Almost everyday since I have arrived I have left the house at least once a day in the company of a family member or community member. This is to keep us from being "bosen" (bored) since "libur" (holidays) started on Monday. The current vacation block is their equivalent of a summer break, but since it Indonesia's school system is year around it only lasts for 3 weeks. Usually when I accompany these various people I simply walk beside them waiting for them to ask questions or explain things. I tend to still be a silent observer and I let them go about their business. When the time presents itself I join in on conversations or partake in a meal with them, but usually I am not too involved.
This morning's trip is to the local "pasar" (traditional market) where my family shops for supplies for the upcoming wedding of my host brother which will take place next week. Before we leave I am entrusted with the coin purse that contains the money for what they will buy because I have my purse with me. I don't think anything of it as we get into the family "mobil" (I think you can figure that one out) and set off for the pasar (remember?).
Pasar-pesar (pretty much all nouns in the Indonesian language are made plural by repeating it a second time) are usually very dirty places with fresh produce and meat sitting out on bamboo tables or simply splayed out upon mats on the ground. They are a bit of a contradiction because usually the food that is being sold is all local and very fresh, but place of business itself seems rather unsanitary. To complete the picture of un-cleanliness there is also usually a stench in the air. My local pasar is no exception to these expectations. As we walk through the market to a destination that my family clearly has in mind, even they are very mindful of where they put their feet.
We end up at a household supply toko (a small store owned by a local). The place is very crowded with both people and product. This store looks like a room that you would see in "Hoarders Buried Alive,"* however there is organization to it because the shopkeepers know where to find what we are looking for even if wecan't. Many of the products their do not appear new, but when the dust is wiped off of the box and the cup, bowl, or whatever it may be is taken out of the box, it is clear that it has never been used before. Never judge a product by its box.
I try to stay out of the way as my family is handed the bags, plastic spoons, and plastic baggies they are looking for. Before agreeing to the transaction they examine each thing to make sure that it is what they are looking for. A lot of conversation takes place between the shopkeepers and my host sister and Bapak. I don't understand most of it for two reasons. One: my Indonesian isn't bad, but the in last week I have realized how much I really don't know. Two: they were probably speaking a mix of bahasa** Indonesia, bahasa Madura, and bahasa Jawa (Java). I assume that most of the conversation is about price and I can tell that they aren't sure if the plastic bags that they are buying are big enough. In the end though they decide to get everything.
During all of this I simply observe like I have been doing so much in the last week. There isn't a whole lot for me to do during these outings otherwise. I try to listen and learn new words, but I can only do that for so long before my concentration breaks and it becomes pointless. At this point I usually give myself a break and just observe or let my thoughts wonder. I am therefore a little caught off guard when my sister turns to me and gestures for me to participate in what was going on. It then occurs to me that I am in position of the money they need to pay the guy. I pull out the little coin purse from my bag and hand it to her with my right hand (it is very impolite to hand something to someone with your left hand because it is considered unclean). She pays the man and then hands it back to me.
This was the first time that I have had a sort of responsibility with the family. It is a very small one, but I am still being useful in some way. As we proceed to other toko-toko I continued to play my part as the keeper of the money. Once they pick out what they want I hand over the coin purse and each time I feel a little bit more useful.
The adjustment process is still only starting here, I recognize that. I have yet to make any real contribution to the family and most of the time I feel like I am just burdening them with my need to be fed and the fact that my clothes need to be washed (I tried to let them wash my clothes but they wouldn't hear of it). PC always stresses that you should notice and celebrate your small successes. Although it seems strange to have to be successful in being able to contribute to a household, I feel that at least some baby steps are being made.
*Related to "Hoarders Buried Alive"- During PST one of my fellow PCTs and I were waiting for an angkot (public trans of sorts) across the street from a crazy old woman's house. She liked to yell out to people from her porch and her house had an eerie feel to it. It was dark even in the bright sunlight and old blackened pieces of fabric and cardboard hung all around the exterior. I asked if he had seen the show "Hoarders Buried Alive." He confirmed that he had. "Could you imagine what an Indonesian hoarder's house would look like?" I asked. He replied that he had been thinking the same thing as he stared at the same house and we both just kind of shuddered at the thought.
**As a side note bahasa simply means language and they just stick a country or region to the end of it. Java and Madura are both Indonesian islands. I live in East Java and Madura is an island to the east of Java that is considered part of East Java. I do not live on Madura, but many of the people in my city are from their. Possibly the only exceptions to the physical location rule of "bahasa" are English and Spanish because so many countries speak both and they are not physically connected to one place. Oh and Mandarin is also an exception. I suppose this is because of the many dialects in China.
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