As happy as I am to be teaching (and I am!!!), I’m really looking forward to Spring Break. This whole week I’ve had my eyes set towards this Friday, our first day of a ten-day break. The last couple of months have been heavily focused on education and planning (both lessons and the wedding!) so a week off for relaxing on the beach is highly intriguing. However, knowing Kristin and myself, we are far too curious to sit around when there are jungles to be explored and birds to be heard (!). We’re going to Bali! Bali is another Indonesian island. It is a touristy place, but also a lot of area to explore. As most of Indonesia is Muslim, this island’s major religion is Hinduism. I’m sure I’ll have a lot more to say once we return.
My carpool team was all camping, so I had the pleasure of walking to school this week...at 6:10am. A beautiful walk. I couldn’t believe how warm it was already! The hustle and bustle of the city had already begun, and the workers were out in the streets, sweeping the leaves with their straw brooms. I walked the same path one of the evenings and couldn’t believe the number of toads frolicking along the path. I carefully placed my feet insuring their safe lives as well as my “clean” sandals. Even though my walks to and from school gave me the chance to reflect, I felt this week was rushed. There were a lot of things we had to get through in the curriculum department, therefore we pushed the kids, we pushed ourselves, and pushed some limits. I found myself exhausted day by day, maybe it was the heat but probably more of the on-your-toes working habits. Being alone back at the apartment gave me permission to work ahead on some of my lesson plans, which feels good too. Thankfully I still got out, ate supper, one night I went over to one of the other teacher’s house for supper, and then she helped me book the flights for our Spring Break adventure. Now the week is over! We leave for Bali on Saturday night (which for you who are reading this is most likely is early Saturday morning) and we return the following Friday. Palm Sunday will be spent on the island, under palm trees. An Easter I plan to remember! We understand that Easter is a Christian holiday and we are entering into a Hindu territory, so Easter is most likely not celebrated there. We’ll see what happens. We fly back on Good Friday, and have the rest of the Easter weekend back in Jakarta/Lippo Village to relax and look towards the week to come. The week back, I’ll be teaching around 75% of the day, woot!
I’ll be taking many pictures over the break, and hopefully will have the time to post them to give you a better idea of Indonesia. I can’t wait to discover more!
I pray a blessed Easter season to everyone as well. Not a season, but a lifelong awareness of God’s grace and sacrifice.
Love always.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Monday, March 22, 2010
Chopsticks and Ojeks
Today was a day of confidence. I slept through the prayer calling for the mosque and actually didn’t wake up until 5:20! So wonderful! Then taught a full English lesson on Helen Keller, put together a bulletin board, and took an ojek home! An ojek is a motorcycle, one of the common ways to travel here. Kristin and I decided to ride home instead of walking because we were tired, and it was the one day we weren’t wearing skirts. I’m wearing the school uniform to school (blue skirt and a white shirt) and then Friday’s are casual days. And then....ate a whole bowl of rice with chopsticks! For me....an accomplishment!
Not much to update here. We had a school assembly today in which I ended up tearing up. The worship was so neat with the students. I’ve learned a little more about the school mission. Each student is required to do some community service. The students gather pictures and they present a slideshow about different things they’ve done in the community. Truly God’s hands at work!
Saturday I slept in to 7:30am! What a different lifestyle.... I decided to make the most of the time and went for a run. I got back sweating buckets, not necessarily because I was running so hard but because the warm muggy air was already present. The swimming pool was the only thing on my mind by this point, where I ended up staying until around noon! We went out for lunch to Burger King (!) and shopped around for some essential food items (and camping supplies for Kristin who is camping with her seventh graders at the moment)
And then it started to downpour. And I mean downpour. We were doing our laundry on the top floor of the building, and we watched the storm come in. Lightening struck right infront of the building, a booming thunder at the same moment. We watched the mighty weather, while watching our watch. We were supposed to walk over to one of the teacher’s houses....not going to happen at this point.
We waited for a half hour but the rain continued. We decided to brave the weather (being from BC and all....I mean come on) as the lightening had stopped. We walked the 15 minutes to her house, and were drenched! Later we found out the storm was classified as a typhoon! Anyway, together we cooked and prepared tacos for a group of 17 fifteen year olds from Australia who were working on a mission’s project in one of the local towns. We discussed stereotypes of Australia and Canada, learning more of cultures, dialects, and geography. It was quite entertaining actually. But also neat to be with teenagers. It made me think a lot of my brothers. It also made me feel old. I was challenging the kids by asking, “what are you taking from this experience?” and “how will this affect your everyday life?” I’m going through the same types of questions and couldn’t help myself try to start them on the same path. Both Kristin and I later discussed how much it was a blast from the past for us, when we were that young, energetic, and almost “clueless” about what life would bring. It made me want to become a church youth leader! We’ll see where God takes that I guess. For the evening we went to see Alice in Wonderland at the local theatres. I was thinking, “alright, it’s Indonesia...don’t expect much...” but the chairs were amazingly comfortable...it’s remarkable I didn’t fall asleep :P
Sunday we attended the chapel here on campus. We sang some Easter hymns together and reflected on the advent season. It’s been a long time since I’ve celebrated Easter in my home church back in BC, and I miss it. There is something about a church family that makes a spiritual life-walk come together. I still hope to make some more connections with some of the people here in the churches and in the school. The afternoon was spent taking a glorious nap (after all, staying up last night till 11 was the first time in a while...haha) The internet was down ever since the typhoon came through so we were accompanied by books, lesson plans and assignments. We cooked with a rice-cooker and made stir-fry! Indonesian style!
