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
Last weekend we finally had one day to explore Malang. Using the Lonely Planet Indonesia book as a guide, another volunteer and I hit up Malang’s main attractions, which included the Pasar Senggol (Bird Market), Pasar Bunga (Flower Market) and Hotel Tugu, which has an extensive collection of Asian art. Though birds in cages are … Continue reading
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
While this playlist could be more appropriately titled Angkots, Buses and Walking now that I am in Indonesia, I compiled this list of 14 songs as I prepared to make the epic journey to the other side of the world. I am posting this a little late, but it still applies…and it may be useful … Continue reading
I—like many people I suppose—do not like to talk about money. I am thankful that I have not been placed with a family that is constantly asking the price of every day things in the United States, or worse, the price of the things I own. Yet, as we both get more and more familiar … Continue reading
Teguh and Mike at the pesar tradisional – Yes, Mike’s hat says Bamboo Banger – and there’s a panda banging bamboo sticks. Continue reading
(* Disclaimer: this covers most of my second week of training in Indonesia. Uploading images was the biggest pain ever, it took me like one solid week to upload these images…so I will seriously reconsider posts with more than one image. I miss fast internet. Meh!) …is never ride a motorcycle. Well, it’s not the … Continue reading
Just as one shouldn’t listen to songs that remind us of ex-lovers, one shouldn’t listen to songs that remind us of an ex-life. It could make one homesick. 1. Youth – Foxes 2. Feel So Close – Calvin Harris 3. Don’t Stop the Levels (Project 46 MashUp) – Avicii vs. Journey 4. Charlie Brown (Dave … Continue reading
The odyssey to Indonesia was so epically long (36 hours!) I even traveled in time. Therefore, it’s worth backtracking a little bit to commemorate the trip, which had been in the making since December 2010. Continue reading
in the land of dragons 