Food Culture

I have almost become a vegetarian here in Indonesia. Well ok not really, but a good portion of my meals are vegetarian. I still eat meat about once every two days or so, but that is in contrast to eating meat for at least two meals a day back in the US. Not to mention every meal here is like dinner in the US, so if the situation were the same in the US then I would be eating meat for every meal.

The culture of food here is quite a bit different. Almost everyone in the house wakes up around 4:30 to pray, but if you do happen to live in a house that doesn't wake up to pray, then the women still wake up just as early to cook. A majority of the food is cooked in the morning and then left on the table so that you can come in to get food whenever you feel hungry later in the day. Indonesians stick to three meals a day just as we do, but the food is almost always the same for the entire day.

Here at permanent site my meals are almost the same everyday. There is, of course, an abundance of . . . Rice! I am in Asia and a 3rd world country after all. Every morning (and afternoon and evening as well) I can also find a pot of boiled vegetables with its stock, a plate of fried tempe (a compact block of soy beans) and tofu, and a plate of fried fish. Sometimes there is also a plate of chicken, but its not a staple. Depending on how fast all this food is eaten side dishes also become supplemented throughout the day with other food that has been purchased or cooked later. Sometimes at night my bapak goes out and buys sate (a grilled chicken skewer covered with a peanut sauce).

An interesting question that comes up when Indonesians ask about food in the US is "what is your base food?" They assume that it is bread, but we all of course know that it is not. We don't eat bread three times a day. I have told them that you may find it as toast for breakfast (but not always) and you will usually find in in a sandwich for lunch, but you don't normally see it on your dinner plate. During the first week of both of my homestays my family has bought me bread with the assumption that it would make me feel more at home. To their surprise I told them that I would rather eat rice for breakfast. I told them that I usually do not eat bread for a meal on its own. In some ways they were relieved by this because they don't see how you can be full off of bread (I have explained that I usually eat it with meat), but in other ways this confused them just as much. If bread is not our "base food" then what is?

We all know that we don't eat the same thing everyday, let alone for every meal. This is clearly a cultural difference. Maybe it is simply because we can afford variety or maybe it is because here food is what you simply need to stay alive. Either way it is different. I don't dislike the way I eat here. I think it actually makes it easier to control my intake of food (something that I have been struggling with for my entire life). It is kind of like wearing a uniform. If all the options are taken away then you don't have to worry about what you are going to wear and getting ready for work is a bit easier. I no longer think about what food would please me most at this particular moment and go searching for it. It also makes the days when I can choose food more fun. Its like dressing up a bit and allowing your desire to get a choice every now and then. All in all I think that this way of eating is working for me because there is balance.

Another difference is that meals are usually not a communal affair here. I eat most meals alone or at most with one other person. I don't know for sure why this is the case though. Some possible reasons may be that there usually isn't enough room around the table of everyone or because food may be seen as more of a necessity rather than a daily pleasure. (They certainly do find food to be a source of pleasure, but that doesn't mean that you indulge your cravings at every meal.) Overall though, I feel that Indonesians do not need family time over meals. Unlike suburban Americans, Indonesian villagers get plenty of family time throughout the day because the school and work day usually ends around 2pm. Their schedules revolve much more around the home. It is therefore not a necessity for them to take something practical like eating and turn it into family time.

Food here (and its culture) is good. I both equally enjoy it and get what I need. Balance has never come easily to me in regards to food. Hopefully I will be able to stick with the habits I have developed in the last few weeks as my time here progresses and even once I return to America.

Baby Steps- written 6/23

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.

The Only Roller Coaster I Don't Enjoy - written 6/22

I have lived at permanent site now for full week and within this short time I have come to understand so much more about the blog entries that I read for six months prior to actually stepping foot on Indonesian soil. I wish I could say that leaving my training village and arriving at my permanent site has been a seamless transition, but alas it has not. It has actually been a million times harder than I anticipated.