Now it’s Monday. Kristin has left to go camping and I’ve returned to our white-walled dorm room. I actually ventured out on my own for supper and found what could be my new favourite food! Not sure what it is, or what it’s called....but it’s delicious! I would describe it as a “spring roll” and “chicken pot pie” mix. And an ice-cappachino (not exactly Tim Hortons style...but close) to quench the thirst....not bad....
So.....over all...taking in the experiences as much as I can. The mosque in the morning is still a little aggravating...but I’m reminded of many more things I’m blessed with and thankful for.
Blessings to all.
Love always.
Not much to update here. We had a school assembly today in which I ended up tearing up. The worship was so neat with the students. I’ve learned a little more about the school mission. Each student is required to do some community service. The students gather pictures and they present a slideshow about different things they’ve done in the community. Truly God’s hands at work!
Saturday I slept in to 7:30am! What a different lifestyle.... I decided to make the most of the time and went for a run. I got back sweating buckets, not necessarily because I was running so hard but because the warm muggy air was already present. The swimming pool was the only thing on my mind by this point, where I ended up staying until around noon! We went out for lunch to Burger King (!) and shopped around for some essential food items (and camping supplies for Kristin who is camping with her seventh graders at the moment)
And then it started to downpour. And I mean downpour. We were doing our laundry on the top floor of the building, and we watched the storm come in. Lightening struck right infront of the building, a booming thunder at the same moment. We watched the mighty weather, while watching our watch. We were supposed to walk over to one of the teacher’s houses....not going to happen at this point.
We waited for a half hour but the rain continued. We decided to brave the weather (being from BC and all....I mean come on) as the lightening had stopped. We walked the 15 minutes to her house, and were drenched! Later we found out the storm was classified as a typhoon! Anyway, together we cooked and prepared tacos for a group of 17 fifteen year olds from Australia who were working on a mission’s project in one of the local towns. We discussed stereotypes of Australia and Canada, learning more of cultures, dialects, and geography. It was quite entertaining actually. But also neat to be with teenagers. It made me think a lot of my brothers. It also made me feel old. I was challenging the kids by asking, “what are you taking from this experience?” and “how will this affect your everyday life?” I’m going through the same types of questions and couldn’t help myself try to start them on the same path. Both Kristin and I later discussed how much it was a blast from the past for us, when we were that young, energetic, and almost “clueless” about what life would bring. It made me want to become a church youth leader! We’ll see where God takes that I guess. For the evening we went to see Alice in Wonderland at the local theatres. I was thinking, “alright, it’s Indonesia...don’t expect much...” but the chairs were amazingly comfortable...it’s remarkable I didn’t fall asleep :P
Sunday we attended the chapel here on campus. We sang some Easter hymns together and reflected on the advent season. It’s been a long time since I’ve celebrated Easter in my home church back in BC, and I miss it. There is something about a church family that makes a spiritual life-walk come together. I still hope to make some more connections with some of the people here in the churches and in the school. The afternoon was spent taking a glorious nap (after all, staying up last night till 11 was the first time in a while...haha) The internet was down ever since the typhoon came through so we were accompanied by books, lesson plans and assignments. We cooked with a rice-cooker and made stir-fry! Indonesian style!
Now it’s Monday. Kristin has left to go camping and I’ve returned to our white-walled dorm room. I actually ventured out on my own for supper and found what could be my new favourite food! Not sure what it is, or what it’s called....but it’s delicious! I would describe it as a “spring roll” and “chicken pot pie” mix. And an ice-cappachino (not exactly Tim Hortons style...but close) to quench the thirst....not bad....
So.....over all...taking in the experiences as much as I can. The mosque in the morning is still a little aggravating...but I’m reminded of many more things I’m blessed with and thankful for.
Blessings to all.
