National Anthem of Indonesia

Indonesian flag proudly displayed near the bottom of the volcano!

This is the song we heard numerous times by Indonesians atop Mt Batur as they proudly displayed their flags! The video below has the lyrics in both English and Bahasa, with a choir singing the words so you can hear the Bahasa Indonesia tounge. Just click on the link below and it will redirect you to the YouTube page. We also sing this every Monday morning during our assembly at school.

Indonesian National Anthem

Enjoy!

xoxo amber

Thanks for the awesome snapshot, Eduardo!

Climb a volcano on Indonesia's Independence Day? Check!

One of my favorite memories from Bali was climbing a volcano! I actually found the energy to wake up at 1 in the morning so we could be at the site by 4 am in order for the sun to rise. The experience cannot even be put into words; however, one of my fellow teachers Mr Eduardo did a fabulous job of describing the experience on his Facebook page. With his permission, I am posting our experience from his perspective. It's VERY accurate and since he was part of my climbing group, he said he didn't mind at all if I shared this entry with all of you! Enjoy!

Eduardo, Danna, Aasha, me, Andrew, and Joe

(excerpt)

"It’s been a while since I’ve written in here. I have to write about my experience today, however, lest I forget. Today was the first time I climbed a volcano. It was not active, mind you, but it was breathtaking.

                It started with a 1:30 a.m. drive to the base of the Mt. Batar,  one of the many volcanoes in Bali, and I think one of the smaller ones at about 1700 metres.  I couldn’t believe how quickly the driver drove us there, and how he sped through dark streets without seemingly any concern. There wasn’t much traffic except for the occasional dog and a few close calls with some vans and trucks. I tried sleeping but it was a pretty stressful ride.

                When we arrived at the office, we noticed everyone was dressed in sweatshirts and pants and I complained about being woefully underprepared for what we were doing today. The guy who I assumed was a director or manager explained to us the different routes we could take to get to the volcano crater. We opted for the ‘medium’ route, which would take about five hours altogether.

                We were then assigned a few guides—short, friendly gentlemen dressed in pyjamas. They we provided us with flashlights and we began our trek.

                There were several groups of people going. I heard French, Spanish and Bahasa along our journey.  As we began our uphill walk, a couple of things occurred to me: one, I was not in as good shape as I thought I was; two, the view of the stars was unlike any I had ever seen; three, for some reason, I had to urinate frequently during our trip. In all seriousness, I was very thankful. I did not think I would get an opportunity to do something like this, and I am just thankful to God for letting me come here and witness His beautiful creation. In a wistful sort of way I wished I could be a hiker, but I think this also made me appreciate flat, sea-level walking even more.

                I also realized that there is a way of life here that is so different from America. There were no wiaver forms to sign, no real in-depth discussion about the risks involved with making this type of climb. For the most part it was relatively safe, but there were several points where a single misstep could send you off a sheer wall of rock.

                After perhaps 1.5 or 2 kilometers, the walk became much steeper. We hit a stride, breaking into two smaller groups of boys and girls – except Danna, who kept up with Andrew, Joe and myself. We hit a stride, stopping periodically but not really taking a break until we reached one of the first rest stops at around 5:30. Somehow, the second group – Ike, Josh, Ben, Nicole and Lindsay – passed us up and kept marching along. They were clearly moving at a quicker pace, as evidenced by their sweaty faces – except for Ike, who seemed pretty unphased (he is a Zen master, after all).

                We then made our last leg, which was much shorter, but much looser soil, to the top of the crater. Here, we caught the sunrise, snapped photos, and listened to the many Indonesians present play music and sing the national anthem. It was cool to see that some people had camped out the night before in tents.

                This was one of the first times in my life where I was truly in awe of the natural world. Actually, before we officially reached the top, and I saw the steep, gray-colored wall that dropped into what at some point in the past might have been flowing or erupting magma, I was in awe. I shared the moment with Danna, and I was thankful that she was equally amazed. I had the impression that we were going to see flowing lava at some point. There were only steam vents that rose lazily from scattered points, like a sleeping dragon breathing through its nostrils.

                We snapped several pictures at the mountaintop and took in the view, soaking in the early morning sun. We then took another short walk to the rest stop which had breakfast. One of the guides made in a point to let us know that they were cooking eggs and bananas in hot steam. I actually got to see how it was done. The steam also felt pleasant and warmed us a bit during the chilly morning.

