Run, Forrest, Run!

If you've known me for any amount of time over a week, you probably know I'm a runner.  Running is my preferred form of exercise, and I'd like to think I'm fairly decent at it.  So, naturally, I brought my running shoes with me to Indonesia.  I hope you don't mind if I indulge in a bit more of a personal topic for this post, but I think you'll find that it does make for a rather singular story.

I've always enjoyed at least attempting to keep in shape, so I intended to do the same this year.  I'd run through and around cities before, why should this be any different?

Well, let me tell you, I wasn't sure what to expect, but it's entirely possible I bit off a little more than I can chew.  I'm accustomed to running along Kelly Drive, in Philadelphia, and on the River Trail, in Austin, TX.  Nice, paved paths of a somewhat circular shape, where one can mingle, sweat, suffer, and  train with other runners, bikers, walkers, and the occasional tightrope act (thanks for that, Austin).  Semarang is...a bit different.

I can't necessarily speak for the whole of Indonesia, but Semarang is not a runners' city.  In the time I've been here (4 months!), I've seen maybe a dozen persons out running, besides myself.  And I understand why.  It's not easy to run around here.  Now, you might know that I've done a few obstacle races, mainly  Tough Mudders.  Well, more than once, it's crossed my mind that just running through the streets of Semarang presents a variety of, ah, encumbrances, many of which are fairly reminiscent of a mild obstacle race.  I'm of the opinion that if someone wanted to create a low budget race, they could easily have their participants take to the streets around here, and their job would be practically finished.  In fact, I've taken the liberty of creating a rough draft for an advertisement for one such race.  I'm calling it "Tricky Trek: Semarang".  Enjoy!

*Infomercial voice narration*
Are popular obstacle races too extreme for you?  Or maybe they're getting boring, and you want a change of scenery?  Have no fear, the solution is here!  The newest race-maker on the scene, Tricky Trek Running, presents Tricky Trek: Semarang!  It's new, it's daring, and it'll make you sweat!  What more can you ask?  Here are some highlights of Tricky Trek: Semarang that we know you'll fly all the way to Indonesia just to endure!

You want obstacles?  You'll get obstacles.  And not those fancy, sophisticated towers that you have to jump off or climb over or some such nonsense that makes you feel like a superhero.  No, we've got all-natural, earthly obstacles for you.  For one thing, we're right on the equator! You think it gets cool enough here for a decent running climate?  Think again!  It's hot here, all day and all night, no matter when you run.  You'll love having to push yourself just a little bit harder because the heat makes that extra push extra necessary.  And we haven't even mentioned the best part yet: the humidity!  We guarantee (or your money back) that all your clothes will be completely soaked with sweat before you're halfway through the course, and you will have solid proof that your body's cooling system is functioning perfectly... until of course you run out of sweat.  But hey, dehydration is part of the fun, right?  You bet!

(Side note:  I've never gotten sweat in my eyes until I ran in this heat.  That's how much I sweat.  And it takes forever for my body to reach equilibrium again.  Even after I shower and drink a ton of water, I still look like I just jumped in a pool, because my body is then recovering from dehydration.  I feel like the character Moist from Dr. Horrible. 
[Side-side note: If you haven't seen Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog,  do yourself a favor.  It's on YouTube, it's 45 minutes, and it's probably the most entertaining and cathartic short movie you've seen in a while.]  But I digress.)

But get this, not only will we provide an abundance of heat and humidity, but we'll throw in another natural obstacle: the very air itself!  That's right!  We know some other courses use some obstacle where you have to deal with breathing in smoke, or some form of gas.  We can top that easily.  Semarang has a constant cloud of smog hanging just below the clouds.  Add to that some vehicle exhaust fumes, smoke from burning rubbish piles, and cigarette smoke from folks along the way, and you've got a recipe for one heck of a challenge for your lungs!  Just trust us, you'll feel even more triumphant at the finish line when you think about what you've put your body through.

But it doesn't stop there.  There are physical obstacles too, or we couldn't rightly call ourself an obstacle race.  Now, we can't be bothered with filling pits with  mud, or building awesome monkey bars or rope courses, but we don't need to!  The course itself holds plenty of challenges already built in.  For instance, we don't want you getting lost in the many unmarked streets of Semarang, so we'll make it nice and easy for you, a nice straight shot down a major road.  Plenty of cars and motorbikes will be zipping past you, so you'll have to be extra careful running in the road.  You could, of course, run on the sidewalks; there you can test your nimbleness, jumping over gaping holes in the cement that drop into the sewer below, dodging piles of building materials that someone may or may not get to in a week or two, and especially ducking around pedestrians who are certainly not used to runners on the sidewalk, and will take up the entire space, no exceptions!  