I am not sure that I had ever thought too far past PST. Sure there were times during PST where I was excited about what I would do with my students and the ways in which I would approach things differently with my new host family, but as the days towards Swearing In approached I clung to my life in Malang as hard as I could. I made sure that I didn't leave until the last possible moment and I lapped up as much time as I could with other PCTs (now PCVs!!!!) and my host family as possible. In many ways it resembled the days before my departure for PC itself. In both situations I found that although I had been excited about my new home for quite some time, I was very reluctant to leave my old one when the time came.

As I hugged my Malang Ibu goodbye we both started sobbing. I told myself that I would control it once I got into the car with my principle and one of my counterparts. For the most part I was successful with this except when my thoughts drifted back to Giripurno and my Ibu. I had become so comfortable there and we knew what to expect from each other. I really didn't want to leave.

Throughout the day I rode the rollercoaster of emotions (probably the only rollercoaster that I don't enjoy). At some moments I had total control and could even see myself start to like the people I was around and at others there was absolutely nothing I could do to control the tears.

The lowest point was when my principal and his wife were about to leave me with my host family. At that moment all I wanted to do was go into my room and cry. Unfortunately for me, however, they couldn't leave fast enough. Within seconds of this thought popping into my head the tears start pouring. The principal's wife pulled me into my room and immediately started to mop up my tears, literally. She pushed away the tears with the palms of her hands, the way she would do with a 3 year old. I tried to tell them that I was happy to be hear and that I simply missed my Malang family. Although she understood this, I had exposed myself. I know that this sometimes has its values (as one of our staff likes to put it "it shows them you are human"), but this really wasn't the time for it. I needed to be showing that I am a capable adult and loosing control of my emotions within the first hour of being in my new home was not proving this point.

In the days following my first real emotional breakdown in Indonesia, I found myself crying every day. The smallest thoughts would trigger the emotional release. Within a day I was no longer only homesick for Malang, but I was completely questioning my reasons for being her. Everyday I walk out of my bedroom and into a family room filled with four adult siblings, two spouses, two young children and of course the parents that had fostered this close and loving family. Although I didn't admit it to myself right off the bat (or maybe I just couldn't recognize it initially) I was jealous of their proximity to family. They see one another everyday and the sudden realization that I would be missing out on two years of life with my parents, family and friends consumed me.

In this particular situation I was fortunate for two things: 1) that I have battled with my mind on enough occasions to recognize when I need to talk myself down; 2) that I am a bit too prideful. Usually my pride is troublesome and ironically its not something I am proud of. It was proven useful, however, when my instinct was to bolt. It made me think about what others will think about my decision (again not the most mature thought process) and then eventually it led me to wonder what I would eventually think of myself later in life (a tad bit more mature I think). When I realized that I would probably not forgive myself for skipping out on PC without a good reason my ability to talk myself down kicked in.

As much as I would love to be surrounded by family and friends for the next two years, the reality is that my best friends are spread out along the east coast and some are even on the other side of the country.

As much as I miss spending the evenings and weekends with my parents, the reality is that if I had not chosen to go into the PC I would now be living on my own and not in a household similar to the traditional, multigenerational Indo household that I am currently living in. And finally if I were back in the US I would not be missing my family or friends nearly as much (or even at all; sorry I really do love you all) as I do here in Indo. I would probably be continuing my tornado of a lifestyle and wouldn't even have time to think about the fact that I wasn't with the people I loved most in the world everyday. None of these thoughts would have even occurred to me in the US.

So every time I get upset (I just tried to spell that as "ubset" : this is a sign that I am becoming Indonesian because here Bs and Ps are almost indistinguishable) about missing home, I now I have a way of talking myself down. This is good. This whole emotional coaster did lead me to the conclusion, however, that I refuse miss out on my family and friends in a different way than I would have in the US (sorry I know that sentence doesn't make much sense but I couldn't figure out how to word it properly).

