Tuesday, March 28, 2023 @67
I took full advantage of Sunday and Monday, the last 2 days of being 66. For the past year, I've been anticipating becoming officially "old" at 67, with some surprise. Yes, you old people - it has happened to me, too. haha Thank God for good health.
The day starts with a 2 mile walk, language school, and many calls.
The morning fog burns away by noon. What a beautiful city.
It looks like autumn on the walk: the leaves have fallen in the latest rainstorm.
Many are bright reds and yellows. It's 70-80oF (20-27oC) though, perfect "not-yet-sweater" weather.
Basic erosion control along the street: bags of dirt get heaped on each other. As the bags break down in the tropical heat and damp, the rocks and mud build up the shoulder of the road.
Language school starts with an hour of conversation about visiting the sick at home or in the hospital, Indonesian-style. I learn a lot:
- You're expected to stay 30-60 minutes for a normal visit. If you leave sooner, people may think they have offended you or you don't like them. Whew! That's a lot longer than Western hospital visitors stay. What would we talk about?
- The whole family and/or a bunch of friends may be in the sickroom. If someone has just come out of surgery or is gravely ill, you sit and talk to the other people. The patient feels loved if they are surrounded by visitors, even if it's noisy.
- Take 50-100.000 IDR ($3-6USD) along to give to the family at the hospital; it helps pay transport, parking, food, and other expenses. For home visits, bring food along.
- You'll be offered food and drink. It's optional to accept.
The other language students are much more fluent than I. Later I ask my teacher what level they are at: I'm the only one at Level 2 - the rest are more advanced. I understand many new-to-me words used in context. Still, I am relieved that I'm not just a dummy who can't keep up. Persistence, they say, and the language will become easier.
I stop for groceries on the way home. Seems like we endlessly need supplies. We buy a few goodies to share, too: spices and dates to break the Ramadan fast at nightfall.
W treats me to lunch at Cafe You, reputed to have the best rawon soup in town (= candlenut and beef broth). Indeed, it looks appetizing when it comes.
I mix it up ... deeeeelicious! Hits the spot.
W tries their sweet and sour chicken, which is neither sweet nor sour enough for him. He brings it home to add flavor and enjoys a burger instead. We order sushi takeaway for supper later on.
The brightly-colored fish near the restaurant counter catch our eyes. They move like sparkly jewels in the aquarium.
Most of the team come in person to our weekly meeting. But before business and devotions, there's cake! (Thanks, Clau.)
Ibu A has made cupcakes to go along with the homemade ice cream we churned in Sam's machine this morning. Yum.
The gift pack of healthy goodies are anticipated as evening snacks!
Laurel shares some treasures from her stash: these things are impossible to find in Bandung. Thanks, L.
When everyone leaves, I pop 1 c. store-bought Greek yogurt and 4 c. fresh milk into the bread maker (thanks to Sam again), and dial it to #16, the yogurt setting. It warms the milk for 8 hours, sits overnight, and has turned into thick, custardy, Greek goodness by morning.
In late afternoon, 80 long-stemmed roses arrive from Ruth. Wow! the bow is a golden table runner, which I spread atop a shelf.
It takes an hour to clip and arrange 3 big bouquets. This one is 36" tall.
The second one goes into my mom's wedding vase (which is 13" tall).
The last dozen roses are tucked between the staghorn ferns that are still fresh from Sunday. The house smells like a garden after rain.
We have a few bites of sushi - it feels like we've been eating all day. In the evening, I pause on the porch to thank God for friends, sweet memories, and flowers. The lights glow as dusk arrives.
A fun bonus to the day is a gift painted by David the muralist (acrylic on canvas). I tuck it between the art on my office wall. It makes me smile. C'est moi?
Wednesday
The horses are back at the Padma Hotel. They have made a self-standing stair for the less-limber to mount the equines.
Next to the hotel, a dump truck has dropped a load of rocks. Workers will push them down the hillside to the construction zone via a metal chute. There is no road in or to the village below where a truck can pass - motorcycles only in the
jalan tikus (mouse lane). We hear the thump of the rocks hitting the parking lot and wonder how many of the concrete pavers under them can survive the assault.
As always, the garbage dump brims with interesting cast-offs. This is a typical wedding greeting, a 1X2 meter (3'X6') foam board covered with cloth or paint, foam letters, and topped with a floral arrangement. Out it goes.
We marvel at how Bailey (the mini poodle) squeezes between the legs of the two big dogs. They are in their happy spot, walking together.
W spreads his anti-ant concoction on wax paper - corn syrup and borax. Maybe we can reduce the ant population in the kitchen, bedrooms, bathrooms, living and dining room ... oh wait! anywhere in the house that we can get rid of ants, we'd be thrilled.
Our appointments and plans are cancelled for the day so we do light work and relax. W texts between chores: "(Name) is tied up today - God must be telling us to rest." We'll take it. It's a bathtub kind of day. (Except that we have no bathtub.)
The helpers go home early, as soon as their work is done. No sense in getting soaked in a mid-afternoon downpour. The clouds blow in and we turn on the lights inside. Thunder rumbles.
Read more:*He knows how we were made; he remembers that we are dust. Psalm 103:14*Your name, O God, like your praise, reaches to the ends of the earth. Psalm 48:10
*Jesus said, “As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’” Matthew 10:7
*We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 2 Corinthians 4:10 NIV
Moravian Prayer: Great Musician, you have made us, as people created in your image, to sing. We sing because we are alive. We sing because, whatever our circumstances, life is good. We sing because, in Jesus, we have a glimpse of your kingdom. We sing because we are your people. Hallelujah!
Giver of life, we are dust, and to dust we shall return. But we are more than dust. We give you thanks for Jesus’ promise of new life, both in our present mortal bodies and after we are again dust. Praise be to you. Amen.
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