Ever wonder what people think?

I do, especially in situations that where people don’t realize what they are seeing or in situations where what is observed bends the rules of what is expected.

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Take for example…

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One of my students recently returned from a trip to the Holy Land with her church. It seems that tours of the Holy Land are increasingly popular by Christians throughout Asia. What do Israeli Jews and Palestinian Muslims think when these tour groups come through?

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When 50% of the world’s Mattel Barbie dolls in the world are made by Indonesia workers, what do the workers that make them think?

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Ibu Warhsi (our maid) hosted a woman from her village today, as the woman was moving to Jakarta for work. After we met her we commented how old she looked (55+ in our opinion). Turns out she is 40, has been widowed twice, has three children and has lived in absolute poverty her whole life. What was she thinking as she met us and saw our house? Better yet, what should we have thought (and done) about her situation?

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This week we attended a church started by new missionaries from Michigan. For many of us, this would conjure up pictures of a Dutch CRC family from Hudsonville, Michigan arriving in Indonesia for a stint working overseas. However in this case, the pastor, his family and the 8 others who came along are Asian Americans who recently graduated from the University of Michigan. You can check out the web page of their church and mission at http://jakarta.hmcc.net/ . The church started 13 years ago and has 4 daughter churches already. What do you think of that?

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Sumatran Trip

Here is a brief summary of our trip to North Sumatra:

Trekking through Sumatra

Wild Orangutan

Rainforest wet

After arriving in Medan (the third most populated city in Indonesia at over 2 million) and realizing there wasn’t much to do there, we headed out to Bukit Lawang (Boo keet La Wong) which borders an Unesco World Heritage site that protects wild Orangutans and tries to reintroduce other ones back into the wild. When we arrived, we hired a guide to take us across a river and into the rainforest to possibly see wild Orangutans. Despite a soaking rain, we had great luck as we saw two Orangutans in the trees above us within 1.5 hours of walking into the canopy.

Driving through Sumatra

Quiet Country road

Driving in Java is intense for the following reasons:

1. Roads are bad and have no shoulders or guard rails.

2. Center lines are merely a suggestion as many vehicles cascade over the center line at every possible moment to pass or turn.

3. There are no rules of the road or traffic lights. I honestly think that Gallup, New Mexico (with around 30,000 people) has more traffic lights than Jakarta (with more than 10 million people). No one is ever pulled over for speeding or driving recklessly.

4. Cars, scooters, and pedestrians are everywhere and often within inches of many other fast moving vehicles.

5. It is routine to see a whole family of 4 or 5 on a scooter with daily life continuing while they drive (talking on cel phone, breast feeding a baby for example).

As bad as this seems, we found out this past week that riding in a car in Sumatra is actually worse for one reason. The island of Java is so over populated that speeds usually hover between 5 -30 MPH. Because Sumatra is more spread out and less populated, speeds routinely double (therefore, more than doubling our anxiety)!

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!