The End

This is it, my last entry from Indonesia! Can you believe it? Does it seem like the time has gone fast or do you feel like you haven't seen me in forever? I feel both.

Over the past couple of weeks I've experienced so many different emotions...I guess the same can be said about the last 10 months. I got nostalgic yesterday when I went to the post office one last time. I almost cried as I shook my students' hands, one-by-one, at the end of my farewell party last Wednesday. I laughed a lot in Bali with my graduating seniors last weekend. And I've kept on laughing as I hang out with friends and family. And of course, in typical Clarissa-style, I've gotten really frustrated with those who so desperately want to say goodbye even though we only met once months ago, or with Indonesia in general.

Now I'm in go mode and I just want to go. I don't want to say goodbye anymore. I don't want to pack anymore. This has been a heck of an experience and I am so grateful for it, but I'm done and ready to move on. Obama for America here I come!

Now before I go, I'll leave you with a few Indonesian fun-facts that you might not know:

Not only is McDonald's open 24 hours in Indonesia, it delivers via motorcycle 24 hours too!

In Bali there is only one high tide and one low tide per day...maybe it's that way in all of Indonesia. The Atlantic has two high tides and two low tides per day.

Indonesia is made up of roughly 17,500 islands. Only 600 of them are inhabited.

The UN defines an island as a piece of land or rock that is visible at high tide.

Because Indonesia straddles the equator each day is roughly 12 hours long, meaning every day, all year long, the sun rises around 6am and sets around 6pm, give or take about 30 minutes.

Ok I suppose that's enough for now...

...And they all lived happily ever after. The end.

Ketchup

My last entry was a pathetic apology for being such a blog slacker, but I promised I would update my blog soon. That was March 2 and it is now May 2 (ok, ok, the day I wrote this it was May 2, but in true slacker style, the date of actual posting is May 12). Better late than never, I suppose.

Rather than provide you a detailed description of the last two months, which were obviously so full that I did not have time to write about them, the following is a photo summary. Enjoy!

English Club has been going strong…well it’s been going. We’ve made friendship bracelets, sent postcards to the US, and made English bulletin boards to decorate the school. While not much English is involved in English club, I do try to provide an American snack at each meeting. Here’s my friend Tutik and one of my fav students Edo enjoying fruit roll-ups.

This photo’s from an English Camp I helped with. It was for kids in Surabaya who don’t go to school and may or may not have a home. I doubt I taught them much English, but we had fun!

Madura is a small island just off the coast of Surabaya. I think you could drive from end to end of the island in about 4 or 5 hours. I had been curious about Madura since I found out I was coming to Surabaya. Madura is known for kerapan sapi or bull races that are held throughout the year leading up to the World Series of bull races in October. However, in Surabaya, the small island to the northeast is known more for the people who live there. From what I’ve gathered the Madurese are to the Javanese what West Virginians are to Buckeyes or what Kentuckians are to Hoosiers. Needless to say, I couldn’t wait to check it out!

I also helped with English Day at the middle school where I teach…voluntarily. English Day is actually a misnomer because it was a two-day affair. English Days would have been more appropriate. Also, saying that I helped is misleading. Help is what the teacher at the middle school said that she needed. Actually what she must have meant was, “Excuse me Miss Clarissa, will you organize English Day for us and plan all of the activities?” I suppose if she had been so honest I may not have agreed. I guess she used the right approach.

March 21 was Naw Rúz, how did you celebrate??? In case you can’t remember what Naw Rúz is, it’s the Baha’i New Year. And in case you can’t remember what Baha’i is, it’s one of the younger religions around. It was founded in the nineteenth century by an Iranian man named Bahá’u’llá. Bahá’u’llá proclaimed that he was the next prophet from God, or “Manifestation of God” as Baha’is would say. Like most prophets, Bahá’u’llá was imprisoned, tortured, and killed, but before dying he managed to teach others, including his son, about his mission to bring unity to the world through religion. At this point in time, it seems pretty hard to believe that religion is the means to achieving world peace, but I like the idea so over the last couple of months I’ve been learning about the Baha’i faith with the help of my Baha’i friends, Sarah and Greg. Sarah’s been leading me and my friends Pritta (a muslim) and Trish (a Christian who is also well versed in Buddhism and Hinduism and probably many other religions) in a weekly Baha’i study group. The best part of the group, besides the spiritual growth stuff is the lunch and social time that always takes up more time than we want it to.

