I was busy this past month playing host! My mom and grandma visited for Christmas and New Year’s, while my dad and stepmom visited later in January. I will include pictures from various parts of the trips that I took with both sets of visitors; but I plan to write solely about our time together at site. This was the most surreal and enjoyable parts of the past month. Mom and grandma visited towards the end of December. They made the trip to site after spending a few days in Singapore. This was purposely arranged so that they had a buffer to adjust to the new time zone before I threw them into rural Java. Grandma repeatedly said--and I eventually came around to believe--she doesn’t experience jet lag. Regardless, both grandma and mom were ready to go by the time we ventured from Surabaya to Tulungagung. My host family was patiently waiting outside on the front porch to properly welcome my mom and grandma when we arrived at the house. It felt strange walking my mom to the front porch that I frequent so often with Bu Hertati and Pak Djito. I felt as if I was arriving at a place that suddenly seemed so unfamiliar to me. After brief introductions, and a lot of awkward head bows and prayer hands, I escorted the two important guests to my room. We were able to decompress after a long day of traveling. I might have needed the peace and quiet more than they did. I gave mom and grandma my bed to use throughout their stay. The gesture sounds nicer than in reality. My bed is hardly comfortable. Bu Hertati purchased a small mattress for me to use on the floor. The mosquito net, fan, and sheer exhaustion, made for three solid nights of sleep. I was worried about how well my guests would sleep in such a different environment from back home, but a lack of sleep never seemed to be an issue. Students were on semester break, which meant that school was much quieter than usual. The English Club students, however, were excited to meet my mom and grandma. We arranged a special English Club meeting so that the students could meet my family and get to know them. In preparation for the event, my counterparts drove mom, grandma, and me to a fruit market in the nearby city. We bought supplies for next day’s cooking lesson. Mas W introduced mom and grandma to many new fruits: rambutan, snake fruit, duku, and kelengkang. They liked all of them, except for the snake fruit. I don’t like that one either. The English Club event was a blast. The students taught us how to make rujak, a typical Javanese dish that requires the many fruits we purchased earlier at the market. We tossed the fruit in a spicy peanut sauce. Mom and grandma approved! We went around the various groups of students, tasting each dish that they prepared. We taught the students how to make guacamole. We figured this dish would be easy for the students to replicate on their own, since it does not require odd ingredients or an oven. Avocados are popular here on Java, but they are used entirely different from back home. While I typically see an avocado used as a vegetable--on a burrito bowl with rice, in a sandwich, etc.--Indonesians use avocado as a fruit. They drink avocado as juice with a good amount of sugar. That’s far different from the avocado toast people rave about back home. Both cultures enjoy the avocado, but in different ways. Therefore, using the ingredient was an excellent way to cross a bridge between two cultures. Amy did an excellent job of introducing the English words for various ingredients and procedures throughout the preparation process. She is a natural volunteer! Grandma had fun roaming between the groups of students, asking them questions and sparking conversation. The students rolled their eyes when we combined tomatoes with the avocados, and some pretended to gag when we added the garlic. I told them to keep an open mind and to withhold judgement until after they sampled the food. The food was, as expected, fairly polarizing. I didn’t find a student expressing indifference to the guacamole. There were many students who loved it! They couldn’t get enough. Then there were plenty of students who couldn’t get far enough away from the food. Kids will be kids, I suppose. Each night at site ended with some quiet time on the front porch. My mom and grandma were able to meet neighbors. They smiled and nodded their heads while I did my best to translate. They were impressed by how hospitable everyone was in my village. I remember thinking the same thing when I moved here. Their visit was a good reminder to appreciate that hospitality until I leave later on this year. My mom, host mom, grandma, and neighbor wore matching dresses the last morning before we returned to Surabaya. My two worlds had become one. The goodbye between my American family and my Indonesian family was fairly emotional. There were a lot of tears, despite only being together for about 72 hours. It was the first time Bu Hertati cried in front of me. It was the first time I had ever seen Pak Djito cry. I was sad to see the visit end. These important people from my two worlds had collided for a short period of time, and that will likely never happen again. I fought hard to keep tears back when we pulled away from the house. I would see my host family again soon, but I couldn’t help but imagine what it will be like when I pull away from the house for my last time in June. My dad and Denise visited a few weeks into the new semester, which meant that there was plenty of action to see at school. The joined me and Bu Pita to help teach one of my English classes. We were supposed to focus on a recount text lesson plan, but Bu Pita encouraged me to lead a “fun class” so that the students could engage with the visitors. We worked on introductions so that dad and Denise could get to know the students. Both of them did a terrific job mingling throughout the classroom. The students read their daily routine homework, which we had assigned them the previous week to practice the simple past. Dad and Denise asked follow up questions and complimented the students on their skills. We spent time walking around the village. We walked through rice fields and up the side of the mountain to a waterfall. They were impressed with the beauty of the village, which I have come to take for granted. As much as I try to enjoy the rice fields and coconut tree canopies, I still get into a mode when I push those things out of my mind during my bike rides. Dad and Denise also experienced the inconvenient aspects of Indonesia’s rainy season: hard rain and frequent power outages. They handled those obstacles with ease. They enjoyed going through my normal daily routine. We stopped at the corner store to buy soap, tissues, and