Dormant

It’s hard to find new topics to write about for my blog. Indonesia hasn’t lost its appeal; I’m still in love with my life here. Rather, I have become accustomed to the aspects of Indonesia that I used to find amazing. At a certain point, Peace Corps life becomes mundane. The things that intrigue people back home are just biasa (normal) to me.

A year ago, I would gush over every little cultural difference I encountered. I’d write about it in my diary. I’d call my friends and compare experiences. I even bragged to fellow PCVs about pooping my pants (it’s a Peace Corps badge of honor to poop your pants). Everything was new and exciting. But now, life is just…life.

If the power runs out from yet another rain storm, I pick up a candle and a good book. I bathe with cold water every morning and every evening without flinching. When I want to spend time with fellow PCVs, I sit on an 8 hour bus ride to Surabaya with minimal complaint. If a man tries to bring a goat or chicken onto the bus, I simply scoot over to give the man some room.

The wanderlust in me is not dead; it’s just dormant. I have become comfortable in my environment and I have no reason to leave any time soon. When I leave Panggul,I find myself getting anxious if I am away for a while. I want to go back to my desa/my school/my house and return to my daily activities. I feel out of place traveling for too long. In fact, people in my village comment if I am absent for a few days.

“Why weren’t you at prayer last week, miss?”

“Why didn’t you come to class?”

“When will you come back, kakak Kruti?”

People miss me and I miss them. I am no longer a stranger in a strange land. I’m a local. Here, I have a home.

This is my biasa position: on my front porch, reading a book, eating soto ayam, and drinking Indonesian black coffee in my PJ's. Come join! 

My Murid, Lesta

Last June, the Peace Corps told me I would be teaching at SMA 1 Panggul for the next 2 years of my life. I entered school a little nervous and very confused. I didn't know anyone, but I recieved a lot of attention. Teachers hurried to shake my hands. Students giggled and pointed at me. Some were brave enough to say, "Hello, Miss!" However, most students ran away from me in groups. In this culture, it's common for people to shyly cluster together. They firmly believe in the "strength in numbers" mentality.

However, one student stood out from the giggly, shy crowd. Her name is Pusvita Lestari, but her friends call her Lesta. Lesta marched up to me, shook my hand, and offered to show me around Panggul. Later that same week, I was riding my bike down to Konan Beach with her. I thought she was going to be quiet and let me do all the talking. Oh no. That's not Lesta's style. She talked my ear off....in English. In. Nearly. Perfect. English. 

Her English speaking skills astonished me. At 15 years old, her knowledge of the English language is advanced and almost equal to my mother's (my mother has lived in the US for 30 years). She told me fun facts about Panggul. She introduced me to some of her friends. She even told me an old Javanese legend called Queen of the South Sea. I had such a fun day with her. 

Throughout the year, she has helped me integrate into the school community. If I taught alone, she translated for me. If I had questions about the scheduele, she fed me the answers. If there was chaos in the classroom, she helped maintain control. She was like my little helper!

 

 

Last Thursday, Lesta entered her third English speaking competition. She was one of 45 students who competed. Each student had 7 minutes to tell a story (I'm sure you're doing the math and realizing how long I sat through this competition. It was a long day, that's all I have to say). Lesta chose to recite "The Legend of Dang Gedunai." This story explains why fishermen never go to sea when the current is strong. This is the exact text that she translated herself:

Once upon a time in Riau, there was a stubborn kid named Dang Gedunai. He lived with his mother. But he never made her happy. 

"Mom, I want to go to the river. I want to go fishing," said Dang Gedunai.

"It's cloudy outisde. Rain will soon fall. Why don't you just stay at home?"

As always, Dang Gedunai ignored her. He then went to the river. It was very cloudy when he arrived at the river side. Soon it was drizzling but Dang Gedunai was still busy fishing. Later rain fell down heavily. Dang Gedunai finally gave up. However right before he left, he saw something shining in the river. 

It was a very big egg. Carefull, Dang Gedunai brought the egg home. His mother was surprised to see him brought a big egg. 

"What egg is that? Where di you find it?" 
"In the river, Mom."
"Be careful with the eff. You have to return it," replied his mother.

As always, he ignored his mother's advice. He planned to boil the egg and ate it. In the morning, his mother was ready to go to the paddy field. Again, she advised him to put the egg back to the river. Dang Gedunai did not say anything. 

When his mother left the house, he immediately boiled the egg. When it was cookied, he ate it. It was so delicious. He was so full then he fell a sleep. He had a dream. A giant dragon came to him.