March 22 was Nelly, my Ibu (boarding house mom lady)’s granddaughter Gizelle’s first birthday. They went all out. The party was at a steak house and included not only a gigantic birthday cake (for looks only, they don’t eat the birthday cake at Indonesian birthday parties although they do cut it for pictures), but also a magician! I was impressed indeed.

At the end of March I headed to Bali to meet my latest visitors, my dad, step-mom, and little brother! Dad, Miki, and Daniel arrived on March 25, stayed for a night in Bali and then on the 26^th we headed to Surabaya. We went to the zoo, visited my school, shopped at two malls (unavoidable in Surabaya), hung out at a radio station, and even sang karaoke!

From Surabaya we went Southeast to Mount Bromo, an active volcano known for remarkable sunrises. We left Surabaya in the early evening and arrived at out hotel late at night to find that while our hotel did have the AC that we inquired about, it did not have heat, something that would’ve been nice to have at the top of a 2,400 meter mountain. We made arrangements for a jeep to pick us up at 4am in order to arrive at the official sunrise viewing area in plenty of time to get a good viewing spot. I must admit that I was not feeling so excited about the whole trip when we set off in the jeep at 4am, but it was definitely worth it.

After we hiked to the top of the volcano, looked inside, and hiked back down, we ate breakfast and went back to Surabaya for one last night there. Then we went back to Bali and went straight to Ubud. I’ve written about Ubud before so here I’ll just say I love Ubud! It has winding streets lined with small shops and, the best part, sidewalks! It also has a variety of outstanding restaurants that I am sure does not exist anywhere else in Indonesia.

Far Right: Daniel, Me and Dad inside a temple. Middle: Daniel holding fresh cacao (used to make cocoa) at a spice garden. Right: The Barong from the Barong Dance.

After Ubud we went to Sanur on the southeast coast for a few final days of R&R. First of all, we stayed at a villa owned by my friends Trish and Dave. Dave works at the US Consulate in Surabaya while Trish manages an incredibly busy social calendar. I sent Trish an sms while we were in Ubud asking for suggestions about places to stay in Sanur when she generously suggested that we just stay at their place. She failed to mention that their place is a four-bedroom, two bath piece of paradise with a pool. We all walked through the gate and sighed.

We didn’t do much exploring while in Sanur, which was the whole point of going there. We spent some time looking for shells on the beach, Daniel, Miki and I went snorkeling for a few hours one day (Daniel’s first snorkeling trip!), and we made a point to eat some good meals, but other than that we hung out in the pool, read books, and watched movies and TV. It was great!

So Dad, Miki and Daniel left on Good Friday (that would be the day of Jesus’s crucifixion, fyi) and I stayed in Sanur for the rest of the weekend. Trish and Dave came that Friday evening, along with their two young boys, Sidney and Thomas, and a friend from the states. We celebrated Easter with an egg hunt in the morning and then brunch at one of the chicest restaurants I’ve ever been to that was right on the beach. In addition to brightly colored circus tents featuring Easter crafts and games, there was also a fashion show to entertain us while we ate. Hallelujah, He is Risen!

Ok that takes us through the first week of April, so now I’m only a month behind. Progress! As you can see I’ve been keeping busy. Surprisingly, although I haven’t had time to update the blog, I have managed to squeeze in about 10 movies and a few seasons of the West Wing. I even got some bowling in!

And yes, in case you noticed my shirt, you are correct, it is a Colts Superbowl Champions shirt courtesy of my Uncle Joey. Thanks Joey!

Don't get excited...it's just an apology for my aversion to blog updates and computers in general

Hi friends and family, I just want to apologize for slacking lately in updating my blog. As far as I can remember my last post was written in a state of euphoria immediately following the Indianapolis Colts's coronation as "world champions." Thus, February passed by relatively unblogged.