ice cream. We went to a nearby warung to buy friend rice for dinner. We even stopped to see Pak Yantos, where dad and I got haircuts. It was the first time in twenty years that someone else cut my dad’s hair! Pak Yantos was excited to hear that. The flu had been going around the village prior to dad and Denise’s arrival. Mas W had it and both of my host parents had it. I came down with the flu the same day that dad and Denise arrived on Java. Dad started to get sick on the second day at site. Fortunately, Denise avoided it for the duration of the visit to site. They were patient and thoughtful about my health during their stay. I think they enjoyed the downtime, considering that they had arrived in Indonesia only twelve hours before heading to site. They didn’t have the luxury to overcome jet lag before being immersed in rural Java! Dad and Denise gave Pak Djito a carton of classic Marlboro cigarettes before we departed from the house. Pak Djito was very excited. He asked to take pictures of dad presenting him the gift. The cigarettes go well with the ashtray that mom had already brought. The host family, neighbors, teachers, and students enjoyed the snacks that my mom, grandma, dad, and Denise carried from the other side of the world. I am excited to hand out the Warheads to my English Club students in the coming weeks! I don’t plan to share the M&Ms; those are for me! I plan to eat the chocolates and enjoy some alone time these next few weeks. The best part of having visitors was listening to all of their questions. It was fascinating to see the perspectives of people who had only just arrived in Indonesia. Many of the things they found so fascinating--the motorcycles, fruit, and traffic--are things to which I have grown accustomed. Their questions brought me back to a time when I was mesmerized with those common observations. I think my last months in country will be much more enjoyable if I can view my village through the lens of the guy who showed up in Indonesia almost two years ago. The questions they asked also reminded me about how much I still have to learn about this country. There were so many questions that I could not answer on my own! Those questions remind me how I still have a lot more to learn before I end my service. I shouldn’t ever think that I’ve learned as much as possible or reached my full potential as a volunteer. There is still plenty to do and even more to learn during my last semester of service. I hope these last months in Indonesia provide the most answers and ideas yet! Shout-Outs:
SO to my DC friends for using the word “chessecurdy” to describe me. I take it as a compliment. SO to the friends and family who sent Christmas cards! HMFSO to all my visitors. I really appreciate it! ASO to the Patriots for making it to the Super Bowl, again. HSO to my fellow ID11s for reaching this point of service. Let the countdown begin!
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I have been in Indonesia for nearly two years, but my first complete calendar year in country wraps up at the end of this month. Prior to leaving for service, I decided that I wanted to avoid making a trip back home during the twenty-seven months of service. At this point last year, I remember thinking that 2018 would be “the year,” when I would not step foot in the United States. Barring any extreme accidents or poor decisions, I will likely meet that goal at the stroke of midnight on January 1st, 2019. Despite these unordinary twelve months, I still try to find time during the last few weeks of the year to think for what I am grateful. I am confident that joining the Peace Corps was the right choice. I am grateful, and somewhat relieved, that I am still not debating at this point of my service whether or not serving as a volunteer was the right decision. I am grateful for the memories and skills I possess thanks to what I learned in 2018. I am happy about the changes I implemented back in January that remain in place today, including monthly blog posts (barely), consistent exercise (reluctantly), and fasting (never again). New Year’s resolutions are so much better when I actually follow through! I still find myself in a state of disbelief when I look back at the calendar to see that I have already completed these past twelve months; and that is in addition to nine months in 2017! Where has the time gone? I have spent time learning Javanese, traveling, and meeting community members; but I have also passed the year with plenty of time for self-reflection, not to mention Seinfeld and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. But one important thing that helped me reach this point is the friends and family back home who took time out of their busy lives to check in and send updates my way. Mail has been a great morale booster and a reliable source of happiness. Your mail has made a countless number of good days better, and many of my rough days more bearable. I might have been able to get to this point of my service without your mail, but it certainly would have been more difficult. The majority of pictures throughout this post are postcards that I received in the mail. I tape them to my wall, and the collage has slowly grown over time. I hope that it continues to expand during the rest of my service. If you are interested in sending mail my way, please reach out for my address! I promise I will write you back. I would guarantee a response, but the Indonesian post system is not the most reliable. While some letters seem to never make it to my site, every letter I have sent out into the world has arrived at its intended destination. I want this post to serve as a giant Shout-Out to everyone who sent an email, letter, postcard, package, or some kind of message at some point during my service. Even when living in a village in rural East Java, your notes make me feel much closer to home and connected to those whom I care about the most. I laugh when I receive a Valentine’s day card in May, or a Halloween-themed letter after Thanksgiving. I tear up when I get a letter with pictures from a newborn (I am so excited to meet her). I selfishly smile when someone writes me praise (this mail is the best during my rough patches). Sometimes I am surprised to find a package that was sent from the States only three weeks earlier! In a matter of days, I will be able to say, “I look forward to seeing my friends and family later this year.” There are only five more months left of my service before I head back to the good ole US of A. It is time to start planning happy hours, concerts, and weekend camping trips! Expect a big hug and, if you are lucky, a fat kiss on top of your head from me very soon. Happy holidays!
