Moving to permanent site has been a whirlwind of emotions. I’m amped to start to get to know everyone here and I’m making a little progress with memorizing all of these names; but it’s really hard to feel that awkward, out-of-place feeling again, especially when I don’t have my fellow PCVs right down the street from me anymore. It’s just another period of adjustment, a phase that will soon pass. It was weird in Malang at first, but by the end of 3 months, it felt like home. I know by the end of 3 months in Ngebel, I will feel like I fit in a little more.
I haven’t started teaching yet because the school is in it’s testing phase right now. After that, Ramadan begins and lasts for a month. Not much goes on during that time, I am told, due to everyone being tired from fasting. I’m planning on trying to participate in the fasting…so, we’ll see how that goes. At the end of July I will get my class schedule, start observing classes, and eventually start teaching. In the mean time, I have been participating in the community and trying to connect.
The first night I was here in Ngebel, it was a full moon. Every full moon, the youth in the community perform the traditional dance from my area that is famous all over Java, called Reog Ponorogo. It was gorgeous and entrancing. Along
with other mesmerizing outfits and costumes, there are people that wear these GIANT masks that they literally have to hold on to with their teeth and arms! The mask consists of a big lion’s head with large plumes of peacock feathers bursting out of it. This lion/peacock mask if the most famous icon of the Reog. Next month I am going to go early so I can get a good seat and take pictures for all of you. I think some of the students at my school perform in it too, which I think is pretty cool!
My school is allowing me to participate in playing the traditional music of Indonesia, the Gamelan. I don’t have any pictures of me playing yet (these pics are from the internet), but there is video somewhere. My school has been taping me a lot. Anyway, Gamelan music consists of many different instruments. It’s a very meditative and relaxing sound comprised of gongs, tings, thumps, and bongs. I’ve been playing the Saron which looks like this…
Today was a fun day full of exercising! First, I went to school and all the students, some fellow teachers, and I went on a walk around the lake. Lake Ngebel is about 4 miles all the way around and a group of girls walked with me the whole way! We were getting to know each other and it was so cute having them try their English with me! Some students are scared of me and actually scream and run away when I try to talk to them. I think they are just shy though, and they’ll warm up eventually.
After the walk around the lake, I practiced Gamelan with the students more, and then hung out in the teacher’s room for a while. I was invited to play Badminton with the women teachers of my school later in the afternoon, so of course I said I would join! I borrowed a bike from my neighbor and rode about 10 minutes to the indoor court. Badminton is HUGE in Indonesia!!! These ladies are no joke, either; with their smashing and their tricky soft shots, and their overall speed and backhands…SHEESH! I got my ass handed to me! Lol. I got better as I practiced more, and I was invited back for more, so I guess I wasn’t so bad. Muscles in my arms and back are sore that I didn’t know existed before, so there’s that.
There are ants that I think live in my coat rack, of all places. They usually come out at night, make a long line across two of my walls, go in to the base of my fan, and then out through the window. I’m looking at them right now and they have become my little nightly buddies, just going about their business. In the same vain, there was a big cockroach in my room the other night. I let out a little gasp (okay, let’s be honest, it was more of a squeal) and my Bapak and his son in law came to my rescue. Bapak stomped on it with his barefoot like an absolute boss, and they swept it out. I felt bad for the dead cockroach because I just imagined them sweeping it outside, but…I guess “that’s life” (itulah hidup).
Other than that, I’m just trying to connect with my new host family, talk with everyone that’s willing to speak with me, and say ‘yes’ to every invitation and opportunity that comes around. Hope all is well with all of you! ❤
Getting pictures taken with total strangers on the street is a common occurrence. One day, my friends and I were eating lunch in the Alun-Alun (park in the middle of the city) and out of no where, swarms of pre-teens crowded around, giggling, and asking for photos. My 15 minutes of fame that day got literally shit on when a bird pooped on my head not a couple minutes after taking my last picture with some kids. Everyone kept telling me that’s good luck in some cultures, but the mustard yellow muck in my hair felt like the opposite and I had to immediately go home to mandi.
Determined, we hopped over ravines, inched along narrow bamboo pathways, waded through rivers, and took more wrong turns for another two hours. We were all so tired and hungry but we took the Forrest Gump attitude and said, “Well, since we’ve come this far, might as well keep on going.” Our gusto paid off! We arrived at a gorgeous, open area with fallen trees and an ever-flowing cascade of moisture.
It felt so good to share that moment after we had been through a lot of frustration from unmarked paths, slips down muddy trails, bugs, and heat. After it was all said and done we hiked 5 hours through the mountain, and made it home just in time for it to start pouring down rain.
When I got home, I was prepared to eat the entirety of the rice in the steamer and pass out. However, even before I stepped foot in the house I was told to mandi and get ready to go to a big family event! The one time I was stoked to eat all the rice, the dinner at the family event had the one meal that Indonesians don’t really eat rice in…gado-gado. It’s a dish of different veggies with this creamy peanut sauce all over it. I helped prepare 60 plates of it; and even though it didn’t satisfy my craving for rice that day, it was absolutely delicious and ended up being exactly what I needed after such a long day.
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