Sweet Gifts

Another evidence that this is year two: I'm less inspired to blog this year; most things seem normal, and I no longer can tell what might be interesting for others to read or see.  So today, I'll write about the beautiful things that have surprised me in the middle of the mundane.  We've had a "hollerday" (as Lydia says) this week*--it's a term break at the international school, so Lydia has been home, and there have been no classes at ITC.  Jeff still has to go to the office, but I haven't had to lesson plan and teach this week.  It's been a good opportunity to slow down and spend time with people in a different context.

We started out the week bright and early on Monday morning with a trip to the local market with five ITC students.  I haven't been able to go to the market as regularly this semester because of our schedule, so I enjoyed the opportunity to go, even though I had to hold Lydia the entire time.  My arm was aching by the end! She is still not a fan of being at knee level with much of the hustle, bustle, and dirt of the market.  That night, Jeff's "Care Group" was coming over to cook dinner, and the next morning my English class was coming to cook lunch. We left the market loaded with meat, fruits, and vegetables, and ready for the cooking extravaganza later.

That night, our kitchen was overtaken by a whirlwind of cooks from all around the world: Filipino, Kenyan, Chinese; they chopped, bossed, cleaned, tasted, added, and whipped up some delicious concoctions.  It amazed me to see so many cooks in my narrow kitchen, happily sharing my limited cooking equipment.  When I cook, I like to have space, but these students were elbow to elbow, and smiling all the time!  They cooked from 3:30 until almost 7, when the food was ready and we could enjoy.

The next morning, we picked up my English students who had decided to make Chinese dumplings.  I have 5 Chinese students in my class, and so they oversaw and directed the dumpling making process.  They mixed dough, cleaned and chopped vegetables, and then rolled out the dumpling dough.  And rolled and rolled and rolled. They offered to let me try to roll out a dumpling and close it up, and I soon discovered that this was a skill that they had made look easy through years of practice.  My dumpling took about 3 times as long for me to make, and it looked far from beautiful.  I was instructed to pinch it tightly along the top so that the insides wouldn't escape and this wouldn't become dumpling soup.  Soon, almost all the students were in on the dumpling rolling, stuffing, and pinching process.

Hard at work!

When the table was almost completely covered in filled dumplings, we started putting them into a huge pot of boiling water.  They needed to rise to the top, swell, and then we had to wait another 7 or 8 minutes for them to be done cooking.  Plate after plate of dumplings were carefully nudged into the water,  plate after plate of cooked delicious dumplings were scooped out and tasted.  In the end, we (and I use we lightly because my contributions were so very minor) had made 20 dumplings per person, with 15 total adults eating! That's a lot of dumplings! The dumpling making process took a little over 3 hours.  I could see why this was a special holiday event not undertaken every day!

Besides dumplings, another Chinese student made a sweet pumpkin soup that was delicious, and another Cambodian student made a delicious Cambodian chicken dish.  We all ate and ate and ate.  I had baked an apple pie for dessert, but the students could hardly cram another bite into their stomachs after the meal.  It's always telling to find out what people choose to bring with them when they move to another country.  My Chinese students had brought their dumpling rolling pins.

My 5 Chinese students directing the process.

More cooks and assistants!

The whole dumpling making group!

Not only did we enjoy some delicious food homecooked in our kitchen, our kids enjoyed some much loved attention.  I'm continually blessed by the love the ITC students show to our kids.  Every time we have ITC students over, Lydia is quickly befriended by at least one of the students, who she then leads around by the hand, and happily bosses to do this or that.  Elias is a little bit harder to win over, but the first night, he sat in rapt attention watching some of the students play guitar and playing drums, and the next day even though he was extremely crabby, he fell asleep in the arms of one of my English students, and then slept for the next three hours while everyone cooked.

Another morning, several of the students who live in an apartment together took Lydia and Elias for me for a couple of hours so I could get some work done.  Lydia came back with a new beaded necklace she'd made, fingernails and toenails painted, and beaming.  She felt like a little princess.  Another morning, she came back with new pictures drawn of the family and friends that she proudly said she'd done at "Sarah's Tower." (The students live in a tall apartment building up on the 35th and 36th floors).  Elias is hardly still, and climbed, kicked and threw his ball, walked and ran all over their apartments!

Thrilled about the beads!

Playing with his ball.

Look at that spa treatment!

