Chinese New Year despite cough coughs

"Pandemics historically last 2 years."

That means we're about halfway through to post-Covid? Waaaaa. I'm tired. How about you? #IrinaBlok creates funny cartoons about where we are now.

I usually don't like spam posts but recently have laughed aloud at many of them. Cleverness seems to pop up along with boredom. Perhaps this is God's gift of time to reset our families, our work, and our priorities.

For many young families, home schooling has taken over the 3-4 hours (between parents) that the commute used to steal. At least it is time you have with the kids. Now you know why you drove your mother crazy, right? And you love every person who agrees to be a teacher and take your kids during the day? (Thought so.)

We wear masks everywhere, especially with many strangers in Bandung for Chinese New Year this week. My reflex is "cough cough." When we're walking the neighborhood and no one is in sight, I and pull one side open to get more air.

Wednesday, February 10, 2021

It's our first breakfast date in months. We walk over to Nara, but they don't have some of our favorite things. The substitutes are good, too. For the rest of the day, I'm in the office. Between interviews and calls, the day flies by.

Like always, my energy is low in the afternoon. It's the first team meeting we've had in a while, so seeing everyone together makes me happy. There's a full list of things to consider, especially since Lent starts in a week.

I'm catching up here and there, dropping things, and picking them up at the last minute. Sorry everyone who has to scramble ... My brain hasn't completely wrapped about Bandung time. Our sleep is better but not quite there yet.

Jet lag is a beast, esp when you're offset by 15 hours. Going somewhere is fine. Coming back is harder. Fortunately, the night-light is working again in the living room. W has replaced the wiring where the rats had chewed through the electric cords. 

I get up for peppermint tea sometimes, mid-night, and the warm liquid is soothing, especially if I don't see roaches or lizards or ants while I'm in the kitchen. The kitchen lizard has grown while we've been gone but his scooting across the floor between cabinets is the same.

---

Leftovers are a great base for what my nose wants me to eat. Pasta, olive oil drizzled on walnuts, papaya leaves/flowers, and spices. One more time.

"What's a nose-chef?" you may ask. Those of us who cook "by the skin of our nose" are often spontaneous cooks. We choose ingredients after smelling or thinking about the smell of a main component in a dish. (In my case today, it was the papaya leaves, a strong, bitter savory flavor.)

Then, we look around the kitchen for the other parts of the dish. Spices, vegetables, starches, meats, and herbs are chosen according to what smells like it may rhyme in taste. It's easy to hit a new combination of amazing taste this way. The only problem is that the recipes, made and eaten in a flash, are hard to replicate.

We do need some supplies so head to a big mall. It's empty. Many walkways have no one in them. Many shops have no one - or one or two people in them, besides a skeleton staff. Even the parking garage has only one exit: there's simply not enough traffic to hire more exit-booth cashiers.

I'm surprised to see one of the books I read in December, translated into Indonesian. If they'd had all 3 in the series, I would purchase them. Or, if they had other books by Moyes, I'd consider it. She makes me reflect on the world as she weaves a lyric spell with her words and chapters.

Two letters dated in December arrive by postal courier, a guy on a motorcycle who drops mail at the gate. There's so little mail here that the post office hires drivers when they have enough to deliver.

Thursday

My neck has been cricked while sleeping. Ouch, says the shoulder and neck. Good thing we're not hiking yet. We have to acclimate to the elevation and the mountains before we tackle walking in the hills. Some friends send a feast! for tomorrow's holiday. Josie Josie, we miss you in this year of social distancing.

The mastermind of women in leadership roles meets monthly. Today one of the links we circulate is a finger labyrinth, used for prayer and meditation. I print out a 12-part labyrinth pattern based on one from an old European cathedral. Then I dip string in rubber cement (nope you can't buy it here - I brought it along.) And finally, I coat the paper and align the string to make finger pathways. By day's end, it's no longer sticky. I'll try it tomorrow.