This past Saturday concluded the final week of instruction for the semester. Final examinations at my school take place this week and the next, followed by a week of student meetings and competitions. Three semesters down; only one more to go! The second semester of English Club has officially ended as well. We found loads of success with English Club this semester. I would like to share what I did with teachers and students to make the Club so successful this semester. We had enough interested students at the beginning of the school year to divide them up into four separate English Clubs; each met for approximately one hour on a weekly basis. The three tenth-grade English Clubs met from 2-3pm on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday. The twelfth-grade English Club gathered from 3-4pm on Thursday. There are four English teachers whom help with English Club; each teacher is assigned to one Club. Similar to the previous semester, over one hundred students came to the initial introductory meeting. Last semester we started with close to 125 students, but ended the semester with only a dozen students who attended on a weekly basis. The English Club teachers, however, made it a goal this semester to keep attendance as high as possible. We improved organization in hopes that English Club could be more structured and enjoyable for the students. My counterparts also hoped that we could involved activities that students could use to bolster their resumes for future jobs and college applications. We divided our English Club semester into two themes. The weekly meetings related to those overarching themes: environment and professional development. The first half of the semester pertained to nature and the environment. We listened to Michael Jackson’s Earth Song, working to identify new vocabulary words. We organized a nature scavenger hunt, where teams had to compete to take pictures of the most items from the list. We also played bingo, using new words to fill in the spaces instead of numbers. We ended our environment theme with a fun day: community trash cleanup. Students ventured outside of the school and cleaned up the surrounding roads. Each English Club was assigned a different street, leaving the neighborhood much cleaner than we found it. The professional development theme was equally exciting. Students read professional cover letters, practicing plenty of new vocabulary. The students later used the new words to write their own professional “elevator pitch” introductions. We spent two weeks at the end of the professional development theme to prepare for the fun day at the end of the semester. Students worked in groups of four or five to design English lesson plans. Our school partnered with two neighboring schools for the English Club students to teach the elementary kids. This was the most exciting part of the semester for me. It was great to see all of our hard work accumulate to this fun English Camp. The counterparts introduced lesson planning to the students. Having introduced Peace Corps 4MAT lesson plan to the English Teachers a year and a half ago, it was encouraging to see them pass the information along to their students. The English Club participants designed their lesson plans around a variety of simple topics: colors, numbers, fruits, vegetables, and hobbies. We spent time during our weekly meetings working with the smaller groups to design fun and engaging activities for the elementary school students. I listened to my counterparts pass along ideas of games and teaching strategies that we have worked to implement over the course of our past three semesters working together. During the last meeting before our Camp, the groups of English Club students took turns presenting their lesson plans, teaching their fellow classmates the activities that they would use to practice new vocabulary, sentence structure, etc. This provided an opportunity for me and the other teachers to compliment their ideas, which increased their confidence. We met at our school on Sunday, November 4th at 7am. The English Club students brought their handmade supplies (posters, vocabulary lists, and pictures) for the big day. The English Club students spent thirty minutes going over their plans with one another, and assigning tasks to each group member, before we walked together to the neighboring school. The elementary school students were eagerly awaiting our arrival! We started English Camp at 8am with quick introductions. Mas Wendhi and the other counterparts took the lead with the megaphone. I tried to stick behind the crowd and out of the mix. I spent most of my time trying to get the kids to listen. I tried to play as little of a leadership role as possible, because I wanted my counterparts to see how much they can accomplish on their own. We played a group game out on the field in front of the elementary school. Mas Wendhi asked me to lead the game, which we called “Shark Numbers.” The elementary school kids, along with English Club students, ran around the field, pretending to swim. I shouted a number, and the students had to get into groups of that many. The students certainly enjoyed running around. I hoped that it would expel some of their energy before they went into the classrooms. I don’t think it had that much of an impact. Each English Club was assigned one grade of students. There were three or four groups of English Club students, with their respective lesson plans, per grade. The English Club students set up different stations in the classroom, and the kids rotated between lessons every fifteen to twenty minutes. This setup allowed the English Club students to go through the same lesson plan four times, ideally improving their delivery with each rotation. Each counterpart stayed in the classroom with their respective English Club. I roamed from class to class to check out how everything was going. It was very exciting for me to see English Club students use activities in their lesson plans that I led in my own English classes with them. It shows that they are paying attention! Everyone gathered back out on the field after the lessons were over. We played one last group game, and then took pictures, before