Not only were we blessed by the ITC students, but my beginning English students have surprised me this week as well. Yesterday, one of them came over and taught me how to make an Indonesian style of Sushi.  It was delicious! What a gift, not only for her to give me the food and make it for me, but to teach me how to do it, so that I am empowered to make them next time! Later that night, I was surprised when I came downstairs after putting the kids to bed to find a stack of homemade tortillas and something rolled up in banana leaves sitting on my counter from another student.  It struck me again--sharing food is such a gift.  These gifts of food made me feel so welcomed, appreciated, and humbled.  That they would take the time to make the food for me, and then share it from their limited resources.  When I am tempted to lament the amount of time it takes for me to make something, and how quickly it is eaten, I need to remember what a gift it is to the receiver, if offered in a generous attitude.

Gifts of food from my beginner English students.

And in between these more noticeable gifts, there have been other small gifts.  Elias learning how to knock on the door, giggling as he sees water slosh out of his cup onto the ground, starting to play chase with Lydia and Jeff at night.  Lydia's pictures becoming pictures of people with eyes and legs and feet, hearing her endless inner monologue on the outside and getting a picture of what's going on inside.  Having her become so in tune with her feelings (thanks Daniel Tiger).  "Mommy, Elias wants to take my bread with honey from me and now I'm so sad!" As she bursts into tears.  "Mommy, are you angry?" She can see right through me! "Lydia, why aren't you answering mommy?" "Because I'm frustrated."

One of our children likes the water more than the other.

Lydia's favorite thing to do these days is draw or paint.

Very focused on her artwork.

Mr. Crazy himself!

 All of these precious gifts have left me with a full and thankful heart, and with just the overflowing cup I need to continue into the second half of the semester.  God is so good, and so generous with us.  I pray that our family will be able to live out this same generosity to those in our community.

*Note, this was written two weeks ago...only now finally finishing and posting it!

Back in the Classroom

Life during year two is busier than year one.  Elias is sleeping through the night (finally, since he's over a year old!), Lydia is in a pre-kindergarten program three hours a day, and we are all on a pretty regular schedule for the time being.  That frees me up to have more breathing room, and be able to take a few more things onto my plate.

At the end of the last school year, the opportunity arose for me to teach a remedial English class at the ITC.  It sounded like a perfect fit; they were able to schedule the class during the time that Lydia is at school, and it was only twice a week for two hours each time.  I missed being in the classroom, so I eagerly agreed to teach. 

This first month and a half of being back in Indonesia has been full of prepping for the class, and then beginning to teach at the end of August.  There are only eleven students in the class, and they are  from Indonesia, Timor Leste, China, and Cambodia.  They are a great bunch! They are motivated, energetic, and they already know each other well since this is their second year at the school.  I count it a privilege to get to be a part of their education.  I also have two Teaching Assistants who are able to help me with grading and teaching parts of the class. 

English students and TA's at ITC.

Since this is a new class for me, I am learning how to use a new curriculum, and figuring out the best way to help my students improve and be successful at ITC.  I'm especially needing to sharpen my knowledge of grammar and learn how to teach good writing skills.  Grammar has never been a passion of mine, but at this level of writing and comprehension, it's not good enough to say, "that's just the way it is!" So far, we're building the class time around journal writing, reading graded readers which are designed specifically for English language learners, and using an academic English textbook that is published by National Geographic.  The class is on Tuesday and Friday from 10-12, and it will run through the end of November.  I will teach the same group of students during the second semester, as well.

Besides teaching at ITC, God has also opened the doors for me to start a beginner English class for some of the workers in our neighborhood.  It's been really affirming to see the way that God has answered prayer.  Before starting the class, I wanted to be sure that I had several ITC students who could help me with the class.  ITC students have to do 1000 service work hours in order to graduate, all in three years, and they get double hours for doing work hours related to education.  I hoped that this opportunity would be not only an outreach to the Indonesian workers in our neighborhood, but also help the students accomplish their work hours.  I'm also passionate about teaching beginners, so I hoped to pass along that love to these students in a very unofficial internship kind of setting.  God has provided 5 students to help me with the class.  Usually four of them come to the class every week.  Two are Indonesian and are able to help with translation or answering questions when necessary.  Two are Kenyan, and one is from the Solomon Islands.  I'm ashamed to say I didn't even know where the Solomon Islands were located until meeting her!

After God provided the students to help me teach, I prayed that he would provide 6 workers to come to the class.  Sure enough, he did! We have three students who are truly beginner, two who know a little bit already, and one who is quite advanced.  It works well--the advanced student works with one of the ITC students one-on-one, and we're able to divide the other students into pairs to work with other ITC students. All the workers are employed by expats, and so knowing English will help them communicate with their employers, and allow them to ask for higher pay at work. 