I assure you that, first of all, I am still alive, and secondly, I am still learning new things, finding myself on new adventures, meeting new people, and consequently still experiencing all sorts of feelings usually in an extreme way. So although I have not told you any new tales lately, there are certainly tales to tell. Hopefully, within the next few days...or weeks I will share some of the hightlights. Until then, just use your imagination and be sure it is your wildest imagination!

There is Hope

You may be feeling overwhelmed by the seemingly endless bad news that streams across your TV each day or fills up the majority of your daily newspaper. And you have every right to believe that this world is falling apart right in front of our eyes. It is true that the war in Iraq is still going on with at least a handful of people dying each day. It is true, whether you believe it or not, that the polar ice caps are melting making starving polar bears the new canary in the coal mine. It is true that the violence in Darfur hasn't been stopped and children continue to have their innocence stolen from them as they are forced to kill friends and family members. And although you may not be aware of it, toxic mud continues to flow from the ground about 45 miles away from Surabaya, leaving thousands of people homeless, jobless, and exposed to who knows how many toxins. Oh and don't forget the still-rising flood waters in Jakarta, Indonesia's capital, that have left at least 400,000 people homeless and thousands more without any electricity or a means of contacting emergency services.

I know that hope is sometimes very hard to find.

But I want you, no matter who you are, to take one minute to stop right here, take a deep breath and push all of the bad in the world out of your mind, because today...

THE INDIANAPOLIS COLTS WON THE SUPERBOWL...

...and if that can happen, anything is possible!

If that doesn't excite you like it does me then I feel sad for you. I guess you'll just have to resort to tranquil images of nature, faith in a higher power, or maybe just some good ol' cynical political humor.


Whatever you choose, I hope it makes you smile!

Another Day in Paradise

January's gone by quickly. On most accounts that's a good thing. For most of you it means the end of snow and ice storms is getting closer. It also means that the Superbowl is just around the corner and, yes, the Indianapolis Colts will be there in full force!

On other accounts, after weekends like this, I would be happy to have time slow down just a bit. A friend of mine from the Consulate is leaving in March so she and I have talked quite a bit about what she will miss after living here for two years. At this point in time my list of things that I will miss is still short, mostly limited to a list of people and fruits that I've come to love. However this weekend has brought a mix of relaxation, randomness, and rainstorms that I know I will never have in the United States.

For example, take tonight's journey to this very computer. I left my house around 4pm after enjoying some delicious fried dough balls covered in powder sugar that Nelly, my general protector, made. It was a beautiful sunny day, but there was a breeze so I decided to substitute my usual taxi ride with a nice walk. As I walked I greeted each person staring at me with a sincere smile and a pleasant "Hello!" or "Selamat sore!" (good evening). However, approximately a third of the way to my destination some very dark clouds rolled in and I decided to cut my walk short and catch a bimo.

Now a bimo is the local public transport of choice. If I were to choose it in a game of 20 questions and you were to ask me if it was bigger than a breadbox I would answer "only slightly". They take short-bus to a new level. Anyways, I caught the bimo and surprisingly found it empty. I was thrilled because this meant there was a good chance that the driver would take me all the way to my destination rather than to the nearest stop which is not so near. I was friendly and put my bahasa Indonesia to good use. First the driver asked me where I was from. I was in a good mood so I was honest and I said America. We went through the normal questions about work, age, if I'm married yet, what's my religion, etc. Then came the next stage of questioning. "So you're American," he says, "What do you think of free sex." I laugh and say responsibly that it is dangerous. Then I quickly point out that there isn't free sex in America. Then I decided to turn the tables and I asked him what he thought about it. Unfortunately while I can make conversation, my listening skills are greatly limited by my meager vocabulary. He could have said an array of things, but I chose to believe he said that it was deplorable because of the way it promotes a social perception of women as sexual objects.

It is unlikely that that is what he said, however, because his questions began to follow a less thoughtful line. First he asked me about Islam and what I knew about it. Knowing not to bite, I listed random facts that I hope all people know and then I concluded by stating, "I know Islam means peace." He smiled and seemed satisfied.

