Lumpur Panas (a.k.a. Toxic Mud)

I just realized that I haven't mentioned anything about lumpur panas yet. Considering the fact that there is a pool...no, lake of toxic mud growing by the seconds just south of Surabaya and it is the first time in documented scientific history that such an occurance has happened, I feel obligated to fill you in.

Here's the basic story: A natural gas company was drilling in a town about 22 miles south of Surabaya when they tapped into an underground reservoir of what they call toxic mud. I'm not sure what toxins are in it, but I have read that it smells like rotten eggs and it steams. In Indonesian they call it "lumpur panas" which means hot mud.

Scientists are completely baffled about the occurence because they thought reservoirs like this only existed under the ocean. Apparently about 5 million years ago or so there was some tectonic shifting that went on and some mud got caught between plates, creating this underground lake. Now scientists are trying to figure out how big the reservoir is while engineers attempt to both contain the rising mud and plug up the hole.

In a recent newspaper article a scientist was quoted as saying that the mud could continue spewing out for another 10-100 years! This is a HUGE concern and a HUGE problem with economic, environmental, and social repercussions. Consider the people who have had to flee their homes and the environmental destruction. Who knows how this mud will change the terrain and what contamination will be left behind if the mud is ever cleaned up.

Please read at least one of these articles for more information. I'm really intrigued by this because it is such an ecological/geological oddity, but I'm mostly concerned about the impact on the enviroment and the people who live in it.

Read:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4798501.stm
http://www.guardian.co.uk/indonesia/Story/0,,1856933,00.html

I [heart] Lombok!

I promised tales from paradise and this week that's exactly what you are going to get. I was only in Lombok for three short nights, but it only took five minutes there for me to realize that I had found paradise…and possibly the meaning of life.

Lombok is a small mountainous/volcano-ous island just east of Bali that is only a one-hour, $35 plane ride away. Considered somewhat of a Bali-light, Lombok seems to have the beauty and cultural diversity of Bali (note: I have not yet been to Bali myself) with the bonus of the second tallest volcano in Indonesia and fewer tourists. It is known for its beaches (white and black sand), reefs, surfing, hiking, and a thriving Sasak (indigenous group) community.

I flew to Lombok with my friend Amanda who lives an hour away from Surabaya. In Lombok we met up with another friend, Lisa. Lisa arrived earlier in the day, so she scoped out the lodging scene and found a wonderful place along the southern coast called Puri Mas. Just look at the pictures…like they say, they're worth 1,000 words.


On our first night we were welcomed with fresh juice drinks served in a pineapple and garnished with tropical flowers. We stayed in a cute bungalow (actually 2) with comfy beds, dramatic mosquito nets, and best of all, outdoor bathrooms. But these were no Appalachian outhouses. No, no, no these were feng shui (or however you spell it) masterpieces with strategically placed stone walls and greenery and showers made out of statues. Best of all, anywhere you went at Puri Mas you could hear waves crashing…and only waves.

The first day in Lombok we ate a lengthy and large breakfast. The menu was extensive and our waiter happened to be a trainee who didn't really know the rules, so he told us we could order anything on the menu and as much as we wanted and it would be included in the room. We took him up on that offer in a heartbeat. After we recovered from our subsequent food comas we hired a driver from the hotel to drive us around the island. We visited a handful of small towns and artisan workshops. We also stopped at a beautiful Hindu temple situated on a cliff that juts right out into the ocean. By the end of the day we were totally pooped, so it was an early night.


The next day we woke up bright and early and excitedly headed straight to breakfast. Plans to go snorkeling that day caused me to limit myself to a smaller breakfast of fresh fruit, a grilled cheese and tomato sandwich, an egg, fried bananas, a coffee, and fresh juice. Soon after breakfast we took off with Win, a 22-year-old employee of Bagus Diving (Good Diving) who was soon to become our favorite person in Lombok.

We drove west along the coast until we reached a small bay where our boat was waiting. There are three islands, the Gili Islands, off the coast of Lombok that are famous for diving and catering to western tourists. We went to the biggest island, Gili Trawangan, first. The water was smooth and the snorkeling was great! I have no idea what fish we saw, but they were pretty. Plus there were giant blue starfish everywhere, and I mean giant.

We stayed in Trawangan for lunch and then went to the next island over, Gili Meno, for more snorkeling. The water around Meno was much shallower so we could get right up close (but of course not touch; that'll kill coral plus it can cut you up pretty good) to the coral. The water got rough, though, so we spent some time collecting shells and coral from the beach. After a full day we headed back in time to catch the sunset and take some pictures with our favorite diving guide.

The next day I had a leisurely morning and took in my last hours of blue water and crashing waves before I returned to Surabaya. I was sad to leave, but excited to know that such a beautiful place was so close. When I got back into Surabaya I experienced a little bit of paradise withdrawal, but that passed quickly as I jumped back into my school routine.