Love always.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Sacrifice
On Wednesday we had an Indonesian teacher speak at our teacher chapel. She used to be a part of the Islamic faith in this city. She discussed her struggles as a teenager and further into adulthood, until she was brought to a healing ceremony put together by a Christian organization. She committed her life to Christ. When she returned to her family, she was kicked out of her house, verbally abused, and told never to contact them again. She had become disowned by her family. She talks about the struggles of being a Christian knowing that her own parents almost “hate” her for it. When she sings these praises to Christ, she means that she is giving her “All in All” to Him, including her relationships with others. With the Lord’s mercy, her family has reconnected communication, accepted her lifestyle, and loved her again. But it wasn’t an easy journey.
I think of my sacrifices. I was troubled by my sacrifices of leaving my fiancé, my family, my friends for a couple of months to be here in Indonesia. Truth be told, I know that they support me and would be on the other side of the phone, computer, or airline with encouragement like no other. I couldn’t give up these people in my life, ever! I can’t wait to see them again! So what kind of sacrifices am I willing to give? I can give up my hot showers, my clean tap-water, my Tim Hortons coffee. But what kind of sacrifices have I made for my faith? It doesn’t seem like many. Being raised in a Christian household, attending Christian education, and growing up with tremendous church support, I feel I haven’t given up anything because I love the way my life is. I try to count my blessings and still am far-low of reaching my thankfulness capacity (which I don’t think there is such thing as thanking too much). Should I be making sacrifices for my faith? The word sacrifice has such a negative connation as if I would be losing something. Maybe I should be looking at it more as “Is there something in my life that I should get rid of in order to become closer God? “ This is a question I think we can all wrestle with. With thanksgiving and praise I thank God for my opportunities and experiences I am able to encounter while being here in Indonesia. I am also very thankful for those in my life who profess the same faith, people who help and encourage my walk in the ways of the Lord. I pray that God will give us the eyes to see and the ears to see His works and hear His word in the world so that we can share these great testimonies of Truth with those around us.
“You want to be real. You want to be empty inside.
You want to be someone, laying down your pride.
You want to be someone someday, lay it all down before the King.
You want to be whole. You want to have purpose inside.
You want to have virtue. And purify your mind. You want to be set free today,
and lay it all down before the King.
This is my desire. This is my return.
This is my desire, to be used by you.”
-Jeremy Camp in his song “My Desire”
Blessings.
Love always.
I think of my sacrifices. I was troubled by my sacrifices of leaving my fiancé, my family, my friends for a couple of months to be here in Indonesia. Truth be told, I know that they support me and would be on the other side of the phone, computer, or airline with encouragement like no other. I couldn’t give up these people in my life, ever! I can’t wait to see them again! So what kind of sacrifices am I willing to give? I can give up my hot showers, my clean tap-water, my Tim Hortons coffee. But what kind of sacrifices have I made for my faith? It doesn’t seem like many. Being raised in a Christian household, attending Christian education, and growing up with tremendous church support, I feel I haven’t given up anything because I love the way my life is. I try to count my blessings and still am far-low of reaching my thankfulness capacity (which I don’t think there is such thing as thanking too much). Should I be making sacrifices for my faith? The word sacrifice has such a negative connation as if I would be losing something. Maybe I should be looking at it more as “Is there something in my life that I should get rid of in order to become closer God? “ This is a question I think we can all wrestle with. With thanksgiving and praise I thank God for my opportunities and experiences I am able to encounter while being here in Indonesia. I am also very thankful for those in my life who profess the same faith, people who help and encourage my walk in the ways of the Lord. I pray that God will give us the eyes to see and the ears to see His works and hear His word in the world so that we can share these great testimonies of Truth with those around us.
“You want to be real. You want to be empty inside.
You want to be someone, laying down your pride.
You want to be someone someday, lay it all down before the King.
You want to be whole. You want to have purpose inside.
You want to have virtue. And purify your mind. You want to be set free today,
and lay it all down before the King.
This is my desire. This is my return.
This is my desire, to be used by you.”
-Jeremy Camp in his song “My Desire”
Blessings.
Love always.
Through the week...
Tuesday, March 16 was a Hindu holiday, which all of Indonesia recognizes, so we had a day off from school! It was wonderful to sleep in all the way to 8:00am and relax in the morning. The great thing about being around in the morning meant we could catch up with people back home! I had a skype date with my family while they were at church, and it just so happened that the Dordt College Concert Choir was eating a potluck meal there! I was able to see and say hi to a handful of my fellow Dordt colleagues...but boy was it strange to see them with my family in my church when I was on the other side of the world! I wish I could have been there to show them around! Indeed it was a wonderful video chat with my parents and Monika (as Ryan and Tyler are in Mexico, and Nathan is in Kentucky!) After the call, I met up with one of the first grade teachers to buy...get this...my very first cell phone! Yes, that’s right...to all of my friends who said I’ve been out of the loop, I’ve caved in with society and purchased a cell phone! The phones are cheap and apparently I can text to people in the United States, but I haven’t been able to figure it out yet! After the cell phone purchase, I went out for coffee (at Starbucks!) with my new this teacher and we discussed the importance of Christian education. She grew up in the Anglican church and we interpreted our faith differences and how these thoughts might be reflected in our teaching. The reformed perspective has such an influence here in the SPH school and I can see more following this worldview of glorifying God to further his coming Kingdom.
