Sharp spines and long vines

Thursday, September 26, 2024

There's no one working at the house today - only guests upstairs and the dogs in the yard. The helpers are at a family graduation and a sickbed. PakG is on election training: they have to take a day off to be given instructions for collecting and counting votes (Nov. election) and checked for medical fitness. 

Why medical fitness? Working an election is strenuous and many people have died on duty in the past. Election workers are on call for 24 hours - or longer if they don't get the count done and sent off. On election duty (8:00am-8:00 the next day), they are accompanied by a guard even when they use the restrooms. That helps prevent vote rigging or influencing; there's supposed to be no sharing of trends with incoming voters.

We set off on the city walk without the dogs. We walk down to the river with Daniel, a new hiker, meeting Veronica at the trail head. There's a stunning 7" (15cm) lotus blooming on the water.

W and Daniel talk theology most of the way. Look at this "bridge" made of 3 bamboo stalks over the runoff creek below!

And someone has found a parking spot for their motorcycle, a ledge with a 20' (6m) drop-off below, before the cliff down to the river). Um - it's accessible from the main thoroughfare via a steep ramp to their cliffside house. There's some skill required to get down and back.

This bus drive has serious skills as well. He makes a "3-point" turn into parking with 6'/2m behind him and 9'/3m in front of his bus. We give him a thumbs up and he grins back, turning his wheel back and forth.

We cross the busy street, past repairs to the main bridge, partly taken out by a landslide a few weeks ago. 

A new metal structure sits under the cables and wires - it should be interesting to see how those are elevated off the main roadway.

A tree has broken off and is being trimmed from the steep slope above the street.

A man with a bamboo pole pushes the trunk off the telephone wires and cables.

And finally, the tree is felled and ready to be hauled away. The workers pause traffic and quickly drag the foliage to the side.

We walk the university's Treetop Walk (1 km loop). It loops around and up and down. There are school kids, employees on a stroll, and many other walkers.

"Can we take a picture with you?" Of course.

There's abandoned art at the gallery below the trail.

There's a continual shedding of leaves and needles. They collect on rooftops, on the ground, and

and the intersections of branches and tree trunks. This deadly sharp-edged plant soars 8 meters (25') high beside the walkway.

The vines drape from nearby tees.

Some trees have exotic flowers.

Bamboo grows overhead as tall as trees.

It's a beautiful stroll in tunnels of green.

We stop for brunch on the way back at Dalaros, a Sundanese buffet. There's a lineup for people picking up catering orders.

We return along the riverside, but take a shortcut through the graveyard.

Then it's up the hill past UNPAR (university) and through their food courts. We wind up the gang in the neighborhoods. The narrow paths make 90o turns when houses are in the way. They are inaccessible by car and barely passable via motorcycle. Imagine taking those ladder steps to your house ... or negotiating your motorbike through the narrow and winding lanes - probably with your spouse, baby, toddler, and maybe another kid on it.

Can you can see the little minibus (city transportation) that has backed into the lane? I keep walking, squeezing by in the 50cm (25") clearance as it reverses into the gang. I plan to leap forward and out of harms way if the driver turns so the angkot touches me. By the time it gets to the sloped wall, there's no clearance so the guys wait for it to stop and ease around it.

All in all, it's 5 miles (8kms) and 21 storeys up - just about perfect in length with a climb down and up. = A home to home loop - with good company. I indulge in tea and chocolate banana bread after a shower. It's the perfect companion to grading.

Friday

We spot a flipping worm on the road on our walk. Oh wait, our clumsy Labradoodle has stepped on a lizard. The critter runs into the grass, sans tail. Can you spot the pale white creature?

A neighbor's house is making progress from a single-storey ruin to a huge structure.

The 3X-a-year lilies are blooming in roadside planters.

And this? I can only speculate - it no longer bites because I think they ran over a toad during paving.

There's a full day of meetings (a dean, a prayer group for SE Asia, and a book club discussion on the next hill). I make breakfast with leftovers and a scrambled egg thrown into the pan. Then I call Mom. She encourages me with her dream last night, listening to my grandmother's prayers.