Beginner English class and ITC students.

It has been a lot of fun to teach the class.  I have been impressed at the commitment of everyone involved, including the students coming to learn! They are motivated and eager to learn, and we have a lot of fun during the class.  We have the class on Wednesday and Friday nights from 7:15-8:15 PM.  It meets in one of the front rooms of our house, after the kids are in bed.  Four of the students are Muslim, and two are Christian.  I'm praying that they will all see Christ's love through us, and that perhaps we'll have an opportunity to share the hope of Christ with them some day!  My helper is one of the students, and it's been fun to see our relationship change a little bit as I teach her.  She's more open to helping me with my Indonesian, now, too! Before, she wouldn't correct me, but now she is teaching me a few words here or there, when I ask her!

Being back in the classroom has brought a renewed purpose and joy to our time here in Indonesia.  It feels so meaningful to get to be a part of the story of such amazing students from all over the world, and it is very fulfilling to be able to answer a need for some of the workers in our neighborhood in a tangible way.

Looking Back; Looking Forward

When we stepped off the plane in Pittsburgh around 11 PM on June 27th after traveling for around 30 hours, the first thing I realized was that I could understand everyone who was talking to me, even the airport workers.  The second sensation to hit us was being cold.  Wearing a sweater and needing to turn on the car heater had never seemed so wonderful.  I'd had some regret that we might not experience the season of Fall for a long time, so being greeted by chilly weather was actually a welcome gift.

Lydia helped Grammy water the plants.  It was so great to play outside without the humidity or mosquitos!

We got to celebrate Lydia's 3rd birthday with the extended Spanogle family as well as Lydia's Haas great-grandparents.

4th of July parade

Elias wasn't too impressed.

 

Lydia with all her treasures.

Lots of barbecue and time outside!

We had a great time with Jeff's family!

Thus began a month long season of living out of suitcases, visiting family, catching up with some friends, and experiencing all the wonderful things about America.  I never thought I'd say this, but wow, I love America.  It seemed so beautiful to me, so green (at least in Pennsylvania), it was so easy to drive around, shopping was convenient, and blonde haired blue eyed kids didn't get constant attention.  Ice cream was cheap and accessible, we could eat sandwiches for lunch, and Lydia could eat strawberries to her heart's content. We could go to parks, zoos, take the kids to the library, play outside without the fear of mosquitos.  We felt normal.  We knew how to function and everything made sense.  It was so good.

We got to ride the train at the St. Louis Zoo!

Enjoying one of the nearby parks.

Lydia now refuses to look at the camera.  The day was bound to come.

Elias wasn't too fond of the tricycle. 

And of course, the best part was getting to see family, and seeing our kids get to know and love our families, and our families love on our kids (and us, too).  It truly was bittersweet.  Sweet to spend two  concentrated weeks at a time with each of our families, bitter to realize that this was it, the only two weeks of the entire year.  Sweet to relish an entire month that we could be together as a family (how many jobs allow for that kind of vacation?), bitter to still not be able to squeeze in visits to so many friends in Chicago and elsewhere that we'd like to see.  Sweet to say hello at the beginning, bitter to say goodbye at the end.

We got to attend Ezra's baptism with the Alexander-Haas family.

So much fun time with aunts and uncles!

Look at the mischief in those eyes--now imagine containing that mischief on a 12 hour plane ride!

Being silly with Great-Grandma Alexander.

Cousins!

I have always been one to love trips, and to have letdowns when they're over.  Even as a child, I remember feeling a huge let down when we'd come back from our summer vacations to Minnesota or Pennsylvania.  So I knew that the let down I felt coming back was not only about Indonesia.  I also knew that the time in the US was extra sweet because it was vacation.  Normal life doesn't look like vacation.  Something new and different always looks better and feels better than the routine.  And, I had to recall bitter icy Chicago winters and how much I hated them and how every year I asked myself, "why do I live here?"

So, here we are, starting out on year two.  Maybe we won't always count the years, but it seems unavoidable when living as an expat or foreigner.  You are constantly asking and answering the question, "How long have you lived here?"

In the middle of my post-America trip let-down feelings this week, God has been good. He has reminded me of the blessings in my life here.  He's reminded me that ultimately, I am here, and we are here because life isn't about comfort and ease and everything making sense, but about knowing Him and learning to depend on him.  Well, if that's the goal, it's working.  I have been forced to depend on him this week 100% more than I did the entire time we were in America.  

