I inititally moved in with Pak Hardie's family on February 6th, and i've now lived here one month! So much can happen in four weeks, and time feels like it's flying now that we're already into March, i'm buying souviners like crazy and hoping to really love God and fufill my purpose for Him while i'm here and impact, and love, and really experience Indonesia to the fullest. I'm already missing speaking Bahasa Indonesia, each time I hear it, i keep thinking- i won't be hearing this much longer.
and i love it :)
SO! To back track what you've missed: I've moved families.
and things are totally opposite than what they were before, and what i knew before.
well- maybe they've just been adjusted, added, and enhanced :) yep, you could say that.
the best way to explain it are the differences: I only have two families here, since i'm only staying 9mths, but these two families are from the opposite ends of the spectrum in Jakarta, that i'm loving Rotary International for changing things up on me even though i didn't want to leave the Batubara's at first.
Scene One: September 2010-February 2011
The Batubaras
~Mama Shirley:one mother- working until 5pm each night at a German Airline (Lufthansa), and from Menado-Sulawesi, with family living in Medan, Sumatra. with a deep-rooted Christian background and a great big heart for new things and experiences. great listener and advice giver.
~Papa Ronald: one father from Sumatra as well, with family living in Jakarta, who employes himself working in real estate, selling and buying houses. the most knowlegeable and open about talking about politics, disagreements, business, and one who can keep a conversation going.
~Naomi: 16yr. old sister, who loves to watch movies, being antisocial, and be online. is going to be a YEP student this year as well, and is seriously antisocial with you, or seriously funny.
~Chiqua (Jessica): 9yr. old sister that loved nature, collecting seeds, fairies, experiments, talking English, bulles, doing things, and had pretty intense moods sometimes.
~Mbak Iin: our maid, who cooked, cleaned, and hung out with us. She loved talking to me, loved music, loved singing, loved walking around. and was a serious bright light. always made sure that you ate rice.
~Pak Prapto: the driver. who loved singing songs, laughing, talking to me, and joking around.
setting: one story house, small but content, only AC in the rooms, with no insulation so that you can hear almost everything everywhere- unless your on the roof. In a subdivision called Pondok Indah that is known for the many different types of houses you can find there, from the most intensely beautiful, to the smallest- we were on the smaller side. My room's best part was the color of the blanket on my bed (red) and the walls were decorated with inspiration things from America. one car, a tiny yard in the front that was piled with plants, and movies galor :)
Their personalities were transparents, they were entirely flexible with my schedule of things that I got into (church, trips, pre-calculus studies); we ate and snacked almost all the time (unless I was controlling myself real well), they were Christian, didn't have the best internet connection, super close to the mall and my school. I had a little sister who loved to play, and an older sister (16yr.old) who was like what Marita used to be like (more like you had to reach out to her, rather than she reach out to you). The family was so open; I would walk on eggshells when i didn't understand, but when i asked about what I should or shouldn't do openly- I was free to go and do whatever. Finally, since i didn't have much stuff or space, I was able to get quieter easier with God because there weren't many distractions, unless it was a loud TV, or Chiqua wanting to play. Without much, i was able to concentrate on him more while things were different in Indonesia. But also with a small house, my mind started to grow with God, while I started to get lazy if i wasn't careful- because of so much traffic, not many places to go, and not much to do- i was online a lot, able to keep up with God and america and really grow that way. But with going places- and doing things, not so much unless I scheduled it because of work, school, and a small house, only three girls, and a crowded city.
Scene Two: February 2011-May 2011
Pak Hardie's Family (they are Javanese, and in Javanese culture, they don't have a family name [the same last name])
~Mama Inne: a housewife, that loves to hang out with friends, make brooches, eat healthy food, stay in shape, keep the house clean, speak English, quietly respond, keep her deamour, cooks food super well, and wants to learn to play piano. analogy: a beautiful flower that opens up when your sun shines on her!
~Pak Hardie: a funny dad who is the president of Rotary Cinere (Roberto from Brazil's Rotary), has a TV channel on Sumatra Island, an AC company, and a banana farm an hour away. loves to relax, enjoy your company, talk about rotary-political things, and just hang out. has a deep-rooted Muslim background.
