Not again! a third round of Covid, and a global classroom

Saturday, January 20, 2024

"The third week of Ordinary Time," says the Jesuit reader on the daily devotional. What? We're in the third week of the year already?

It's my sabbath day, when I don't work and don't grade papers. How kind God is, to give a day off to his people! Some random person wanders over to our porch. 

"What are you doing?" I ask her.

"Playing with the dogs," she says, coming up on our porch before following the dogs onto the steps. I can't imagine wandering into the neighbor's property and making myself comfortable by their house without permission. I shoo her back to her friend's place.

Is that a horse coming through in our neighborhood? Hmmm. New route? along with motorcycles and cars and more.

Sunday

We're saying hello and goodbye at IES Bandung this morning. Our new team members include Daniel, Martin, and Hanny. We pray over them together.

Then come some farewells: Ana, Josh, and Clau are wrapping up their leadership roles. Josh and Clau worked on our teams for 7 years. They stepped away in November but today is the first time they attend a Gathering together. What a special time.

Afterward, we take group photos. How we love this bunch!

I address the worship team after the Gathering at their New Year's catchup. We pray for God's blessings on them.

After lunch together, Clau and Kat send home some goodies. I indulge with their face mask in the afternoon.

Monday

The birthday grandchild is articulate and happy to tell us about her celebration. It's hard to be so far from grandkids but Zoom helps us catch up on how much fun it was. And what we missed.

On our walks this week, everything seems to glow in orange, from the 6' tall false birds-of-paradise border,

to this glorious 8' tall hedge, which blooms several times a year. Must be exhausting for the plant - or it has found its perfect spot.

This 1' (30cm) flower tops the neighbor's shrub. It looks like a fully-lit Christmas tree to me, especially if it blooms in December.

And at Bumi Sangkuriang, the trumpet vines are dripping with flowers.

At the children's playground, someone has raked leaves and garbage into a corner.

Nara Park has a bench perched over its waterfall - very pretty.

One of their three owls winds its leash around the tree and hisses at us as we come closer.

They are quite happy to be carted into the sunshine early in the morning.

I always plan to order something new but the Mie Rica (hot spicy noodles) are so delicious I can't resist them. I save my mouth by putting small portions of sambal (spicy sauce) on my chopsticks and wrapping the noodles around them. So good.

Tuesday

I'm deciding how this painting is evolving. Many artists put down "any color" or "any layer" to cover a blank canvas and make it less intimidating. I tend to splash around for a few minutes, wait for a few weeks or months, and then evaluate the direction the painting wants to go. This one first suggests orange beach umbrellas and shade. Ha - not likely. I don't have the skill to execute that.

We peer through the fence of a friend's property down the street. This is what happens in Bandung when ground is left to itself. Within a short while, the jungle takes over.

I am on a cleaning splurge. When we have shifts and transitions, I moving things around the house, too. My office is cluttered and needs a purge. I make a stack to give away. These woven takeaway boxes are nice storage containers. Want some?

Wednesday

I'm so sick that we do a Covid test. The minute the elements come together, it's positive. 

"It may be a fluke. It's an expired test," W says. 

I've lost my taste and smell and my teeth ache all the way into my head. Cough cough. Since I have no appetite, I skip lunch for the second day in a row. This is typical: meat, rice, vegetables, and a salad. W and the others in the house dig in.

Two handymen are repairing the roof and gutters this week. Hopefully their work will cut off the water streaming into the back rooms during rainfalls.

In the afternoon, we get shocking news that a treasured friend is in critical care in hospital. Neither of us can visit with Covid in the house. We pray from home.

Thursday

I've contracted to teach so I have to work. This is the second week of 3 days (W-F), 4 hours a day. The class is online, with a mix of native and non-native English speakers. Students range from beginners in undergrad to advanced Singaporeans in a master program, in one classroom.

It's quite the puzzle to get everyone on the same page with limited power in some countries and limited or spotty internet in others. Today we focus on student exercises to see what they're retaining.

Our neighbors are watching the durian ripen on our tree. Almost a dozen will land outside our gate - the fruit is not ripe until it falls and it's fair game to pick up fruit that falls in public spaces if you see it before the owner.

"You have a durian tree?!" exclaim friends who know the stinky and tasty fruit. It's very expensive since it requires a certain kind of soil to thrive. We'll find out if it's a good or cheap type soon.

We didn't know we had a durian tree until the yard man pruned the tree growing into our eaves. After he cut it back, it had one fruit and then did nothing for 3 years. This year? Much fruit. The principle of pruning, waiting patiently, and then harvesting seems true for much of life.

"Hati-hati (look out)!" says PakG as I walk under the tree. Apparently durian can be deadly or cause severe injury if a heavy ball with its sharp spines drops on you. There are at least a dozen ripening over our driveway and yard. Everyone is waiting for the moment they fall ... 

We walk to Kalpa Tree again for supper. The view is splendid from our table but I have no appetite. W helps me eat the tasteless order. ("It tastes as good as always," he says.) And he polishes off his deep-fried pizza as well. Fat on fat - I can't even look at his plate. Oh well - he walked this morning while I rested.

Friday

The morning sunshine streams into the room. I love early hours - this is around 6:15 a.m. I have two meetings online before the day gets underway.

W and I update our health with new tests. Me: instant positive. W: negative. Today's the hardest day. He kindly changes the fish water on the porch while I lean a twisted branch inside a 30" (80cm) cylinder. It's topped with dried garden grasses and copper-colored silks. W takes these Sunday's flowers to the hall so I don't have to think about them again.

One more day of class before a break to rest. Last week we studied research and choosing topics. This week was selecting valid questions, organizing information, and recording citations. We close with formatting papers using the school's template.

It takes a while to get things "just right" in our student exercises. Yes, it actually matters if you have a . or a : and if you have a ), or a ): in the footnote or bibliography. I caution them not to write their papers last-minute. They will need 1-2 weeks to edit the paper they submit. I'll be strict about their submissions.

When class is over, I have just enough energy to redo Titik's creation. Her gorgeous Sunday bouquet is fading.

Enough flowers remain for 2 small arrangements. I poke two snapdragon stems into a candleholder with gardenias plucked from beside the porch. Simple elegance and a sweet smell.

The rest goes into a metal pail on the front table: goldenrod, asters, and tiny carnations.

In the evening, after glowing for over a week on one battery charge, the fake wax candles are still lit. We're waiting to see how long it takes for them to dim. 

Good night everyone. Pray for our friend and the family as you sleep, would you?

Read more:

*For your name’s sake, O Lord, pardon my guilt, for it is great. Psalm 25:11

*Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation.” 

With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. In that day you will say: “Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted. Sing to the Lord, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world. Isaiah 12:2-5

*When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Child, your sins are forgiven.” Mark 2:5

Moravian Prayer: Forgiving God, asking for forgiveness can be hard. We feel so guilty. We are embarrassed by our failures and our disrespect. But before we can ask, you have already forgiven us. Help us now to forgive ourselves. Amen.