the little/big things that end up mattering.

Got homesick. Finally. It was recently when I was hanging out with some new friends. And it came about for a really ridiculous reason.  It left me fighting back tears over dinner at a restaurant and longing for people who know me well.  I also probably cried in the car when we left, when I knew nobody would notice.  It took almost 6 weeks for me to get homesick. I think that’s pretty good, right??  All this to say that I miss home. I miss my family. I miss my friends. I miss familiar places and foods. 

Oh. The thing that made me homesick: nobody laughed at my jokes.

How ridiculous is that??!

Kuche Und Kaffee

So, apparently, when you move overseas, or really, anywhere new, you’re supposed to find a place that becomes your “home away from home.” A comfortable place where you can go to recoup, especially when culture shock starts taking over. For me, this place is Kuche und Kaffee. It’s a 4 minute walk from the center where I work and my friends Carrie, Amanda, and I discovered it on my fourth day here. Since then, I have been back 6 times and the owner, Nadia, knows my “regular.”  There’s good food, yummy coffee, and friendly service.  There’s even live music on Saturday nights.  So, basically, I love it. 

Xin Zhong

This is one of my classes of kindergarteners at Xin Zhong. (Notice how popular making the peace sign is in pictures!) 

Teaching

I work at a school called English for Excellence (EfeX). It is a private after-school English center. It is run by two of the most caring and compassionate people I have ever met, Dave and Ani. I have really enjoyed getting to know them and working for them over the past couple of weeks.  Ani is a very passionate advocate for people, which is great when it comes to education. She pushes for the best use of instructional time and practices. Dave is just as passionate about relating with students and finding new and effective ways to help them learn. They are quite the dynamic duo.  They have been so gracious in taking the time to coach me and teach me how to teach the curriculum.  

EfeX has classrooms at the center where students come after school for either an hour, or an hour and fifteen minutes, depending on their level. Most students receive English instruction at their regular school, so coming to EfeX is like getting a step…. Or 10 steps ahead.  There are currently 60 students on the waiting list to get into classes at EfeX. There simply aren’t enough qualified teachers to accommodate all of the students.  

They actually had me observing classes within 24 hours of arriving and then teaching 2 days later!  For this term, I’m teaching an upper elementary class, a middle school class, and a high school writing class. I meet with each group twice a week. It’s a neat challenge to plan for various levels of classes. I do, however, having about 1 hour of planning time for every hour of teaching.  

EfeX also contracts out to regular schools. One school, Xin Zhong, is a Chinese school. I teach kindergarteners there 4 mornings a week, Monday-Thursday. I work with them for three hours on basic phonics and reading simple 3 and 4 letter words.  It’s very entertaining to spend time with these little kids. They’re so cute!  Most of them have never seen a bule before (See last blog post!) and want to touch my hair and my hands. 

This is the center after my class yesterday. My students were confused as to why I was taking a picture.

First Indonesian Musings (to be continued….)

1.   My very first interaction with strictly Indonesian people was when I walked down the corridor in the airport to wait at the gate for my airplane.  The term “bule” would soon become a common part of my speech, but at that time, the only phrase I knew was running through their minds was, “white girl!” Yep, I’m a bule. And everyone stares at bules. Anyway, this flight was very different from any other flight I’ve ever taken. Not in how I was treated, but in the noise level. Indonesians are social! During the 5-hour flight, people were talking the entire time. Loudly. Even when the lights were off.  People were talking and laughing with the people next to them, down their row, and when that wasn’t enough interaction for them, they would stand and talk with someone who was several rows away.  It was very entertaining!

That’s been, by far, my favorite observation about the people here in Indonesia. They are very good talkers, listeners, and laughers.

2.  Driving from the airport to my house, it looked very much like the streets you would see in any third-world country. Very similar, in fact, to the scenery when we were driving in the capital of Nicaragua just a month ago.  Small houses lining the streets. Vendors selling their daily produce and homemade food. Cars and bikes crowding the streets, fighting to get through. Our drive took us past a lot of places that have a high poverty level as well as areas that have very nice homes.  The part of Surabaya where I live, though, is in a pocket of upper middle class houses with gates and security guards surrounding the neighborhoods. It is starkly contrasted with the homes very close by. I feel safe though. (That’s for you, Mom!)

3. I have eaten out more in the past 6 days than I have in a month in America. Well… maybe that’s not true, but it feels like a lot! It’s what everyone does for meals here.  A lot of the food is fried (fried noodles, fried rice, fried bread, fried meat), but there are also a lot of non-fried foods as well. It’s so fun to try different foods! I have an ongoing list of recommended foods that I need to try, which will be fun. I like lists.  Also, food is extremely  cheap here. I have spent between $1 and $2.50 for my meals. And most of the time, I have plenty left over to eat later on.