Labyrinths became popular in early Church history as a place for meditation and prayer. Going in one direction, weaving in a set pattern, set the mind free to focus on God. More recently, like many other good things, this tool has been adopted and adapted by other religions as well.

Ruth sends ribs that taste fantastic. I don't have to cook today, even better.

Because she's an artist as well as a chef, there is a mini-bouquet of roses and rosemary tied to the food packet. Beautiful. And the food is enak sekali (very tasty).

W finds the envelope of small maple leaves we brought from our Seattle home for Ruth. We'll get it to her soon.

The helpers have baked bread today, so that makes its way around the neighborhood. Dr H us sends a gelled rice cake, while Claudia shares Josh's favorite passion fruit custard. I won't be cooking tomorrow, that's for sure.

Friday, Chinese New Year

What a happy celebration for the families who can get together. Many are caught at home by travel restrictions. The holiday is as big for Chinese descendants around the world as Christmas is for Christians and Ramadan is for Muslims. So not meeting is a big deal.

It's also DrH's birthday, which she gets to spend with her family. For a Chinese-Indonesian, what a special blessing to have both celebrations on the same day! She's busy and productive, so her daughters bring flowers and buy her the cutest birthday cake, representing, "Oma, always working."

Lunch is amazing. I print a picture of Josie and her mom, an extraordinary cook, and tape the picture to a dining chair while we have lunch. They're with us in spirit anyway. We send Josie's family a quick snap of Melvina joining us. 

They've sent huge portions, probably meant for 5-6 people. We ask our houseguest to join us.

We finish with the pudding and sweet rice cakes (dodol). "This kind is only made for Chinese celebrations," we're told.

There's so much food that we have leftovers from lunch ... 

... AND supper. The traditional pancakes, meats, noodles, ground peanuts, cassava "glue" and other treats take ages to prepare. Because Josie's mom used to cater food, it's a level of excellence and tastes that we can't get elsewhere. We enjoy it all.

Saturday

Oh oh, what a short night for me. I'm up and ready to go at 2:30am. After a while, I give up and plow through my email, reading, and devotions. I stay in bed until 5:30. Then I explore the fridge for delicious leftovers. While W is on a call, I eat breakfast on the porch. (Snap peas, sweet papayas from the neighbor's tree, and the last of the papaya leaves/flowers, along with sausage we brought from Canada).

Those who lead a faith community know the prep that requires. Besides calls and appointments, we deliver a talk each weekend. W and I alternate writing those presentations, which helps us be more thoughtful and studious about them. W was excited about this week's topic so he'll speak alone tomorrow. (Whew, that clears some headspace for me to lead a board meeting after the regular BICOnline meeting.)

Next week, our topic is Job and his "comforters," those friends who have all the answers to his suffering. In the end, God just says, "What are they talking about? Pray for them!"

The media team works hard on next week, pasting the separate videos into conversations between Joa and his friends. Sorry, everyone - if we could, we'd record it in one go on a zoom call! With the holidays, that's not possible.

For me, writing the next weekend's talk, condensing the 42 chapters of Job into a synopsis and application, while recruiting readers for summary snippets of scripture takes a few days from last week and this. Between, I'm prepping the weekend board meeting. Somehow everything comes together in the end - hopefully that will be the case this time, too.

I brought an old bass violin bridge along as a memory of my father. It comforts me and makes me smile as I stroll though the entry.

Read more:

*All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord, and all your faithful shall bless you. Psalm 145:10

*Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. Proverbs 3:7

*Each one should test their own actions. Galatians 6:4NIV

Ground that drinks up the rain falling on it repeatedly, and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. Hebrews 6:7

Moravian Prayer: God of wisdom, you have instilled in us the knowledge and hope to boldly pursue your plans for us. May we keep your love and guidance ever in our minds as we follow you and lead others. 

Cultivator and Provider, work the fertile lands of our hearts to produce crops wholesome and pleasing to you. May they sustain and support those around us. In your holy name. Amen.