“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
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
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
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
Warning: Do not read this if you want to keep the Santa dream alive. Blame it on globalization and too much Western television, but apparently, Muslim kids believe in Santa Claus. When I visited my host family in Malang, my 5-year old host niece and her posse overheard me talking about going home for Christmas. … Continue reading
Did you ever wonder why tea cups or coffee mugs often come with saucers? It always seemed rather superfluous to me – just another dish to wash. But in Indonesia they actually put the saucer to good use. Because most of the water used to prepare hot beverages is brought to a boil right before … Continue reading
Warning: This post has a lot of numbers. I love my counterpart. Sometimes, we get into the most random discussions on a strange topic of my fixation. No matter what, he will sit patiently and explain every little detail to my heart’s content. I’m not sure how we went from discussing tomorrow’s English lesson to … Continue reading
Have you ever been in a room, usually at night, when everything is so quiet that you can hear a watch or, worse, a clock ticking? This used to happen to me often. When I lived in a place with actual prolonged silences, the strokes would magnify, and I would lie awake, unable to sleep, … Continue reading
You know you’ve been in a place for a long time when not just one, but TWO babies have been conceived and born. In a blink of an eye, 17 months flew by. Here’s to enjoying the next 9 months of Peace Corps Indonesia livin’ – and coincidently, there’s just enough time for another baby … Continue reading
in the land of dragons 