                The steamed egg was the perfect treat after a tiring walk. I also enjoyed the banana sandwich. By now it was bright outside and the views of the surrounding area was breathtaking. The guide pointed out that there was another volcano, Mt. Anu, that was about twice the size of the one we were climbing. I could not imagine a hike twice the size of what I was doing.

                After resting for about thirty minutes, we began our descent. This was perhaps the one time during the hike where I was truly scared. The path was for a long time very narrow. While most of the time you could hug a wall, there was a few points where you had to walk across the ridge, and there was nothing on your right or left to keep you from sliding off. I don’t know that you would necessarily die, but you would surely tumble down quite a ways before stopping or crashing into a rock or tree. Either way, I had to compose myself a bit before taking those few steps to the next slightly safer part of the path.

                After that, the descent was like skiing down loose rocks and soil. It was much quicker and not nearly as dangerous. Our shoes and sandals inevitably were filled with pebbles and dirt. I actually enjoyed this leg of the trip, and if I was truly careless—and dumb—I would have tried running downhill at some points.

                We literally reached the rock bottom of our descent and rested for a few minutes before talking a long paved road back to where we started. The last stretch felt annoyingly long, but I was relieved once we reached our destination. I also was a little worried about Joe, who has a cut on the back of his foot that did not look very good, and I was hoping we could rest soon so he could stop aggravating it. But Joe, aka Joe Cool, was not phased by it. He is easily one of the most laid back and humorous guys I’ve ever met.

                We finally met back up with the girls and made our lengthy drive back. My scratched up phone and dusty shoes were the only memorabilia I had of the experience, but I knew that when I got back to the hotel I had to write about this experience, lest I forget about it too soon."

(reprinted with permission by Eduardo)

I did it!

Joe, Ike, Andrew, me, Eduardo

Ben the Canadian

Danna, me, Nicole, Lynsey, and Aasha

Lynsey, Nicole, me, Danna, Aasha

(random guy) plus all the NORTH AMERICANS! Me, Lynsey, Danna, Joe, Nicole, Ike, Andrew, Josh, Eduardo, Aasha, and Ben (in front)

Above the clouds :)

Flower growing in the rich soil of the volcano

One of our Balinese tour guides

Amother spectacular view!

Sunrise from the top of Mt Batur

Rainbow

Craters and valleys formed by lava

One of the narrow paths we had to walk

Danna and I resting for breakfast

Andrew, Eduardo, and Joe resting on top of the volcano

Aasha and I with our awesome Balinese tour guides! The one in the red cap was HILARIOUS! He always said "Hati Hati!" whenever we would slip! It means, "careful." He taught us tons of Balinese phrases and in return we taught him Spanish.

Indonesian with his flag to celebrate Independence Day

Here comes breakfast!

Banana sandwich and steamed egg cooked using volcano steam -- YUMM!

Amazing.

Bali Begins ..

We just spent 8 amazing nights in Bali. School ended on a Tuesday and I had a plane ticket booked for Wednesday. Teaching is exhausting! I was ready to escape Jakarta for a while and just focus on some much needed relaxation.

I tried to "pack light" but you know me.. I packed enough for three people and even brought along our iron which I may say came in handy! Sure, I was teased for bringing such a "big suitcase" but I thought I did pretty dang good considering I had actually brought my "small suitcase" :) My friends may have given me a hard time at first but I was the first person someone came to when they needed to borrow a shirt for the night or my hair straightener. Just sayin..

Anyway, the airport was a disaster as usual. The lines were enormous. Thank GOD the airport had AC or I probably would have lost it. Aasha and I spent what seemed like forever running around the airport trying to get checked in. My luggage was extremely heavy, go figure so I had to pay an excess in weight fees. The weight fee ended up being like $60 something dollars! My mouth almost hit the floor. In order to avoid even more fees on our return flight home, we decided to go ahead and check in/pay for our luggage on the way back. My suitcase was already at 18 kilos and because I anticipated doing some shopping, I went ahead and paid for a 25 kilo fee just to be safe -- but of course, I had to go back OUTSIDE of the airport to settle all of that. Seriously, who puts an office outside of the airport? Especially knowing people are going to need it before they depart? This place can be so annoying sometimes..

