Sumatran trip (cont.)

Relaxing in Sumatra (at Danau Toba)

Batak Church

Sunday we drove from Medan to Danau Toba (Lake Toba). As mentioned in a previous post, Lake Toba is the Largest Caldera Lake in the world and the largest lake in Southeast Asia. It is also the home of the Batak, tribal hill people of Sumatra (6 million of them) who gave up their cannibalistic animist ways about 150 years ago for Christianity (after eating their first missionary). Very traditional churches now dot the landscape surrounding the lake, which seem odd in Muslim Indonesia.

Batak houses

Kids on the lake (notice the Batak house in the background)

Apparently, in the early 1970’s, Lake Toba became a popular hangout for Australian hippies who communed and caroused with the Bataks (who love music and wine). These days seem long gone as the hippies have gravitated to Hindu Bali or Buddhist Thailand (Hindu and Buddhist worldviews match a little closer to hippies than Batak) and all there is left are local Sumatrans on holiday, young German and Dutch backpackers, and oddball Australians and Americans (not us, of course)..

Who are these weird people?

The lake is at 900 meters elevation (3000 feet), so no air conditioning is needed (highs in the mid eighties, lows in the 60’s) and the lake is deep and crystal clear. We had a great time swimming, renting bikes and a scooter, shopping for Batak arts and crafts, relaxing at our hotel, and providing hours of entertainment for locals who rarely see a whole family of white people.

Holiday Adventure

It's Lebaran break!!!!



Friday morning, September 18, we fly out to the sumatran city of Medan. We are flying on an Indonesian carrier-- see logo below.

Indonesian Airline logo and motto.

We are just thankful it isn't "Life is Cheap"

Actually, this is the logo for the sister airline

of the one we are flying.

After landing in Medan, we will spend one day in Medan, one day in Bukit Lawang (an Orangutan forest) and then head on a 5 hour trip to Lake Toba. Lake Toba is a 62 mile long lake formed some 70,000 years ago by a huge exploding volcano, and is today the largest caldera lake in the world.

Satellite image of Lake Toba

We will stay on the Island(actually it isn't an island as there is a very small isthmus running between the mainland and the penisula) in the middle at a resort called the "Carolina Hotel"

Carolina Hotel

We have heard this lake is very remote but beautiful and that:

• the nearby town consists of a dirt road an a couple of buildings.
• Dining out involves arriving at a restaurant and having a couple kids run off to find the owner who then comes and cooks you dinner.

We will keep you posted.

Moment of Weakness

Mint Dream Mirage

I love the following junk food: Nacho’s and fry bread from New Mexico concession stands, Cool Ranch Doritos, Hershey Kisses, Reeses Peanut Butter cups, Starbursts, Skittles and Chewy Spree (all quite rare to non existant in Indonesia).

But the gold standard in junk food is a Russell Stover’s Mint Dream (if you ever see one, buy it... then eat it... then write the company and tell them to make more!) A close second to Mint Dreams are Blue Diamond Smoked Almonds (although in many ways they are not junk food).

Tonight, I finished my last Mint Dream brought back from the U.S. this summer. It's going to be a long few months before I get more!

Earthquake: Yesterday (September 2) at around 3 pm our time a 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit Southwest Java (120 miles from here). We all felt it in Jakarta but it wasn't strong enough to do any damage, however residents in areas closer to the quake weren't so fortunate and we are saddened in hearing that 25 people were killed in those areas.

Names

I’m used to simple straight forward names. I’m sure this comfort was instilled in me by my parents, who after long deliberation, named my siblings Tom, Dick and Mary (in that order). Naming their 4^th Steve, seems like a wild stretch for them in comparison.

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When it came to our own kids, we kept it basic as well: Eric, Neil and Hope. While there are stories and meanings to their names (as there are with my siblings as well), short familiar names seemed best.

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Since coming to Indonesia, all the rules of naming seem different and complex:

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1. Up until recently, most Indonesians had no last name. This still holds true in some families and I have students with one name such as Devina or Evan. In fact, last year, our principal stated that often he has to verify to U.S. and Canadian universities that some kids have no last name. Some kids respond to this by choosing random last names or a middle name as a last name (Christopher Dave or Stephanie Elizabeth). While OK, I can’t figure out siblings or parents very well because everyone in the family has a different last name.

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2. Some Indonesians then go to opposite extremes and tack on 3 or 4 names for good measure resulting in names like Andreas Putra Willianto Susanto.