4. Mosquitoes love me.

5. I get stared at a lot. Apparently, Americans don’t travel to Surabaya too often, so when they see a tall 

(yes, I’m SO tall here!), white, blond girl, they have to look at her. I’m not quite used to that yet.

Traveling: Redeemed

It’s not a mystery to anyone who knows anything about me: I love to travel. 

I. Love. To. Travel. 

My eyes flutter and my heart beats wildly when I think about planning a trip somewhere.  I have a long list of places to visit before I die. I love being in another culture and experiencing everything about it.  As strange as it sounds, I relish the thought of being mistaken for a local.  And when I return to my wonderful Idaho home, I feel, at least for a while, as if I don’t belong.  I’ve been blessed to have been able to go to quite a few places, thanks to friends who have opened their homes, a work schedule that has lent itself to having consistent time off every year, and great travel buddies.  I love being a traveler!

On a somewhat related side note, I have a confession to make about my thoughts on travelers…

I have always somewhat judged those people who always begin conversations with “This reminds me of the time I was swimming with sea turtles off the coast of Maui and…” or “Once, I toasted with this tall, dark, and handsome Croatian man who…” or “If you think this sunrise is great, you should try seeing it from the top of this one volcano in a far, distant land I climbed when….”  You get the idea. The braggers.  The ones who tell stories to make the conversation turn back on them so they can see the envy and jealousy etched on the face of the listener.  I have NEVER wanted to be one of THOSE travelers. (I also apologize for the moments when I have been one!)

I’ve been convinced for some time that God has been very purposeful in His design of my personality. The passions I have are not something to be avoided, shunned, or shamed, but recognized.  He planted within me, a purpose.

Recently I had the opportunity to travel to Nicaragua with a local church’s young adults group. It was a trip that, honestly, I probably wouldn’t have committed to if I had known I would be moving to a foreign country the next month. But, as what happens during all mission trips, God had something clear to teach and remind me through this experience.   You see, THIS trip, for once, wasn’t about me.  And for those who are reading this and thinking, “duh!” yeah, I can clearly see that now... But seriously. It felt fulfilling to be in a community of young adults who had the sole purpose of serving.  We weren’t there to be tourists.  We experienced a very specific part of the country’s culture in Jinotega.  We were there to be with them and for them. (Thanks for that, Kenton!)  That is to be why I travel.

It was as if God was taking this opportunity to, once again, remind me that He has a purpose for me. He designed me to have a passion for traveling and other cultures for a reason.  To be with them and for them. To serve. To love. To teach.  I have come to understand this year that God’s timing is absolutely perfect and intentional. I needed to commit to this trip at the moment when I did. Not solely for my own pleasure, but for His.

So as I, this crazy ranting girl, set off for Indonesia, I go knowing that I get to delight in the desires God has put in my heart.

why i love my sister.

She has been a voice of wisdom and reason in all areas of my life. I highly value Lori’s input in the big and small areas.

She has “saved my life” countless times due to her ability to "foresee" potentially dangerous situations and thus create in me a panic mode that prevents me from continuing in such dangerous endeavors.


Lori has the most precious family. She is married to a wonderful husband who I love dearly and am constantly thankful that he has become a part of our family. Lori’s two sons are some of my favorite little people to be around! They have so much crazy BOY energy and love to play with their aunt. Lori is a wonderful mother and when I look at her children it is clear she and Randy are instilling Godly character in their hearts. The Green household is one of my favorite places to be.

She thinks I’m funny. Actually, we are pretty much the funniest people ever.

She is relentless at pursuing a relationship with me.

We can call each other anytime, anywhere, and are fine to chat for any length of time, even if only for a minute or two. We have caught each other countless times as we are on our way to another engagement and our conversation has lasted no more than 15-20 words. I guess that’s all it takes to feel connected 

She is currently my weight loss motivation.

Lori introduced me to sushi.

Before I went to Maui, Lori knew I would regret it for the rest of my life if I didn’t overcome my fear of snorkeling…. so…. Lori held me hostage in her hot tub and held my head under water until I finally decided to breathe through a snorkel. No, this was not childhood trauma. We were both adults.

Lori, I just love you and value our friendship with all my heart.  You are my best friend and I am so blessed to have you in my life as much as I do.  I hope your 37^th year is blessed! Thanks for being my awesome big sister who sticks with me through thick and thin.  Happy birthday to a wonderful woman. J    Lu yoo, Jamie