Now if you aren't thinking to yourself, "How can I go to Lombok? I have to see it for myself!" then there might be something wrong with you and you should consider talking to someone about it. But if you are sane and are thinking those very thoughts, then just e-mail me and I can tell you how to get there...in fact, I'll take you myself. I'll be waiting.

Camp Karitas

Last weekend I went on my first excursion from Surabaya (not counting the Catholic outing). It was a camping trip! I joined about 40 students and 10 teachers in a small mountain town for a leadership retreat. What a blast!

First of all, the trip there was a lot of fun; a pleasant surprise considering the fact that the main road to the mountains is closed due to some unexplainable surge of "toxic mud" that has been pouring from the earth for over 100 days. I rode out with two teachers, Tuti (female) and Rendra (male) who are both 25, single, proficient in English and lots of fun. The drive was so beautiful with terraced rice patties set against dark mountains.

Our destination was no disappointment either. I was expecting some strange, unwanted surprises because, well, most things here are not what I expect. But this camp was even better than I expected. It was in the woods, but jungle-like woods with enormous bamboo and the brightest blue birds I've ever seen. The weekend was full of team-building games, hikes, running through rivers, good food, and of course, campfires.

On Monday we headed back to Surabaya, but Tuti, Rendra, and I decided to avoid the toxic mud and the traffic jams that it causes and take a detour through Tuti's hometown, Pacet (pronounced Pachet). After an hours drive we arrived at her home where I met her sister Bonchu (a nickname that means babydoll face) and her cousin/brother person, Iwan. We all hiked to a waterfall and then went to dinner. We ate at a fish restaurant with pools full of fish. You choose which fish you want and they catch it, kill it (right in front of you), and cook it up. It was pretty darn good.

Next weekend (a.k.a. tomorrow) I'm taking off for another excursion…to Lombok!! It's an island just east of Bali that some say is more beautiful, and all agree is less touristy than the oh-so-famous Bali. Stay tuned for pictures and stories from paradise…
Photo (L to R) Tuti, Bonchu, Iwan, Me, Rendra

*Just another bit of randomness: after I wrote this entry, one of the pembantus (servant) called me for dinner. All of Nelly's (the owner of the house, my "host mom") kids and grandkids were here (I knew they were coming) and it turned out it was Nelly's birthday (I didn't know that, but I think she had told me, I just didn't understand). What a great surprise! Good food, lots of nice people!

Lucu sekali (Very Funny)...my students, that is

I only taught one class today, but it captured the essence of why I love teaching at SMAK Karitas III. First, I returned corrected sentences from our first lesson: may vs. can. While there were many creative sentences, my favorite, and perhaps the most direct sentence was "May I sleep with Britney Spears?" Then in today's class we played a version of charades designed to emphasize action verbs, emotions, and body language. The students were to choose an action for the chosen actor and then I gave them an emotion. Then their team had to guess what their emotion was based on their body language. The highlight was "fishing in the nose" happily. Now you understand why I'm loving my job.

Lucu sekali (Very Funny)...my students, that is

I only taught one class today, but it captured the essence of why I love teaching at SMAK Karitas III. First, I returned corrected sentences from our first lesson: may vs. can. While there were many creative sentences, my favorite, and perhaps the most direct sentence was "May I sleep with Britney Spears?" Then in today's class we played a version of charades designed to emphasize action verbs, emotions, and body language. The students were to choose an action for the chosen actor and then I gave them an emotion. Then their team had to guess what their emotion was based on their body language. The highlight was "fishing in the nose" happily. Now you understand why I'm loving my job.

Catholic Mass, Buddhist Temples, Sex in the City, and Oreos

It is so cliché, but the time really does seem to be flying right now. I keep trying to slow things down so that I can stop and digest the new people I've met, the new words I've been learning, and of course, all of the new food I've been trying. School is going very well, but I'm still trying to figure out how to work with the other teachers while also teaching the students proper English.

Another unexpected (and sometimes undesirable) surprise is the prominence of the Catholic church in my Surabaya life. Because I am teaching at a catholic high school, leaders within the church have taken it upon themselves to make sure that I feel at home in Surabaya and always have something to do. To them this means inviting me to every church function there is. Although I had prepared myself to see the occasional crucifix, the weekend of Mass marathon caught me completely off guard.