The afternoon was filled with some teacher duties: cutting and gluing together a bulletin board on sound and putting together a portfolio for application proposals. Got to love it!
Wednesday and Thursday have been school-focused days. The weather has been cloudy and rainy, but the muggyness remains, which makes it easier to concentrate on school work in our dorm room. I am leading English lessons and loving it! This morning (Thursday) I was observed by the principal during my lesson and it went really well. The kids were energetic and engaged on our Helen Keller discussion. I love my routine of walking home after the long day at school, chatting with Kristin about the days work, then lay on my bed, and dip a piece of dark chocolate into peanut butter and relax for a good twenty minutes before doing anything else. Not a bad habit :P
Wednesdays classes end at 12 and the teachers have professional development sessions with a staff-chapel. The staff chapel was so encouraging! We gathered together (maybe 60 people?) where we worshiped and listened to a speaker(which I'm going to write about in a separate post) Listening to the hearts of different nations coming together in song gives a little taste of what heaven will be like. You can’t help but smile.
I am daily encouraged by e-mails and messages which I try my best to respond to! With this comment, don't think you shouldn't e-mail me because I'm too busy, I love hearing about how God is working with you too!
Love always.
The afternoon was filled with some teacher duties: cutting and gluing together a bulletin board on sound and putting together a portfolio for application proposals. Got to love it!
Wednesday and Thursday have been school-focused days. The weather has been cloudy and rainy, but the muggyness remains, which makes it easier to concentrate on school work in our dorm room. I am leading English lessons and loving it! This morning (Thursday) I was observed by the principal during my lesson and it went really well. The kids were energetic and engaged on our Helen Keller discussion. I love my routine of walking home after the long day at school, chatting with Kristin about the days work, then lay on my bed, and dip a piece of dark chocolate into peanut butter and relax for a good twenty minutes before doing anything else. Not a bad habit :P
Wednesdays classes end at 12 and the teachers have professional development sessions with a staff-chapel. The staff chapel was so encouraging! We gathered together (maybe 60 people?) where we worshiped and listened to a speaker(which I'm going to write about in a separate post) Listening to the hearts of different nations coming together in song gives a little taste of what heaven will be like. You can’t help but smile.
I am daily encouraged by e-mails and messages which I try my best to respond to! With this comment, don't think you shouldn't e-mail me because I'm too busy, I love hearing about how God is working with you too!
Love always.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Beginning to explore: 1st weekend in Indonesia
Monday, March 15
Another week begins! Early as usual, 4:24am thanks to the mosque! We thought the weekend would be a nice time to catch up on sleep….that didn’t happen! Friday night we took it easy by going to the mall and eating out for supper for the first time on our own! Saturday we woke up early to talk to people back home, and then met with couple from Michigan to go into Jakarta and visit the zoo. George and Sharry are an older couple who have graciously opened up to us. They took us into the city, where we found coffee (!) and then headed to the zoo. We laughed as we saw displays of “Canadian raccoons” and a variety of cows! We walked around and began to realize we were considered “exotic” as well, we could have been a part of a display. People were taking pictures of us! Some would ask for permission, while others we would see trying to hide their cameras below their waste. They were polite about it for the most part, it was just different. You could hear groups trying to practice their English in case we asked them a question.
One of the benefits of standing out is the zookeepers recognized we were foreigners and offered to give us a “behind the scenes” tour of the lions and tigers. We got to go into the back and watch the feeding. The animals seemed so much larger when closer! And fierce! Then again, they were in tight enclosures, but it was very neat! We look back at most of our pictures and realize we have more on the outside of the displays then of the animals. We were amazed at the beauty of the trees, flowers, and butterflies that were natural to the Indonesian environment. (The picture above is a flower from the zoo) We also saw a beautiful blue toucan of some sort which we managed to get a picture of yet still have to find the name for the guy.
Kristin and I had many laughs today. A day of enjoyment but also exhaustion. We shopped through a couple of Indonesian stores but didn’t end up buying anything. Supper was in the local city and closed off our evening with a cup of Canadian tea We were also given a rice cooker, a frying pan, and an iron so we feel great about our living and cooking situation.