He is faithful.  He has given hope and excitement about starting to teach my ESL class at the ITC the end of August.  He has provided me with a new cultural informant and friend in my neighbor across the street, something I've longed for the entire time we've been here.  He's given excitement and momentum to the idea of starting a basic English class for some of the helpers in our neighborhood.  As friends have stopped by for walks, played on our swingset out front with us, come in for snacks, I've been reminded of what a beautiful and unique community we have here, supporting us in our daily lives.  Jeff is happy to be back and ready to start the new year.  Lydia has been so happy to be back, I can sense the change in her just as a result of being back to a family of four and having a normal routine.  Elias is just Elias--crazier, more mobile, getting into trouble more than he was when we left for the states.  

So here we go, year two is off! I expect we will go through the cycle of cultural adjustment again in some form or other: honeymoon stage, frustration stage, humor stage, and finally adjustment.  I'm starting to feel excited about what this year will hold.  Stay tuned!

Lydia's First Concert

Cultural events are not as accessible here compared to Wheaton, which is a mecca of cultural activity, so when I saw a concert for kids advertised, I jumped at the chance to take Lydia.  I learned that Karawaci (the suburb where we live) actually has a community orchestra, children's orchestra, children's choir, community choir, and suzuki lessons.  The orchestra and choirs were going to be performing at a venue just down the street from us, and there was also going to be a special cultural performance from a group of Afghani refugees.  Basically, everything that I love and am passionate about all in one performance! The climax of the evening was going to be a performance of "Peter and the Wolf."

It looks like a grimace but that is excitement to be at her first concert!

Lydia and I biked over to the concert and found seats in the hall.  Since it was her first concert, I wasn't sure if it would hold her attention or how she would react. She climbed up on my lap when the lights dimmed and the concert began.  She thought the instruments were loud and was a little scared when there was a sound problem and the mic made a loud noise, but other than that she was perfectly attentive during the entire hour long first half of the program.  It helped that after the orchestra played, most of the choral pieces were accompanied by dance.  The choir was made up of what looked like junior high and high school aged girls and was quite good.  They performed folk music from around the world.  One of my favorite pieces was called "Badminton" and there was a choreographed badminton game that made the piece come alive and was a lot of fun to watch.

Sitting together.

After the intermission, the Afghani refugee musical group got up and performed several pieces from their own culture.  Watching the faces of those teenagers, I couldn't imagine what sorrow they had seen and the lives that they were living now.  Here they are in Jakarta, just waiting.  Not able to work, attend school, or follow their dreams.  Unable to return to their home country under threat of death.  Not accepted into a third resettlement country.  They have no idea how long they will be in this stage of practical paralysis.  You could see the longing in their faces as they sang about their country.  You could see their joy as they danced to the sound of their traditional instruments.  All of them wore beautiful and elaborate traditional clothing that showcased the elegance and uniqueness of their culture.  There is a group in Jakarta that works with these refugees and provides them with some English classes and other classes for the kids, but unfortunately it is too far away from where we live for me to realistically be involved.  It would likely take 1-2 hours just to get there.  Maybe someday God will bring refugee ministry closer to where I live.

You can't see well, but that's the Afghani refugee group performing.

After the Afghani cultural performance, Peter and the Wolf began.  It was narrated in Bahasa Indonesia and acted out by some of the kids from the choir.  Two hours into the concert, I had to take Lydia home to put Elias to bed, so we didn't get to see the ending, but it thrilled my music loving heart to see her reaction and response to the concert.  As we rode home under the few twinkling stars in the sky, she talked about the wolf chasing the bird and said, "the wolf is chasing us." The next day when we rode by the concert venue, she asked if we could go to the concert again.

Peter and the Wolf

For the next several days all she talked about was Peter and the Wolf.  We checked the book out from our school's library and she asked for us to read it over and over again.  We showed her a full performance of Peter and the Wolf on youtube several times and she intently watched the whole 30 minute performance each time.  I'm excited that there's the possibility for Lydia to be involved in these kinds of ensembles as she gets older (if she is so inclined).  To have such resources right where we live is no small thing!

Out on the Water

It had been a while since we'd had an adventure; so I didn't think twice before accepting the offer to take a day trip on a boat to see the Thousand Islands off of Jakarta's coast.  I knew that it might be crazy to take a very active one-year-old, currently exploring everything and constantly on the move, and to be stuck on the boat for a whole day, but we were up for the adventure.  It was time to get out of the Lippo Karawaci bubble and do something different.  

Family pic in the cabin of the boat, note the squirmy one-year old.

