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Tag Archives: culture
Bondowoso / Culture / Daily Life / iGLOW Camp / Indonesia / Peace Corps / People / Photography / Teaching
Indonesian Girls Leading Our World – iGLOW Camp 2013
My decreased blogging has not been in vain. Over the past three months, five other volunteers near my area and I have been working incredibly hard to organize a leadership camp for 10th and 11th grade girls held at my school, MAN Bondowoso, from Thursday, March 28th to Sunday, March 31st. Since November of last … Continue reading
Bondowoso / Culture / Daily Life / Indonesia / Language / Peace Corps / People / Photography / Teaching
Rhymes On Paper Hearts
For a multitude of reasons – some of which are admittedly strange – elephants have been on my brain. So when I encountered this poem back in January, I paid extra attention. This poem then led to an entire month of English Club focusing on poetry, which culminated in some pretty decent rhymes (for the … Continue reading
5 Shots of Arak in Riung
I said before that Riung wasn’t what I expected. I still maintain that; yet, Riung has a special place in my heart and here’s why. Riung, a small fishing village in the northeast side of Flores, is a two-warung town— which means it’s tiny. There’s also a small market, a BRI bank, a handful of … Continue reading
Ecuador / People / Photography / Quito / Travel
The Best Things About Ecuador
Note: Writing posts like this is how I celebrate major Quito holidays – Que Viva Quito! In many parts of the world it is the most wonderful time of the year, but being in a primarily Muslim community—where the weather is perpetually hot, where the mango season is ending and mostly, where no commercialism is … Continue reading
Bondowoso / Culture / Daily Life / Indonesia / Peace Corps / People / Teaching
The Weight of A Cultural Difference
The following was written before in-service training in Surabaya. I am standing in front of the mirror in my room, analyzing every curve at every angle. Am I fatter? I think to myself. I don’t look any different. I try different clothes on to check. Nothing looks different, but after one-too-many comments on how I … Continue reading
Bali / Culture / Indonesia / Peace Corps / People / Photography / Religion / Travel
Sunset Silhouettes in Ulu Watu Temple, Bali
Bali is only a few hours from Java, but culturally, it is a whole world away. The people are primarily Hindu, so small baskets of colorful flower petals and incense—and the occasional cigarette—line streets, sidewalks, steps and cars’ dashboards as offerings to the gods. In Bali, I saw no mosques and heard no call to … Continue reading
Bali / Culture / Daily Life / Indonesia / Language / Peace Corps / People / Photography / Religion / Travel
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Kuta, Bali
As Peace Corps Volunteers we are forbidden to travel away from our sites overnight during our first three months at our permanent site. September 15th marked our group’s three-month mark, so we are finally released from our gilded village cages. To celebrate this, 13 volunteers and I headed to Southern Bali for the first time … Continue reading
Bondowoso / Culture / Daily Life / Indonesia / Language / Peace Corps / People / Travel
Becak Ridin’ & the Most Useful Word in Bahasa Indonesia
The other day I arrived to my site from visiting nearby volunteers in another city and it was pretty late—meaning after 6pm. It was already dark out and I didn’t feel like walking the several kilometers between the bus terminal and my house, so I decided to take a becak. A becak is basically Indonesia’s … Continue reading
Culture / Daily Life / Indonesia / Peace Corps Training / People / Photography / Travel
Indonesian Wedding & Preparations
Back in training, I had the opportunity to attend many, many weddings. Based on this, my language instructor constantly joked about how much I like parties—which is true. Yet, an Indonesia wedding isn’t the type of event one imagines in the West. First of all, the actual wedding ceremony takes place at another time and … Continue reading
Bondowoso / Culture / Daily Life / Indonesia / Peace Corps / People / Religion / Teaching
On the Twelve Months of Islam
Though I’ve been a fasting wimp during Ramadhan—unlike many of my fellow PCVs—that does not exempt me from learning about Islam during this important month in my community. Last Sunday, August 5th, was the 17th day of the month of Ramadhan, which is the day known as Nozulul Qur’an. This is the day the Islamic … 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
My (Indonesian) Boos
Peace Corps volunteers get many praises for going to a different country and facing all the challenges that we do. However, I think the people that have amazed me the most so far are all the host families who are generous enough to open their home to a total stranger—who is also completely different in … Continue reading