After some silence he began again. "I have never touched an American boy or girl before!" he declared. I knew where this one was going. "Can I touch you?" he asked. After briefly considering my escape options in case of an emergence I hold out my arm and say ok. Innocently enough he reaches out and puts his hand on my arm. After a few seconds I say ok and take my arm back. Phew, that wasn't so bad! He is beaming. "That is my first time to touch an American!" he says. I insist that we're the same as Indonesians, but he immediately points out the abundance of hair, or fur as they call it in Indonesian, on my arm and the lack of such hair on his arm. I smile and say oh.

He was quiet again for a while and we were nearing the turn to my destination/the stop on his route. He starts again. "You know I've never kissed an American before either." Uh-huh, I think. "Can I kiss you?" No. "Can I kiss your cheek?" No. "Can I kiss your hand?" No. He laughs and then mumbles something about smart woman.

Finally I point out again that I am actually going just a little further hoping that he would just take me there as some of the drivers have done in the past. But no, we arrived at the stop and he proceeded to tell me the fare. Maybe I should have kissed him!

Just kidding, Dad!

Anyways, he said that it was just about 200 meters to the place where I was going. Being from America I don't have a good sense of how long 200 meters is, but it sounded manageable. So I started walking...and walking...and I kept walking. I don't know how many meters later, but I'm guessing it was more than 200, I arrived at my destination - the international school where I was picking something up from a friend - and I was soaking wet. Not long after the curious bimo driver dropped me off the dark clouds above finally burst and let out a serious downpour.

I decided to sit with the security guards at the school until the rain let up and I ventured out again. They didn't seem too interested in talking to me so I pulled out my current reading material, Barack Obama's "The Audacity of Hope" (fortunately my dad taught me the importance of always having a book on hand). After reading just a couple of pages one of the security guards randomly asks me how long I've been Indonesia, the typical conversation starter. I put down my book and we start talking. Then, when we hit a lull in the conversation, he looks at the book and just says "Obama." I ask him if he's heard of him and he says yes so emphatically that it's as if everyone has. I admit that I was surprised, not because I think Indonesians don't know anything about US politics, but I didn't really expect that people were following many Illinois senators.

It turned out that this guard knew a lot about Obama. He knew not only that Obama's step-dad was Indonesian and that Obama himself had at one point in his childhood lived in Indonesia, but this guard also knew that it was from 3rd grade through almost all of the 5th grade, but before finishing the 5th grade little Barack had to return to the US with his mom. The guard even knew what school Obama had gone to. I took the whole conversation as both an enjoyable moment in Surabaya and also as another sign among many that are suddenly pointing me towards US politics and the upcoming presidential campaign.

We'll see what happens in the Superbowl first!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! It's really hard to believe it's January when it's 80-90 degrees outside. I'm guessing most of you can't relate right now, although I hear it's been quite the mild winter so far in the midwest. In fact I'm guessing there have already been sunbathers lounging on the OU greens. Well knowing midwestern weather, it won't last, so maybe you should put on your bathing suit and join them!

In case you haven't heard, I spent New Year's in Bali...on the beach...looking at the Indian Ocean. All I can say is unforgettable!

Susan and I had a great time over the holidays. We hung around Surabaya for Christmas since I had promised the women at my house that we would be around. While there was no talk of Santa Clause coming or a Christmas Pageant, we were told there would be a big family gathering involving food and presumably gifts. Well, Christmas Eve came and went with no such get together, then Christmas morning. We woke to find stockings stuffed with presents and candy (which looked like it may have been intended for Halloween). After enjoying some sweets we cooked a feast of toast, eggs, and bacon, yes real pork bacon we lounged around just like at home. Yet unlike at home, where you eventually do have to get dressed, visit with family, and eat a large, but delicious meal, we continued to lounge...and lounge, and lounge. Finally, after hearing no word about what time this supposed meal would commence, I descended only to find some family members at the table already eating. It turned out that most of the family wasn't coming after all, so there would be no big Christmas gathering. I returned upstairs, more confused than disappointed. Had I misunderstood? Had I chosen to hear that there would be a big family gathering just because that's what I'm used to having on Christmas Day? Well I don't think so. I think it was just another day in Indonesia.