Elias is not too happy about being momentarily contained.

Twenty-three faculty and staff from ITC signed up for the adventure, although we brought the youngest passengers on board.  We started our journey at 5:15 in the morning, meeting our drivers on campus and driving down to Batavia Harbor.  From the dock, we climbed into a speedboat and were taken out to where our boat was anchored.  The boat was probably the most western-feeling place that I've been since arriving in Indonesia, even more so than my own home.  For one, there was CARPET.  The floors were amazingly soft; a paradise for a little crawler's knees.

And he's off!

A lot of times homes here are huge and magnificent but not comfortable, and falling apart at the edges.  Usually appliances are not up to date, cupboards look as though they need to be replaced, and bare bulbs shine from the ceilings. None of that was true of this boat.  Everything was shiny, up-to-date, and modern.  Each bedroom even had it's own bathroom with a lovely shower, toiletries that smelled amazing, and built in speakers and music station.

When we first got on board, I felt a little unsteady and my stomach didn't feel quite normal.  It was a strange sensation to walk around in something that was gently bobbing up and down.  We'd heard that if the water was choppy, you could get seasick.  I certainly hadn't thought about that when I signed us up.  I did not want to spend the day with a vomiting one year old or two year old.  But thankfully, we soon all adjusted to the gentle motion of the boat and were able to enjoy it.

When we woke Lydia up at 5 AM to get in the car and told her we were going to the boat she said, "I'm excited!"

Exploring the cabin.

The food was amazing.  First of all, to not have to worry about food for a whole day or prepare it was a treat.  But each meal was also deliciously familiar but with an Indonesian flavor.  There was fried rice, sausages, pastries, coffee and tea for breakfast, chicken, fried vegetables and salad for lunch, and salmon with mashed potatoes and more salad for dinner.  Not to mention cake after each meal.  There was also a mid-afternoon snack of an Indonesian food called Siomay (fried tofu, eggs, fish flavored balls of dough) and egg rolls--some savory and some sweet. Seriously, the boat ride was worth it just for the food!

We hung out a lot in the indoor cabin for safety reasons, but would take the kids up on deck for walks.  Elias loved exploring the cabin, crawling up and down the stairs that led to the captain's room and down into the sleeping quarters, and he of course found all the outlets and breakable dishes that were within reach.

Here comes trouble.

Mr. Handsome

Always in motion.

Up and down the stairs to the captain's room.

A view of the entire cabin.

Up on deck.

The ride out to the islands was about three and a half to four hours long, but we snacked on yummy pastries, drank coffee, and walked around the boat to explore while we travelled.  The waters were calm, so it was a pretty smooth journey.  As we got farther from Jakarta, the skies grew clearer and we saw the blue sky and sun.  When we reached our destination, the boat stopped and let down the banana boat.

Banana boating for the first time.

Oops, I'm the only one in the water!

I'd never ridden one before, but got to take a turn.  Within minutes of all of us getting on, the driver of the dinghy started zipping back and forth through the water.  We could see that he'd made it his duty to get us to flip, and pretty soon we all landed in the water.  When we got back on the boat I ended up on the back, and got flipped off a second time.  We all fell in the water one more time before heading back to our boat.  

Everyone got dumped off.

Lydia had fun standing on deck and watching the banana boat get pulled around and flip off its passengers.  Jeff went out snorkeling while I watched the kids, and then we all ate lunch.

After lunch, the kids went down for naps, and we began the journey to our next island.  The water was significantly choppier this time and we were really bobbing up and down.  I tried to lay down for a while, but it was rocking too much for me to be able to sleep, so eventually I got up and went up to the deck to watch our journey.  It turned out that the water was too choppy for our original destination, so the captain took us back towards Jakarta instead.  After about 3 hours, we stopped at another small island that used to be a Dutch fort.  We could see the Jakarta skyline from the boat.

On the old Dutch fort.

Lydia with her sea shell collection.

We all got ferried to the island and had a chance to walk around, take pictures, and collect seashells, Lydia's favorite past-time.  Jeff and I alternated going to the island since Elias had to stay on the boat. We made our way back to the boat as the sun was setting, showered, and watched evening settle over Jakarta as we made our final journey to the harbor.  We could see the skyline stretch out alongside of us, and we got a clear picture of the scope of Jakarta.  We sat out on the deck with the kids in the night for a while, watching the sparkling lights.

We anchored in the harbor and ate dinner, then headed back to home.  We got home by around 8 PM, a successful day on the boat with no sickness.    

All the ITC faculty, staff, and family members/friends who came.