I'm usually all for learning about different religious practices, but I have my limits. This past Saturday I attended what turned out to be a three-hour evening mass, followed by another three-hour mass the next morning. Plus I had already attended what seemed to be an unusually long mass the previous Sunday. Only one of those times did I actually know that I was going to a mass. On Saturday night I thought I was going to a Javanese ceremony to welcome a new priest. The good news was that there was a Javanese flavor to the night – the new priest and his family wore outfits made of batik, a traditional Indonesian fabric, and I did too. But after 3 hours, even the beauty of the batik wasn't enough to keep my interest. Then the next morning…at 4 am…I left for a day in Kediri. I thought I was going for a day trip to a sacred place in the countryside. I ended up at Indonesian Catholic Disneyworld. There were 14 golden statues depicting the crucifixion of Christ, man-made grottos, and countless stalls selling rosaries, candles and jugs of holy water. After a one hour rosary service and a two hour mass, I was finally on the road back to Surabaya.

Fortunately my day became progressively better as we headed home. First we made a random (and again unexpected) stop at a Buddhist temple on the way back from Kediri. I never exactly figured out what the place really was (a common theme in my Surabaya life) – was it a shrine? a temple? a historical site? I don't know. But it was interesting. Then when I got home there was a big birthday party going on to celebrate the 3^rd birthday of Kelly, the granddaughter of my pseudo-host mom, Nelly. I actually knew about this event prior to my arrival, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much fun it was. There were at least 50 people at my house plus tons of food. Everyone in the family welcomed me and included me in all of the activities, most of which consisted of photo taking.

I'm now halfway through my second week at school and I'm feeling very good about my placement. I continue to learn about Indonesian culture (yesterday I taught a lesson on body language and ended up learning all sorts of Indonesian do's and don'ts) and I'm slowly learning my way around Surabaya. At the same time, I'm making myself feel at home by treating myself to occassional tastes of home. On Monday I got a dvd player, 23 dvds and a pack of oreos, so now I'm watching Sex in the City while enjoying oreos and a cold glass of milk. Not a bad way to end the night.

Jadwal Miss Clarissa (My Schedule)

I am expected to teach 20 hours every week. I plan on using the rest of my time to work on my Bahasa Indonesia, meet people in Surabaya, give presentations regarding life in America, and basically learn everything I can about Indonesia through reading, talking with people, and most importantly, traveling

Monday 7:30-12:30 – 6 classes, 3 public speaking/3 listening
Tuesday 8:15-10:45 – 4 classes, 2 public speaking/2 Bahasa Inggris
Wednesday 7:30-9:45 – 3 classes, all public speaking
Thursday 7:30-1:15 – 7 classes, 1 public speaking/6 listening
Friday 8:15-9:45 – 2 classes, both Bahasa Inggris

* In Indonesia they go to school on Saturdays, but fortunately I don't have to teach on Saturdays…just another perk of being a buleh!

Introducing Miss Clarissa

I was given my very own dry erase marker today at school, officially making me a teacher by Indonesian standards. I was sincerely honored. I have taught in my school, SMAK (Catholic High School) Karitas III, for 3 days now and I already love it so much. The students are really curious and most of them are surprisingly willing to use their English. The teachers are also wonderful. They have made me feel at home and despite language and cultural barriers I think we will be able to work well together.

My first day at Karitas III was especially great. I was really nervous the night before and I could hardly sleep. I woke up at 5am to get ready and my two contact people from the church, Bu Fani and her husband Pak Budiyono, picked me up at 6:30 am and took me to school. When we drove up, all of the students were standing along the balconies (the hallways for the school are open to the outside) watching me. First I met the principal, Ibu Ana, and some of the other English teachers (see picture). Then some more people from the church came.

At first I was shaking because I was so nervous, but everyone was really friendly, especially Ibu Ana, and they made it clear that they wanted me to feel at home. Then they asked me to come outside because they wanted to formally introduce me to the students and other teachers. When we walked outside all of the students were lined up in the courtyard along with all of the teachers. Ibu Ana led me and the people from the church out of the courtyard and asked us to re-enter the school. Suddenly there was music and a dancer in a traditional Javanese costume appeared. She danced in front of me and led me into the courtyard. Ibu Ana met me in the courtyard and placed a lei made of fresh flowers around my neck. Then she led me in front of all of the students to stand with all of the teachers. The Javanese dance continued and then was followed by a modern dance by the school's dance team, a choral performance, and even a performance by the school's rock band. Then Ibu Ana gave a speech to welcome me. Pak Budiyono followed with a speech that basically warned the students to behave or else I would leave. I thought that was funny. Then they asked me to make a short speech I kind of figured this was coming so I told them how excited I was to be there and how I looked forward to getting to know everyone. I thought I did well and that I was off the hook, but then they asked me to give another speech in Bahasa Indonesia! I think I put together a few coherent phrases using my limited vocabulary to say something along the lines of I'm very nervous and happy and thank you. How profound!