Sunday we went to chapel on campus. There were around 800 students coming together to worship our Lord. The service was quite long as it had to be translated back and forth from English to Bahasa but the structure was similar to what we are used to. We sang `Praise the Lord From Whom all Blessings Flow`as our Doxology, and it was one of the strongest times I`ve sang it. How wonderful to be with fellow believers in another country, praising the same God. After the chapel, I went to another church service on the other side of town where `people of different nations`` meet for a service. I was introduced to the crowd as a `Canadian`and the pastor says, `We like Canadians`and the people shouted ÀMEN`. This made me grin. I didn`t recognize as many songs, but the overall concept of worshiping God was evident and refreshing in a more Àfrican style of worship.
We went out for Chinese food with the dorm parents (our carpool teacher). We`ve noticed that this city does not stop on Sunday. Everyone goes about like any other day. We were invited to multiple activities but really wanted to take the day to rest. Having a Sabbath rest was never more appreciated as it was today. We took the afternoon to drink tea, watch a movie, write e-mails, and then took a nap by the poolside. There is a pool on top of dormitory which has some lounge chairs, and palm trees. Were both a little picky when it comes to our tanlines now since we`re both getting married this summer….
Now it`s Monday. I had a great day at school, learning more about the kids, and now putting together a bulletin board on the properties of sound. We walked home today, discussing our day. Exhausted, we usually just lie motionless in our beds, waiting for the air conditioning to kick in. I grab a piece of dark chocolate and dip it in peanut butter. We made spaghetti tonight for supper which was absolutely delicious. Weird how the North American food can hit the spot after not having it for a week. A rainstorm is passing by now. Picture a tropical rainstorm…and that`s what it is. Downpour! It wouldn`t be good to get caught in a storm because the roads flood so easily because of the pollution in the drains. The rains make it comfortable to pick up a good book and put on some comfy clothes.
Every day I see how God is working. The students, the teachers, the creation around us, in Him everything is seen as GOOD. And it is. I look forward to the experiences to come!
Hope all is well for my family and friends on spring break! I think about you often and can`t wait to share more stories with you in person!!!!
Love always.
Another week begins! Early as usual, 4:24am thanks to the mosque! We thought the weekend would be a nice time to catch up on sleep….that didn’t happen! Friday night we took it easy by going to the mall and eating out for supper for the first time on our own! Saturday we woke up early to talk to people back home, and then met with couple from Michigan to go into Jakarta and visit the zoo. George and Sharry are an older couple who have graciously opened up to us. They took us into the city, where we found coffee (!) and then headed to the zoo. We laughed as we saw displays of “Canadian raccoons” and a variety of cows! We walked around and began to realize we were considered “exotic” as well, we could have been a part of a display. People were taking pictures of us! Some would ask for permission, while others we would see trying to hide their cameras below their waste. They were polite about it for the most part, it was just different. You could hear groups trying to practice their English in case we asked them a question.
One of the benefits of standing out is the zookeepers recognized we were foreigners and offered to give us a “behind the scenes” tour of the lions and tigers. We got to go into the back and watch the feeding. The animals seemed so much larger when closer! And fierce! Then again, they were in tight enclosures, but it was very neat! We look back at most of our pictures and realize we have more on the outside of the displays then of the animals. We were amazed at the beauty of the trees, flowers, and butterflies that were natural to the Indonesian environment. (The picture above is a flower from the zoo) We also saw a beautiful blue toucan of some sort which we managed to get a picture of yet still have to find the name for the guy.
Kristin and I had many laughs today. A day of enjoyment but also exhaustion. We shopped through a couple of Indonesian stores but didn’t end up buying anything. Supper was in the local city and closed off our evening with a cup of Canadian tea We were also given a rice cooker, a frying pan, and an iron so we feel great about our living and cooking situation.
Sunday we went to chapel on campus. There were around 800 students coming together to worship our Lord. The service was quite long as it had to be translated back and forth from English to Bahasa but the structure was similar to what we are used to. We sang `Praise the Lord From Whom all Blessings Flow`as our Doxology, and it was one of the strongest times I`ve sang it. How wonderful to be with fellow believers in another country, praising the same God. After the chapel, I went to another church service on the other side of town where `people of different nations`` meet for a service. I was introduced to the crowd as a `Canadian`and the pastor says, `We like Canadians`and the people shouted ÀMEN`. This made me grin. I didn`t recognize as many songs, but the overall concept of worshiping God was evident and refreshing in a more Àfrican style of worship.
We went out for Chinese food with the dorm parents (our carpool teacher). We`ve noticed that this city does not stop on Sunday. Everyone goes about like any other day. We were invited to multiple activities but really wanted to take the day to rest. Having a Sabbath rest was never more appreciated as it was today. We took the afternoon to drink tea, watch a movie, write e-mails, and then took a nap by the poolside. There is a pool on top of dormitory which has some lounge chairs, and palm trees. Were both a little picky when it comes to our tanlines now since we`re both getting married this summer….