"You stole my egg. For the punishment, you will become a dragon!" Dang Gedunai woke up. He felt very thristy. Later his mother went home. 
"What happened?"
"I don't know. Suddenly I feel very thirsty. My throat is very hot."

His mother then gave him a glass of water. It's not enough. He drank another glass, then another glass, then another glass until there was not any water in the house. His mother asked him to go to the pond. Dang Gedunai drank all the water until the pond was dried. But it was not enough. Then they went to the river. Again it was not enough. Dang Gedunai knew his dream would come true. He would become a dragon. 

"Mom, please forgive me. I ignored you. I ate the egg. It was a dragon's egg. I will change as a dragon. I cannot live with you anymore. I will live in the sea. If you see big waves in the sea, that means I'm eating. But if the waves are calmed, then I'm sleeping," said Dang Gedunai. 

His mother cried. Then slowly Dang Gedunai left her. His mother ten told the villagers not to go to the sea when the waves were big. Her son was eating. Until now fisherman do not want to go fishing in the sea when the waves are big. They know the dragon is eating. They just wait until the dragon is finished eating and the waves are calmed. 

Lesta performed this speech with incredible passion. The judges were clearly impressed with her talent, which is exactly why she won first place! On May 29th, Lesta is entering another English speaking contest. She will be performing "The Legend of Dang Gedunai" and "The Legend of Bloody Mary." I will help her practice over the next 2 weeks and I have confidence that she can win another trophy!

WOMEN! And stuff

April 21 marked my second Hari Katini (or Kartini Day) in Indonesia. Hari Kartini is a day to celebrate Raden Ayu Kartini who is known today as Indonesia's prominent feminist figure. My home girl Kartini was born on April 21, 1879, into a royal Javanese family with an intellectual background. Her family only allowed her to attend school until the age of 12 (typical for Indonesian women at the time). However, Kartini continued to educate herself. She was passionate about empowering women with regards to freedom, autonomy, and legal equality. She married in November 1903 to a man who already had 3 wives. Lucky for her, Kartini's husband understood her wishes and allowed her to build a school for women. Kartini later passed away a few days after giving birth to her only son in 1904. OH! And fun fact: Homeslice Tini was a vegetarian. You go, girl.

 Here's a photo of her:

My school didn't want to celebrate Kartini Day on Tuesday, so we postponed festivities until Saturday. We basically had a 6 hour long talent competition. Additionally, students and staff members dressed up in traditional Indonesian clothing. I got jazzed up in a Kebaya and even got my hair and make up did. I wish I had a picture to show you, but sadly I do not.

During Hari Kartini festivities, I thought about women's rights in Indonesia. Of course there is plenty of work to be done here, but I'm an optomist. I like looking at the positives! So, here's a list of aspects of women's issues in Indonesia that have surprised me:

1) Wearing a hijab at my school is an option, not a requirment. I teach at a public high school (SMA), but some of my female students chose not to cover their hair. Of course majority of my students still want to wear the hijab, but that is a personal preference. Madrasahs, which are Islamic high schools, require females to wear head scarves.

2) There's no glass ceiling here. That's right, America. Take notes. Men and women receive equal pay if they have the same job and have been working for the same amount of time. BOOM.

3) The Indonesian government encourages women to get married after the age of 20. I went to a wedding last week. Guess how old the bride was? 26.

4) DUA ANAK CICUP. Sorry, that must have just sounded like random sounds to you, but they mean things here. DAC is the national family planning slogan. It literally translates into "Two children are enough." Many Indonesian families have only one or two children. After that, women AND men line up at their local Puskesmas to get sterilized. My host mom had her tubes tied and my CP's husband got a vasectomy. Boo yeah to small families!

5) Females are stereotyped to be better students. I'm not the biggest fan of this because that means my male students think it's cool to slack off.

6) Majority of my students are females. YUP. About 70% of my kids are girls. Apparently the male students tend to drop out. I haven't seen much of this, but maybe they drop out before high school? Idk. If anyone else has an answer, lemme know iya?

7) More women are becoming midwives. Midwives are trained to deliver babies and inform women when/if they need to head to the emergency room. My fellow PCV and dear friend Cait knows more about this. I'll let her speak on this subject matter. Here's the link to her brilliant blog A Prairie State of Mind- The Feminst I Live With

Like I said before, there's a lot of women's issues that I disagree with here. However, I don't want to mention them in my blog because I'm afraid of offending anyone in my village. Plus, America could use some work in the feminism department, so who am I to judge?