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.