After I paid my fee, Aasha paid for hers. I was getting so irritated with the man behind us. There is NO such thing as personal space in this country. I could literally feel this guy breathing on my neck and eye contact doesn't help either. I would have excused him if he was Indonesian but he wasn't. He was straight bule. Back off dude, seriously.

We eventually caught up with the rest of the crew by Starbucks relaxing until it was time to go through security. I purchased my all-time favorite drink - Chai Tea Latte with Soy (no water) and a Blueberry muffin for breakfast. I must say, the Starbucks here never fails to disappoint. Everything tastes so much more fresh and they actually put the tea bags in your cup. One of the few Western companies that goes above and beyond here.

After paying our airport tax, we sat down by our gate and anxiously awaited to board the plane. It was delayed. There were so many people waiting to board the Bali plane! People of all different ethnic backgrounds, mostly white and Chinese.

They eventually announced our plane was boarding and we were on our way. Unlike in America where you typical walk in a covered type bridge to board your plane, we had to walk down some steps, exit the airport, and walk to our plane. After carrying my purse and backpack in the heat, I was kind of bummed that Air Asia didn't provide a snack or any time of beverage free of charge. Sometimes I miss Southwest Airlines. After paying like $3 for a small bottle of water, I passed out. Before I knew it, the plane had landed!

Us ladies met up with the guys who were chowing down on some KFC (no mashed potatoes here, by the way, just rice). Of all people, I was most surprised to see Joe from Semarang. Last time I had checked, he wasn't going because he booked the wrong flight. I guess after some whiskey, he gathered up the courage to purchase a last minute ticket! He's always so much fun so I was happy to see him.

Anyway, repulsed and in need of something a little bit more appetizing, we sauntered over to small cafe and ordered sandwiches. You would think with all the traveling that we do, we'd want to try some exotic food -- but honestly, there's nothing like a chicken sandwich and french fries after a plane ride. Plus, we ARE on vacation you know.. nasi goreng ayam (chicken fried rice) gets old after awhile.

After bargaining, we caught a taxi and all headed to Seminyak in Bali, which is where our hotel was located. The taxi driver spoke decent English, surprisingly -- something we aren't quite used to in Jakarta. He informed us that with all the tourism that Bali gets, the locals pick up the language fairly quickly. They also learn some English in school. He asked the usual questions - "Where are you from? How long in Jakarta? Bali?" As soon as any taxi driver hears the word "America", their eyes light up and they say "OBAMA!" with so much enthusiasm you would think he was American himself. We always just giggle and ask about "George Bush" to which most (if not all) taxi drivers look at us like we're crazy and then holds up a fist in anger. They really dislike him here. But no fear, I'm not here to make enemies! We kindly remind him that we don't like Bush either and then all is well again.

After taking a bumpy, gravel back road and passing rice paddies and tourists, we soon arrived at our hotel in Seminyak. It was beautiful. We were welcomed by the staff with these delicious "mocktails."

Aasha, me, Danna, Nicole & Lynsey

Here are some pictures of our hotel! The guys had their own place with a private pool and the ladies had their own family suite. We each claimed bedrooms, unpacked, and got ready for the beach. Here is a picture of the hotel from Lynsey's Facebook. 

Centra Taum Bali in Seminyak (our official hotel name) with rice paddies our front

The first thing that some of did was change in to our swimsuits and head to the local beach, called Petitenget while some of the others went shopping but planned to meet up with us later. As soon as we arrived, we were quickly informed by a posted sign to continuing walking left as the entrance was reserved for religious Hindu ceremonies, even though at first glance it looks ideal for tanning or swimming. However, it was considered rude to lounge around for any other purpose so we kept walking. 

Not every day you see something like this!

After walking on the scorching hot sand for 5 minutes or so, we found a cozy spot, rented some cushioning chairs for $5 for three hours and vacation officially began.

So much creativity!

The beach was beautiful and the waves were outstanding! The guys looked like such little kids playing in the water. I was more focused on tanning but snapped a few photos of Ike and Joe playing in the water.

Joe and Ike in the water - kind of blurry since it was taken by my Blackberry

We saw some pretty cool sights on the beach. Horses for one! For a split second, my mind was filled with memories of Tennessee Walking Horses trotting in vast green fields. Nothing like home.