everyone returned home. The most exciting part about the English Camp project was the positive reactions from my counterparts, English Club students, elementary school teachers, and their students. Everyone hopes that we can do it again this coming semester. The high levels of enthusiasm among all participants, and the relative ease of putting the English Camp together, gives me hope of the long-term sustainability of English Camp. The counterparts and English Club students are already discussing ways to improve English Camp for next semester. I hope that English Club continues to organize the event after I leave next year. It seems that this semester’s organization has helped improve the overall experience of English Club. We ended the semester with close to eighty students attending meetings on a routine basis, which is far higher than with what we had at the end of last semester. The meetings have been fun, engaging, and most importantly, effective. The students are learning English! I hope that they come back to English Club next semester. Now that final exams are in full swing, the English Club students are looking forward to an extra-special meeting on Saturday, December 22nd. My mom and grandma will visit my village for a few days when they arrive in Indonesia next month, and my English Club students are preparing a fun day for them. I look forward to seeing my two worlds collide! I’ll make sure to share the details later on of what will likely be a memorable experience. Shout-Outs:
HSO to my sister for sending a package filled with toys. The English Club students and elementary school kids loved them! SO to the holiday season. It’s so refreshing, yet overwhelming, to think of everything for which I am grateful. ASO to missing out on friends and (most of) my family this time of year. HMFSO to finishing my third semester of teaching. Only one more to go! HSO to the one race on November 6th that garnered my undivided attention. ASO to football in Wisconsin. Both of my teams are having rough seasons. EASO goes to the Badgers for losing Paul Bunyan’s Axe for the first time in fourteen years. BSO for my Gopher friends who get to enjoy the victory. Congratulations! Another ASO for your joy coming at my expense. SO to my friend for turning 30! And HSO to his wife for throwing the best surprise party! I wish I was there to celebrate with you both. ASO to rainy season. Everything is wet; it’s humid, and I cannot escape the sweat. I was eager to turn the calendar on September. My illness made last month likely the most difficult yet during service. But now I am fully recovered from Zika (that was the doctor’s best guess), and oh man does it feel good to feel one hundred percent again. This month went by smoothly, and there were two highlights that I look back on with particular gusto. I will share stories about my recent visit to Kediri to meet the new ID12 cohort of Trainees, and those words will be accompanied by pictures of my solo trip to Thailand. Feel free to reach out with questions about any of the pictures! I would love to tell you about my vacation in more detail. The Trainees arrived in Indonesia the morning of Sunday, September 30th (they are not awarded the title of “Volunteer” until they swear in on December 10th). Just like me and the ID11 group over a year and a half ago, they spent two nights in Surabaya before moving to Kediri to begin the rigorous and demanding Pre-Service Training (PST) schedule. They spent their first three weeks learning Bahasa Indonesia, getting to know their temporary host families, and learning more about one another. I spent those same weeks anxiously awaiting my turn to head to Kediri to meet them. Fortunately, my trip to Chiang Mai and Bangkok, Thailand kept me distracted during their first weeks in Kediri. I was assigned to help out in Kediri for week number four of PST. I spent time each day facilitating sessions with various Peace Corps staff members about teaching in an Indonesian classroom, dealing with stress at site, and detailing support offered by Peace Corps during emergencies. I predicted that the eventful week would provide plenty of new memories; but I didn’t expect the most memorable one to be my bus ride from site to Kediri. To put it blatantly, I am a fool. Many of you may remember my past stories about riding the bus. Bus rides on Java can be quite a unique experience! However, I must have grown accustomed to, perhaps even accepting of, the eventful trips. I think that I became too complacent with Java’s public transportation. How could I have possibly looked past the bus ride on that day?! Just when I thought that I had mastered transportation on this island, the bus threw me for another loop. But then again, there’s nothing more appropriate for bringing my head out of the Indonesian clouds than the bus. The following story will forever be my reality as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Indonesia. Because of my recent trip to Thailand, and for a combination of slightly irresponsible decisions, my Indonesian bank account was completely empty on Monday, October 22nd. I carried only 35.000 Rupiah in cash, which was the exact amount needed to travel to Kediri that day. I make a concerted effort to refrain from consuming too many liquids during the hours leading up to a bus ride. There are no toilets in the buses I ride around East Java. Furthermore, the bus does not stop for extended periods for people to relieve themselves. If I was to get off the bus to go the bathroom, I would need to wait for the next bus and buy a second ticket. I would have zero money after purchasing the first bus ticket, so getting off the bus to pee would be out of the question. I took special care to avoid water that morning, before this particular trip. Shortly after boarding the bus, I became concerned that the bus ride might be a little more uncomfortable than I had initially imagined. I have taken the four-to-six-hour bus ride between site and Surabaya dozens of times without struggling to hold my bladder. I was surprised to find only fifteen minutes into this ninety-minute bus ride that I was already feeling the sensation to pee. I considered myself lucky, because