Now, before we elaborate further on the excitement that awaits you  on the sidewalk, we should make one thing clear.  When we say sidewalk, we only mean it's a space next to the road where the possibility of walking exists.  There are 2 types of sidewalks in Semarang:  in the downtown area, they are about a foot high (30 cm) and frequently lined with flower boxes on the side next to the road.  These provide a great opportunity for some parkour-like stunts should there be a pedestrian or some other obstacle in your way, and you need to get around.  These "other obstacles" might include trees planted in the middle of the walk, electrical systems, and their necessary protection poles, or maybe a car pulled all the way up so that it's out of the road, but not quite inside the gate of whatever building the driveway belongs.  However, there are places where the walk is nice and wide, and several people should easily be able to walk abreast.  Right? Nope!  The city doesn't want motorcycles jumping up there and skipping all the traffic, so these areas have stanchions and chains stretching across the entire walk, leaving you only a small space to fit through, unless you want to jump the chains.  It'll give you a great chance to show your adaptability, while looking pretty cool the whole time; talk about a great photo opp!

The other kind of sidewalk would not be considered as such per say by most Westerners, which adds to the exotic appeal of our course.  These are the spaces next to the road in other parts of the city besides the downtown area; they do act as walkways, but also as driveways, shoulders, parking lots, and prime real estate for the plenitude of food vendors that set up their carts and/or tents along the side of the road every morning.  These side spaces are not cement, but dirt and rocks.  We may not have mountains for you to run up, or streams to wade through, but boy do we have some great dirt and rocks, perfect for testing the strength of your ankles should you step the wrong way! All of these obstacles - the motorbikes and cars, the food sellers, and the unevenness in the terrain - provide an added mental challenge where you'll have to calculate if there's a way around it, over it, or through it, or if you should just step into the road and pronounce yourself a vehicle!  We recommend this latter choice more than the sidewalk, as it is the most straightforward, if perhaps a bit dangerous.  You'll have to master the technique of merging from the sidewalk into the street, which, surprisingly, may take a bit of practice!  However, once you  do, you'll be able to jump in and out of the busy traffic with ease, putting yourself miles ahead of the competition!

We'd like to highlight one more excellent proof of the epic challenge that awaits you here at Tricky Trek: Semarang: the essence of the race itself.  Not only will you compete against other humans (and the occasional chicken on the sidewalk), but you'll compete against the very forces of nature!  Daylight lasts from 5:50 am to 5:50 pm here, and not a second longer!  If you sign up now, you'll have your choice of starting time:  If you choose morning, you'll have all the light you want, but you'll only have so long until the traffic gets heavy.  This means more cars to avoid, more exhaust fumes in the air, more vendors on the sidewalk, and the heat of the morning sun.  However, should you choose to race in the evening, no more direct sunlight!  Unfortunately, this also means the sun is setting, and you'll have to finish before darkness sets in.  We at Tricky Treks strongly discourage running the course after nightfall, but hey, it's your challenge!

So come on down to Semarang!  It won't be your typical run in the park, but it'll be one you'll never forget!

Right, well, that would be my  promotion.  You think it's enough?  I could talk more about how there are no cross walks, and you have to just wait for a break in traffic to weave in and out to the other side.  Or I could mention that there are areas which don't even have a semblance of a sidewalk, you simply must run in the road.  You think that would scare people away?  Probably not, I'd say I have a pretty strong argument here.  I bet this place would be crawling with runners in no time if someone used this proposal.

Now, I don't mean to imply there are no runners in Indonesia.  Runners are everywhere.  Runners are weird.  They'll run in any conditions, and any circumstances, and I'm proud to consider myself among their number.  In fact, I've run two races here, which I've never actually done in the US.  I've run one 5k and one half-marathon.  The 5k taught me that there are indeed courses suitable for running outside the city...on the side of a mountain.  I totally botched that race, for several reasons, but one of which was that I had trained only on flat terrain, and the top runners were obviously  used to running up and down a mountain.  I would love to see their training ground.  My half-marathon was on more or less flat terrain, and I learned several lessons there too.  First, there are certainly fast Indonesians, both male and female.  They gave me a run for my money, though I'd like to think I did the same.  Secondly, I learned a little something about myself,  but I'm not going to wax philosophical on you.  Something about pushing my mental limits and having /beating self-made standards.  The point is that running in Indonesia has thrown some unexpected challenges at me, and I've had to take it and deal with it as it comes: a lesson I've had to learn in the past, but which comes in different forms, and is rather useful to relearn.