I have therefore decided that I will absolutely pay for a decent internet connection. This is something that I was hoping to avoid because it doesn't seem PC. I have been advised by people on staff not to think of purchasing things that would make life a bit easier as "non-PC." They give us this advice when we talk about the fact that we aren't living in mud huts or with limited electricity the way other volunteers around the world are and also when we talk about our reservations about the internet. Well I am choosing to take their advice. PC is not a single experience shared by all volunteers world wide. Everyone has similarities, but even within a single country or city, volunteers have completely different experiences. I am choosing to build new relationships with the people I meet here, but I want to make sure that I have a way to strengthen the relationships I have at home. You know "make new friends, but keep the old."

A Test, A Trip, and A Future Home

This past week has been filled with a few milestones that are not exclusive to PC Indonesia, but instead markers in your time as a PC trainee despite your country. The first was our language test which happened last Saturday, the second was our first solo (but still guided and heavily monitored) trip to see current PCVs and their villages (this milestone is a little less global, but it isn't uncommon for PCTs), and the last was the big announcement of where we will be living for the next two years. If you have already checked out my Facebook, then you may have already seen it, but in this entry I will save that for later.

So first: A Test

The language final was all spoken and some listening. I personally didn't find it that nerve-racking although there were certainly people who did. It was a 20 minute test where we described our lives in our PST villages, compared a couple of pictures (usually of something native to Indonesia and what its counterpart would be in the US), and finally had a conversation with our test partner.

As a side note: My test partner was El. She was my roommate during our two night stay in CA and our overnight in HK. We bonded over our lack of appetites in San Fran, but also the mutual thought that we should have something to eat in case we got hungry. We live in different villages, but it seems that PC likes to pair us so we had the pleasure of sharing our final language test.

The test was fairly natural. I am by no means fluent, but what I was familiar with came out smoothly enough. There were certainly areas where I was less practiced and those weren't as easy, but overall I wasn't horrified by any part of my performance. I faced a few areas where I wished I had been able to recall vocabulary better than I had, but like I said before, your brain can only handle so many words a day. As El and I walked back to where all the other trainees were waiting, we joked about how our tester was on his Blackberry the entire time booking our flights back to VA.

We did get test results back yesterday and it seems like everyone is staying haha. But seriously, PC does try to work with people if their language skills aren't quite where they should be. They set up a language plan on how they can continue self study or find tutors once they end up at site. Even if you are not behind at this point, self study is still essential. Although we have learned enough to communicate our needs and have the ability to navigate transportation and markets, the best of us are still far from understanding everything that is talked about. PC provides us with funds to get tutoring during our first year at site. I will probably initially use this for bahasa Indonesian, but depending on how my Indo goes, I may also seek out tutoring for bahasa Java in a few months as well.

Although Indonesian is the official language of the country, it is fairly new and was developed as a way of unifying the islands. Each island has at least one local language, and many have multiple. These local languages tend to be even more complex than Indonesian because they have been around for so much longer. For example bahasa Java has 4 levels and almost every word in every level is different (including numbers). Almost all of the current volunteers have said that most of their colleagues and the students speak bahasa Java so it would be good to know enough to understand what they are talking about.

Well now I have gone off on a language tangent.

So back to the title: A TRIP

On Monday we went to visit current volunteers in their villages to get a feel of what village life would be like. Although every site is very different (and they really are) it gave us the ability to see what it will be like when we are on our own and a year out from where we are now. I went to visit Sa in Magetan, which is close to Central Java. Her village is a lot quieter than where we are now. This was a bit of a relief to see because our villages here are a little more urban and are always noisy.

Most of Monday was spent traveling. Because my site visit was one of the farthest I had to leave my village at 5am. Our group then drove to Surabaya where we hopped on a bus to Magetan. The trip was hot, long, and at times a little confusing. We certainly paid more than PC had allotted us for that first trip because we were put on a direct route bus. We thought we were paying more for AC, but as it turns out the cheap, bus had better AC than the expensive bus The trip on the way back was significantly more comfortable and cheaper, but there were many more stops and more sellers/ musicians on the bus trying to make money off of you.