A dissertation project comes in from a student. There's a sermon to write for Sunday. And tomorrow our guests come = a full weekend ahead.

Saturday

I stay in bed as long as I can. And I don't walk. I set things up for Laurel's farewell this afternoon, make treats for the party, and write some reviews. 

I'm hardly ever in charge of events. I'm' the backup who reminds the planner what s/he needs to make their event a success. WAs and emails fly back and forth as people ask for things for the event. 

• "Can I come early to set up?" (Of course. I may not be helping but I'll be on call.) 
• "May I cook in your kitchen?" (Sure, as long as you clean up.)
• "Do you have serving dishes? How about knives?" (Of course. How many do you need? - and they'll probably want a cutting board or two.)

W is off to Jakarta to pick up our month-long guests at their airport hotel. We're excited to hand over IES Bandung to them for October, while we work in the USA and Canada. 

"Have a nice holiday," some of our friends have said, thinking of our upcoming month. When they see the packed itinerary, they usually change their greeting. 

They may blink a few times and say, "Hope you have a profitable time and get back home safely so you can rest [in Indonesia.]" haha

Traffic is light so W is home early with the Townsends. Laurel's at the house before 11:00 while I'm sending off the grades for Gail and my recent class.

Read more: 

*Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth, sing praise to the Lord, to him who rides across the highest heavens, the ancient heavens, who thunders with mighty voice.

Proclaim the power of God, whose majesty is over Israel, whose power is in the heavens. You, God, are awesome in your sanctuary; the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people. Praise be to God! Psalm 68:32-35

*For as the earth brings forth its shoots and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations. Isaiah 61:11

*The kingdom of God is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in the garden; it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches. Luke 13:18-19

Moravian Prayer: God, we, like your gardens, constantly grow in our love and faith. Please continue to nurture us so that our small-seed faith may grow into a tree of love for the world. Amen.

Noodle week

Sunday, September 22, 2024

We're up early to gather things for the hall. Prayer is one of our most enjoyable preparations for the day ahead.

Hanny is speaking today, with the help of Alice as translator. They're a good team.

Two ladies are working on a Women's Life Group, probably starting in November. That will give women time to share their opportunities and challenges in light of scripture.

We eat lunch with friends at #WarungEthnic.

When we arrive at the house, a gathering of young families is on the Porch. They do a parenting seminar and clean up so well that all that's left is a Jenga game in the nook. Oh - we get several requests for the peanut butter cookies and the chocolate banana bread baked by IbuS and IbuA. I send those out right away.

Monday

It's a day of meetings. I talk to one university dean online and go see another in her office after lunch. Bandung is full of universities: at least 30 campuses of higher education.

The past few weeks, I've been recruiting faculty and student volunteers for a community service project led by IES young people. I like doing interviews and enjoy meeting new people, so it's more fun than work. The deans tend to be curious about the world and genuinely concerned about their students and faculty.

I take along IbuS' chocolate banana cake for the deans. "Yum!" they agree.

Tuesday

Though we're wrapping up a long checklist this week (grading, writing, sermon prep, and meetings), we stroll to #NaraPark for date morning. We polish off spicy noodles (mine) and bread rolls covered in brown sugar (W's).

Half the morning is spend grading and writing reviews. (My 3BooksFull blog lists 182 reviews this year, but I review about half of what I read.

Meanwhile, thunder and lightening sweeps across the mountains into the valleys. Hearing the storm swell overhead, I unplug my computer. Whew. The electricity goes out with a direct "BANG" on the lightning rod of the house. The dogs hide under my desk and in the shower.

After a few conversations and business calls, the day is in full swing. Laurel comes for lunch before the team meets online. I get a WA reminder that a guest arrives tomorrow. Thank God for helpers. Today they cook, do laundry, and change bedding, preparing for a busy week in the household.

 

Laurel is clearing her room and gifts us with grape juice and other kitchen goodies.

I see a quick recipe flash by in my photos, using rice wrappers to make noodles. Noodles are my favorite staple but this kind is new to me. Why not give it a try?