Anyway, let it not be said that I came to Indonesia and left unimproved!  Regardless of whether or not I return in the same shape as when I left, the experience is worth it, and it makes a great story.  (And yes, I do question the fate of my physical shape, because no matter how much I run, it's hard to compete with a steady diet of rice and fried food.  But hey, that's Indonesia!)

Sempai Jumpa!
Oh, and Merry Christmas!

A Serving of Culture, with a Side of Tradition.

Before I begin my next post, I'd like to draw your attention to the left sidebar.  Yes, I've been posting photos on Facebook, but the albums on the left are more complete.  Plus:  Now with captions!

America has often been described as a melting pot: a massive conglomeration of countries, people, and culture coming together to form the society that exists today.  (In fact, I accidentally discovered that the Indonesian Sign Language gesture for America is basically stirring a large pot...coincidence?) As such, I'm finding that it's rather difficult to nail down aspects of "American Culture."  It's actually a question I've been asked a lot, and it's made me question whether or not there actually is such a thing.  Sure, there's Western culture, which include much of Europe , and that's easily classified because many Asian countries have their own distinct cultures that can be easily distinguishable  from those of the west.  But every European country can also claim their own cultural traditions.  Because of that, the overarching term "Western Culture" is far too general to be descriptive.  Now, the funny thing is that many of those same European customs spread to America.  Many Americans are very proud of their heritage, European or otherwise.  Nearly everyone I know can rattle off whether they're "half-German, half-Danish" or "A quarter Welsh, a quarter Irish, and half English," or "A little of Italian, a bit of Irish, a lot of Polish, and a smidge of gypsy".  This, therefore, gives them a chance to exploit those culture aspects to which their heritage gives them an unquestionable right.  Perhaps the Irish in your blood gives you a bit more of an affinity for Jack Daniels and Flogging Molly, or maybe your love of Italian food culminates in your conviction that nothing can beat your Italian grandmother's tomato sauce (I myself happen to fall in both categories.)  But does that fall under the category of "American Culture"?  I'm inclined to say no, it's only borrowing. 

Ok then, so what is truly American?  Baseball? Sure.  Cheesesteaks? If they're from Philly, most definitely.  Apple pie? I guess, but only because all the songs say so.  Look, here's why I'm trying to figure this out: when it comes to culture and tradition, Indonesia is wealthy.  There is a massive amount of tradition that comes from Indonesia and stays in Indonesia and is embraced by all its people.  It's really hard to compare the Melting Pot to a country that can so easily nail down what is its traditional and cultural heritage.  The entire time I've been here, I've repeatedly heard how this dish is a traditional food, and that's traditional music, and he's wearing traditional clothing.  Not that I'm complaining; I love it and I find it fascinating.  Here are some of my favorite bits of serious culture I've encountered here. 

This puppet was a gift
from a friend.  It is the
character "Bima".

My first month here, I was fortunate enough to see the Ramayana ballet.  This was a gorgeous dance production in an outdoor theatre which told the story of Prince Rama and his wife Sinta, a fairy tale that nearly every Indonesian child knows growing up.  In the same way that Americans are raised on The Three Little Pigs, Little Red Riding Hood, and Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Indonesians are raised with myths about the kings and princesses of old Indonesia.  These tales are fraught with magic, talking animals, tragedy, sacrifice, and heroic warriors.  They are told in various mediums; among the most famous is the Wayang  Puppet Theatre.  Now, these characters are so well known, and the stories so heavily part of tradition, that the shape of the puppets of the main characters are as recognizable and prevalent as Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny.  You'll find them as stickers on motorbike helmets, logos in store windows, even decorations along the main road.  It's wonderful to see characters who are thousands of years old being embraced both as history and a part of every day life.

Just for a second, I want to let my inner theatre geek run loose.  I loved the Ramayana ballet in every way, but even more so because of what you can see in this video.  You'd never ever see something like that in an American theatre.  Something to do with safety laws and fire hazards and probably OSHA regulations.  So, for me, it was totally awesome. 

