Sunset Roof Party & the End of PST

To celebrate the ending of Pre-Service Training, two new languages under progress (bahasa Indonesia and bahasa Madura), new friends and a successful initial integration to my Indonesian culture and host family, I asked my ibu if I could have a pertemuan—a meeting—on the roof.

I went up there at 5am on Tuesday to supposedly watch the transit of Venus…

…Turns out it was the next morning. (Ugh!)

At least the sunrise was beautiful.

This proved to be the best dance floor of all time.

Though my keluarga thought it was very strange I’d want to have the pertemuan on the roof, they were amazing and my Bapak set it up beautifully.

These are difficult to see, but I love how Indonesia’s sky is always decorated with floating kites.

Naturally, I was the DJ. (I’m glad some things never change.)

And what was initially a “pertemuan” ended up a sunset dance party on the rooftop.

Epic? Yes. Dancing the Cupid Shuffle on a rooftop in Indonesia? I’m checking that off my bucket list.

The next day we had a Farewell Picnic in Coban Rondo.

I’m glad Mike and Richie didn’t get killed from this stunt.

David contemplating the waterfall.

We played random Indonesian games, in which you eat a krupuk—or a rice cake –like thing—on a string.

It’s a lot harder than it looks.

Monkeys near the waterfall.

A monkey enjoying some peanuts given to him by a tourist.

I couldn’t help thinking of the song “Wild Ones” by Flo Rida when I saw these…Heeeeyyy, I heard you were a wild oneee eeuuuu eeuuu eeeuuu eeuuu! (Ironically the lyrics to the song also contain the phrase “we all get bit.” I hope that’s not a premonition for the future.)

I was going for an idyllic scene of a monkey near the entrance to the waterfall. A second after I took this, the monkey jumped of the rock and grabbed at that woman’s peanut bag. She screamed and let the monkey have them. He returned to the rock and ate them. No one passes this godfather monkey without paying the toll. Selamat Jalan (Good Travels) indeed.