On Tuesday I accompanied Sa to school and helped out with her three classes. It was the last week of class so they mostly did activities. I found it pretty easy to jump in and help out, though I will admit that when given the option to come up with a lesson plan and try out my ideas, I did recoil. I couldn't think of anything that I have been itching to try out and even in my practicum school I didn't feel comfortable coming up with lesson plans without first observing the class. I know that I won't have this option when the school year starts, but at least they will be my own class and I will be starting from scratch.

I also helped out with Sa's after school "Less" groups. I don't know if that is an acronym for anything, but they are essentially groups where students get an extra hour of enrichment in different subjects afterschool. The kids go to different ones everyday and it seems like Sa has a few different groups of kids who all come to her for English. The two I worked with on Tuesday were a 5th grade group and a 4th grade and under group (the under went all the way to pre-K). The kids are really cute and anxious to learn, which is very impressive. I could see this as a great way to work with different age groups.

During both my nights with Sa we talked a lot and she shared her first year experiences. It was just nice to be able to spend time with a PCV and be able to ask questions. I am sure I came off as super idealistic to her, but I suppose that is the way it goes. As I learned during my second summer at Camp Fraser, you can tell people all you want about what will come, but you can never fully prepare someone for a cross-cultural experience; it simply must be lived. I'm glad I understand that, but having that knowledge doesn't change the unknown.

Nonetheless, some time spent away from Malang and our hectic PST schedules and some time with the experienced ones was much appreciated.

On Wednesday it was back to site, and I spent the remainder of the day trying not to let the excitement of Thursday let time go by slower.

And now for the big news: A Future Home

Yesterday was the big day. After seven weeks (but really 6 months) of waiting we were told where our permanent sites are located. This process started long before we arrived in Indonesia. First they looked for good schools and then they looked for good housing situations in those school's villages. PC Indo had a huge list of them and during our second week we were interviewed for placement. Since then, we have just been waiting (and learning a lot in the mean time of course).

At this point I could explain more about the interview process and keep you hanging in the same way PC kept us hanging for the last two months. I mean I know you are all at the edge of your seats and waiting to put your extensive knowledge of Indonesian geography and cultural differences of East Java into use the second you read where I am going. Actually that tidbit of sarcasm doesn't just apply to you, but it applies to us as PSTs as well. Even with our placements in hand we still know nothing about our new homes aside from the few facts that two pieces of paper have told us. But look at me rambling, I have now postponed the announcement even further. Let me tell you that is how the PC works sometimes; you just have to role with it.

Drum roll please : drdrdrdrrdrrrddrdrrdrdrdrrdrrdrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr (is that how you type a drum roll?) and my new home is :

Situbondo . . . well kind of. It actually isn't located in the city at all it is a town west of Situbondo. I was going to write the name of it (because it is pretty amusing) but we aren't supposed to give our exact whereabouts on the internet and I am afraid that giving you the name of it might be a little too revealing. If you are interested let me know.

I will tell you what I know: This town is located almost halfway between Propolinggo and Situbondo. These cities are in east East Java on the northern coast. Although I would probably be only about an hour from the port to Bali if Indonesia had US highways, I am probably about 3 hrs away by Indonesian busses. Judging from Google earth I am about 3km away from the ocean. This hopefully means beautiful sunrises, but it also means "watch out for tsunamis." (I don't know if this area has ever had a tsunami, but after Japan I feel like anyone living close to a coast should be wary.) Now my friends, I have provided you with a map so when you hear something on the news about Indonesia, please look at the map that the news provides you and don't be concerned unless it is in a similar location with the map I have provided you.

Map of Indonesia

Map of East Java:

I don't know a whole lot about anything.

I know that I will be teaching at a MAN school. This is a madrasah, which means it is a Muslim school. From what I have been told that means that all women teachers and female students are required to cover their hair, although most schools are understanding of non-Indonesian/ non- Muslim teachers. Although I do not yet know for sure, I do not think that I will have to wear a scarf and if I am given the option I will opt to not wear it. My school is supposedly very much into volleyball/ sports in general and music.