I want to touch on the food, but only briefly because I still have trouble remembering the names of everything.  However, there are so many traditional dishes or snacks, and most of them are very regional.  Yes, I know that we have specialty dishes in America (Chicago-style pizza or Louisiana BBQ), but Indonesia takes it to a whole other level.  I'll often hear that, for example, this particular way of cooking and serving this particular meat is the traditional dish of this particular city, or maybe even this other island.  And maybe you can find that dish everywhere, but its origin is always recognized.  Here's another example.  When you travel to a different city, it's customary to bring something back for your family or co-workers, and snack food is a perfectly acceptable gift.  It makes it even better if the food is native to that city.  Fortunately, it's fairly easy to ascertain because it'll be written right across the packaging.  Perhaps it won't be terribly different from a similar bag of fried chips or baked chocolaty doughy thing from somewhere else, but it will indeed have its own style, and therefore: Boom. Traditional food of [insert city name here]. 

As you may have seen from my pictures, I've been able to attend several wedding parties.  Notice how I say wedding parties, not just weddings...I'll explain in a second.  As you might expect, Indonesian wedding traditions are severely different from American traditions. (Side note: yes, I do feel perfectly comfortable calling American weddings traditional, because there is definitely a certain style and certain aspects that are present in all American weddings.)  Indonesian weddings are cool and interesting because they have not only the official and religious aspects, but also the traditional culture that plays a role.  In the city of Semarang, it's Javanese culture.  That means Javanese dress, food, customs, and ceremonies.  The easiest way to explain it  is to take you through it.  Now, this was the procedure for the first wedding I went to, but of course it may be a bit different for others. 

The bride (right) and her
family the wedding eve.

The night before the wedding is just as much a part of the celebration as the next day.  Chairs and food and music will be set up in the tent (there's always a tent) for anyone who wants to drop by. There are some small ceremonies that may happen, depending on the family or other circumstances, but a lot if it is just everyone hanging out.  You'll probably run into the bride and/or groom at some point, but not necessarily.  So the next day, the couple gathers with their families and close friends at the mosque.  Bear in mind Indonesia is 80-90% Muslim, so this is probably pretty typical.  I'll let you know how a Christian or Catholic wedding differs if I have the opportunity.  Now, this time at the mosque is for paperwork and prayers.  However, it's not a whole big thing.  There  were only about 20 people there.  It was a simple, quiet half hour or so.  After the paperwork and prayers, pictures were taken with the bride and groom (so many pictures, too many, in my humble opinion) and they drove off...somewhere.  I'm not sure.  But everyone else went home until the wedding

The groom makes his entrance.

party started an hour later.  The wedding party is the main event.  While the business at the mosque might last half an hour, the wedding party lasts 3-4 hours.  It's the main event of the day. It began with the entrance of the groom into the tent with his family behind him.  He met the bride in the middle of the tent, and there were many words spoken that I had no hope of understanding by two rather official looking gentlemen.  After that began the Javanese customs.  Unfortunately I couldn't see past everyone else gathered around, but I did manage to see that the couple shared food and drink, and begged permission from their parents, first from the bride's, then from the groom's.  Then they took their seats on their thrones (see pictures) and received guests.  For everyone else, this is when the eating and socializing begins in earnest.  There's music (traditional, of course) and a ton of food.  The guests arrive and sign the guest book, receive a party favor, and greet the families of the newlyweds.  They proceed to the throne to greet and congratulate the bride and groom, and probably get a picture with them.  Guests can include not only friends and family, but everyone from the neighborhood and friends of friends, and maybe even friends of friends of friends, like me.  One Sunday, two friends and I went to 3 different wedding parties, because one of them had received an invite, and it was passed down the line to me.  To be honest, it actually felt a bit like grad party hopping.  But the food was excellent and the decorations and  traditional clothing was always beautiful.

So that's pretty much all there is to it.  Lot's of food, people, music, and photos.  I do have one curious anecdote following the wedding.  A few weeks later, I was visiting the neighborhood again and I met the couple on the street.  After greeting me, the bride asked to touch my nose.  I was a bit baffled by the request, but I don't really have a personal bubble, so I didn't mind.  My friend explained afterward that if a mother wants her child to have a certain aspect of someone she knows, she'll want some sort of interaction with that person.  Maybe she'll get a picture with them, or touch the part of the body that she likes.  In this case, the bride wanted her future child to have a nose like mine.  (Apparently a lot of Indonesians enjoy the sharp noses of Westerners.) 

