The land of smiles

I had heard many times before coming to Indonesia that in this country everyone always smiled and people were extremely friendly. It was when I finally got here that I understood what that really meant. A smile here is just a common feature of the people, a law followed by one and all. The linguistic implications of smiling surpass any words or sentence structures, and here a smile is literally worth one thousand words.

As a newcomer in this country, I keep trying to decipher the language in order to communicate, but I have started to realize that I already know many of the common expressions used by the locals. I asked my neighbors “How do you say ‘nice to meet you’?” and they replied that there wasn’t a direct translation for that phrase; instead of saying it, you just smile and show the other person that you are pleased to have met him/her. I asked a coworker “How do you say ‘have a nice day’?” All she could think of was “smile!” That’s how you wish someone a nice day. My Bahasa Indonesia just keeps getting better every day!

I think of all the empty phrases that people repeat mechanically without actually meaning anything. Often you hear at the cash register in a store “have a nice day,” and the person uttering those words doesn’t even look at you when saying it. Sometimes you don’t even reply because their repetitive character seemed to have lowered their register and erased their meaning. What a difference it makes when you look at someone and just smile. It actually makes you more prone to having a nice day!

New Indonesian friends

First impressions

I have been in Indonesia for three days now. The journey was lengthy, but there were no complications or delays, and I could even say that it was a pleasant trip across the world. I left Carbondale Monday afternoon after having been lovingly sent off family and friends; J drove me to St. Louis where I got to hang out with Erin, one of my besties, one more time before leaving the country. The next morning J drove me to the airport, we said our goodbyes and I-will-miss-yous, and I carried my belongings to the airline counter. After so much packing and repacking—which I did again twice the night before—I had no issues with my luggage and it was sent to a safe place in the belly of an airplane. This was really happening!

The flight St. Louis-Chicago was brief and painless, and the Chicago-Tokyo leg was surprisingly easy too. 12 hours of reading, watching new releases, eating delicious Japanese airline food, drinking beer and wine, and napping in my two-seat makeshift bed. The five-hour layover in Narita gave some time to buy oleh-oleh for my counterpart Ibu Mira, take silly photos posing as a samurai in one of the shops, charge my phone and computer, and get sleepy enough for the next portion of the trip. Tokyo-Jakarta was a long, uninterrupted, 7-hour slumber that went by quickly. And then there I was: Indonesia! So close to the finish line, yet I still had a 6-hour wait before making it to Lombok. I got to the Jakarta airport around midnight, when everything was closed. Somehow I struck a conversation with a photographer from Georgia and we made an unspoken agreement to accompany each other throughout the night. We walked around the airport, sat by the entrance to the security checkpoint (which was not open until 3am), exchanged travel stories, and when the airport began to wake up, went to get some coffee and then went our separate ways towards our respective boarding gates. I boarded the plane to Lombok around 5:50am, and it felt like it took a second to get to my final destination. After a couple of very long flights, a 2-hour one felt like nothing.

Hello, Lombok! Nice to finally meet you! I had been imagining you for the past 6 months and here you are now, embracing me warmly.

Welcoming committee

I arrived Thursday morning and after retrieving my luggage at the baggage claim, I walked towards the front door to meet my welcoming committee: Ibu Mira, a kind and smiley woman who was to become my number one source of information; one of her students, Pak Mul, who also offered his help easing my transition; and last but no least, the vice-rector of the university, Prof. Suwardji, who happened to be coming back from a trip to Java the same morning. One of the university drivers, Pak Sukri, was waiting for us in the parking lot, ready to take us to the campus of Universitas Mataram. We were all excited to meet each other and happily chatted on the way there. Once at the school, I was shown my office, was introduced to an array of people, and was taken to an amazing restaurant where I ate lots of delicious Indonesian food. After lunch, Ibu Mira took me to my new apartment and then we went to a few stores to buy some basics. Afterwards, she left me at home to get some rest and told me that she would come to pick me up in the morning. Miraculously, I wasn’t even jet lagged and I ended up going to bed around 11pm and getting up the next day at 7am. Time change? What time change?

First lunch in Lombok

Enak!

Professor Suwardi and Mira

The next morning Mira picked me up at 8am to go to the university and meet more people. I was welcomed by the rector, Prof. Sunarpi, and met the heads of the English, Education, and Bahasa Indonesia departments. We talked about possible projects and ways how I could contribute to their programs. Since it was a Friday, a day for prayer in Muslim communities, the university closed early and Mira and I went to get some incredibly delicious (and cheap) street food—rice with vegetables, tofu, peanut paste, chili paste, a boiled egg, potatoes, and fish balls. Yum! We went back to my place to eat, and when Mira left, I sat the gazebo outside my house and met two of my new neighbors. Galih and Augus recently moved to Lombok from other islands to complete their masters in ethnomusicology, and we immediately connected. Galih gave me some traditional Indonesian music, and when the sun went down, we all walked together to the student zone where many shops, cafés, and restaurants abound. They took me to a minimarket where I bought some groceries for breakfast, a clothing store where I got a batik dress to wear around the house, and we stopped at a fruit stand to get some strange looking, but very tasty fruit. We had dinner together and walked back to the house to get some sleep.

