Reflections, Rambling, Relationships and the Ride

January 20th marked one year that I've been in Indonesia. Wow. Have you any idea what I've learned, the challenges I've faced and the blessings I've received??? Too many for a blog, that's for sure, but I'll give it a try.

Coming here to "teach English" has been a blessing. I work in two awesome offices with amazing people. I wrote teach English with quotes because my classes always involve so much more and I often do other things; visit classes with other teachers to provide "native speaking" assistance, conduct lessons on Academic English that are more about critical thinking and the way Western academics present arguments, help students improve their already quite proficient abilities (expanding vocabulary, motivating and inspiring, laughing!) Sometimes it seems as if my work is either boom or bust - so busy or so not busy, but all the same, I try to work as expected and contribute as much as I can to the already successful departments.

Life here is amazing and perfect for me. It is either smooth and easy or CHALLENGING! I think the biggest challenge I've faced is the lack of mobility. I've been driving a car since I was 16 years old...I'm not quite ready to brave the traffic here because the rules are so different, the flow is more like a river than a traffic pattern and with all the other things to learn, I decided to wait a while (I think this year I'll be ready)

Coming from the South ( The South/Wikipedia )the weather here poses no problem, nor does the food (it's a bit of a challenge to find vegetarian fare on occasion, but it's not a problem) and the fact that people are always friendly and speak when passing makes it feel like home (even though when I'm lucky I'm speaking in Indonesian!)

The biggest differences with which I have the most trouble are the way we talk about things, the significance of the individual or group, and the perception (or acceptance) of power/privilege. For an in depth look at some of these differences, the explanations and charts here are invaluable!

Clearly Cultural


In spite of the challenges, I love my life here. The people in my life certainly make it; of that there's no question. I have the most amazing friends that I've ever had in my life, I have grown exponentially and I continually see God's hand all over the place. 



Things I love about Indonesia...

• the people and my awesome friends (co-workers, neighbors, students - once you've met a person here they are called "friend"...awesome)

• the hot spicy foods...and rice for breakfast :-)

• people taking their babies outside to feed them

• The word for "running around" is jalan-jalan (technically "roads") Kind of fun - hitting the streets, running around and having fun is called "jalan-jalan". Fun.

• the architecture, the tiled floors, the operable windows and the sound of rustling bamboo

• the chickens (especially the roosters) around my house

On how living in Indonesia is like riding my bike...

I have a fixed gear bicycle and I LOVE it.

LOVE, I mean.

A fixed-gear bicycle ("fixie") is different in that its gears are fixed...if the bike is moving, the chain is still going and so are the peddles. These bikes typically have no brakes, even though sometimes they are modified to include one, but the brakes on my bike are my legs. I love my bike and riding it as often as possible is not only a favorite pastime, but it offers an excellent way to describe my life here in Indonesia.

Riding a fixie requires complete concentration. Any slight drop in concentration could cause a fall, or worse yet, a run-in with another vehicle. 

In my life here, I always have to pay attention; to the way I say things, to the way others say things to me, to what's going on around me...I can never coast...

Stopping, going and choosing the direction to go involves using my mind, my body and my heart (more then 3 people have told me that to drive successfully here you have to "feel" the flow of the traffic!) Renewing the ability to feel has been a welcome change, but one that often requires a little effort...feelings are often of less import than reasoned thought in American culture.

I have to control my speed so that I can stop if I need to stop; too fast and you can't stop successfully when needed and too slow...well, too slow? Where's the fun in that?

Peddling forward takes effort and there's no coasting; it's constant movement. While it is possible to peddle backwards, it it WAY much harder and is probably only worth the effort in very rare instances...for instance, only when you want to see if you can actually do it-therefore-foreward ho! So no going backwards - always moving forward...but if it's necessary to go backwards, I can, but it probably won't be worth it!

So I plan to continue moving forward - being thankful for each day, for all the love and friendship in my life, and for the challenges that deftly polish my rough edges. All I need to do is keep air in the tires and love in my heart.