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.