My new landlady, her husband, and their granddaughter.

Today is Saturday and I can’t believe it’s been only 3 days since I got to Lombok. I already feel like I have good friends here, and I’m almost completely settled. This morning Mira came back to help me negotiate my rent for the next 10 months with the landlady. Things couldn’t have gone any better: I got a comfortable place to live at a great price; my neighbors are extremely cool; and Ibu Kop, the landlady, is a very sweet old woman who assured me that she wants me to be happy here. So far, I have no complaints about this new life in Lombok. I’m leaving for Bali tomorrow morning for a conference and our in-country orientation, and I am excited to see all the other fellows again, and hear about their experiences at their sites so far. Bali also sounds pretty okay. I think I can deal with a week of that… I’m sure I’ll get back full of ideas and ready to tackle my new position at the university. As for now, I’ll keep soaking in all these new experiences, trying to learn as much Bahasa Indonesia as possible (I can practice with my neighbors), and readying myself for what it is ahead. I’ll keep you posted.

Pack, unpack, repack.

It has been about three months since I got accepted to the English Language Fellow Program and signed up to go to Indonesia. However, this last month has been hectic, exciting, full of anxiety, and now I'm starting to count down the days left before the big move across the ocean. It's finally happening!

Moving out of my old apartment was a piece of cake. The new tenant bought all of my furniture so I didn't have to worry about moving it or storing it. I just had to get my clothes and books out of the place, pack some boxes with trinkets and random stuff, and start picking and choosing what to take with me to Lombok. I have probably packed my suitcase about twenty times, going through everything that's in there and deciding that I don't really need this or that, rearranging the contents, and making sure that I have everything I will need in the other side of the world. But what do I really need? The question pops into my head and I realize that even here in the United States I have always tried to live minimally and I don't need much to subsist. A change of clothes and a toothbrush and I'll be fine. Stop worrying.

The last few weeks in Carbondale have been great, and I have been making sure that I enjoy every minute of my time here. Swimming in the lake, hiking in the woods, cycling to the river, hanging out with friends, visiting CESL (my old workplace) and helping out with an opening event for its 50th anniversary. Nothing too different from what I regularly do, but I am taking it all in, knowing that in a few days I'll be in a different environment, surrounded by new people, customs, a strange language. Everything will be new, so it's time to bask in the familiar places, sounds, and faces. I will surely miss Carbondale and the people here. This place has become my home and claimed a spot in my heart.

Now it's time to finish packing and see some dear people one more time before I leave. I'll be somewhere in Indonesia the next time I post something. xoxo.

A hike in the woods with Jen and Aya. I'll miss these ladies.

A lucky fellow

Thinking back about the path that led me to Lombok makes me realize how life slowly works itself into something wonderful even when you are not aware of what is happening. Little by little all the pieces arrange themselves and become meaningful, become part of a larger picture, and all of a sudden you see how the dots connect.

During the cold months of the winter when I was feeling stuck in a bleak existence, I decided to change course and applied to the English Language Fellow Program --an exchange program funded by the U.S. Department of State that sends English teachers around the world to promote mutual understanding and enhance English language teaching. I had gotten some brochures about the program a few months earlier during a conference, and even though I was happy with my job situation, I really felt like there were some things missing in my life. I sat down, filled out the application, doubted my qualifications, and waited for a possibly unfavorable response.

Forward a few months. Guess who got accepted into the program!!! I got offered to go to Indonesia to train English teachers for ten months and I didn't think it twice before enthusiastically replying "YES!" The director of the program where I was working at the time was extremely supportive, gave me wise advise and guidance, and even mentioned the possibility of taking a leave of absence for a year if I wanted to. Everything seemed to be falling into place, so my decision to leave for Indonesia was one of the easiest decisions I have ever made.

Last week we had Pre-departure orientation in Washington D.C. I got to meet new and returning fellows going to Indonesia among many other fellows going all over the world. In a matter of hours I had made many new friends that will become part of an extensive support group, along with our Regional English Language officer (RELO) who proved to be an amazing woman with a sense of humor and a clear understanding of the role of education overall and the workings of the Indonesian educational system in particular. I left orientation with a sense of security and optimism. I know I will have someone offering me support whenever the going gets rough, and I know this is an incredible opportunity for both personal and professional growth. Anything seems possible when I trust myself.

Sometimes I get really lucky. Lets see how I face the challenges coming ahead and how I get transformed in the way. I'm ready to do this!

2015-2016 Indonesia Fellows at PDO.