~Tizar: already married to Galuh, and are expecting a child around the time i'm leaving, lives around Kuningan (where my church is) but comes home on saturday or sunday each week to eat together with whoever is here. has a cat that lives in the basement, and freaks out if he gets out
~Oke: nicknamed this because his birthday is in October, plays guitar, works right now at the AC company with his dad, is studying also for his master's degree at night. has a girlfriend named Fitri (like the Muslim holiday Idul Fitri) *i got to know her first, she's a GREAT girl!*. talk to him only when I go to school cause we go together, drop me at school, then him at work.
~Airin: the secretary for the ministry of foriegn affairs in Indonesia. just got married to Chandra and we just got her wedding photos back. super beautiful. loves outdoor activities. loves working hard, and goes many places because of her job. comes home every so often to do laundry, right now she lives with her mother in law because Chandra is in Australia studying for work (he works for the ministry of foriegn affairs too), she reads the newspaper everyday because her boss requires that. and she's great at English.
~Pria: loves photography, works part-time with some wedding photography, and studies right now. super friendly and nice to me, even though I only see him a max. 15min. a week because he's so busy.
~Chantika: the one who i'm closest too. Just started university at Lasalle university, majoring in fashion and bogged down with tons of homework. an attitude that is so calm and fun that you fit like a glove into a friendship with her. the first time we met we talked for about 1.5hrs about everything. just came back and started this school year from her exchange year in america. at school from 9am-6pm, and when she comes home we chat more like friends than sisters. loves reading books, and her friends know more about her than her parents.
~Mas Torez: the maid, this time it's a guy, he's older than me, but much shorter than me. a pretty good cook, a great smile (he smiles anytime you talk to him) and a really nice guy. walks me to Pizza Hut when I need to meet friends there.
~Pak Indra: the driver, who takes me to school only. I barely see him. but I've had one really good 10min. conversation with him about my latest trip to Bukittinggi (coming later)
setting: the tallest house on the street in Deplu (close to bintaro) about 4-30minutes from the house in Pondok Indah depending on how much traffic there is. the light that separates the two areas has a 115second red light and a 30second green light, it counts down for you. the house has a kitchen in the basement, ground lvl for guests and mama/papa's room, 2nd lvl for the boys and me, 3rd lvl for the girls, 4th lvl for laundry. from the guest floor to the 4th lvl there is an opening in the middle (look at pictures on facebook and you'll undestand). the house is directly next to villagers houses, and is the tallest one on a dead end street. it's very modern. the TV is large, the DVDs are fewer, the space is bigger, my room is bigger, the highlight are the sweet speakers Tizar left that I can plug my laptop into; the snacks are fewer since my Mom likes healthy food, room to dance/workout-potential to discipline my body again, they have a piano-so i'm starting to play again as well and develop my talents, my room is quiet and you can't hear the TV from it, my room has a porch that I can either do situps on or just let things dry- the kitchen is in the basement, so still:less snacks!: I have older brothers who aren't emotional but love stories, and remind me of Ari at home, Pak Hardie can't speak tons of English so my Bahasa Indonesia is being practiced so much more, and I have pretty legit good internet connection. sometimes if you let the boundary-of-not-talking get to you, your more formal with parents, but even in this crowded city your mind is more open because there is more space, and you have an open mind to develop and discover physically- not just intellectually. We live in a complex right next to a Pizza Hut, and a block that I can run around 10x for 20 minutes. it's just big enough to make me tired. I can eat healthy, or not eat healthy. Eat or not eat. no one forces you to eat rice :) haha.
Differences: more trips are happening now since I'm in the last 3 months of my stay here. Such a tiny time, but things seem to be happening fast while i try to make lasting impressions on my friends and touch their lives while seeing Indonesia's beautiful sights. This is cram jam session time.
So with my families- I've slipped out of the Batubara's like a glove, with Chiqua taking my room but my impression being left, and slipped right into Pak Hardie's family like a glove, starting an impression and a smile that will stay until well after i'm gone.
Go God! The families are both entirely different and entirely beautiful.
Just thought you'd want the script of the life God is writing for me here. :)