I combine fresh-chopped ginger and onion, soy sauce, peanut butter, a teaspoon of sugar, sesame seeds, and a bit of oil in a hot pan. The rice squares soak in warm water for 10 seconds before I cut them into strips. All that's left to do is to mix the whole bunch in 2 bowls: one for W and one for me. Delicious and done in 5 minutes.

Wednesday

An early 2-hour meeting takes the place of our morning walk. After, I talk to Mom as usual. And a bonus is a call to friends teaching in Europe.

I write a few more book reviews to clear out the backlog of interesting reading in my online library. As I plow through grading and administrative stuff, I get a WhatsApp: "I'll be there in 20 minutes." Hurrah! our friend from Jakarta is on her way.

We spend the afternoon together, eating lunch at Ethnic so she can try their rösti. Then we hang out on the Porch with tea and cakes. We got to know Tirza 15 years ago in Seattle, one of three young students who made a huge impression on us. The women represented their country so well that we assumed all Indonesians were smart, wonderful people.

After she heads back to the train station, we wrap up the day, put things away, and have one more cup of tea. Peppermint, of course.

Read more:

*Praise the Lord! I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation. Psalm 111:1

*The Lord God helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced. Isaiah 50:7

*When Peter noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Matthew 14:30

*Praise our God, all you his servants and all who fear him, small and great. Revelation 19:5

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. Cry out, “Save us, God our Savior; gather us and deliver us from the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name, and glory in your praise. Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting."

Then all the people said “Amen” and “Praise the Lord.” [Prayer from 1 Chronicles 17:34-36]

Overhangs and earthquakes

Wednesday, September 18, 2024

Wednesday means we walk the dogs and go on a date breakfast. Smoke rises from hundreds of garbage and compost fires every day. The smoke creates a constant pollution that is hard on the lungs and creates a hazy view across the valleys. Roadside fires are a way of coping with garbage in a crowded city.

Indonesians know how to build these smoldering heaps so that they don't set trees or the pine needles around them on fire. They build similar heaps in the forest, fields, and along city streets. The winds that whip through the hillsides bring occasional relief.

Indonesians love to dress alike. If you  didn't like your school uniform, don't worry. Your work uniform may be better. These university students have a meeting at #NaraPark where we eat breakfast.

Busy bees? Literally true in the trees overhead.

An earthquake rattles the city in the morning. We hardly feel it but it affects homes and families further south.

Lisa comes for one last lunch and tea before leaving for home in New Zealand. We plan to meet in December when she's back. The yardman picks a tall jar of cloves from the tree. Those will start drying on the rooftop tomorrow. We can't even give away cloves this year. No one wants to pick them: "There's no money in it," they say. Thousands of cloves drop to the ground and decompose.

Thursday

Lisa brought 2 jars of my favorite Kiwi nut butters, so breakfast is an indigence: home-baked bread spread with "Choco Berry Nuts & Seeds." So good.

Yay for hikes to clear the mind. We're in Cikole Forest, where we choose the steep, more-direct way up over a longer but easier climb. Puff puff. Everyone makes it up.

Our goal is the Dutch forts up on the mountain. In WWII, Japanese suicide bombers wiped out the Dutch soldiers. "The Japanese couldn't bury the bodies, so they were left - and we don't know, many are still on this hill."

In winning emancipation from Dutch colonial rule for Indonesia, the Japanese are remembered here as heroes of the war. Senta shoots a photo from inside one of the four concrete forts. They've been graffiti-ed and erosion is taking its toll.

We sit on the steps that Dutch lookouts would have used to peer over the concrete barrier to the outside world. Could the young men fighting for their countries and their lives ever imagine this place of horror as a tourist destination? 

Since we've cut off some time, we keep going to the war memorial for those lost lives, erected on the nearby summit.

Here's something you wouldn't find in Western countries. Someone has erected a protective fence at the drop-off of the mountain slope ... and then put steps in place so short people can look into the vast valley below.

Imagine kids and teens playing on the steps? There is a rough tumble ahead if you tip over the top. Our Singapore hikers ascend to look at the scenery.

We learn a new path back, which is shorthand for "Oh oh, we're kinda lost. However, we can use our GPS to find a way through the mountain forests to the starting point and our cars." haha

Senta has made lunch reservations at another steep drop-off. The hotel Gaia (Lembang) is artistically decked with mitered frames.