There's so much more I can talk about, but this thing is long enough as it is.  If you have any thoughts on my ponderings about American Culture, leave a comment! Sampai jumba!

How Are We Getting Home?

I've been here for exactly two months now.  I've taken pretty much every sort of transportation there is around here so far: car, motorbike, bus, train, taxi, angkot.  Well, everything except a pedicab.  I didn't take them in Austin, and I definitely don't plan to here.  For the most part, transportation runs the same way it does in any other countries, with some minor differences.   Allow me to illustrate.

Cart/taxi: It's like the UK...it's backwards.  The steering wheel is on the right, and you drive on the left side of the road.  It was weird getting used to.  Owning a car in Semarang is a luxury, albeit a bit of a hassle.  It takes much longer to get anywhere by car, partially because most of the streets are only one lane for each direction.  You also have to watch out for all the motorbikes skipping in and out of traffic.  It feels like you're an elephant and there are a bunch of cats running circles around you.  And you don't really care, you just have to let them do their thing, and you do yours.  But I'm getting ahead of myself.  Other differences include the transmission -- most cars are manual -- and the highways.  Every highway is a toll road.  There aren't a ton of highways, but if you use one, you have to pay.  And only cars and trucks are allowed.

Bus: A bus is a bus is a bus.  The buses here are a bit smaller, and don't run on a timetable.  You pretty much show up to the bus stop and hope Fate catches the hint.  They don't have fancy-shmancy electric scrolling signs to tell you what your next stop is, there's a person who's paid to do that (which I actually like better,  I can pay less attention and just listen for my stop.)  This is also the person who controls the human capacity of the bus.  If there's no room, nobody's getting on.  We ran into this problem at the work camp in southern Java.  Our group had 17, and it took us 4 buses to get all of us from one place to another.

Train:  Again, same as anywhere else.  Except, obviously, they're built for Indonesians.  That means less leg room for the 5'11'' (178 cm) westerner.  And when you're 3 to a seat, and there's 3 people across from you, it gets a little cramped.

Behold.
The angkot in its natural habitat.

Angkot:   Here's one you won't find in any western cities.  The angkot is a small van with the back cleared out.  Their paint jobs are color-coded to what route they run, but they don't have designated stops.  You just wait for one to come by, flag it down, jump in the open door (closing the door would take too much time) and find a seat on a bench in a back.  For being so small, they can hold a decent number of people; record number I've seen was 10, plus a child on a lap.  They also all have slightly different prices, depending on the route.  And in some cases, depending on the color of your skin.  Now, I've come to expect getting a bit of a higher price in certain situations, usually where no price is actually posted anywhere.  At the market, you're expected to haggle, but angkot drivers are notorious for charging foreigners more than the locals.  If you do happen to know the regular price, sometimes you can get away with paying that, instead of what they charge you.  Sometimes you can't.  I was once with a few other volunteers when we ran into an awkward situation.  One volunteer knew what the regular price was and we paid that, instead of the slightly higher price we were charged.  Not only was the driver not cool with it, but he actually got out of the vehicle and demanded his higher price.  Unfortunately for my pacifistic, non-confrontational nerves, it turned into a ten-minute-long scene, complete with a bemused audience and a group of taxi drivers trying to act as liaisons.  It was rather uncomfortable.

And now, ladies and gentlemen, the cream of the crop, the soup of the day, the most popular method of transportation in Semarang:  The Motorbike.

Just about everyone owns a motorbike here.  They're cheaper than cars, easy to store, a piece of cake to handle, and a breeze to take anywhere.  There are entire lots and side streets dedicated to parking motorbikes near popular locations.  And since everyone has one, it kind of destroys the notion of motorcyclists as these big, tough, tattooed dudes wearing leather jackets (American stereotype) or these slick, sunglasses-wearing ninjas with gelled hair who can do 6 kinds of martial arts over the handlebars (Japanese stereotype).

Nah.

Everyone has one, from your average student to the older shop-owner to the small school teachers.  I was fairly amused when in my first week a 5'2'' girl I had made friends with  pointed out her own motorbike as we walked past.  That amusement has since worn off, especially since I've ridden shotgun behind a similarly built young woman.