Close up of the horses!

I was quickly entranced by a sign advertising Henna, a temporary tattoo art that originated centuries ago.

Plus or minus 10, 000, 000 idr (about 100 US dollars)

An Indian friend from high school always had these and I have ALWAYS wanted to get one! So without hesitation, I marched over and had the artist hook me up. I love it. It's still on my foot -- although it is beginning to fade. However, I am now more inspired than ever to go through with getting a special tattoo that I have wanted forever on my hip.. before my world traveling comes to end.

The Henna begins!

The guy was pretty chill. He used this Henna tar like substance from a Henna tree and mixed it with flour which produced the black stuff you see that he's using. He used a metallic type tool to apply it. It didn't hurt -- after all, he never punctured the skin. :) 

Here's the finished product.

The creativity of the Indonesians in general continues to amaze me. He did my Henna tattoo all by free hand. Amazing.

I went back to my tanning session soon after.

There's nothing like laying out in a cozy chair by the ocean, listening to your iPod, and feeling a cool ocean breeze as you fall asleep and soak up some rays. Being the stubborn person that I am, I refused to lather up with sunscreen even though my fellow pale amigos insisted I do so. I shouldn't admit this but I don't wear sunscreen, ever. Sure, Tennessee is hot and humid and the summers can be brutal, but the sun also doesn't shine directly on you for hours at a time. I've never really burned until I went to Bali. It was really my face that took the hardest hit. I should know better though. It didn't really hurt. My face just felt warm.. and looked red. Ick. I felt like my mom for once. She burns like a tomato (sorry, Mom). I didn't really feel the effects of not wearing sunscreen on my face until a few days later when I started peeling. I wanted to go into hiding.. and did for a night or too.. some might say I'm vain.. but this whole face peeling thing was new for me. Anyway, I have learned my lesson and will now be applying sunscreen generously, especially when tanning by the equator.

Burned but still smiling :)

Anyway, that's all for now folks. I will submit part 2 tomorrow. I need to get some lesson planning and marking done since school starts tomorrow. I've missed my kiddos but boy am I'm gonna miss sleeping all day.

Until next time,

xoxo amber

Bali Update Coming SOON!

Aasha, Nicole, me, Lynsey, & Danna before dinner at Potato Head

We just got back from 8 nights in Bali. What a relaxing getaway. Update coming soon!

Pictures for you to enjoy!

The kiddos put on a short performance of a scene from The Wizard of Oz

Whitening lotion.. because being tan is frowned upon here

Indonesian sweet and sour chicken with rice

From our server.. hahahaha "Sistas. If you comeback to America please send my hai ("hi") to Christina Aguilera, Lady Gaga, Ri Ri (Rihanna), B'yonce Coz I love them so much. Hehehe. LOL"

A common weekend ritual

In Singapore for the day taking care of paperwork!

Dinner at a seafood place the last day of teacher orientation

Spiderman in 3D, only $5 and the quality was 100 times better!

Night out with the girls

Spiderman.. working out.. at the mall..

My student brought me this candy bar because we were talking about homonyms :)

SHOES in a FOREVER 21 <3

Sleepy co-workers on the way to immigration!

A work in progress

They say there's four phases one experiences during culture shock:

1) Honeymoon phase
2) Negotiation phase
3) Adjustment phase
4) Mastery phase

I thought it might be easier to tackle this long awaited post by telling you guys what's been going on here so far as I experience this "culture shock".

1) Honeymoon phase

Okay, so my "honeymoon phase" with Jakarta maybe lasted about a week. I've already told you guys about the cockroaches. I'll admit, I was totally grossed out at first but told myself to toughen up and not freak out.. that maybe this was "normal".. to have these disgusting bugs crawling.. all.. over.. the.. place..

So I tried to brush it off. I prided myself on how many bugs I could kill within a given amount of time. So I tried to ignore them until my roommate Aasha moved in and actually knocked some sense in to me! It's one thing to live in a tropical area and have a bug or two.. but 10 or 11 in one room? Or better yet, a NEST? Ridiculous. We could not focus on being teachers because we were too paranoid to grade papers on our couch. So instead we beging crashing on the futons in the guys' apartment 10 floors above. For 2 weeks.

So begins the complaints to housing at BBS. Problem resolved. Honeymoon phase over.