After the ceremony I was informed that I would spend the rest of the day at the school, introducing myself to the classes. Each class is 45 minutes long, so I figured I would introduce myself for 10 or 15 minutes and then just observe for the rest of the class. Wrong! They gave me the entire 45 minutes to introduce myself. I ended up talking about everything from my pets to the rubber industry in Akron. I killed a lot of time by asking them questions too, so I learned a lot about teenage life in Surabaya (which consists of school, sleeping, eating, or shopping at the mall). Overall I was really impressed by how much English they understood, now I just need to figure out how to help them use what they know to make conversation. Sigh…I have a feeling that this is going to be a fun but exhausting 9 months.

Mission: Conquer Supermall

2.9.06: Captain's Log – Day one now complete. Meeting with Catholic church people accomplished. Mission at Supermall successful…yes there is actually a mall near my house called Supermall. Tomorrow's wake up: 5:30 am. Current time: 23:03. Must sleep. Will write more soon.

Greetings From Surabaya!

Ok, I apologize for the length and extreme detail of the following posting. I will try to be more concise in the future, but my brain is working at low efficiency right now…basically I'm in survival mode, so bear with me. I hope you read it all and find it enlightening or at least informative.

It's a new month and I have a new home. This morning I flew from Jakarta to Surabaya with 3 other ETAs (English Teachers' Assistants), one of whom is also staying in Surabaya. The flight was short-1 hour-but complete with an interesting snack pack that included a jello-like "aloe vera" pudding, a chocolate bar, and a roll filled with some sort of sweet meat (I swear it was bar-b-que pork, but that's unlikely given the extraordinary number of Muslims here). After one bite I decided that I'm no fan of aloe vera pudding, but I did enjoy my mystery meat-filled roll. In fact, I ate my friend Nick's too.

When we got to the airport we were met by Esti, an employee at the US Consulate in Surabaya. She took us straight to lunch at "The Roadhouse." You can just imagine the excitement that I felt as images of steaks, bloomin' onions, and peanut shells covering the floors filled my head. As you may have guessed, my visions were pretty far off, but the restaurant did come through with some of the tallest burgers I've ever seen. One point for Surabaya.

After lunch two women, Bu Fani and Bu Silfi came to the restaurant to take me to my house. Apparently they work for a committee in the Catholic Church here that oversees education. They were very nice and pretty brave with their Bahasa Inggris (English). We worked together, blending Bahasa Inggris and Bahasa Indonesia to construct a basic conversation that covered my schedule for the next couple of days, my family, the structure of the Catholic Church in Surabaya, and the sons of the two women. During the drive I did not see much of the city because I was concentrating on conversing, but from what I did see, Surabaya looks really nice. Like any city it seems to have very nice parts and very not-so-nice parts and then everything in between. I've been assured that there are some good malls here. What a relief!

Because I have no sense of the layout of Surabaya, I have no idea where my house is or if it is near anything of interest. What I do know is that, despite promises of private homes or apartments, I am living with a family. I say "with" with reservations though because it's more like I live in a room in the house. The room is divided into two sections, one with the bed and the TV and the other side with a closet, mirror, and desk. There is a shower attached to the room and there is a toilet at the end of the hall which I've already made good use of (oh the joys of traveling!). There's another room attached to my room that I can use as my "kitchen" and dining room. It is really a sun porch that they used to use for storage, but they put a table in it and a small camping stove, so now it's my dining area. Off of the dining area there is a nice big outdoor balcony.

At first I felt a little unsure about the arrangements. I don't like the idea of just being a tenant in another family's home. If I'm going to live with a family, I would like to feel like it's my house too. At the same time, I definitely like the idea of having my own personal space. When Fani and Sylfi left I didn't really know what to do. The daughter of the woman who owns the house was here, Evelyn. She actually has an office here. She's an interior designer. We talked a little bit and then she went back to work. I was feeling a little bit overwhelmed and a little bit lonely, plus I was really tired because I was up late packing last night.

I took a nap and when I woke up I felt much better. I talked on the phone with my friend Lisa (another ETA) and then a woman came and knocked softly on my door. She introduced herself as Evelyn's grandmother but later she said that Evelyn was the daughter of her husband's sister…I didn't understand, but I'm trying to get used to that feeling so I didn't really ask her to clarify. She told me to call her Oma and she said that if I ever want to talk with someone I can talk to her. It was exactly what I needed to hear. I wanted to hug her! She was born in 1930 and has seen a lot. She lived in Indonesia while it was a Dutch colony, then during the Japanese occupation (194?-1945), through the war for independence (fought between Indonesians and the Dutch military from 1945-1949), through the rise and fall of Sukarno (the first president) and during the first decade of Suharto's presidency/dictatorship. In 1973 she moved to the Netherlands with her family. As you can probably tell, I'm really excited to talk with her. I'll keep you all posted on what I learn.