Kediri is a much shorter distance from site than Surabaya. “Good thing I wasn’t going all the way to Surabaya!” This bus ride would be over quickly. Oh boy was I wrong. Traffic was particularly daunting that day. I later learned that was because of a national ceremonial day. The bus was stuck behind trucks carrying petroleum, motorcycles carrying five people, and the occasional tahu cart. The driver swerved left and right to pass the eclectic mix of modes of transportation zooming up and down the two-lane road. I felt the contents of my bladder slosh around with each sharp movement. I was becoming more uncomfortable by the minute. I didn’t find any enjoyment in watching the crazy traffic scene out the window. I usually observe with a sense of curiosity and amusement, but not that day on that bus ride. Instead, I considered the chaos outside the bus to be a series of hurdles between me and the restroom. I couldn’t look out the window without getting irritated; I couldn’t enjoy listening to my music. I couldn’t do anything but focus on the bus’ sporadic jolts, infrequent accelerations, and abrupt stops. The bus ride was taking a long time. It took over ninety minutes just to pass through the first city. That usually doesn’t take any more than forty-five minutes! I started to curse at myself for handling transportation with such a nonchalant chip on my shoulder. How could I have let my guard down?! The bus driver repeatedly drew his eyes away from the road, waving at me to get my attention. I didn’t like it. “Look ahead and GET MOVING!” I thought to myself as I eagerly pointed towards the front windshield. If I peed my pants, that driver was going to be the first on my list! But the driver didn’t seem to think I was agitated enough. He continued driving at a low speed, even after we passed through the first city. My bladder was full, and I looked at Google Maps to see that we weren’t even halfway to my destination. What was I going to do? I walked up the aisle to the conductor to ask why the driver was going so slow. “He is looking for passengers,” he replied. Buses will often drive slow along the road in order to search for people waiting for a ride, because they want to fill up the seats on the bus to make more money. The bus was about a third of the way full, so this driver was going exceptionally slow. I began shouting statements of disapproval towards the driver from my seat several rows back. Did that accomplish anything? Absolutely not. Questioning the conductor and low-key harassing the driver wasn’t going to relieve my bladder. It was time for me to take action. I picked up my bag and walked down the aisle to the row of seats in the back of the bus. For some reason I imagined myself calming down if I had a row to myself. That didn’t work. I had exhausted all the options I could think of. I was still at least an hour away from Kediri, but my bladder felt as if it would burst in a matter of minutes. I couldn’t get off the bus, because I had no money for a new ticket! I was stuck. I did, however, spot a water bottle tucked in the back pocket of a seat a few rows up. I debated for a split second before snatching it up. This water bottle would be my saving grace. I dumped the contents of the bottle at the base of the stairway at the back of the bus. There was a slight gap between the floor and the door, through which the water drained nicely. I sat back in my row of seats and slid to the far right side against the window. I was at least eight rows away from the closest passenger. The bus continued to weave along the road, the chaos of Javanese traffic unrelenting. I watched as we haphazardly passed a motorcycle pulling a cart of goats. I wondered if all of Indonesia’s potholes were concentrated on this specific road; and if that was the case, was the driver trying to hit every single one? The bumps, swerves, and whatever decency I still possessed at the time did not prevent me from using that water bottle as a receptacle for my urine. After initially finding relief, my concerns returned when the water bottle was almost full and I still showed no signs of slowing down. I capped the bottle and was forced to wait out the remainder of my journey mid-pee, the discomfort almost worse than before. I spent that last hour asking myself several questions: Who am I? Does any shred of my dignity remain? Was what I just did acceptable? Inappropriate? And now I wonder, should I even be sharing this on my blog? I covertly disposed of the water bottle after disembarking from the bus. I impatiently bee-lined to the nearest restroom at the Peace Corps office, bending over just enough to ease pressure off of my bladder. I didn’t have any time to say hello to staff until I could stand up straight. Ultimately, I decided that the bus ride came at a perfect time. It reminded me to lead my sessions during PST as a peer, and not with a mentality of a “teacher” treating the Trainees as “students.” I wasn’t a teacher before my time in Indonesia, so I am anything but an expert when it comes to teaching reading and listening the classroom. I tried to provide advice and guidance the entire week with an asterisk that denotes, “not an expert.” Clearly I still struggle with public transportation in Indonesia, too. While discussing transportation on Java with Trainees, I should have worn a sign that read, “almost peed my pants two days ago.” And I will make sure to remember that bus trip as long as I am in Indonesia. For the remainder of my service, I cannot trust the bus to take a certain amount of time; nor can I rely on my bladder to hold up to Indonesia’s potholes on a consistent basis. After reflecting on the close call, an idiom repeatedly rings in my head: “fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.” The bus has fooled me many times; but for the application of this idiom, let’s say that I have been fooled twice. I don’t want to know what happens when I am fooled for a third time. I thought about that idiom every day during my week in Kediri. Sure, I have twenty months of experience that hopefully proves invaluable to the new Trainees’ efforts to integrate and understand Indonesian society. But ultimately, I am still learning about this country and culture. Once the Trainees complete the Pre-Service Training gauntlet and rightfully earn the title “Volunteer,” we will all be in the same bus trying not to piss our pants, both metaphorically and literally speaking. Shout-Outs:
HSO to the ID12s for completing their first month in Indonesia! ESO goes to the Trainees for surviving five weeks of Pre-Service Training. Good luck with your site visits this weekend! SO to the ID12 Trainee for the great compliment after I finished my sessions on Thursday. SO to site placement announcements this coming Friday! SO to the Brew Crew for a memorable October. SO to the Bucks for a great 7-0 start to the season. SO to my friend for sending an issue of The Economist. ESO for reading about “American democracy’s built-in bias,” and thinking of me! It was a great read. BSO to the Elephant Nature Park for taking such good care of the four-legged giants. ASO to how time flies. November 12th will mark twenty months since I arrived in Indonesia. HSO to Thai food. ESO to mango sticky rice. Wow. SO to mango season arriving in Indonesia. ASO to rainy season coming with it. I will start with a brief summary of the lengthy process that went into preparing for this incredible adventure; then you will get to hear from my friends about their impressions of Balinese sights, food, and culture. They booked their flights back in March, more than five months before their expected arrival date to Indonesia. Within a month after that, we had hashed out an itinerary and booked Air BnBs on Bali, Gili Trawangan, and Lombok. I was more than pleased; the entire trip was locked and loaded with several months to spare! Things took an unexpected turn, however, at the beginning of August. With just a couple weeks to go before our trip, a large earthquake hit the islands of Lombok and Gili Trawangan, killing hundreds, destroying thousands of homes, and damaging infrastructure. Peace Corps Indonesia declared the area off limits, which meant that I was no longer allowed to visit two of the three places on our itinerary. After sharing this news with my friends, they immediately switched gears to start re-planning the entirety of our trip on Bali. We were all bummed about the devastating earthquake. While my friends were still free to visit those islands during their time in Indonesia, they decided to stick to Bali so that I could be with them the entire time. What great friends! Fortunately, Air BnB provided complete refunds for the two properties we booked on Gili Trawangan and Lombok. After researching different areas of Bali, and discussing the pros and cons of each, we decided to visit Amed and Uluwatu after our time in Ubud. You will read later on in my friends stories that this last-minute change ended up working to our advantage. We couldn’t have been happier with the final itinerary! There was one other important aspect of the trip. It was, perhaps, even more important than planning the itinerary or booking the plane tickets: the matching batik clothes. Batik fabric is a cultural staple of Indonesia. Most Indonesians consider a particular batik pattern to be special to their respective city, province, or region. It is common to find Indonesian families dressed in matching batik during holidays like Idul Fitri, or for special events such as weddings and graduations. A fellow Volunteer had some friends visit last year, and he had matching shirts tailored for them to wear while they were galavanting around Bali on their vacation. He took an Indonesian custom and created an opportunity for his friends to get involved. I decided to try the same thing. It was a little more difficult to make matching clothes for my group because it consisted of four women and two guys. My friend met with a tailor in his village to get his own measurements and used those same numbers for his guy friends; I couldn’t do that for four women. This required some additional steps towards the ultimate goal. I asked each of my friends to send pictures of a garment they would like to have custom made. Once I received all the pictures, I met with a tailor to see what specific measurements she needed for each garment, and how many meters of fabric would be needed to make the shirt, dress, or skirt. Once I had that information from the tailor, I sent instructions to each friend about what specific measurements to get at their tailor back in the States. One dress required measurements for how long the straps should be, while the tailor wanted to know how wide the neck needed to be for a shirt. My friends agreeably visited their respective tailors and asked for the necessary measurements (in centimeters, not inches). I returned to my tailor in Indonesia when I had collected the measurements from each person. I took a trip with my tailor to the nearby fabric market to find the winning batik. She helped me find the right fabric by quickly identifying what I liked and did not like about certain designs. She also pointed out the lighter fabrics, which would be better for the heat and humidity on Bali. It was difficult to find the perfect fabric, especially when I needed thirteen total meters. I found a great fabric twice, but was disappointed to learn that there was enough of it for six garments. I found the winning fabric after several hours at the market. Before she started her work, we sat down and organized printed pictures into groups so that she knew what measurements went with what garment designs. I also printed off several group photos of me and my friends from earlier gatherings so that she could see each person’s height relative to the others. My tailor took about two months to complete the order. I kept the fabric a secret until I handed my friends their tailored garments during our first night together on Bali. We wore the clothes for our last night together on Bali. We went to dinner on a restaurant that is perched on a seaside cliff, and ended the night at a dance party on the beach. We spent eleven nights on Bali: five in Ubud, three in Amed, and three on the Bukit Peninsula. Each place provided special memories: temples, volcanoes, beaches, and markets. My friends were more than accommodating when I asked