2) Negotiation phase

The moment I landed in Jakarta, I didn't know what on Earth was going on. I felt so out of place and my mind was so boggled as it tried to make sense of the new world around me and the lack of sleep didn't help either.

Take the putt-putting of the bajais (pronounced "badge-eyes") for instance. These marvelous machines make their way through the streets daily, in search of someone who awaits transportation to their destination. For only 6000 rupiah (that's around the equivalence of 60 cents), you can jump in the back of one of these babies and inhale tremendous amounts of black smoke as you try not to think about the bus that is just inches from knocking your precious ride over. I haven't gathered enough courage yet to hop in to one of these guys, partially because the drivers kind of creep me out. I shouldn't be so judgemental.. the drivers of these rusty vehicles just need some rupiah in their pockets so they can feed their families. They drive for hours upon hours in the blazing hot sun, with no AC ("air-con" as they call it here), dirty clothes, and a pair of flip flops (if they're lucky). Sometimes the drivers are up as early as 3 or 4 am. It's not unusual to hear the distinguished go-cart putt-putt sound outside my 14th story window before the sun rises.

They chill outside our apartment complex (Apartamen Mitra Bahari -- that's "Meethra Buh-are-ee") all hours of the day, eagerly awaiting a customer that can put some money in their pockets. And hey, if you're lucky - maybe they'll even bargain with you. Just hope they don't take advantage of the fact that you speak English.

Come on, you can't tell me that these guys don't creep you out.. not even the slightest bit?

Everything is all or nothing here. You either leave the mall with groceries and no taxi or leave the mall empty handed and there's a whole row full of taxis.. thanks Blue Bird. Always there when I need you..

I could sit here for hours and complain about how backwards everything is here.. and tell you all the things I took for granted back home.. like seedless grapes. And technology? Forget about it. My internet has basically been non-existent up until about 1 day ago. You can't just call up Comcast and have DSL the next day. It's such a process here. You have to physically go into a store and register but make sure you have some sort of identification on you otherwise they'll tell you "Maybe tomorrow."

This place is not customer service oriented. My friend Karl just spent the past 2 hours on and off with the internet company we just subscribed to! His internet went down and they were supposed to send someone to fix his modem hours ago.. he called at least 3 more times and yelled at them (in Bahasa of course) until someone decided to show up around 8 pm. No apology either.

The streets are not pedestrian friendly. I cannot jog outside so I run on the treadmill downstairs in the gym, which has air con capabilities but is always turned off.. and monitored.. so I feel like I am in a sauna instead of a gym. Excellente.

There are no traffic rules. Want to make a U-turn? Go for it! Just watch out for the bus that's flying towards you. No worries, everyone's doing it. Traffic jam? Just pay the guy in the middle of the street 10000 rupiah ($1) and he'll sacrifice his life as he blocks off traffic so you can squeeze your Mercedes in between two construction trucks with workers hanging off the side.

I used to be the paranoid backseat driver but have no fear anymore! I don't even cringe these days when a car comes flying towards our taxi, even if it very well could T-bone us if it wanted to.

Then there's the motorcycles. Or motorscooters rather. I have seen up to 5 Indonesians on one! I am not overexaggerating. Seriously. And this is not restricted to adults. I see women CONSTANTLY carrying their babies in an over the shoulder type slang as their 2 year old holds on for dear life behind them. Is she crazy? Invest in a vehicle that's actually child friendly! Don't you love your child enough to think about this?

Oh wait.. T. I. J!

This is Jakarta.

View from our taxi

 
3) Adjustment phase

Fire near Mangga Dua!

We recently traveled to an electronic hot spot - basically a mall with at least 5 stories full of pirated movies, CDs, electronics.. I know where I'll be doing MY Christmas shopping.

Anyway, after we purchased a new router for only $35, we hopped in a taxi only to sit in traffic. And we see a man. On the ground. Crawling. Because he only had one leg. The most traumatic image I will have etched inside my brain for a very, very long time. Begging for money. My heart ached for him.

And then all of a sudden, my attention deviated to the people running in the streets up ahead. Turns out there was some building on fire. Smoke everywhere. It was like a scene from 9/11. People running. Women crying. Sirens going off. Firetrucks honking. People banging on our taxi window because we were "in the way."