Now it`s Monday. I had a great day at school, learning more about the kids, and now putting together a bulletin board on the properties of sound. We walked home today, discussing our day. Exhausted, we usually just lie motionless in our beds, waiting for the air conditioning to kick in. I grab a piece of dark chocolate and dip it in peanut butter. We made spaghetti tonight for supper which was absolutely delicious. Weird how the North American food can hit the spot after not having it for a week. A rainstorm is passing by now. Picture a tropical rainstorm…and that`s what it is. Downpour! It wouldn`t be good to get caught in a storm because the roads flood so easily because of the pollution in the drains. The rains make it comfortable to pick up a good book and put on some comfy clothes.
Every day I see how God is working. The students, the teachers, the creation around us, in Him everything is seen as GOOD. And it is. I look forward to the experiences to come!
Hope all is well for my family and friends on spring break! I think about you often and can`t wait to share more stories with you in person!!!!
Love always.
Indonesia!
Crazy, here I am writing out my life on my computer. Experiences, adventures, learnings, and thoughts to come! My first entry is extremely long, probably because my mind is racing 10 times over trying to take it all in. So...I'll give a couple details before I go on:
Where am I?: Lippo Village, Indonesia, about 20 km. from Jakarta, Indonesia
Why? I’m student teaching for my final practicum at Dordt College. I am teaching 3rd grade at SPH school (Sekolah Pelita Harapan).
For how long? March 5-April 30, 2010
With who? I am here with my roommate from Dordt, Kristin Tenbrinke, who is from Lacombe, Alberta. She is teaching grade 7 and 8 science. She also likes birds so we both have our eyes and ears peeled.
A little about Indonesia: It’s hot! The average day has been 35 degrees C!
There are over 300 languages in this country! The language of this island is Bahasa (we’re learning some of the words, especially menu words!)
A lot of the food is fried, and includes rice! So delicious! And the fruit!
The common way to get around is motorcycle, which we haven’t tried yet!
They drive on the left side of the road.
The people are very friendly! It’s strange how much we stand out. Many people take pictures of us, sometimes asking permission, sometimes trying to hide it.
And for the rest of the entry (I wrote it earlier and am just posting it now that I've figured out the internet situation)
March 7, 2010
So we’re here! After a long, thirty-some hours on planes we have come to a tropical haven of palm trees, banana trees, and muggy air. Our flights went well, although it was strange to us to receive supper at 1am (which for us was 3am). We were both able to sleep 11 hours out of 14 on our long stretch which was wonderful!
Our drive from Jakarta to Lippo Village had our eyes glued to the windows. We saw a bit of the city life, more of the traffic, which travels on the left side of the road, with tons of motorcycles! As we got more into Lippo Village (about 20km out of Jakarta) we noticed newer structures and a cleaner city. The vegetation is remarkable, greenery everywhere with flowers and butterflies all over the place. Simply gorgeous!
We live at the University in a dormitory. There are beds, desks, and a bathroom with a shower. Down the hall is a kitchen and a lounge with couches. Although we are adjusting to cold showers, eating on our desks/beds, and a mosque behind our building that chants at 4:24 every morning, things are working out! We find the waking up at 4:30am isn’t so bad when we go to bed early (8:30pm!) and all of our friends back home are online! The 13 hour time difference (to Iowa/Winnipeg) and 15 hour time difference (Abbotsford) is beginning to feel doable. We have access to clean drinking water (hot and cold!), a gym (which we still have to use!), and a huge cafeteria. The mall is right across the road, which we were happy to find a Burger King and Starbucks!
The school community has been very helpful! We have had two of our meals at teacher’s houses, which were delicious! It was nice to be in a home setting. We are going to make some of these meals weekly and we look forward to other inclusive activities.
Now to the school: the purpose of why we came! The school is huge! And gorgeous! A brick structure, built with different levels, with no walls! They have a roof to protect everyone from the rain, but the classrooms/meeting rooms/offices are walled in for air conditioning. There isn’t a point to AC the hallways, so they are outside. At first Kristin and I got lost around campus, but now we have figured out different locations, based on the two outdoor pools, tennis courts, and fountains.
I am teaching in third grade, with a class of 22 students. The class has two teachers, one with the prominent language of English and the other prominent in Bahasa, Indonesia (the local language). Both teachers are in the class the majority of the time as they work together for translations and routines. The one teacher is originally from North Carolina, and the other has grown up here. The school day starts at 7am....yes....7am! and ends at 3pm! So the days are quite long. For those who know...curriculum standards are quite high here. The summative assessment is regarded with high expectations so the lessons have to be prepared effectively in order to meet the standards. I look forward to the challenge!
The students are great! They call me Ms. Shena, as every teacher goes by their first name with either Ms., Mrs., Ibu, Mr., or Idu, for the preface to their name. Students give high respect to the authority, and all wear uniform of skirts and ties, with hats for recess and lunch. Most students come from this area, but there is also a mix of Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese, Caucasian, and Japanese in the group. I find the students are very intelligent in math with the ability to compute facts quite well. However, problem solving and individual thinking are new concepts.