I don't know much about my host family. It looks as if I will be living with an older (but not old) couple who have children that are in their late 20s. My sheet didn't tell me who was in the household, but one worker showed me a sheet with about 6 names. Another PC staff who went to visit the family believes that they currently have 1 daughter still living with them. It sounds like all of their children are teachers, so that should be interesting.

I don't know a whole lot else. As I said before, this really didn't tell us much. I ask if would have a church close by and it has been confirmed that I do. It also looks like I will have internet access at work, although I think I will pay for it at home too. Other than that I know how close I will be to other volunteers. It doesn't look like I will be able to reach anyone's site within an hour, but there are a few with whom I could meet half way and have it only be about 45min. This is comforting because site visits did show me (and I believe many others had the same experience) that despite attempts to integrate well, PCVs are really your support system. Although I don't know much I am content and certainly happy for the time being.

A Practical Practicum

During PST the Peace Corps requires us to do a practicum at a local school close to our village, which is good for many reasons. Whether a trainee has taught or not it is important

to be familiar with how Indonesian schools run. They are certainly not identical to schools in the US. This experience also helped trainees like me, who have not yet been in a classroom before, become acquainted with the responsibilities that come with being an Indonesian teacher. Some trainees find this experience more valuable than others do. A lot also depends on the attitude of your counterparts and school. I personally gleamed a lot from my experience. It did into teach me everything I needed to knows but it certainly got my feet wet.

My village did our practicum at an SMK school. This is an Indonesian vocational high school. Ours focused on broadcasting, multi-media, and animation. While there we worked with only grade 10 students because the 11th grade students were off campus for their apprenticeships. The school itself was pretty small (smaller than what we are told to expect) and only had about 300 students for grades 10-12. The English teaching staff consisted of only 3 teachers; one teaches conversation classes and the other two teach more traditional classes that prep students for the National Exam. One of the two teachers is strictly a 12th grade teacher so we didn't work with her since we will only teach grades 10 and ll.

Practicum consisted of 3 weeks at the same school. Our first week was spent observing four counterparts' classes. Mr. Er is classes are 3 "hours" long (but really 3x 45 min periods) and his focus on the national curriculum. This usually means a heavy focus on reading and writing, however Mr. Er does try to get speaking and listening in as much as possible. These classes aren't too large. Most are around 25-30 students with the exception of one that only has 12 students. Later in the week we did have to opportunity to also visit Mrs. Ik's class, which is the conversational class. Because it consists of speaking, which is naturally more noisy than the other three skills, the class was a bit more hectic. Overall, however, during our first week we found classrooms to be much louder than what we are used to coming from an American school system. The students are much more prone to having side conversations and uncontrollable fits of laughter here and it is such a normal practice that It can be difficult to control.

During our second and third weeks we worked with our counterparts to lesson plan. Our classroom participation was increased week by week so in week 2 we did 20-30 min activities and in week 3 we taught a full lesson. Although it was useful to get experience standing in front of a class, I don't really get nervous in that situation because of all experiences at camp and OHM (Open House Ministries). What I enjoyed and valued most about my practicum experience was working with our counterparts, especially Mr. Er.

After our first observation with Mr. Er's class he was already asking for feedback. We gave him a few suggestions on ways we might have approached the lesson and by the end of our second day, one of my village mates, Ti, and myself had already sat down with him to revise his lessons for the week. At first it was a little awkward because he has had 4 years of teaching experience and Ti and I haven't ever worked in a school. We knew we didn't have all the answers, but we also knew that we wouldn't choose to teach the lesson in the same way. Mr. E. was equally as nervous, but it was because he wanted new ideas, but didn't want to feel like a nuisance. We had our moment where we recognized where each party was coming from and realized that we were on the same page. Ti and I were excited about starting to lesson plan and Mr. Er was excited about getting new ideas. That experience really laid down the groundwork for a good partnership with him for the remaining weeks.