We fool around as we spot different ways the mitered boxes are used by the designers.

Someone has painstakingly gathered over 200 lamps and hung them upside down in the lobby.

We've done enough stairs (19 flights) on the hike to skip the "endless staircase" of 200+ steps descending to the valley below. We go round and round inside the hotel to find our way to the overlooking balcony.

See the platform on the upper right? That's where we eat. Considering the instability of the ground due to volcanos and earthquakes ...

"We're taking our life into our hands by eating here," remarks one of our group. Indeed, there's a 2" (5cm) gap between the edge of the platform and the glass wall beside my chair. Put a pen or menu or a kid's toy too far to the side and it will fall into the valley below. Mind you, if a diner mindlessly scoots over and puts a chair leg into the gap, there's a good chance that the pressure could make the glass wall give way. I eat carefully, sitting 4"/9 cm from the gap.

The food is good, not excellent.

Even the bathrooms boast stellar views. This is the ladies' room, with scenery reflecting in the mirror above the sink (left) and on display through the glass wall (right).

My afternoon meeting is postponed until Monday. It's into the office for an afternoon's work. Pauline sends over two guys to pick some cloves for her. We provide bags, a ladder, and a bamboo stick so they can hit the cloves off the branches if they don't want to climb.

Friday - Happy Birthday, Chachanels

We walk under branches that were bare 2-3 weeks ago. Now they are bursting with new color. There's no pause in growth, just a pushing out of the old mature leaves at the end of dry season as the new growth emerges.

I meet Dr Atif at Noah's Barn for a few pleasant morning hours. Over brunch, we discuss academics, family life, and engaging students through community service. Our opportunities are pivotal in creating open doors for kids in poverty and low education. I hand over recruitment fliers and we pray together for God's favor and blessings on these projects.

There's no helper on weekends, but IbuS is getting a molar pulled today (OUCH). I clean up and wash dishes before stuff piles up for the weekend. What else is going on?

• Our friends are trying our helpers' recipes (choc banana bread anyone?) "What about ...?" (The banana bread turns out ok. The oatmeal cookies are not so great so I revise the recipe.)
• Others need information about visas or are wrapping up their stay in Indonesian. 
• Our students have submitted assignments.
• We schedule next weeks' meetings.
• I'm writing book reviews and answering emails. 

There's enough to do, I think. Angie comes by for a few hours in the afternoon for tea, cookies, and dropping off a banner. She's a whizz at graphic design.

Saturday

People are sure friendly today as we walk. Even W notices. We're later than usual - it's 7:30 by the time we do our loop.

It's my turn to do the hall flowers. We always make oversize arrangements, at least 3'/1 meter in one direction. We pick up little white flowers on our walk to complement the tiny red mums salvaged from Titik's bouquet last week. I clip the top of a shrub with multi-color leaves (glorious yellow, green, and red on one stem), trim a few branches from a tree, and cut staghorn fern fronds off the wall.

PakG and W take the bouquet to the hall so we won't have to think about it tomorrow. There are enough flowers left over to make 2 smaller bouquets, too.

W is backing up my computer today, a relief as its battery ages. Meanwhile, I'm getting the house ready for a friend's event tomorrow on the Porch. She's expecting about 20 adults and kids so it's not a big group.

The list of "do-you-have"s includes plates, cups, cutlery, a water jug and a rice cooker. I put those out, write a note about recycling, and make a list of treats: cookies and chocolate banana bread. Finally, I make lunch, wash up, and tuck away breakables that might get in children's way.

W finishes grading assignments from his Singapore class. I'm just starting on the work submitted by my Phillipines class, thankfully shared with co-lecturer Dr Gail. If I get to our other appointments and write two October newsletters, it will have been a winning day.

Read more:

*Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 139:23-24

*Do not enter into judgment with [me as] your servant, for no one living is righteous before you. Psalm 143:2

*Jesus said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven. Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” Luke 7:48,50

Moravian Prayer: Gracious God, today we live among people of diverse backgrounds and social statuses. Yet in our world, so many do not live by your example. We pray for change, peace, and forgiveness. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.