next few hours chatting with the family, getting to know them, and unpacking and settling in. The rest of my evening was spent trying not to fall asleep before 8. I wanted to start getting myself on the new time schedule. That night I slept well, and only woke up once, around 4:30 when the Muslim call to prayer was answered by a Christian broadcasting prayers and hymns (in Indonesia) from their backyard for about 30-45 minutes. This loud wake up call was further enhanced by the crowing of multiple roosters. Chickens roam fairly freely here, so odds are that you can find a chicken on the property any time, if not three, or four, or maybe more. Some mornings the roosters seemingly work in tandem to insure that we have a fairly constant chorus of crowing from all directions. Thankfully, these sounds, plus the occasional sound of airplanes taking off and constant sounds of traffic, dogs barking, and bird are quickly fading into the background.

The next day we started school. I spent the time getting used to how things work with the kids’ homeschooling curriculum and tried to figure out how I could help them to learn more. I also had a very traditional Indonesia dish for lunch, nasi goreng, or fried rice. It was delicious. I had heard rave reviews about Indonesia food, and so far all of it has been delicious.

Wednesday started with a delivery. The family had started feeding a stray dog and she eventually became their dog. When they came back from the states a month ago they realized that their dog, Koko, was pregnant.  Wednesday morning they found Koko and six adorable puppies nestled up behind the church across the street.

After much awwing and puppy talk, I headed out of the house. I went with Fred to run some errands, see Manado, and check on my visa. It turned out that I didn’t need to do anything with my visa until just before it expired, so instead of heading to Immigration first, we set off for the city. Fred was an excellent tour guide,

pointing things out, explaining other things, and answering my questions. I saw several different parts of the city that day, including the two malls. The one reminded me more of a flea market set up, small “stores” all gathered together in one place. The other was similar to malls in the US. It even had a Pizza Hut and a Levi’s store. Fred told me that the mall is a place that many Manadonese will come for entertainment and free AC.  We even stopped for a touristy picture in front of Manado’s famous statue of Jesus. It’s the largest free standing statue of the Christ.

After I got home I received an invitation to go play soccer from Vanny. Vanny is an Indonesian woman around my age who give the kids Indonesian lessons. She lives close by in a community/campus type setting. After hearing that they just play for fun, I decided that I would go in spite of the fact that I don’t play soccer. I went with Vanny, and got my first Sapeda motors (motor bike) ride. Traffic in Manado is kind of crazy. There aren’t many actual traffic rules, but there are many unspoken, but known ones. Manadonese traffic makes even the worse US drivers look like pros.

Sirsak

Rambutan

When we arrived at her house, Vanny showed me around and introduced me to several family members and friends. Some of her friends and family didn’t speak English, so I got to use my very very limited Indonesian to introduce myself. Basically it consisted of me saying “Hello, my name is…” Despite the language barrier everyone was very gracious and welcoming. Vanny shared some Sirsak (soursop)  and rambutans with me. Sirsak is sour and sweet, with a flesh that is a cross between pineapple and coconut. Rambutans are slightly smaller than an egg, sweet with flesh like a grape and an almond sized pit. But the oddest thing about them is that they have a firm shell/skin that you can break with your fingers and easily peel off and the skin is covered in soft spikes. I would have never guessed that a fruit that looked like that could even exist. Fruit is a staple in the Indonesian diet. Nearly everyone has a fruit tree of some sort, and fruit is always shared. It is a community commodity. 

After this, the soccer game began and I spent most of the game hoping that the ball wouldn’t come towards me. I managed a few weak kicks at the ball, but mainly just gave moral support to my teammates, listened to their chatter in Indonesian, and enjoyed myself. Indonesia is hot during the day (lower 90’s), but as evening approaches, and the sun slips below the horizon, it begins to cool and the breezes grow stronger, making the heat bearable.

Durian

The next day, I did schooling with the kids and then we went back to Vanny’s community to play games with the younger kids (elementary ages). While we were playing games, one of the kids appointed herself as my guide. With the use of her limited English, my very limited Indonesian and many hand gestures, she helped me through the game. I also got meet and chat with several other missionaries. 

Yesterday (Friday) we did some more schooling. Towards evening Vanny came over to get Sarah, one of the kids, so that she could see the bunnies on campus. When they came back, Fanny brought back a treat, iced durian. I had been warned that while the Indonesians loved durian very few foreigners like it. The iced durian was a milk like liquid made from the fruit. Because of my previous warning, I only took a little sip. And it was everything that it had been described as and worse. I can’t really describe the taste except that I remember that it was disgusting and the impression of onions and sweet. I wanted to get a huge glass of water and maybe a tongue scrubber. Sam, the other kid, tried some a short while later, and the look on his face was priceless. He looked like he wanted to spit it out right then and there. Then he verbalized everything that I had been thinking. He asked, “Where is the water hose? Do we have any tea left? Chocolate milk? Anything?” Even though I will never ever eat it again, I’m glad that I tried it for the experience, but I swear, never, ever, ever again!

Indonesia has several western things, but I was told that most have an Indonesian spin, like seaweed Lay’s potato chips. Even the “Traditional Salty” Lay’s chips had a little bit of a sweet taste to them. I was told that most Indonesian foods have a little sweet in them. Manadonese food is also known for its spiciness. One of the intersections of these two things is KFC. Indonesians eat lots of chicken, and KFCs and Texas Chickens are prevalent around the city. The crunchy KFC was also spicy. The original recipe tasted pretty similar to American KFC, but was just a little sweet. 

Today, Saturday, I had a slow morning. I called home, got all of the news, and was a little sad to be missing all of the Labor Day weekend festivals and events. But then we headed out to one of Manado's water parks. Several of the other missionary families in the area meet us there. I ended up a little burnt, but had a blast. I'm pretty sure that I will sleep well tonight.