1. When i came back to Jakarta from Medan, I actually had one more week of vacation before Tirta Marta started school again! (We are sometimes known as the school with the most holidays, haha) So, on WEDNESDAY the 5th *i think* Yohana took Dasha and I to downtown Jakarta to discover Southeast Asia's Largest Moque! While we were there, we met and became friends with the daughter of the Argentinean Ambassador in Indonesia, and the wife of the Brazilian Ambassador! *they were in our tour group.
I found out the hard way that you can't laugh loud in mosques and you have to wear a shawl :) that part was really fun!
Then we all went to a Big Catholic church across the street, and I realized that I really appreciate Catholicism’s traditions now, since the Live-in when we went to the cave for the month of Mary. We didn’t do much there besides just looking at how beautiful it was, and how the acoustics in that type of building were best for concerts and singing.
Afterwards, for my Christmas present, we went to eat Padang food. Now Padang food is supposed to be seriously spicy, but it actually wasn't. Both Yohana and I agreed, so maybe that means I’m really used to the spicy-ness and can taste when something isn’t spicy at all! The other known fact about Padang food that makes it completely different from anything else is that it is served all at once and what you eat- you pay for. I tried cow's feet there, that was interesting. super chewy.
2. With Yohana and Ibu Dyah, Vicki, Lina, and Arum- on SATURDAY the 15th, we went to Puncak, which I hear is east of Jakarta, and visited Taman Safari and Taman Bunga.
Before we hit Taman Safari, we bought carrots for the animals. I didn’t realize it, but what happens at the safari, is that it actually is a safari. You sit in your car, and while someone drives, animals come up to your car, like zebras, and that’s how you would feed them carrots. it was AMAZING! Then, like in Jurassic Park, we came to a part where they told you to close the glass tight, and then they opened the door-no person was to be seen when this happened so it looked like Vicki was opening it, jedi-like, haha. When we were on the other side, it seriously was like Jurassic Park, since there were actual real lions hanging out 10ft away from our car, there were no fences, they could pounce on your car at any moment, but at the time, they were all sleepy since it was afternoon. I had never been on anything like this before, and that was just unreal. After going through another Jurassic Park gate, we met bears walking 5ft. from our car. it was intense man. Then, through another gate, we were on the lower section on the park (it‘s up in a mountain), where there were cheetahs. Opposite of them, on the top part, you could see zebras and antelope- super smart of them to put the prey above the predator :) happened again when we were going down the mountain a bit, when the alligators were on a level below the zebras and hippos :)
When the car part was done, we went to the baby zoo, and i HELD a baby leopard, which did not feel like a baby at all.
After, we went to Taman Bunga. There was this section of the park called the American Garden, so while listening to Jack Johnson (which was playing near to a huge fountain), I walked through there, taking photos of the flowers, and talking with God. It was so nice J I even saw a blue bumblebee on a flower. And stopped right there to take pictures, it blew my mind! And right afterwards, God blew my mind again and I decided with him to dedicate this entire YEAR to Him! TO WORK MIRACLES! TO MOVE! TO GROW! TO BRING US ALL CLOSER TO HIM! And to grow deeper in His love. Which is what I was feeling the entire day J
3. today- WEDNESDAY 19th, my school went to Bandung, which is east of Jakarta- as far as our finger maps figured out today on the bus! It was the entire high school 10-12th grade, which was 6 buses full of kids. 2 going to a Dairy Farm, 2 going to a Vegetable Garden across the street from the Dairy Farm, and 2 going to two musuems dealing with Africa and geography *that was for the 10th grade*. I only found out about this trip yesterday when God told me to stop studying Pre-Cal. For a bit and go talk to people, so i really did- and i found out about the trip! Talked to the teachers, and was headed on bus #2 that was going to the Dairy farm at 6am the next morning, sitting next to my good friend Ling-ling.
When we arrived, we learned so much about cows, and from what i gathered, the cows this particular place had, start milking at 3mths. and stay on the farm until 13mths. i don't know what happens after.
The place that the cows lactate at is like in the movies, where they're kind of like tethered in between some pieces of metals, and there's rows of cows, and all they're doing is eating. There were three areas like this, and it was decided of which one a cow should go in, the closer they were to being milked.
The cows were actually manipulated from the embryonic stage, the farmers proved this to us by showing us a brown, spotted cow. For that particular cow, they had put together an Australian cow embryo and Indonesian cow embryo- making the cow brown and spotted.
The place was called Dairy Technology Development Project, or something along those lines, with the mission of completely rely on Technology for milking, so the quality of the milk is better. I didn’t know that milking by hand was bad quality, then again- I didn’t know anything about milking in the first place, so I learned a lot J
Exciting thing: My friends and I took a jump shot next to tons of grass for Leo- who is in charge of the Jump All Over the World project that's going on in Roteract Semanggi Jakarta (members aging 18-30)
::Info on that::
go to facebook/jumpallovertheworld.com to learn more. But from what I learned last night, it’s to help countries unite in their different beauties. So, start taking jump shots and submitting them ! whether your in Colorado, Italy, Mexico- or Indonesia!
*Also, at the Rotary meeting(members aging 30+) last night the guest speaker was a Doctor who was talking about HIV in Indonesia, and it is a serious problem. Did you know, that in Indonesia, while 56% of people here have heard of HIV, only 12% of people honestly understand what it means.. and because of the culture, everyone will make sex jokes, but no one will talk about the problems that come with it. Even doctors are sometimes shy to ask about problems, and many times make the wrong diagnosis. So this doctor came to educate and inform us that she is working so that Indonesians can get free HIV testing, better quality of services and doctors; educating Indonesians of what HIV is and making more available and reliable services for HIV questions and HIV patients. Really interesting, I suggest going to a rotary wherever you are, because they really bring you to a great place of understanding of national, regional, and global problems in our world.
I love Rotary- really. I love the meetings because they help me learn so much more about what places need help in our world.
So there's some Rotary, some travels.
QUICK EXTRAS:
*1. Church is phenomenal, i sing every sunday with the worship band and here's just a quick link that you can see what it's like.
http://youtu.be/bh5TCo31F4U
*2. If your about my little sister's age (13)+ i suggest going to see Gulliver's Travels if your in Indonesia (because it costs $1.50 at the new mall), and waiting until it comes out on DVD in America, because it's got the best truth that i've obviously learned from God in one movie! I was so touched I wrote a review about it, so here’s another quick link!
http://christiananswers.net/spotlight/movies/2010/gulliverstravels2010.html
*3. This past sunday, God spoke to me through a preacher- a guest preacher and my friend Yemima's church, He's from Australia- and just follows God wherever He calls him, no matter if he doesn't have the money at first, and he doesn't even have a church foundation supporting him. His sermon was on the image of Christianity, being a warrior, the church as God’s bride, and the seriousness of getting intimate with God everyday. It was outstanding. He has a mission, and calls it Operation Nineveh. check out his bio and most recent blog on THIS quick link!
http://operationnineveh.blogspot.com/2007/08/biography-and-mission-statment-of.html
http://operationnineveh.blogspot.com/
This has been quick, but i believe thorough :) I wanted to get it out as quickly as possible, so you know God is working here in myself as much as Indonesia, and I'm travelling!