Things I Love:
1. My host family. They are fantastic. I could not have asked for better people. Besides generously opening their home to me and including me in their lives for ten weeks, they are caring and funny and all around wonderful people. In the house it is just Ibu, Bapak, and me, but they have grown children. Ibu's son and daughter-in-law visit every day, and bring their two young children, which is great. Ibu's daughter-in-law speaks English, so that has made my life a million times easier than it might have otherwise been. I still try to speak Bahasa Indonesia, but it's nice to be able to avoid misunderstandings by having someone around who can understand what I say regardless of what language I'm speaking. She and I have become close as a result. I'm going to be genuinely sad to leave this family in June, and I really hope I stay in touch with them. They are still in touch with their previous Peace Corps Trainee, so it's definitely possible.
2. The Landscape. Mountains. Volcanoes. Waterfalls. Lush greenery everywhere. I could not ask to have been sent to a more beautiful place.
3. My morning runs. I was an avid runner in the U.S. But there are certain challenges to running here that I had to overcome, and as a result I didn't run for my first three weeks in the country. But finally I realized that while I'm really happy to made adjustments in many aspects of my life, this is one thing that really does matter to me, and if it was possible I wanted to do it. So, while I wear far more clothing here than I would to run in the U.S., and I run up steep hills with no sidewalks and motorcycles speeding by, I am still enjoying my runs immensely. I can't go as far or as fast as I did at home, but I'm hoping I can get there eventually. In the meantime, I see the most amazing sunrises, and am occasionalyl joined by a mob of ten year old boys who want to run with me and/or race me. It's all pretty fun. It does get hot, though!
Difficult Adjustments:
1. No wifi. This seems trivial, and some people are doing absolutely fine without it. But I realized that I really missed being connected to my friends and family at home, to the point that it was starting to affect my outlook here. I don't have an internet connection at home, and I'm not close to an internet cafe. After the first week of PST (which followed three days of Orientation), we got to visit the mall in Malang to purchase cell phones. I opted to have an Indonesian sim card put into my unlocked iPhone, so now I'm paying for a data allowance, but to me it's worth it. I can't do everything I liked doing online (Netflix, Youtube, etc.), but I can e-mail and use Facebook without depleting my data, and that's enough. And once I got a phone, I was able to give the number to my family at home, and they can call me cheaply, at no cost to me. So, now I don't feel nearly as homesick, and I've decided paying for a few gigs of data every month is extremely worth the money, especially as I'm not going crazy spending on other things.
2. Rice, or nasi, for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. At home, I watch my carbs. I lost over 50 pounds by doing that and running. Here, a meal is not a meal without nasi. I could feel it starting to affect my body, which was one reason I was determined to start running again. I do really like the food here in general, though. I've gotten hooked on tempeh. And I eat chicken that comes not from a factor farm but from the backyard. I do try to curb my rice intake, but even eating small amounts adds up. My ibu just laughs at me now and tells me nasi will make me strong, but fortunately does not push too hard, even though I know she would like me to eat more!
3. 35 going on 17. We have to ask permission for everything here. Most of the time, it's more or less a formality, or sign of respect, and I really don't mind, but it was strange at first. The tradeoff, though, is that my Ibu and Bapak genuinely care, and really are looking out for me. Also, 6:30 is considered a bit late to be out. It gets dark around 6, and it's a bit eerie how suddenly deserted the streets become then.
4. Honorable mention for Bahasa Indonesia. Learning a new language as an adult is tough. I like the language a lot, and it's not as hard as it could be - B.I. uses the same alphabet English does, and is pronounced phonetically. But I still forget words thirty seconds after I learn them, and like any language there are nuances that I'll probably never understand as a non-Native speaker. Right now we're studying B.I. for four hours a day, six days a week. It's essential, but exhausting. I'll probably miss it once PST is over, though.
Things that Were Easier than I Expected:
1. Bucket showers and squat toilets. Really, it's no big deal. Millions of people in the world bathe and use the toilet this way, and it's fine. It took a couple of days for me to get used to it, and now it's like I've been doing it for years. Dumping a bucket of cold water over myself after I run in the mornings is actually pretty amazing, in fact. Still kind of adjusting to no toilet paper, though.
2. Moving into the home of complete strangers who speak a language I barely know. See my first item. My host family is super nice, and made me feel at ease pretty quickly. As I've learned more Bahasa Indonesia, we've been able to communicate even better, and we laugh a lot. They laugh at me frequently, and I'm fine with that. I even have enough Bahasa Indonesia to tease Ibu about things now. The other night, everyone was sitting around talking, and I couldn't really keep up with the conversation, so I just got up and danced with Ibu's grandchildren. Everyone laughed, and it was a great time. I'm really grateful that what could have been a weird or awkward situation has been pretty seamless overall.
3. Doing laundry. I expected to have to handwash all of my clothes. I did do that the first week. It turns out though that my Ibu has a washing machine. There are also places in the village where you can pay to have your laundry done. Right now, I'm using Ibu's washing machine. I'm not sure what I'll decide about laundry at my permanent site, but it's good to know there are options. Cuci-cuci is not my favorite activity.
Things that Were Surprising
1. Photos. I've been asked on multiple occasions to pose for pictures with complete strangers. I think it's just a novelty for people here to see foreigners, especially westerners. I"m happy to be in pictures, and I've taken to asking people for photos myself a little more frequently!
2. Angkots. This is the main form of public transportation in the villages where I am. An angkot is a small van that transports people short distances. Different colored angkots exist for different routes. Inside the seats are wooden benches that are alongside the walls of the van, rather than across the width. People cram in, sometimes carrying various large items, such as baskets or bags of fruit (common on the angkot going to and from the pasar, or marketplace, on a Sunday).
3. No sidewalks. This was a strange one for me. Hardly anyone I've met enjoys walking or running, though I know there are those who do. Maybe it's because of the heat. People think the Americans are crazy for wanting to walk too and from class, but we think its good exercise. It is hot, though.
Overall, I've had a really positive experience in Indonesia so far. PST is genuintely exhausting, though everything we're learning is important and interesting. I am excited that I've made it through the first four weeks, and now the remaining six looks less daunting. Of course I miss home - I had a really good life in NYC and Pittsburgh (the two cities I think of as home), with great friends and family, tons of things to do and the freedom to do them, and of course my record player. But in Indoneisa I'm going to have the chance to do things I would never have thought possilble, and meet amazing people that I never would have met if I had stayed in my comfort zone back home. Tomorrow (maybe today, depending on when I can post this), I will find out my permant site. It's exciting and nerve-wracking. It's going to be strange to adjust to a brand new family and location, especially as I've bonded well with my current host family. But I am so excited to start my job as an English Teacher/Teacher Trainer, and to meet people I hope to very soon care about.
So that's it for now! If anyone has any questions, feel free to comment. It may be a while before I can reply, but I will try to answer if I can - though bear in mind that I"m not an expert on Indonesia or Peace Corps - I am learning as I go, and blogging as I learn! But I'm happy to share my own experience, for whatever it's worth.
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