8 years in, looking back at our start in Indonesia

July 1, 2014 seems a long time ago. We've lived in Indonesia for 8 years.

That's when our airplane departed Seattle, we waved goodbye to family and friends, and left life as we knew it.

No one could predict if Indonesia would win our hearts. No one could promise that we 50-somethings could adjust to a foreign culture. Or that we'd like it enough to stay a while. We didn't know that beauty like this hedge below was around every corner.

We were asked to solicit minimal funding, think short-term, and aim for a 2-year stay. "If you want to stay, let's see," they said.

So we took their advice and left everything familiar to see what God would do with us.

We landed in Jakarta in the morning hours of July 3.,The next weeks, we walked great parts of the city, absorbing the sounds and smells. We shed about 20 lbs in the heat and humidity (sadly regained due to Bandung's good food and weather). We were grateful for friends nearby and the apartment arranged by our mentor Dave and his wife Gigi. They took good care of us and day after day, we began to fall in love with Indonesia.

In mid-August of 2014, we moved to Bandung. From there, we flew to other Asian cities to teach in universities and seminaries. We attended a not-very-good language school for 4 months. I retained nothing. W got a shaky foundation but started to build his vocabulary.

"Just speak!" urged our Indonesian friends. "Start with what you know. You'll learn as you go."

Well, that was easy to say. I knew NOTHING except "good morning." It took me months to remember the words for "good noon-time," "good afternoon," and "good evening."

"Just speak" was equivalent to putting a novice in the kitchen to cook a stew - with a few pieces of gravel, no instructions, and no water in the pot. Looking back, language was my greatest barrier and the greatest culture shock. Apparently I can't make something from absolutely nothing.

I quickly got accustomed to the day-and-night chanting, the constant buzz of traffic outside and people inside the house, and the lack of maintenance of streets and systems. We immediately liked the people and the food.

But not speaking Indonesian? Not understanding my neighbors? It was a traumatic part of everyday life and almost broke my heart.

I'm in language school again, slowly acquiring basic fluency. Our work is in English with English-speakers. So we've gotten by. W walks the city every weekend. Since he's gifted with a great memory and language-acquisition, he knows a lot of words and phrases.

Prayers appreciated for me! I'm slower than the 2.5 foot (85cm) tortoises at Nara Park.

We've had lots of adventures. The Thursday mountain hikes and morning prayer-walks keep us fit. The people of BIC make us feel at home. Our neighbors are amazing and kind. Our garden keeps growing. (See how we're trying to protect the avocados from the ravaging squirrels?)

Sure, there have been many adjustments. We miss our family and friends. But this is home. We love it here. We're eight years in, without an exit plan though good transitions are in the works.

After all, look at this just outside the door in our year-round tropical garden. As long as no snakes nest in the vines, we're happy to let it take care of itself. All we have to do is thin the plants and refill the pots with water when there's not enough rainfall.

On every hand, Indonesia has been worth a closer look. And a second. And another ... don't you agree?

Saturday, July 1, 2022

Breakfast is typically Indonesian: nasi goreng (fried rice) and fresh coconut water.

Casey has claimed the wool entry rug for her own. She goes home this morning. She's so happy to see her master that she wriggles and rolls over. It's fun to watch her delight.

W's gone most of the day while I sort, edit two newsletters, and review Indonesian verbs. I'm ready for a nap by mid-afternoon.

Sunday

Last week's flowers are still fresh so we take them to the BIC hall today. Someone takes the bullrushes and we bring the rest home.

This "easiest-ever-bouquet" looks fine when we set it down at home. (For scale, that's a 15" garden pot.)

After the BIC Gathering, we join a lunch at Warung Ethnic. The food, as always, is delicious. We come home to a porch-full of young people. They eat, play games, and hang out most of the afternoon. They even pose in front of the neighbor's glorious hedge.

We enjoy the company of one of the dads. (Parents may not attend Hangouts with their kids.) The more people we meet, the more we are in awe of the work of God among us.

Monday

I have two short meetings after our walk instead of the usual three longer ones. Whee! Feels like vacation. 

Except for language review. Reading. Writing. To shake off excess energy, I grab a white gel pen and add details in a painting in process. From this rough start:

it starts to take shape. I snap pictures as I go because it's easier to evaluate progress from a photo. I can immediately see where it needs color washes.

W and I chill in late afternoon with an episode of a Korean drama. We unwind watching the fictional troubles of others.

Tuesday

Team meeting is cancelled with members tied up during school break. W and I decide to eat our date breakfast a day early. 

The shadows are long since it's the middle of winter. It's 73o (23oC) before 8am on a beautiful morning. It turns out to be a cool day, mid-70s (75oC) with some overcast later.

The guys who give horse-rides are waiting for customers outside the #PadmaHotel. They clean the ponies' hooves as we walk by.

It's our yardman's day to beat back the wild things. 4 of us unravel a blue-strung volleyball net purchased last week ($8) and cut two 2-meter sections off one end.

One section is draped over the bathtub ponds to keep the civit cats out. Civits are great swimmers and quickly caught all the goldfish from the ponds last round. (Fish eat the mosquito larvae.) The second length of netting is a spare. Wrapped around a plastic bag, it gets shoved into the shed for later.

The rest of the net will go home with PakG. "We'll put it up in our neighborhood behind the footballr football (US soccer) goals used by the boys," he says. 2 wins in one!

The helpers and I clear the big fridge we borrowed from Jorge weeks ago. What a gift that was! Frozen food goes into the repaired fridge-freezer in the kitchen. I've left the kitchen fridge shelves bare to see what we eat day-to-day. Whatever wasn't touched didn't make it into the "renewed" fridge. It will be nice not to run into the back bedroom for food.

Today we sort out all the food, unearthing both treasures and garbage.

Done! The fridge is wiped down for return tomorrow. THANKS, Jorge!

Meanwhile, W's got a fix for the missing center of the mirror above my bathroom sink. What a handyman!

The hole in silvering - exactly at face height - has offered 7 1/2 years of mild annoyance. When we renewed our lease earlier this year, I mentioned it to W. This week, I scribble light brown eyeliner in  approximately the same location above his sink to demonstrate what a pain it is. (Don't you love the old peach fixture color of the 70s?)

As usual, W knows what to do: he buys a frameless mirror and hangs it on top of the ruined center with double-stick tape. Maybe my eyebrows will be painted on straight now. Haha - no promises. So far, guesswork has gotten me through.

What to do about the dim lighting though? W finds a dimmable string of 10 LED lights with plastic covers. With a press on a button, the LEDs change from cool- to warm-white to mixed. Double-sided tape holds it to the mirror and it runs on a charger. For $5, it's a bargain. No more excuses, Rosemarie.

The neighbor's trimmed the false-paradise grass along the road and thrown it onto a compost pile. I rescue one flower, chop off the leaves, and tuck it into a tall vase. I snap off a trumpet vine from the roof next door. Will the flower open in an arrangement? It does and lasts a few days.

Yay - another free source for BIC flowers! All we need to do is pull a few vines a few days in advance, tuck them into greens, and ... ? Let's see what it looks like.

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*All these things my hand has made, and so all these things are mine, says the Lord. But this is the one to whom I will look, to the humble and contrite in spirit, who trembles at my word. Isaiah 66:2

*Jesus prayed: Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. John 17:17

Moravian Prayer: Most gracious Lord and God, we pray that you look upon your people and help us in identifying with your truth. Allow us to unite and marvel at your creation, praising you in one accord for all that you have done for us. In your name, we pray. Amen.