How to get oriented in Indonesia

For some of us, getting from point A to point B can be a challenging task. I must admit that directions are not one of my strengths, but there are times when someone points the way in such a clear and unmistakable manner that it is impossible to get lost. Last week, I had a group of very competent guides instructing me on the path I have ahead of me.

Let’s go back to where I left… I got to Lombok on a Thursday, unpacked, got sort of settled, and on Saturday I was already packing again to go to Bali for our in-country orientation. It was exciting to see all the other fellows once again, and to finally meet Dian and Ayunda, RELO Jenn’s wonderful assistant who had been part of the whole process of getting me to Indonesia.

In the morning of Sunday I called a Blue Bird taxi a couple of hours before my flight (Ibu Mira gave me the number and recommended me to use that company). The taxi was almost immediately at my door and I had to quickly swallow my breakfast and throw some stuff in my backpack before heading to the airport. The driver barely spoke English, so it was a quiet ride without any detours. The flight to Bali was pretty short, and I had a free day to explore my surroundings.

In Bali, you can position yourself in Pantai Sanur to have a clear view of the East and be able to appreciate a breathtaking sunrise; or if you prefer the sunset, then move to the West side, along Pantai Kuta, and be prepared to be swallowed by a sea of foreign tourists and international chain stores and restaurants. I was lucky to get to see both places in a week.

Sunrise at Sanur beach

We first stayed at the Sanur Paradise hotel for the international TEFLIN conference where I presented along other fellows on how to use games in the English classroom. This was my first presentation at an international conference; it went smoothly and we had good audience participation and response. I also had time to walk along Sanur beach, see a couple of sunrises, and eat lots of delicious food –maybe a little too much.

 Fellows and Counterparts at In-Country Orientation in Bali

Kecac dance in Bali

After the conference was over we moved to Kuta beach for our in-country orientation, which was an intense 3-day information session with workshop creation time and more food. The week was exhausting, but we definitely got some work done, bonded as a group, interacted with our counterparts, and there was even some time to go dancing, do some shopping, and visit a Hindu temple to observe a traditional Kecak ceremony –a group of men chanting ‘cak’ and moving their hands and feet, and then a scene from the Ramayana acted out by a group of performers.

Going back to Lombok seemed familiar already, and I was anxious to be back home and get some rest. I had started to feel a little sick the last two days in Bali, so the idea of being home was comforting. Lombok is now my home.

I’ve been back for about a week now, and I’m still waiting for my teaching schedule while getting familiar with my neighborhood, the city, the language, etc. Sometimes it’s frustrating to feel like a baby who has to learn everything from zero, but that is also part of the charm of being here. I have to remind myself that there is a different pace in this place, that I need to be patient, and that I just got here. My counterpart, Mira, has been extremely busy since we came back from Bali, so I have been trying to figure things out without her.

Eva Yulia on her scooter. She is Lombok hardcore!

A few days ago I walked over to the English Teaching department and got lost about a hundred times. When I finally got there, I couldn’t find the person I was looking for. One of the students, a girl named Eva Yulia, told me that she would help me finding this person, gave me a ride on her scooter to the rector’s office, and then took me back to my house. We exchanged numbers and ever since then she has been my caretaker, helping me with everything from buying appliances for my house to getting hot tea and flu medicine for me. She even invited me to join her and her family on the traditional celebrations or Eid. On the holiday, we rode on her scooter to a nearby village and spent a day visiting her relatives and eating tons of delicious traditional dishes. I can’t believe how generous and kind she has been to me since the minute I met her, and I already have an enormous appreciation for her and her family!

Today is Friday, and as I freak out about my schedule, lack of knowledge of Bahasa Indonesia, poor sense of direction etc., I also realize that I must breath deeply and wait. Things will fall into place. As for now, I’m going to relax and visit a nearby beach for the weekend. Maybe when I come back I’ll have a more defined plan of action and will be ready to start a new week. Inhale, exhale, calm down.

Eid celebrations with Eva and her family

The land of smiles

I had heard many times before coming to Indonesia that in this country everyone always smiled and people were extremely friendly. It was when I finally got here that I understood what that really meant. A smile here is just a common feature of the people, a law followed by one and all. The linguistic implications of smiling surpass any words or sentence structures, and here a smile is literally worth one thousand words.

As a newcomer in this country, I keep trying to decipher the language in order to communicate, but I have started to realize that I already know many of the common expressions used by the locals. I asked my neighbors “How do you say ‘nice to meet you’?” and they replied that there wasn’t a direct translation for that phrase; instead of saying it, you just smile and show the other person that you are pleased to have met him/her. I asked a coworker “How do you say ‘have a nice day’?” All she could think of was “smile!” That’s how you wish someone a nice day. My Bahasa Indonesia just keeps getting better every day!

I think of all the empty phrases that people repeat mechanically without actually meaning anything. Often you hear at the cash register in a store “have a nice day,” and the person uttering those words doesn’t even look at you when saying it. Sometimes you don’t even reply because their repetitive character seemed to have lowered their register and erased their meaning. What a difference it makes when you look at someone and just smile. It actually makes you more prone to having a nice day!

