“Tell me, Legolas, why did I come on this Quest? Little did I know where the chief peril lay! Truly Elrond spoke, saying that we could not foresee what we might meet upon our road. Torment in the dark was the danger that I feared, and it did not hold me back. But I would not … Continue reading
Peace Corps is not a glamorous profession. There’s a lot of sweat (particularly in Indonesia), hard work and tears, but, if you’re lucky—like I am—certain people come into your life and bless the experience. They make all of this worth it and I have come to love and appreciate them in ways I didn’t know … Continue reading
As things wind down, more and more people have taken to asking me if I have any “regrets”—which I think is a mistranslation for an experience I never got to have while in Indonesia. It’s hard to think of anything (though I’m sure there are plenty), but while having this conversation with my friend, Bu … Continue reading
It didn’t take long after arriving in Indonesia, to realize that my idealistic goal of “saving the world” was not going to happen. I wince even writing it, because it’s just shows how naïve I once was. Back when my idealism was at its peak, I could see all of the social and environmental problems … Continue reading
Frustration, frustration, frustrated. It’s hard to write about the hard parts of being a Peace Corps Volunteer without getting really negative, and negating all the good things—and there are many—but there are also some aspects of this PCV life that are intolerable. I’m in one of those moments. First and foremost, as a foreign volunteer … Continue reading
Ah, the juicy stuff. I bet most prospective Peace Corps Volunteers would be curious to read about this. Or, maybe not, considering that most PCVs end up isolated in some small village in some foreign country. If anything, most future PCVs are not thinking about love as they prepare for Peace Corps because 1) we … Continue reading
It started somewhere between reading Life of Pi and my in-depth explanation of the line ‘Life is but a dream’ to a classroom full of Indonesians singing “Row Your Boat.” Two events sketched an image in my mind that now I can’t stop seeing: Life is a calm or tumultuous sea, while each person is a … Continue reading
Ever since I had lunch with one of my best teacher friends and her family in a beach side cafe in Banyuwangi, the most eastern province in Java, I had it in my head that Bali – an island with an entirely different culture, religion and ambiance – is only a ferry ride away. In … Continue reading
I’ve resigned to the fact that 27 months is an insufficient amount of time to know any place well. I know I’m still in the dark about a lot of things that make Indonesia special and beautiful. In an effort to quickly learn about things I may be missing –and to get an insider’s perspective— … Continue reading
It’s funny to think back on April 2012. Then, I walked into a D.C. hotel conference room full of aspiring PCVs, their adventurous spirits alight with excitement. Now, 23 months later, I walk into another hotel conference room and meet these same PCVs, except now, there is a sense of tranquility in the room—a mellowness … Continue reading
The other day my counterpart, Pak Warai, sat next to me as I prepared material for English club. Suddenly he asks, Mel, what can we do to make students study outside the classroom? Pak, I laughed, if we can solve that we would improve education all over the world! He sighed. I feel putus asa. … Continue reading
Teacher Problem: As a teacher you often end up as subject material on examples or test questions… OR WORSE, your face ends up on a huge banner. Continue reading
Early in my service, I noticed many of my students and teachers at my school had colorful things wrapped around their fingers that they were constantly pressing. These turned out to be a sort of tally counter specially designed to conveniently count – in the case of my Muslim students and teachers – their thoughts … Continue reading
The art of being uncomfortable is actually hard to master because humans are highly adaptable creatures. Still, rare is the individual that seeks to leave their comfort zone very often, and though I moved to Indonesia for two years, I’ve found I’m guilty of this, too. Without going into all of the sordid details, I … Continue reading
This year has been interesting for music. Major artists like Daft Punk, Kanye West, Eminem and Drake released their heavily anticipated albums—none of which make this list, by the way. Amidst that hype, certain female artists, most notably Miley Cyrus and Sinéad O’Connor, have been stirring drama and drawing attention to gender in the music … Continue reading
in the land of dragons 