And there's the real fun part. Riding shotgun.  Until you get used to it, it's like a roller coaster derailed.  You hang on for dear, sweet life and hope to not get pushed off backwards by those pesky laws of physics that seem to apply just a little more at that moment.  Fortunately, every motorbike has some sort of handle behind the seat, so you don't have to get extra familiar with your driver every time you go up or down a steep hill (of which there are many), around a sharp corner (of which there are many), or pick up a burst of speed after stopping at a traffic light (of which there are not nearly as many as most American cities).  Now, all this is all well and good, and pretty much what you might expect from riding shotgun anywhere.  What sets Semarang apart are the traffic patterns.  You know how there are those lines on the road that divide traffic?  Solid means "Don't pass!", dotted means "Ok, you can pass this guy in front of you who's going like 3 mph less than you, but you'd better do it quick if you don't want to get smooshed"...?  Yeah, all the lines are dotted here.  Guess what that means?  You've got motorbikes weaving in and out, not only between same-direction lanes, but the entire road, maybe swerving back into the correct lane just in time to not get smooshed.  Or maybe you're pulling out on the wrong side of traffic, but you can't get over just yet?  Not to worry, just cruise slowly on the side of the road into opposing traffic until you can get over.  Anything goes.  It's actually kind of adorable to think of those California bikers who think they're the bee's knees as the weave through the absurdity of west coast traffic.  They've got nothing on the motorbikes who are literally all over the road here.

And cars are doing it too.  Sometimes the lanes are wide enough to fit more than one car, so that means maybe two or three in a row, plus any given number of motorbikes.  At traffic lights, the motorbikes are all bunched up in front, like a herd of wildebeest before a hyena shows up and freaks them out.  And yes, that was a poor attempt at a thinly- veiled Lion King reference, but the stampede that follows isn't actually too much of a stretch on the metaphor.  The thing is, if Simba was an Indonesian pedestrian, he would have been totally chill.  Pedestrians aren't terribly common, because everyone prefers to take their motorbike to any place over a 1.63 minute walk (actual statistic, based on my own clever cynicism).  However, if someone is walking, and they need to cross the street, they just do it, in a way Nike would pay thousands to get endorsed.  And, unlike Philly, where they'd get honked at and shouted at and probably not hit (probably), there's no reaction at all here.  People expect it.  I have a strong suspicion that drivers' reflexes here are much faster than westerners' because they're never surprised by a pedestrian in the road, or a motorbike suddenly appearing in front of them, or a car trying to do a U-Turn.  Everyone's cool with it.  It's like everyone knows these unwritten rules of the road, and nobody complains.  It's fascinating.  A little scary, slightly insane, but fascinating.

Didn't See That One Coming...

A certain question was frequently put to me in my preparation for this venture:  "Are you nervous?"  My reply was always "No, I don't really know what to expect, so I have nothing to worry about yet."  This was a perfectly true statement.  I tried to begin this experience with few, if any, expectations.  Expectations, however, are funny things.  I've learned that even if one has none for a specific event, every person still has general ideas as to how the world works, or at least, how it SHOULD work.  "People get road rage," "Cats explore everything and everywhere," "Pickles are and always will be nasty, odorous little splats of green yuck, and shouldn't go anywhere near a burger."  That sort of thing.  However, even these general principles of life that we've all built up over the course of a lifetime of pickle misfortunes can be prodded and abused.  Here are some surprises I've had in my recent and expanding experience in Indonesia.

Smoking:  Very popular, and there's no age limit.  You can start smoking in the cradle if that's how your parents roll.  It's also permitted in restaurants and malls and such.   However, many of the cigarette packs have horrific pictures of lung cancer and gum disease printed on them.  A very appetizing sight when you're waiting in line.

Frozen:  This bloody Disney movie.  It's everywhere.  I thought it was bad in the US but no.  It's a plague here.  The White Plague.  (Actually, I kinda like that.  I might keep using that.)  I don't think I've seen even a hint of any other Disney movie outside of stores in the mall, except MAYBE Mickey and Minnie.  But I've seen Frozen everywhere there are kids.  It's scary.