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3. Most Chinese Indonesians were required under the dictator Suharto to give up Chinese names, which they did outwardly (they all have Chinese family names which were and are mostly unused outside family circles). A few recently reverted back to their Chinese sur name (Wong, Ho or Tong for example)

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4. If all these layers of possibilities aren’t enough, then there are first names. Some first names are Indonesian (Tika, Etty, Enny or Henny), Italian (Giovanni), German (Hanzel) or an odd assortment (Hans Ignatius). Others have wonderfully old fashioned English names (William, Priscilla, Alice, Betty or Agnes). or English Biblical names (Grace, Lydia, Rachel, Samuel, Paul, Peter).

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All of this doesn’t apply to the Korean kids at SPH, who keep these things simple and stick with basic Korean names like Eun Jae Lee.

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Now…that’s more like it!

Off to the races

Hope and knick knacks

When most guys my age have a mid life crises, they buy a red sports car, a new bike, or get a new wardrobe (complete with trendy new beard :). A year ago, instead of all that, I dragged my family to Indonesia (and shaved off my beard). I haven’t had the guts to ask Janet whether she would have rather had me get a red Jeep Wrangler or Corvette. .

Although, I’m getting closer to asking her.

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As for me…I’d have to say I’m happy we are here.

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Year 2 here so far has been quite different. Last year, everything seemed to happen in slow motion, despite the fact that the year seemed a blur.

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While busy last year… I had lots of time to plan (I only taught Economics to Grades 11 and 12).

This year I have meetings and classes galore (I am humanities lead teacher and teaching 3 new classes). In addition, as students get to know me, they stop in my room more often to talk.

Last year, reflection was essential almost every day as we had to process all the new information about our lives (hence the blog entries).

This year we jumped right in without adjusting to new surroundings.

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Last year, Janet had a few weeks before starting work.

This year, like me, she has many more classes to teach (and in services to endure).

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Last year, kids were adjusting to new schools and new routines.

This year they seem comfortable with what is happening.

Last year, after work, we came home to an empty but clean house.

This year our house has continued to fill up with furniture, wall hangings, knick knacks and pets (hamsters, fish and a turtle currently).

This weekend (August 15,16,17) is a holiday weekend and I have a little time to process again. Feels good!

Round Two

For just over a week we have been settling in back in Indonesia. Challenges for us:

- surviving jet lag
- teaching new classes (Both Janet and I).
- finding a routine again.
- practicing good time management. At times, we feel overly busy. During some weekends and holidays, we are bored.
- dealing with mosquitos.

Ode to Alger Heights

Alger Heights was built primarily in the 1940’s with solid modest wooden frame and brick houses. It has remained on the edge of the “bad neighborhood” since the 1960’s (even though it’s not that bad). People at the time probably thought the neighborhood would slowly go down hill.—It didn’t. It didn’t even go down hill in the 1980’s and 90’s as Grand Rapids prospered beyond belief and huge new tempting houses sprouted in sterile developments on the outskirts of the city. In spite of this (or because of it), Alger Heights has avoided slipping into the conservative paranoia or snooty liberal gentrified attitudes common with many neighborhoods in America. In fact, it continues to testify to the durable middle class in the U.S. (something lacking in Indonesia), where teachers, engineers, and nurses live along side small business owners, electricians and construction workers. These folks come from many different backgrounds (though the neighborhood remains disproportionately Dutch American :).

Park across the street

New Library

2346 Blaine S.E. (notice the New Mexico state flag on the side)

Hardware store

In the middle of Alger Heights, across from a park and a school, down the street from the hardware store, CRC church, library and bus stop, sits a house that has been a small part of every different age of my life. I visited my Grand parents there from my birth until I was 14. Within a year of my Grandma Weeda’s death my sister moved in, and I baby sat my niece there while I went to Calvin in the late eighties. After my sister moved to Lansing in early 1988, I passed by it often when I drove a donation truck for the Mission Thrift Store in 1989-90 when my parents rented it to a GR policeman. Starting in the early 90’s my parents moved back into it and started fixing it up by finishing the basement, back porch, kitchen and yard. After my wedding in 1993, the wedding party crashed the back yard while we waited to go to the reception. Since then, almost every summer including this one, my family resides in the basement and attic of this special house and enjoys life this neighborhood very dear to me… 2346 Blaine SE in Alger Heights, Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Tonight, after the kids decorate their bikes for the 4^th of July parade tomorrow, we will all walk down to “Sundae’s in the Heights” for ice cream.