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
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
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
Centuries ago, the Andes were ruled by the great Inca civilization that believed the Sun to be God. They called this god Inti, and they built their cities and temples in the peaks of the highest mountains so they could be nearer to him. With an awareness that the sun was the source of all … 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
Some days ago I was in the best sleeping position ever nestled in between pillows and a blanket. The spot was so sweet I couldn’t even sleep, as an ode to my body pillow flowed through my head. The ode was really terrible, and I’ll spare you from reading it, but here’s what I will … Continue reading
It has been exactly a year, almost to the day, that I wrote a post about weight and how Indonesians shamelessly comment on your appearance, particularly on how “fat” you look. Today, I am looking at this cultural issue from the other side of the coin. First of all, I haven’t been trying to lose … Continue reading
Oh, Cambodia. We got off on the wrong foot, but your charm shined through in the end. Continue reading
Thailand is a tourist’s playground. Getting around is simple and systematic. Travel agents can be found anywhere to help you arrange your transportation to any part of the country, including to its “isolated” islands. They speak good English. A system of planes, trains, buses and boats are coordinated efficiently and filled with tourists from all … Continue reading
In theory, Sunday mornings are the one time I get to sleep in and enjoy “the weekend.” That’s a nice dream, but the reality is that my sleep often gets interrupted by the chatter and laughter of men gathering outside my window for their Sunday routine: the arisan burung, or bird reunion. This bird reunion … Continue reading
Back in the day, teachers may have received apples from students. In Indonesia, entire classes of students celebrate certain events (such as getting through reciting the entire Al Qur’an) by giving all teachers food boxes. This is a common affair, but today I broke a record. Today alone, I received THREE food boxes and some … Continue reading
in the land of dragons 