Someone great once wrote the lyrics to the song, Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans, an anthem to a city that is quite difficult to leave. Unless you are born there, you arrive with every intention of passing through, but New Orleans’ magic enchants you and it gets under your skin, … Continue reading
Monthly Archives: July 2012
Daily Life / Indonesia / Language / Peace Corps / People / Travel
Random Ways I Remember Certain Bahasa Indonesian Words
Tulisanya – write/spell—comes from the word tulis, which means write. Tulisanya usually translates to spell, and it makes me think of tulip lasagna – a totally logical mnemonic. Timon – cucumber – I think of Timon from the Lion King. This is actually logical. Bagaimana – how – makes me think of Benihanas—a mythical restaurant … Continue reading
Bondowoso / Culture / Daily Life / Indonesia / Peace Corps / People / Photography / Religion / Teaching / Travel
Welcome to Ramadan
To kick off Ramadan all of the schools in my area participated in a “Welcome to Ramadan” parade, which started at 7am, Wednesday morning. The younger elementary and middle school students led the parade and the high school students— which includes my school—ended it. As a teacher at the school, I was asked to walk … Continue reading
Daily Life / Indonesia / Peace Corps / People / Teaching
Things I Never Thought I Would Say Outside of a College Setting
and definitely NEVER in the Peace Corps. Yay! No Friday classes! I definitely had to rearrange my teaching schedule for that one. Are you going to take a nap? Indonesians get up so early they usually must nap in the afternoon in order to survive the day. Ugh, I have to go to school on … Continue reading
Indonesia / Peace Corps / People / Photography / Travel
The Indian Ocean & the Java Sea
Once upon a time, according to legend, lived a Javanese king who killed a sea snake, which became a rock in Batu Ulo, a beach on Java’s south coast lining the Indian Ocean. In Javanese, Batu Ulo literally means Stone Snake. Here are some photographs from there and from Pasir Putih, a beach in the … Continue reading
Daily Life / Indonesia / Music / Peace Corps / People / Travel
What Indonesia Sounds Like
Silence is a sound in Indonesia. It’s so rare that you hear it. The first thing that whispers is the wind. It whistles through the trees, strumming blades of grass and scraping dry leaves across dirt roads and crisp ceramic floors. Birds hoot, chime, sing at different volumes and frequencies from varying distances and directions. … Continue reading
Culture / Indonesia / Peace Corps / People / Religion
The Culture of Religion
That’s what learning is all about where spirituality is concerned: unlearning almost everything you’ve been taught. A willingness to learn and listen. – Anthony de Mello, SJ It is Sunday and there’s an elephant in the room. It’s because of me—of course—but not because I am “American” or not related to this family or because … Continue reading
La Vida Es Un Carnaval
No hay que llorar, porque la vida es un carnaval y es mas bello vivir cantando. –Celia Cruz Música bailable para cuando extraño mi cultura, mi gente y mi país. 1. La Vida Es Un Carnaval – Celia Cruz 2. Tu Cariñito– Puerto Rican Power 3. Vale la Pena– Juan Luis Guerra 4. Pasos de … Continue reading
in the land of dragons 