But this presented a dilemma. Susan and I had scrambled the night before to buy gifts for all of the family members we expected to see for Christmas. Now that most of them weren't coming, how would we give them their gifts? And more importantly, since it appeared as though there would be no gift exchange at all, how would we give anyone their gift? Apparently although Indonesians have picked up on the tradition of decorating piney-looking trees in their homes in December (despite the complete lack of any conifers in the area), they have not caught on to the true meaning of Christmas: presents. My idea was to keep the presents for ourselves in order to avoid the awkwardness of passing out gifts to the unsuspecting people downstairs. Susan, however, insisted on going downstairs and leaving them under the tree. Sure enough, her idea was a good one because not long after we had returned to my room, we heard shouts and near-screams. One by one they began to come up the stairs. When Susan and I came out, we were met by huge smiles and even hugs (Indonesians don't usually hug)! The next half hour is kind of a blur because it was full of such emotion and joy. It was so much fun to watch everyone open their presents and witness their sincere surprise. All of the sudden we had found Christmas in Indonesia!

After the euphoria wore off, Susan and I retired to my quarters where we proceeded to pass the rest of our Christmas listening to music, watching a Christmas movie, and eating a delicious dinner of grilled cheese and salad. It was a great Christmas!

The lounging of Christmas didn't last long. On the 26th we took a 5-hour train ride to Yogyakarta, "the cultural center of Java". I had been there once before, but had not seen much. This visit was going to be different. The big adventure on this trip was visiting Borobudur, a large Buddhist temple about 2 hours outside of Yogya. We went with some friends of mine (Indonesian friends, that is...yes I have them) and it was awesome. Here are some pics; I think they say more than I can (if that's possible):


While in Yogya we also saw a wayang kulit performance (traditional shadow puppets telling stories from the Ramayana), a huge Chinese cemetery, and the aftermath of the catastrophic eruption of Mt. Merapi last spring.

We returned to Surabaya on the 28th, hung out in Surabaya for one last day and then on the 30th Susan packed up all of her stuff and we flew to Bali! This was my 3rd time to Bali, but let me tell you, it doesn't get old! For our first few nights we stayed in a swanky town called Seminyak. We weren't right on the beach, but you could hear the ocean from our bungalow.

Some other Americans I know, teachers and such, were also staying in Seminyak, so Susan got to meet a lot of my buds. We hung out with them the first night and planned on meeting up for New Year's. Unfortunately (or maybe fatefully), either heavy usage in the area or an earthquake in Taiwan made cell phones pretty useless, so Susan and I ended up outside a club on the beach for the countdown to 2007. It was a great place to be. We decided to find something to drink so we could toast the new year. In the end we landed at what is probably the nicest resort I've ever unknowingly wandered into. As we asked the bartender for menus he suggested champagne. We said that sounded nice and asked if they served it by glass or by the bottle. They had both so we decided, what the heck, and went with a bottle of French. We waited for or refreshments on some beach chairs overlooking the ocean, but soon a nice young waiter carrying party hats and noise makers suggested we try a more comfortable spot- it was a bed-like bench with pillows and curtains and dark wood. It was straight out of a dream...or a magazine that makes you wish you were there. Well we were there!

After New Year's we went to Nusa Lembongan, a small island off the southeast coast of Bali. It turns out there's not much to do in Nusa Lembongan...nor is there an ATM. But there is really great snorkelling. Despite the fact that we arrived after a completely sleepless night, one hour after arriving at our hotel we found ourselves on a boat loaded with snorkelling gear and a random swiss man. It was a beautiful sunny day and the water was the color of bright turquoise. We snorkelled at two different sites and saw the most amazing fish and coral that I have ever seen in my life. The fact that we were exhausted was easily forgotten as we saw starfish, sea urchins, and an array of fish that looked like they had been swimming around in cans of bright paint.

The snorkelling made the trip to Nusa Lembongan completely worthwhile, but after one night Susan and I were definitely ready to return to the mainland, so we took an early afternoon boat back and were quickly on our way to Ubud, one of my favorites.

In Ubud saw a Barong dance performance with great dancing and fantastic costumes, lounged in one of the two pools at our hotel, shopped, hung out with monkeys and even ran into Caitlin and Tamara, two other ETAs. The highlight of our time in Ubud, though, was definitely all of the great food that we ate.