The Christian atmosphere here is wonderful. We have chapel with other grades, devotions in the morning, devotions with staff, and prayer circles with the students. Today we sang “Mighty to Save” and “Indescribable”. It brought tears to my eyes to hear such lovely and familiar words sung by such precious children.
Kristin and I walk home from the school (about 20 minutes) and discuss what we see, if we ever could live here, if our fiancés would live here (yes, we talk about them often), if our families would live here, and what the school is establishing as their worldview.
It’s a different type of culture. We find it hard to accept how every student and most teachers have a maid, a driver, a gardener, security guards to their complex, and a nanny. We understand how they are giving the Indonesian people jobs (who else would not have jobs) but the concept of living highly and knowing that they are going back to the village (just outside of the city) where the roads are made of dirt, the children playing soccer in bare feet. Janitors, gardeners, there are even people who do my photocopying and laminating (plus cutting out the laminated paper) for me, and they can’t be paid a whole lot. We just look and wonder how they see us. The American students who come over to experience what it’s like to live here -- but are we really experiencing the Indonesian culture? Or rather this bubble formulated around this highly regarded school? We keep hearing about how great the community is within the school. Yes, there is strong ties within the teachers and parents, which are wonderful! But what about the people that see us from the other side? Are we stuck up? Rich? Do we show our Christian joy? We wrestle with these thoughts. We look at what we have and we’re thankful, but now what?
We look at the school mission. A Christian man started the school in efforts to one day see a saved nation. If you want to change the whole nation, you have to start with the new generation. This school is for the wealthy. These are the students that could one day be running the capitol city Jakarta, being only 20 km. away. We understand that these children need to be taught the Christian worldview and life style as well, and we are whole-willingly ready to give ourselves to bring this message across. There is a bigger picture and goal in mind then we can imagine. With this in mind, the staff and rest of the school community know that the only way to get down this path is through the work of God. We are trying to be a part of this walk. How is living the Christian life applicable in the rich community? It’s almost easier to think of how we would teach for the poorer regions, but when you are guiding future thinkers for the nation, you want to be strong in what you believe, honest in your actions, and filled with the Holy Spirit so that our words will sound of his truth.
Here’s just the introduction....wooh!
We are growing as teachers, but also as believers. Thank you for your prayers of safe travel. Continued prayers for health, wisdom, and strength are appreciated! We are trying to keep up with the e-mails!!! I Messages and e-mails are sooo encouraging and we love to share our daily experiences too!
I hope to keep updates on our activities! I led devotions on being humble, and a math lesson of capacity at the poolside today. Next week I will be starting a literature unit on a book entitled “Helen Keller: A Light for the Blind” to correspond with our unit on Sound and Light in science.
Thanks for keeping up with me! God Bless!!
Where am I?: Lippo Village, Indonesia, about 20 km. from Jakarta, Indonesia
Why? I’m student teaching for my final practicum at Dordt College. I am teaching 3rd grade at SPH school (Sekolah Pelita Harapan).
For how long? March 5-April 30, 2010
With who? I am here with my roommate from Dordt, Kristin Tenbrinke, who is from Lacombe, Alberta. She is teaching grade 7 and 8 science. She also likes birds so we both have our eyes and ears peeled.
A little about Indonesia: It’s hot! The average day has been 35 degrees C!
There are over 300 languages in this country! The language of this island is Bahasa (we’re learning some of the words, especially menu words!)
A lot of the food is fried, and includes rice! So delicious! And the fruit!
The common way to get around is motorcycle, which we haven’t tried yet!
They drive on the left side of the road.
The people are very friendly! It’s strange how much we stand out. Many people take pictures of us, sometimes asking permission, sometimes trying to hide it.
And for the rest of the entry (I wrote it earlier and am just posting it now that I've figured out the internet situation)
March 7, 2010
So we’re here! After a long, thirty-some hours on planes we have come to a tropical haven of palm trees, banana trees, and muggy air. Our flights went well, although it was strange to us to receive supper at 1am (which for us was 3am). We were both able to sleep 11 hours out of 14 on our long stretch which was wonderful!
Our drive from Jakarta to Lippo Village had our eyes glued to the windows. We saw a bit of the city life, more of the traffic, which travels on the left side of the road, with tons of motorcycles! As we got more into Lippo Village (about 20km out of Jakarta) we noticed newer structures and a cleaner city. The vegetation is remarkable, greenery everywhere with flowers and butterflies all over the place. Simply gorgeous!