New Indonesian friends

First impressions

I have been in Indonesia for three days now. The journey was lengthy, but there were no complications or delays, and I could even say that it was a pleasant trip across the world. I left Carbondale Monday afternoon after having been lovingly sent off family and friends; J drove me to St. Louis where I got to hang out with Erin, one of my besties, one more time before leaving the country. The next morning J drove me to the airport, we said our goodbyes and I-will-miss-yous, and I carried my belongings to the airline counter. After so much packing and repacking—which I did again twice the night before—I had no issues with my luggage and it was sent to a safe place in the belly of an airplane. This was really happening!

The flight St. Louis-Chicago was brief and painless, and the Chicago-Tokyo leg was surprisingly easy too. 12 hours of reading, watching new releases, eating delicious Japanese airline food, drinking beer and wine, and napping in my two-seat makeshift bed. The five-hour layover in Narita gave some time to buy oleh-oleh for my counterpart Ibu Mira, take silly photos posing as a samurai in one of the shops, charge my phone and computer, and get sleepy enough for the next portion of the trip. Tokyo-Jakarta was a long, uninterrupted, 7-hour slumber that went by quickly. And then there I was: Indonesia! So close to the finish line, yet I still had a 6-hour wait before making it to Lombok. I got to the Jakarta airport around midnight, when everything was closed. Somehow I struck a conversation with a photographer from Georgia and we made an unspoken agreement to accompany each other throughout the night. We walked around the airport, sat by the entrance to the security checkpoint (which was not open until 3am), exchanged travel stories, and when the airport began to wake up, went to get some coffee and then went our separate ways towards our respective boarding gates. I boarded the plane to Lombok around 5:50am, and it felt like it took a second to get to my final destination. After a couple of very long flights, a 2-hour one felt like nothing.

Hello, Lombok! Nice to finally meet you! I had been imagining you for the past 6 months and here you are now, embracing me warmly.

Welcoming committee

I arrived Thursday morning and after retrieving my luggage at the baggage claim, I walked towards the front door to meet my welcoming committee: Ibu Mira, a kind and smiley woman who was to become my number one source of information; one of her students, Pak Mul, who also offered his help easing my transition; and last but no least, the vice-rector of the university, Prof. Suwardji, who happened to be coming back from a trip to Java the same morning. One of the university drivers, Pak Sukri, was waiting for us in the parking lot, ready to take us to the campus of Universitas Mataram. We were all excited to meet each other and happily chatted on the way there. Once at the school, I was shown my office, was introduced to an array of people, and was taken to an amazing restaurant where I ate lots of delicious Indonesian food. After lunch, Ibu Mira took me to my new apartment and then we went to a few stores to buy some basics. Afterwards, she left me at home to get some rest and told me that she would come to pick me up in the morning. Miraculously, I wasn’t even jet lagged and I ended up going to bed around 11pm and getting up the next day at 7am. Time change? What time change?

First lunch in Lombok

Enak!

Professor Suwardi and Mira

The next morning Mira picked me up at 8am to go to the university and meet more people. I was welcomed by the rector, Prof. Sunarpi, and met the heads of the English, Education, and Bahasa Indonesia departments. We talked about possible projects and ways how I could contribute to their programs. Since it was a Friday, a day for prayer in Muslim communities, the university closed early and Mira and I went to get some incredibly delicious (and cheap) street food—rice with vegetables, tofu, peanut paste, chili paste, a boiled egg, potatoes, and fish balls. Yum! We went back to my place to eat, and when Mira left, I sat the gazebo outside my house and met two of my new neighbors. Galih and Augus recently moved to Lombok from other islands to complete their masters in ethnomusicology, and we immediately connected. Galih gave me some traditional Indonesian music, and when the sun went down, we all walked together to the student zone where many shops, cafés, and restaurants abound. They took me to a minimarket where I bought some groceries for breakfast, a clothing store where I got a batik dress to wear around the house, and we stopped at a fruit stand to get some strange looking, but very tasty fruit. We had dinner together and walked back to the house to get some sleep.

My new landlady, her husband, and their granddaughter.

Today is Saturday and I can’t believe it’s been only 3 days since I got to Lombok. I already feel like I have good friends here, and I’m almost completely settled. This morning Mira came back to help me negotiate my rent for the next 10 months with the landlady. Things couldn’t have gone any better: I got a comfortable place to live at a great price; my neighbors are extremely cool; and Ibu Kop, the landlady, is a very sweet old woman who assured me that she wants me to be happy here. So far, I have no complaints about this new life in Lombok. I’m leaving for Bali tomorrow morning for a conference and our in-country orientation, and I am excited to see all the other fellows again, and hear about their experiences at their sites so far. Bali also sounds pretty okay. I think I can deal with a week of that… I’m sure I’ll get back full of ideas and ready to tackle my new position at the university. As for now, I’ll keep soaking in all these new experiences, trying to learn as much Bahasa Indonesia as possible (I can practice with my neighbors), and readying myself for what it is ahead. I’ll keep you posted.