After three days of stuffing our bellies, our last day of vacation had finally come. On January 6 we returned to the beach for one last swim, one last sunset and one more delicious meal. At 11pm I took Susan to the airport for her 1am flight and then I went back to the hotel to sleep. My flight to Surabaya didn't leave until the evening of the 7th, so I spent the entire day on the beach relaxing and reflecting on how wonderful my time with Susan was. I got to see one more amazing sunset and then I too went to the airport and made my way back to Surabaya.



(F.Y.I. The above picture was not photoshopped in any way...it was really that beautiful!)

Merry Christmas/Happy Chaunukah/Happy Kwanza/Selamat Al Adha

Lately the time has just been flying. The last time I posted anything was Thanksgiving. Now it's Christmas...well it's Christmas Eve...in Indonesia, that is.

The past month has been a full one. After celebrating Thanksgiving with multiple delicious Thanksgiving dinners and about 10 Thanksgiving lessons at school I took a lovely "break" from Surabaya to attend the annual TEFLIN (Teaching English as a Foreign Language in Indonesia) Conference. The conference was held in a town called Salatiga in Central Java. Salatiga is a hilly university town. By Indonesian standards it is cool and since Indonesian standards are what I'm living by these days, it felt pretty cool and refreshing.

The highlights of the conference were many...well maybe not necessarily of the conference per se, but of the week in general. All 19 of us ETAs stayed together at a really sweet hotel with green gardens, coi ponds, and a lovely pool that really made my feng shui. While large portions of the conference were less than exhilirating, we all had a really good time together. Plus we did make time to share funny stories, frustrations, and class ideas and I think we all left feeling ready to reconquer our classrooms. Still, a personal favorite of the conference was a surprise guest appearance with the hotel bar band. I think the picture says it all...

So that was at the beginning of December. Now, Christmas Eve, I'm back in Surabaya, this time with Susan! She arrived on December 16. Unfortunately she flew into Denpasar, Bali which meant we had to spend a couple of nights at the beach in Bali. Bummer! Her flight took 3 days of travelling due to a 24 hour layover in Tokyo, plus the 12 hour time difference can really throw a person off, so I wanted to really ease her into life in Indonesia. On our first night we were excited to find that there was a 24 hour open-air bar just down the block from our hotel. Since Susan had no sense of time and I was running on adrenaline we took advantage of the bar's generous hours of operation and then returned to the hotel only to sleep well into the next afternoon. After a leisurely "morning" we made our way to Kuta beach for a swim in the Indian Ocean. It was a first for both of us! Then we promptly met some surfers who were happy to lend us a board and give us some free lessons. Despite the fact that it was their first time surfing too, they were actually quite helpful and both Susan and I got in some good rides...well at least one each, anyways.

On our last night in Bali we met up with my friend Hillary who teaches in Bali. She took us to a great "Mediterranean" restaurant on the beach. The food was delicious, especially because we could hear the waves crashing in the dark ocean while we ate.

On Monday we flew back to Surabaya. Susan was pretty much speechless on the drive from the airport to my house. I don't know if it was the people, the buildings, or just the traffic, but it was a lot of fun for me to watch her absorb it all. There's definitely a lot to take in. Fortunately my students have been on break since Susan got here so we've been able to just hang out and most importantly, sleep when necessary. Since she's been here, we've been to my school, the mall (a couple of times and a couple of different malls), the zoo, a Chinese acrobat show, and a whole bunch of good restaurants (that may be the best part of having guests). We'll be in Surabaya through Christmas and maybe the next day. Then we're heading to Yogyakarta, considered the cultural capital of Java. After that we'll take off for Lombok (a.k.a. Paradise) on December 30 to get ready for the New Year.

In the meantime, we are doing some last minute Christmas shopping and hopefully finding a midnight mass or some sort of church service for Christmas Eve. If we don't find one we'll probably eat another really good meal, watch "Frosty's Christmas" which Susan so thoughtfully brought along, and stare at our festive Christmas tree that we finished decorating last night. A big terimah kasih (thanks) goes out to Susan's mom for sending that. Hopefully Santa will be able to find it!



I hope you all have a really wonderful Christmas with friends and family. Build a snowman and eat some christmas cookies for me!