Selfies: OH DEAR LORD THE SELFIES.  So...many...selfies... It's the thing to do. Along with generally taking millions of pictures with friends.   I've accepted it as part of the culture, but I still find it highly amusing.  And, as my skin color, height, nose shape, etc. is rather unusual here, it has become very unsurprising if someone wants a selfie with me.  Let me paint you a picture.  I was at a small festival with some friends and there were some folks from a reptile conservation showing off thier charges.  One of the caretakers wanted a picture with me and one of the snakes.  Then someone else jumped in with another snake, and then a bunch of other people threw their phones at their friends and jumped in with us and soon there were somewhere between 6-9 folks posing with the reptiles and the white guy.  It was very entertaining.

Flash Cards:  You know, index cards, note cards, flash cards... ring a bell?  Not here.  They don't exist.  I've looked.  And nobody's ever heard of them.  It's not exactly earth-shattering, but it makes studying Indonesian vocab a wee bit trickier.

How Quickly I Learned to Say My Age in Indonesian:  Rather quickly.  I was informed about this during my training upon arrival; that which is considered "personal info" in the US has no such meaning here.  People have no problem asking for or giving information about their age, height, weight, relationship status, religion, etc.  It's just part of the culture.  So you roll with it.
Uumur saya dua puluh lima tahun.  Btw.

The Sun:  Apparently, being almost directly on the equator means the sun rises and sets at the same time every day.  And that time is between 5:30 and 6:00, both in the morning and evening.  Almost exactly 12 hours of daylight.  Can't argue with consistency.

Tofu: As common in meals as chicken and fish.  Or to Americans, chicken and turkey.

Islam Call to Prayer:  I've learned many, many things about Islam so far.  It's been super interesting.  I'll probably end up talking about it in a later post.  As you may or may not know, Muslims pray five times a day: Sunrise, noon, 3:00pm, sunset, and 7:00pm.  As it was explained to me, repeated prayer serves as a constant reminder of God's presence and the individual's duty to him.  Fair enough, I can respect that.  But upon my arrival, I was not prepared for the call to prayer.  This is the public announcement that serves as a reminder that the time for prayer is approaching.
Storytime.  I stayed in a guest house for my first week.  This house commanded a pretty fair view of Semarang: not a bad tactic for a welcoming.  I had just moved my stuff into my room and was outside examining the city which was to be my home for a year, when suddenly, down from the city, and a bit to my right, a strange intonation arose.  It took me a minute to figure out it was coming from a loudspeaker and another minute of failing to figure out if it was human or recorded.  But by the time these two minutes had passed, another voice started up, this time down and to my left.  It was also over a loudspeaker, and it was the same sort of intoning, (not singing), but it was definitely a different voice, and therefore a different key.  The two voices did not harmonize.  A third voice arose, then a fourth.  The first one finished.  A fifth began, somewhere else.  The voices rose all over the city before me, different persons, different "melodies" (for lack of a better word).  Eventually, after about fifteen minutes, one voice was left.  Then it was over.  The experience was fascinating, strange, and, I'll admit, a bit eerie.  I've grown quite used to it by now, but there's a part of me that enjoys hearing it. It's almost comforting.

Difficulty Explaining English Words: I was not ready for this one.  If I say so myself, it's a GOOD thing I'm pretty darn good with English grammar and have a pretty decent vocabulary, because I've really been tested.  I was totally caught off guard by having to explain the difference between "really" and "very."  Think about it.  It's not as easy as it seems.  Some other examples I've had to field:  Bathroom vs Restroom, Would vs Will, when it's appropriate to use "I've" vs "I Have," and Beside vs Besides.  I've also had to define certain words.  Have you ever had to define "Acknowledge" in simple terms?  I haven't.  It's not exactly a cakewalk.  However, I'm a word nerd and I love it.  That being said, it will be very ironic if there are any errors in this post.  (Yes, correct use of "irony.")

New This, New That, New Those.

Ladies and Germs, welcome to the first actual installment of this experience.  It's only been two weeks, but believe me when I say they have been jam-packed with new experiences.  I shan't bore you with all the details of all the little things, but I can give you an overview, and then expand on some other topics.  Thus far:

Week 1: Introduction to Semarang
-Navigated several foreign airports and one hotel
-Visited downtown Semarang multiple times
-Been given much information on what to do, what not to do, what to expect, and how to deal with it
-Ridden shotgun on a motorbike in a city where motorbikes are far more common than cars, and are certainly the authority
-Gone to a traditional market and shyly and pathetically attempted to bargain for a bit of fruit and a pair of sandals
-Been part of a disagreement between Indonesians and foreigners over an angkot fare (I'll explain what an angkot is later, but it's a form of public transportation). (Actually, I shouldn't say I was part of it, I really just stood there.  Again, more on that later).
-Spent a day in the Yogasmara Special Needs School and met all of the teachers and students