Quickly remembering the helpless individual meters away from my vehicle, I turned and the man was gone. I wish I would have done something for him.

I'm not sure what's worse to see while you're sitting in traffic. A man literally pulling himself across the ground as he begs for money, only using only his arms and one leg or the young woman who stands with her son and her face up at your window as her toddler knocks on your window because they're hungry? Or the 10 year old boy who roams the streets during peak traffic hours, begging for money and puts his head down in frustration when the BMW drives off without the slightest acknowledgement? Or the 6 year old boy who sells newspapers out in the blazing heat for hours on end whose not ashamed to knock on a taxi driver's window and beg for water because he is so thirsty?

I gave him what was left of my liter of water and he chugged it so fast. I yet I feel so helpless. And I feel especially selfish for complaining constantly because there's no organic apples.

How can a country full of so many natural resources and gold and diamond mines allow so many of its people to live so horribly? I don't understand it.

I now tell my taxi driver the name of our apartment complex in an accent he actually understands. I recognise numbers and have begun to spell words the British way because it's expected at our school when teaching the children of tomorrow..

I know that bottled water here is called mineral water. Whiteboard erasers are called dusters. Whiteout is called Type X. Notebook paper is called full scab. Clocks are watches. Bathrooms are toilets. Dates are written as 8 August and not August 8. Elevators are lifts. Paper towels are rare. Everyone uses tissue for everything. Good luck finding a butter knife for your peanut butter and jelly sandwich. You'll probably have to use a spoon. All toiletries are travel size, even shaving cream. Vacations are "holiday" and if you choose to eat Asian with American utensils, you should use your fork to scrape food into your spoon and then eat.

And expect to pay a ridiculous amount for a half gallon of Florida's Natural Orange Juice. Come on now, it's imported! What did you expect? Selfish American..

I used to get irritated with the stares as I wore shorts outside. Now I don't bother. I don't want to be seen as a prostitute.

Seriously. Promiscuity in any form or fashion = slut.

I have learned that when businesses say they are going to be closed, they usually aren't. You can walk in to a grocery store and not feel bad about it, even if they are closing in 10 minutes. Just make sure you hand the door greeter your bags so he can tape them up.

Need an HDMI cord? We don't sell those individually. Just do some shady business at the local Carrefour. Just watch out for the cameras. It's not stealing if you're paying the employee for it..

Do you want a cable or not?

Some days I begin to ask myself once again.. "What in the world? What if? But I thought.." and then I have to remind myself that I am in Jakarta.

T. I. J. my friends!

I miss Wal-Mart incase any of you wanted to know. And Pringles with salt. And candy that's actually sweet. I miss the deli at Kroger. I hate the feeling of nausea that succumbs my entire being as I shop the poultry section at Carrefour.

I swear this is real.

I miss kittens with tails. A long time ago the tails were broken off because Indonesians thought cats were too "perfect" so they broke off their tails and now they're just born that way. This is one such cat. I felt bad for it until it clawed my legs. In fact, I'm almost positive this cat hates me.

Pelangi - Ryan's roommate's cat

Must be nice -____-

4) Mastery phase

This is still a work in progress. However, there are some things I have mastered! Believe it or not I now can..

• Step outside my apartment, clap twice, flap my "wings" twice and signal the number 1 (for 1 taxi)
• I can drink drinks with ice and not get sick. And fruit. And salad! In fact, I had one the other day. My stomach is now made of steel! However, I will not be trying any street vendor food just yet..
• "Mah kasih" = thank you; "Barapa?" = How much?; "Di mana" = where is?; "Sama sama" = you're welcome
• Count rupiah accurately
• Walk on the correct side of the staircase (which would be opposite for us..)
• Identify the "good" yogurt
• Know where to purchase CDs, movies, and electronics galore for two-thirds of the price! (Mangga Dua = literally translates into "Two Mangoes")
• Teach one of the lowest P5 science groups and yet have them score higher than any of the other three P5 higher ability classes combined :)
• Average an 85% for the first topical test with a P3 class -- GUCCI!
• Meet 3 hot European guys and inspire them to invite us to some bowling :)
• Fall down a step at a bar after one too many "iced teas"...

Okay, okay, so maybeeee I'm still a work in progress.


************

Bali in 7 days!





Until next time..

xoxox amber