I pondered over Jared’s request to write about our trip from my perspective. Thousands of memories, images, and thoughts flooded my brain. This left me paralyzed as to how to fulfill this request without leaving anything out, yet being able to convey in an article the magnificence of our trip, without writing a novel. I … [Read more…]
Two weeks ago Mt. Kelud, a volcano roughly five hours away from my home in Yogyakarta erupted spewing ash hundreds of miles. Wind carried the ash all the way to Yogyajakarta where it shut down roads due to visibility issues and laid down a layer 4 centimeters thick. At the time I was in Bali … [Read more…]
My parents and I meeting my headmaster. Batik school uniforms FTW! For my quarter-century celebration my family came to visit me in Indonesia. My parents came first to live for two days in the asrama (dormitory), my aunt and cousin from South Africa met us in Bali, where my brother Max showed up as well. … [Read more…]
On our trip to Labujan Bajo, a city on the island of Flores Max and I went through the four day process of getting our Padi Scuba certification. The photo above is of the descent during our first open-water dive. The first day of the course is spent in the classroom going through all of … [Read more…]
A few weeks ago I travelled to a city called Labujan Bajo on the island of Flores. It’s a lazy harbor kind of town with one main street reminiscent of the deadwood towns of the wild west. The only difference is instead of guns and saloons you see cameras and SCUBA diving centers. Right off … [Read more…]
Hidden in a valley between a few mountains and volcanoes about an hour outside of Jogja sits Candi Borobudur. This 9th century Buddhist temple is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, claims to be the biggest Buddhist monument still standing today, and is the most visited tourist site in Indonesia. If you want to avoid the … [Read more…]
In 5th grade my father bought me a textbook-size copy of The Hobbit with 48 brightly colored illustrations to lose myself in when my eyes were too tired to continue reading. Before then, I remember liking books. I enjoyed the Famous Five and the Secret Seven. I laughed at The Phantom Tollbooth. I had never … [Read more…]
A few weeks ago 8 fellow Fulbrighters came to visit Jogja on vacation. I, unfortunately, was still teaching for most of their visit, but I got to participate in one day of adventure. We went to Goa Pindul, an area known for a small mountain, rivers, and caves. We took a day trip, about 1.5 … [Read more…]
Last week, the entire Fulbright ETA program gathered together for our Mid-Year Conference held in Jakarta this year. After being at our individual sites spread all over Indonesia for the last few months, it was nice to finally be back together to swap stories and whine a little bit. The most common cultural adaptation to … [Read more…]
Indonesian lifestyle and culture is beautiful. Each member clearly contributes to society as a whole and deeply cares about those around them. I never go a day without a complete stranger offering a quick smile and bow. I love being a part of that for just a little while. There are many things I have … [Read more…]