Week 2: Cultural Heritage Work Camp

-Lived in a little village towards the south of central Java
-Toured, learned about, and helped to restore 1200-year-old temples
-Learned to play the bonang, a traditional Indonesian instrument
-Went for my first run in-country, between the fields of tobacco and chili
-(shout out to the Austin Beer Run Club in helping me prepare for running in the humidity!)
-Attended a wonderful ballet describing the myth of Rama and Shinta (more on that later)
-Learned to do my laundry by hand
-Made spaghetti and sauce with Indonesian ingredients
-Made friends from all over Indonesia, as well as from Tunisia and Egypt

I won't tell all of these stories, but hopefully that give you a taste of life here so far.  I will certainly expand later where necessary, but for now I'll just describe the transition process so far and put any worries you have to rest.

On one hand, the transition has been fairly easy, though it is still ongoing.  At this point, my body hasn't had any problems with the food, environment, or atmosphere, though I am still waiting for that shoe to drop.  The language barrier hasn't been too much of a problem yet either, since nearly everyone I have been around thus far has known English.  That will change very shortly when I move to my project tomorrow, but I have also become used to Indonesian being spoken around me.  Jet lag hasn't been a problem either; in fact, I've tried to use it to my advantage.  I've woken up after 7am only once.  I'm trying to make it a good habit, albeit an attempt to change a life-long preference of sleeping in.  We'll see what happens.

One tricky detail that I'm still adjusting to is the Indonesian Rupiah.  $1.00 gets me 7,000 Rupiah.  And yes, that is seven thousand, but I've learned to treat the comma like a decimal point.  If I don't, it's like thinking of $5.00 as five hundred cents.  So now the trick is just to learn what sort of costs to expect for various items.

I certainly don't mean to act like it's been all sunshine and rainbows (although technically, it's been 100% sunshine and 0% rain or rainbows).  I have been homesick several times.  My very first night in Semarang, I awoke with a spllitting headache.  Naturally, I missed my own bed and, yes, my mother.  During the work camp in the village, somebody put on various scenes from the Sound of Music.  I grew up with that movie, so, naturally, I missed home.  But the point is I'm doing alright;  things could be much much worse.

I promise next post will be much less about me and much more about the stories I have to tell. There are already many concepts and parts of life here that I want to describe, and to elaborate on how different many things are, or how similar.  I look forward to sharing them with you.

The First Step

Hello Ladies and Gentlemen,

Welcome to the adventure.  On or around August 1st, I shall be departing the United States and flying to Jakarta Airport on Java Island in Indonesia.  At the moment, I am still in the process of raising money, filling out paperwork, applying for a Visa, getting vaccinations, and so on.  However, the time will probably pass faster than I expect, and this next chapter of my life will begin very shortly.

This blog has a purpose other than feeding my own hubris, or bragging about my adventures while honing my writing skills.  No, my main reason is that so many people that have given me support, advice, encouragement, and donations to make this endeavor possible. Obviously, you all want to see the product of your gifts, so I will do my best to show you.  I'll try to update about once a month, and fill you in on various anecdotes about the children with whom I will be working and the various people I will meet throughout the country.  I'll outline my life share what I can about the education I receive concerning both tangible concepts like Indonesian culture, and more abstractions I may realize about life and human nature.  Because I imagine I will see and (attempt to) understand many new things.  I'll also post any pictures or videos I take along the way.

I'll briefly outline my project.  I'll be working through the volunteer organization DeJavato at the Yogasmara Special Needs School.  It is toward the eastern side of the island, around Semarang.  I will help the teachers in whatever way I can: arts and crafts, or sports, or whatever therapies the children have to go through.  At first, I will only be observing and helping out in small ways, since, obviously, I won't know the language.  I expect as I grow more accustomed to life there, I'll be more directly involved in the happenings around the school.  And then I'll tell you all about it.

I hope you're as excited about the next year as much as I am.  I look forward to hearing from you during its course. I also want to thank you all again for your constant support.  It means the world to me, but, more importantly it means the world to the children.  With you all behind me, I believe that I will definitely be able to make a positive impact throughout my time in Indonesia.