them to share their favorite parts of the trip. Enjoy the contributions they make of details about their favorite activities and memories! Dana Dorothy Webb Occupation: Client Specialist Residence: Minneapolis, MN Hobbies: Trying samples Costco on Sundays, Petting Dogs, Playing cards Interesting Fact: Dana has locked her keys in the car more times than any twenty people I know, combined! How I Met Addison: The first time I met Addison was actually sort of intrusive. I was biking down the street and a blonde, large headed boy started yelling at me out of a passing minivan about my short-lived red haired ‘boyfriend’. We were about 12 years old, so that term can be used loosely. I learned it was Addison at a later time when I met him playing four square (very competitively) at Weigent Park. We didn’t start becoming friends until science class our freshman year of high school, where we were fatefully sat next to each other due to the alphabetical proximity of our last name. My initial reaction to the seating chart was dread. I couldn’t believe I’d have to sit by that jerk for a full year. Fortunately, Addison proved my initial impression was incorrect fairly quickly. Looking back, I wonder how different my life could have gone if I wasn't lucky enough to sit next to who would soon become one of my best friends. Thank you, Mr. Callen! The absolute best memory of us was making copies of Robert's keys, periodically changing the spot he parked in during the day or moving his seat as close to the steering wheel as possible. One time I found bananas on the ground outside of a gas station and put them in his car. He told Addison his mom sometimes leaves him snacks and proceeded to eat them. I’m glad he lived through that. The grand finale of the prank was moving his car to the school bus terminal and filling it up with balloons. My Favorite Activity in Indonesia: My favorite part of the trip was watching Addison in his element. One time we went on a fisherman boat where Addison was able to communicate with both Spaniards and Indonesians in their native language (very impressive). My Favorite Place in Indonesia: This was in Amed, which ended up being my favorite city we stayed in. Everyone seemed to move slower in Amed, which felt like a nice change of pace from the hustle and bustle of Ubud. It was also the first time I've ever gone snorkeling; there were so many fish and we even saw some sea turtles. I'll never forget my time here. My Favorite Food in Indonesia: Food wise, the bakso was awesome! We also had the most delicious and spicy Tahu Isi. Just thinking of it is making me hungry.... And all of the fruit! Trying fresh jackfruit, snake fruit, and mangosteen was so much fun. Elizabeth Paige Kroker Occupation: Occupational Therapist Residence: Minneapolis, MN Hobbies: Golf, Tennis, Crafts, Building Furniture Interesting Fact: My grandma still keeps a framed picture in her house of Lizzy and me at senior prom (see photo below). How I Met Addison: Rewind about 16 years ago where Addison and I first met in tap dancing class. I remember him as the boy who couldn’t actually wear his tap dance shoes in tap class because he was so disruptive. Needless to say we did not stay too close after classes ended. When tap class was done I would forget who Addison was until the first day of high school. Fast-forward 5 years later on the first day of freshman year. The first class bell had rung and I, desperately running through the halls looking for my classroom, abruptly bump into this boy (Addison) who is also frantically searching for his class. Ironically we were both looking for the same classroom. This encounter would start our life long friendship. Little did I know that the disruptive boy in tap class would become one of my life long friends. Fast-forward 12 years later where we meet again in Bali, Indonesia for a trip of a lifetime. I love where our story of friendship has taken us thus far and I am excited for all the adventures to come! Favorite Food in Indonesia: Over the period of 2 weeks I got to experience new culture, meet new people and eat lots of delicious food. A few of my favorite dishes that I got to try were Meh Goreng, Nasi Goreng and Ote Ote (fried noodles, fried rice and friend tofu/vegetables) with a few squirts of sambal (hot sauce) and kecap (Indonesia sweet soy sauce). Favorite Activity in Indonesia: A side from the delicious food I got to experience some amazing sites, one of my favorites being the rice terraces. We also did lots of exploring, walking and activities including climbing a mountain, walking through temples and riding bikes down a mountain. However, the activity I liked to do the most in Indonesia was simply drinking fresh squeezed fruit juices (pineapple, watermelon, mango, dragon fruit), enjoying whatever scenery was in front and reflecting on the day/the previous activity/enjoying each other’s company. Favorite Place in Indonesia: Out of the three places we visited, my favorite place was Ubud where I got to experience a little bit of everything; from hiking at sunrise to visiting the rice terraces to enjoying a mountain top view. I feel as though I got to truly experience the beauty that Indonesia has to offer. Whitney Paige Weymiller Occupation: Traveling Nurse Residence: Bismarck, ND (Based out of La Crosse, WI) Hobbies: Traveling, Running, "but mostly traveling" Interesting Fact: She prefers baby voices when talking to dogs. I think we just became friends at Logan since we had classes together. I remember becoming especially close in Ms. K’s classes where we were always causing trouble. After high school we would visit each other in Madison/Minneapolis and our friendship continued to grow! Then I visited him in DC, we visited each other in Munich, Germany, and then INDONESIA!! Favorite Food in Indonesia: My favorite food from Indonesia was gado gado: veggies, fried tofu and tempeh, and covered in peanut sauce.. YUMMM! Favorite Activity in Indonesia: One of my favorite activities was scuba diving in the Bali Sea at the USS Liberty Shipwreck site. We were able to swim through the cargo hold of the ship and see how massive it was. We were also able to swim among the beautiful sea life that inhabits