Two things you would NOT find me doing at home...

1) Watching a BBC special on Cambodian orphanages, while 2) ironing my clothes at 4:30 in the morning. Jet lag is a crazy thing! Most of our cohort can actually be found in the gym at 5:30 a.m, since no one can sleep! That is probably the only big challenge so far, but I did sleep until 5:30 am today! (woo hoo! I think the glass of red wine helped!) But it has been a few days since my last post (laptop failure!) Let’s start with the ‘real’ 2 things you would never find me do at home….
1.  Embrace being a celebrity: Our great first group outing into Jakarta was to visit the Jakarta National Monument, or MONAS. We took a bus through the VERY busy city, full of traffic, motorbikes and construction. We arrived at a large city park that our guide, Dewi, called the equivalent of Central Park in New York City. It was also filled with people, relaxing on the grass (and a parking lot of motorcycles) and milling about in a large market, with food and monument souvenir items. The most interesting part of this mini trip was encountering all of the excited Indonesians that wanted to approach us to take our photos! It kind of gave you the sense of being a ‘celebrity’! They especially liked one of the teachers, Doug, who even gained an Instagram follower! This experience really introduced us to Indonesian hospitality, being very warm and welcoming, offering big smiles and goofy photos with foreigners. There was even a student scout group, consisting of both boys and girls, that wanted us to make a video with them! Their enthusiasm and excitement to practice their English with us truly reminded me of our students from home. Students really are the same everywhere! Kids are kids, and the commonalities stand out more than the differences in the more encounters I have in global schools. This was even apparent in our visit to the Islamic public school this morning. (NOTE: More on schools in my next post, so check back! SO MANY things to talk about there…)

2.  Making batik (pronounced BAH-TEEK) One unique cultural facet of Indonesia is batik, a distinct patterned fabric, similar to a easily identified print, like a Hawaiian print. Batik patterns are distinguishable by provinces, each one having its own unique pattern. Surprising to us, it is considered formal wear, worn by teachers as a school uniform, and in formal government events. So, we got a chance to visit the batik textile museum and even make our own batik patterned handkerchief! That was not a very easy task for most of us, dripping hot wax all over the place and straying from the drawings to our own ‘unique’ patterns! (see video for instruction).  The pattern is drawn on plain cotton fabric, traced on both sides with melted wax, dyed, then boiled to remove the wax.  This small handkerchief took us over an hour! It is definitely a skilled art, for the patient and steady-handed, that’s for sure! So...mine came out a little more ‘artistic’! But again, the most memorable part of the excursion was my interaction with the people.  I started talking to the batik artist, Retno, and she was my ‘Ketut’! (Yes, that is another Eat, Pray, Love reference HA!) Retno was missing teeth, her glasses were being held together by a string of fabric and she was the funny, energetic, lively old lady I imagined! She kept making jokes, smacking me every time, like we were old friends. When we asked for a picture with her, the response at first was “No, you don’t want me. I am old and no teeth!” but then joked how she was famous. Her artwork truly was a gift, spending months working on the fabric we saw hanging.  We talked about my sister being an artist and she offered to make me a batik table cloth if my sister did the design and mailed it to her! I spoke with her for over 30 minutes and we exchanged emails.  I was so overwhelmed by her spirit and generosity, especially when she came to find me later and gave me a reversible batik jacket she bought for her daughter.  She said she had it for a long time and her daughter wouldn’t wear it, so she gave it to me.  I was in tears! I will post the picture of me wearing the batik jacket when we have our last night cultural dinner.  That’s when I will show it off!
So in the five days that I have been in Indonesia, Retno and I are besties and I am practicing signing autographs. The people have made it a great adventure so far…Terimah Kasih! (Thank you!)