Thursday, July 13, 2023
Wait a minute - are we really almost halfway through July? It's cold in the morning when we walk: 18oC (66oF) but we warm up as soon as we get moving. During a loop with the dogs, W stops by a typical garbage-recycling bin.
Home helpers toss garbage into the concrete or metal enclosures outside the houses. From there (and along the streets where people throw their trash), recyclers gather bottles, cardboard, and other discards. I ask W to pose with the dogs to show the size of the beautiful palm trees.
Since the hikers have the week off, W and I drop the dogs at the yard and walk down the mountain toward town. W stands in the street the driver takes his BMW through to get home. Could you drive your car between the concrete walls without scraping it? These guys do it every day.
One driveway higher is the last family home with parking for their little van. Then the path narrows to a jalan tikus (mouse lane) so that only motorcycles can squeeze through to the other residences.
Our goal is to walk along the river to a coffee shop. However, the store is closed for a staff meeting so we keep walking.
The locks on the river were built by the Dutch in the 40s? and are still in great shape. We're relieved to use this recently-built concrete bridge. Before the path was paved and a bridge made over the wide drainage ditch, we walked muddy paths (above) and went across the gushing stream by hanging onto the side of the waterworks and edging across its +1' (30cm) cement ledge to the other side. No one ever fell in but it is easier to traverse now.
Someone has started painting a mural by the collection pond near the walkway.
Across the river is a village served by Tanikota English studies on Saturday. Unlike a planned metro area, Bandung is composed of villages that have expanded and connected over decades. Sure, some city streets wind between the trees planted along the lanes half-a-century ago. There are mansions and some planned neighborhoods. But most of Bandung looks like this, even on the steep slope down to the river behind our house.
All kinds of creative bridges cross the drainage canal from the sidewalk.
If you don't have parking spaces, why not pave across the canal - and voila! Parking for several motorbikes.
The "feather" flowers catch my eye.
As part of safety improvements, city workers sank metal posts and strung cable wire between them to keep kids from sliding off the drop-off, down the mountain, and into the river below. Most of that cable has disappeared or snapped in the last years. Maintenance is ... shall we say ... inconsistent. In the most dangerous places, neighbors have replaced the missing cables with their own bamboo fencing.
Drainage canals run down from the main streets to the rivers. Concrete walls (usually) contain the flow between houses. We haven't had rain for a while, but this one is gushing. I wonder what happens when we have a downpour.
Since the coffee shop is closed, we decide to walk down to the Advent hospital for breakfast. The city sidewalks are torn up by motorcyclists too impatient to wait for traffic jams to clear. Step carefully!
Our choices at the hospital cafe are distinct, that's for sure. W's are deep-fried.
My plate leans toward vegetables. The total cost for both is Rp45.000 - or $3.25 US.
We head back up the way we came, then catch an
angkot (little public van) up to Starbucks on our hill. We hop out to enjoy a chai leaf tea and say hello to Katrina and her barista mate. They pack up coffee grounds for our garden, twice a week.
W drags the 2 teabags and cup home for me and I enjoy 2 more infusions ... the last one admittedly pretty thin.
We wear hats and sunglasses but are back in the full sun of noon. It's still pleasant with the solar fountains gurgling merrily in the fishponds. (Can you spot both, below?)
PakG cleans and brushes out Bailey, who opts for a nap beside me when he's done.
I call my mom and write. After lunch, Eki arrives for the weekend after finishing 10 days of language immersion at English Village.
Friday
Over several weeks, we've been clearing clutter and deep-cleaning accumulated dust from the hall and storage spaces. This is before in the worship team's area.
Tidying storage spaces doesn't make everyone happy. I figure a rumble of discontent every 2-3 years to reclaim spaces seems worth the price. W wants to clean the sinks we no longer use himself, so he works on that while the dogs and I roam outdoors. (I'm a delegator.)
A feral cat has parked a new litter of kittens at the back door. She killed
this coral snake (poisonous, tiny - 2' /70cm long?) near the entry to the hall.
IbuSiti gives me a massage while I listen on my phone to a textbook I've been putting off = 2-in-one work of the best kind. She chooses some books from the porch as she leaves. Makes me happy that the books are being distributed.
I'm advising a post-grad student, who sent part of their dissertation last night (after bedtime) and sends the missing pages during the massage. I cut my hair, shower, skim the paper, and eat lunch before the student shows up on the Porch. We spend a few hours discussing what needs to be done before the academy's next deadline. A university doesn't give you a doctorate for nothing! It's hard work.
Due to language and culture differences, it can be hard to translate university requirements into student assignments. This student has recorded each consultation (5X over a couple of years?), but admits they haven't listened to most (any?) of them. I'm an editor, so I edited several rounds already ... but the edits weren't incorporated. I'll see the student again if the required changes are made and an English editor signs off on the chapters. Then their work goes to faculty readers.
Eki joins us for supper before we retire to read and start packing. I spread coffee grounds around the gate to deter the huge black ants that climb from the gardens into the upstairs.
Saturday
After a walk and breakfast, W heads to the hall to decide what to keep of items parked by the media team in the "worship" closet. The worship leaders can sort their things next week. There's ant poop on the walls, dirt on shelves and floor, and webs across the ceiling. Yup, it's time. W breaks out in a rash from all the dust and dirt.
Once this room is clean, the next target is the media booth. Over several years, we've tossed books, baskets, blankets, etc. on and beside ample shelving at the back of the working space. We left old tech on the shelves 5 years ago that hasn't been touched ... and it's getting crowded.
I write and pack for the week ahead, checking that the upstairs is ready for our guests. People and dogs rule the house whenever W and I travel. The helpers work every day, too; the house needs its scrub-down and daily maintenance.
Sunday
We start the day with 2 roaches and 2 worms in the bathroom. Sigh. W takes care of the roaches, while I fry the worms with hot water from the shower. Other than that, after a bubur (porridge) of oatmeal, Eki's off to his own city. And for us, getting together with the IESB community is a highlight in the week.
Read more:
*The name of the Lord is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe. Prov 18:10
*O come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! Psalm 95:6*To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. 1 Timothy 1:17
Moravian Prayer: King of creation, we stand in awe of your creativity. All around us are bursts of color and light that you have knit together in patterns we could never have imagined: symmetry and sequence, spirals and stripes. Animals and plants proclaim your imagination and, along with them, we praise you for your clever artistry. Amen.
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