Greetings from Indonesia. We’re in a house in a small city on the island of Sulawesi. Some of you won’t be interested in this, so feel free to skip this post! But for those who are, here are a few highlights.
We arrived in Jakarta yesterday from Singapore. We’ve definitely learned the word “bule” (=white man). As in a kid pointing and yelling “Hey bule!” Or a man in line nonchalantly turning around and saying, “Hello bule.” We stick out here like sore thumbs—especially me, given my size! I feel like a white Shaquille O’Neill surrounded by a lot of sweet short people. We're the first western men some of them have ever seen in person.
Women here don’t mind picking their nose in public. I couldn’t find a creative way to weave that fact into the narrative—so I thought I’d just say it.
In a line in Jakarta, I stepped backward and found—unfortunately—that my size 13 shoe was crushing the small shoe of a very made-up airline stewardess. I apologized profusely, but she gave me a very dirty look and was none too pleased. (I also hit a Japanese girl in the head with a water bottle in Tokyo, but she at least forgave me!)
Our flight to Makassar found us waiting for an hour on the runway—without the engines of the plane running and with the door of the airplane shut! It was amazing no one passed out. Oh, and Bill and I were in the front row of the plane, directly across from the stewardess’s seat. To my mortification, it turns out that the stewardess was the same woman whose foot I nearly crushed! She eventually forgave me!
Last night we went to a prayer team. I think it may have been the first time in my life that I’ve fallen asleep while singing. The jet lag was sinking in. On the way out of the prayer meeting, I took a misstep and found myself with my leg halfway down a sewer hole (called a “goat”). I’m happy—as usual—to provide the unintended comic relief.
We ate Pizza Hut pizza last night. Our friend Lori is right—the Pizza Hut is better in Indonesia than in America!
We stayed last night in a hotel. I think that my suitcase weighed more than the little Indonesian guy who had to carry it up three flights of stairs! The toilet and the shower are in one stall, so that made for an interesting crosscultural experience today. I have yet to experience the squatting toilet though (which will come tomorrow when we stay at an Indonesian family’s house).
We got up this morning at 5 am and left around 6 am for the 4-hour car ride to the village. The traffic here is unbelievable. I call it Indonesian Traffic Basket Weaving—or Perpetual Motion. The markings on the road are considered “suggestions” only. There are essentially four lanes of traffic on a two-lane road. Lots of people on motorcycles. It’s not unusual for a car to be literally inches away from a bike or from an oncoming car. I had the front seat on the 4-hour trek. Quite hair-raising at times.
The scenery—especially as we approached Soppeng—was absolutely gorgeous. Lucious green terraces and majestic mountains. My traveling partner Bill is an amateur photographer, and I think he’s going to have some great pictures.
This afternoon we joined Beth and Lori for their English class—which consists of seven Indonesian teachers of English. We answered some questions, and Bill showed photographs to illustrate the four seasons in Minnesota.
Tomorrow we’ll start living with our Indonesian host family for a couple of days. We’d appreciate your prayers!