The experience with our other counterpart wasn't quite as smooth. Mrs. Ik has a very different teaching style than Mr. Er. She was more interested in turning the class over to us. This seems like a pretty common response to having American teachers show up. In the end though she did see what we were trying to do and when some of my village mates co-taught with her she was willing to participate in their lesson plans. Their was progress, but she was not as interested in our presence as Mr. Er was. I didn’t feel hurt by this reaction (especially at our practicum site) because we were only there for a limited time. Although it was good for us, I can understand why it could be simply seen as an intrusion to them. Overall though it was a good experience with both ends of the spectrum.

Building a Routine (and breaking it down again)

Halo Teman-teman Saya! (Hello my friends!)

I am now at the end of training week 5, which marks the half way point of PST. It also means that I just finished my school practicum last week and that I only have one more week of Bahasa Indonesian classes left. Everything has been flying by and as I sit here to write an entry about my daily schedule (which I meant to do in my second week), I find that the “normalcy” will change for the third time at the beginning of next week (and will be completely turned upside-down the week after).

Anyway PST started with us having language class 4 days a week from 8-12pm and spending the afternoon going around the village or having “link” (where three villages come together for a training session in TEFFL or safety and security) in another village. This lasted for 2 weeks and in week 3 our schedules changed to fit in our practicum. For the last three weeks we have gone to our practicum school 4 days a week and then we switched our language classes to the afternoon.

The language is coming along well. I don’t think that there are many language programs better than the one that PC has in place (simply because you are required to learn it as fast as possible). I haven’t tried to learn anything other than Chinese, but you certainly do pick everything up a lot faster when you are studying a language for four 4 hours a day and going home to a host family that primarily speaks Indonesian. That said there is absolutely a cap on how much you can take-in in one day. Sometimes you really can’t cram in more than 15-20 new words even though you have 40 written down. Although I am far from understanding everything that people say to me, I do feel that I have the ability to express my thoughts most of the time. I even felt confident enough in my language to purchase a Bible and Goblet of Fire this weekend (along with good and reliable dictionary). The Bible is in both English and Indonesian and I have all the HP audio books, so with those resources and the dictionary I feel that I can slowly muddle my way through both books.

Anyway back to the schedule. So most mornings I wake up around or a little before 6. This time did change to about 4:45 when I was doing my practicum. I think that will be the more realistic time when I start working at a school full time. Both times usually give me enough time to mencuci (wash) my clothes from the previous day, mandi (bathe), read/study for about 15 minutes, eat breakfast and pack lunch, pack my bag and be on my way. After that I head to my morning activity.

For the last three weeks the morning activity has been school. The first week we only watched classes and worked with our counterparts to lesson plan for the next week. Week 2 we started getting more involved in the classroom and we did 20-30 min. activities with the students. Our village split up into two groups and we each taught 2 or 3 classes that week. Then this last week we each taught full classes with our counterpart. I will give you a bit more detail on all of that in another post later this week (I promise because it will be written tonight!).

When we have language in the morning then we usually have link in the afternoon. These can be very technical, but they are necessary for people like me who have not taught English before. Peace Corps Indonesia tries very hard to make sure their sessions are not lectures. This is good because they recognize that you learn more in other ways, but at the same time can get tiresome to always break up into groups and talk or try to put a puzzle together. The reason I am not always a fan of these situations is because I am never sure if I am getting all the information that they want me to get. In general I do feel that they have provided me with more than enough resources. I believe I am set for at least my first month of teaching (although I could be wildly mistaken).

After link or language I usually arrive home around 5 (sometimes a bit later, but always before 6). I sit with the family for awhile and/or mandi again. I usually sit with my family again until I am told that it is time for dinner. I tend to eat dinner on my own, but sometimes the older of my two younger sisters eats with me. We then head back into the living room and sit around again and sometimes watch tv. Then around 7:30 or 8 I head into my room and unwind for a little bit. I am always in bed and asleep by 9pm (but usually 8:30) and soon a new day begins.