We live at the University in a dormitory. There are beds, desks, and a bathroom with a shower. Down the hall is a kitchen and a lounge with couches. Although we are adjusting to cold showers, eating on our desks/beds, and a mosque behind our building that chants at 4:24 every morning, things are working out! We find the waking up at 4:30am isn’t so bad when we go to bed early (8:30pm!) and all of our friends back home are online! The 13 hour time difference (to Iowa/Winnipeg) and 15 hour time difference (Abbotsford) is beginning to feel doable. We have access to clean drinking water (hot and cold!), a gym (which we still have to use!), and a huge cafeteria. The mall is right across the road, which we were happy to find a Burger King and Starbucks!
The school community has been very helpful! We have had two of our meals at teacher’s houses, which were delicious! It was nice to be in a home setting. We are going to make some of these meals weekly and we look forward to other inclusive activities.
Now to the school: the purpose of why we came! The school is huge! And gorgeous! A brick structure, built with different levels, with no walls! They have a roof to protect everyone from the rain, but the classrooms/meeting rooms/offices are walled in for air conditioning. There isn’t a point to AC the hallways, so they are outside. At first Kristin and I got lost around campus, but now we have figured out different locations, based on the two outdoor pools, tennis courts, and fountains.
I am teaching in third grade, with a class of 22 students. The class has two teachers, one with the prominent language of English and the other prominent in Bahasa, Indonesia (the local language). Both teachers are in the class the majority of the time as they work together for translations and routines. The one teacher is originally from North Carolina, and the other has grown up here. The school day starts at 7am....yes....7am! and ends at 3pm! So the days are quite long. For those who know...curriculum standards are quite high here. The summative assessment is regarded with high expectations so the lessons have to be prepared effectively in order to meet the standards. I look forward to the challenge!
The students are great! They call me Ms. Shena, as every teacher goes by their first name with either Ms., Mrs., Ibu, Mr., or Idu, for the preface to their name. Students give high respect to the authority, and all wear uniform of skirts and ties, with hats for recess and lunch. Most students come from this area, but there is also a mix of Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese, Caucasian, and Japanese in the group. I find the students are very intelligent in math with the ability to compute facts quite well. However, problem solving and individual thinking are new concepts.
The Christian atmosphere here is wonderful. We have chapel with other grades, devotions in the morning, devotions with staff, and prayer circles with the students. Today we sang “Mighty to Save” and “Indescribable”. It brought tears to my eyes to hear such lovely and familiar words sung by such precious children.
Kristin and I walk home from the school (about 20 minutes) and discuss what we see, if we ever could live here, if our fiancés would live here (yes, we talk about them often), if our families would live here, and what the school is establishing as their worldview.
It’s a different type of culture. We find it hard to accept how every student and most teachers have a maid, a driver, a gardener, security guards to their complex, and a nanny. We understand how they are giving the Indonesian people jobs (who else would not have jobs) but the concept of living highly and knowing that they are going back to the village (just outside of the city) where the roads are made of dirt, the children playing soccer in bare feet. Janitors, gardeners, there are even people who do my photocopying and laminating (plus cutting out the laminated paper) for me, and they can’t be paid a whole lot. We just look and wonder how they see us. The American students who come over to experience what it’s like to live here -- but are we really experiencing the Indonesian culture? Or rather this bubble formulated around this highly regarded school? We keep hearing about how great the community is within the school. Yes, there is strong ties within the teachers and parents, which are wonderful! But what about the people that see us from the other side? Are we stuck up? Rich? Do we show our Christian joy? We wrestle with these thoughts. We look at what we have and we’re thankful, but now what?
We look at the school mission. A Christian man started the school in efforts to one day see a saved nation. If you want to change the whole nation, you have to start with the new generation. This school is for the wealthy. These are the students that could one day be running the capitol city Jakarta, being only 20 km. away. We understand that these children need to be taught the Christian worldview and life style as well, and we are whole-willingly ready to give ourselves to bring this message across. There is a bigger picture and goal in mind then we can imagine. With this in mind, the staff and rest of the school community know that the only way to get down this path is through the work of God. We are trying to be a part of this walk. How is living the Christian life applicable in the rich community? It’s almost easier to think of how we would teach for the poorer regions, but when you are guiding future thinkers for the nation, you want to be strong in what you believe, honest in your actions, and filled with the Holy Spirit so that our words will sound of his truth.
Here’s just the introduction....wooh!
We are growing as teachers, but also as believers. Thank you for your prayers of safe travel. Continued prayers for health, wisdom, and strength are appreciated! We are trying to keep up with the e-mails!!! I Messages and e-mails are sooo encouraging and we love to share our daily experiences too!
I hope to keep updates on our activities! I led devotions on being humble, and a math lesson of capacity at the poolside today. Next week I will be starting a literature unit on a book entitled “Helen Keller: A Light for the Blind” to correspond with our unit on Sound and Light in science.
Thanks for keeping up with me! God Bless!!
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