the area surrounding the wreck. Such a cool experience! Favorite Place in Indonesia: My favorite location was Ubud. The city of Ubud was bustling with locals of all ages. Everyone was very friendly and they were happy to welcome us into their community. Ubud and the surrounding areas were full of rice terraces, temples, and incredible rainforest landscapes. The rice terraces cover an extensive area and were so unique and beautiful! Molly "Pookie" Hutcheson Morrissey Occupation: Press Secretary Residence: Washington, D.C. Hobbies: Painting, Discovering New Music, Concerts Interesting Fact: Molly and I were voted “Most Changed” for the high school senior yearbook. We all know that she is still that 4H goat girl at heart. How I Met Addison: The funny thing about describing how I first met Addison Winger is that Addison does not actually remember meeting me. Let's rewind back to when we were both members of the La Crosse YMCA's swim team, the Wave. I first encountered Addison and that mop of blond hair (sorry Bieber, Addison rocked your hairstyle before it became your signature 'do) at a swim meet. We were introduced fleetingly by our parents who knew one another, but we didn't talk much. Now, fast forward to high school. We became close when we were both set on attending UW-Madison. Addison was the first person who knew I got into Madison because he called me on Christmas Eve and asked if I had checked the web portal we'd both obsessively visit, hoping to see a "Congratulations" message smiling back at us. I told him I hadn't looked that day, and then while we were on the phone, I signed in and found out I had been accepted. Of course, Addison had also learned that he'd be a Badger too. Favorite Food in Indonesia and Why: Tahu crispy (fried tofu) and tahu isi (stuffed, fried tofu with spices) were my favorite foods I tried in Bali. On taste alone, tahu crispy is the vegetarian version of the McDonalds chicken nugget. Which reminds me--while living with Addison in DC, I once ate my personal record of 26 chicken nuggets in one sitting. Anyway, the taste was great, but more than that it was the kind of place that really showcased what I loved most about our trip. It was a squat stand, sandwiched between other warungs, and it was a place that we would only have known to visit because of Addison. If it hadn't been for Addison, we wouldn't have been able to go to places like the tahu crispy stand where we could order in Indonesian, try local favorites, and hear Addison relay how it played a part in his current life or held some sort of memory. And now all six of us have tahu crispy memories too. Favorite Activity in Indonesia and Why: 2:45 a.m. We leave for Mount Batur with our driver Wayan, and we make our way to the volcano where we meet our guide, Tutu, who will help guide our footsteps up to the top. Wearing a headlamp, we join the snake of lights underneath the stars headed for the summit. That hike, and the sunrise we waited to greet while holding hot coffee at thee top of Mount Batur, was a perfect beginning to my first full day in Bali. When people say, "picture your happy place," I have a new place I can always go to thanks to that early morning in Bali. Favorite Place in Indonesia and Why: Take me back to Amed. The sea turtles that swam beneath me the first time I ever went snorkeling in my life. The white fish wrapped in banana leaves, covered in curried coconut. The sunrises that began each day, and the sunsets--one seen from a cruise with a cool Bintang in my hand--that brought them to a close. The conversations I had while walking down roads snaking beside the ocean. Robert Patrick Keller Occupation: Financial Analyst Residence: Chicago, IL Hobbies: Instagram, Soliciting people to take photoshoots, Skincare management Interesting Fact: Robert predicted Snapchat's market downfall. How I Met Addison: I know Addison from a wide range of embarrassing school activities including choir and swimming. My Favorite Activity in Indonesia: My favorite activity was snorkeling. I read later that the Indonesian archipelago is one of the most biodiverse places in the world and I’m glad I got to see what could only be seen in an aquarium otherwise. My Favorite Place in Indonesia: My favorite place was our house in the Ubud rice fields because we all got to hang out and learn about a crop that has been a sustaining factor and has a deep history in the culture and economy of the country. My Favorite Food in Indonesia: Sate ayam for SURE. Could not get enough of the peanut sauce. My friends’ visit provided the confidence I needed to return to my village and finish these last nine months strong. Unfortunately, I got sick the following week, which was a blow to my motivation and positivity. I was sad to be away from my friends, and the illness didn’t let me stay busy to keep my mind off of missing them. I stayed in Surabaya for four nights to meet with doctors, who concluded that I was suffering from Zika. My fever, rash, and joint aches eventually subsided, and I made it back to school last week to resume teaching. I am finally feeling back at one hundred percent, and I can tell that my motivation and positivity have regained a lot of ground. Ultimately, I am profoundly grateful for my friends’ willingness to travel across the world to see me. This vacation was certainly a highlight of my service as a Peace Corps Volunteer, and will remain an important memory for the rest of my life. Let me know if you would like to visit next! Shout-Outs:
HSO to the new PCTs (Peace Corps Trainees) who are currently en route to Indonesia to begin training on Sunday! ASO to Zika. It’s not fun. SO to the Brew Crew for clinching a playoff berth for the first time since 2011. ESO goes to the Brew Crew for sweeping the Cardinals in the process. SO to my mom and grandma for buying tickets to visit for Christmas! SO to my friends for bringing a grocery bag full of food from the States. ASO to already finishing the three bags of M&Ms. SO to my friend in Chicago for putting in his two weeks notice to start a new job! Thank you for the batik idea, too. |
AddisonHometown: La Crosse, WI Archives
May 2019
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