A Time to Throw Away

There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:

a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,

a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,

a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,

a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,

a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,

Ecclesiastes 3:1-6

This past weekend was our school's first all staff work days. This coming June we are going to be moving the school to a new campus. In preparation for that big event they've set aside weekends this semester designated for us to spending sorting, organizing, packing, etc. All this in hopes to alleviate stress and chaos when the actual event comes in June. This past weekend's theme was purge. We worked friday afternoon (the student's left at noon) and saturday sorting through and getting rid of tons of old stuff. I was in charge of collecting, organizing, and inventorying all of the math manipulatives for elementary and secondary. It was quite a job and still isn't totally done yet. Continue to pray for all the finances to come in for the building project that is underway. Also, pray for positive attitudes of the staff, as getting ready for the move will take a lot of extra energy and time (and saturdays) in the coming months.

In other news, last weekend I was really, really sick. It had come time to de-worm myself. (Twice a year, everyone who lives here has to take de-worming medicine to get rid of all the worms that they contract and that begin to grow inside their stomachs.) However, I didn't follow the proper directions and took the medicine on an empty stomach (problem #1) and took enough for someone who weights 70 kg (problem #2), along with that some friends and I ate in a whole in the wall place for dinner that night and I had some avocado juice (which I would not recommend). The combination of those things and probably some other unseen factors and I wound up the sickest I've been since I got here, maybe even the sickest I've ever been in my life. I was up all night Saturday night, then all day Sunday and all day Monday I could barely move. I definitely couldn't eat anything and when I tried it didn't stay in me for very long. By Tuesday morning I was ready to go back to work, but was really weak from not having anything in my stomach for the past 2 1/2 days. The walk to school alone just about did me in, but from there I had a pretty easy day as I gave tests in most of my classes. Thankfully, I'm feeling much better now. Although, I have recently come down with a cold, so I would still appreciate prayers for health.

The Smell of Indonesia

When I was at my pre-field orientation this past summer one of the things they mentioned is that every country has a smell. I didn't really know what they were talking about... a smell? What does that mean? The whole country has the same smell? How could that be?

It didn't take long before I found out. I remember almost immediately after arriving in Indonesia, taking in the smell of this foreign place. However, I couldn't quite place the smell, just knew it was unique. After a few months of being here, I finally realized what it is. The smell of Indonesia is the smell of burning leaves (sometimes mixed with trash). Although there is trash pick up throughout the city, it is still very common to see people burning trash. But even more common is to see little fires along the side of the road of leaves burning. That smell has now been ingrained in my mind.

A Walk through the Kampung to the Bandung Zoo

The weekend always brings with it an adventure or two. Last weekend we had a very lazy Saturday and just hung out at home all day and night. So by the time Sunday rolled around we were ready to get out. A group of us decided to walk to the zoo. To get there we walked through the kampung, which is what they call the neighborhoods where the local Sundanese people live. They are formed by gongs, narrow alley ways, that connect in a maze all around the city. For the most part they are too narrow for cars to drive through (some people can get around on motorbike through them) but mostly you just have to walk. We also walked through a graveyard along the way. Graveyards here have a different look than they do in the States. The one we went through was really overgrown and unkept. I got some good pictures along the way that might help give you an idea of what daily life is like, especially for the local people.

Also along our walk we stopped at an art park. It was this weird hippie like community with some open air art galleries done by local artists.

At the end of our walk we ended up at the Bandung zoo. I've heard that the zoo here is really not a place you want to go because it is really depressing. After seeing it for myself I'd have to agree. We showed up and were told that the zoo was closed. Then a lady came up and told us that if we went around to another entrance we could get in. So we went around only to find the guy at the entrance tell us that we were too late. Then the same lady came up again and said that he should let us in... and so he caved. We basically had the zoo to ourselves as we wandered around looking at the different animals. It did get a little eerie as the sun started setting and it was getting dark, and we were in the closed down zoo all by ourselves.

Sadly, the animals at the zoo were stuffed in small cages or crammed in with lots of other animals. The cages were dirty and unkept and the elephant had a chain around it's leg. Along with that there were really just bars between you and the animals... for the most part you could reach through and touch them if you wanted to. At one point we started taunting the lion and it jumped up and surprised us... kind of scary. We also saw a snake kill a duck. (I guess that's what happens when you put ducks in with the snakes.)

For all the pictures of the afternoon check out the web album: http://picasaweb.google.com/emilyinbandung/KampungWalkBandungZoo

Week Without Walls

These past three days have been BAIS's annual Week Without Walls. It's a week where both students and staff are challenged to get beyond themselves and the confines of our campus to reach out to the larger community. This year's slogan is "Letting Others In; Getting Beyond Ourselves; Learning to Love Like Jesus." There were 11 different groups doing a wide variety of things: from planting trees and picking up trash to visiting a deaf school, community health outreach, and inviting neighborhood kids to our campus for a sports camp. The groups were mixed ages as well as the staff being mixed with different grades than they normally work with.

The group I was assigned to was "The Center." Eight students, grades 10 through 12, and three teachers joined up with a local ministry to college students. A few years ago a group of people started "The Center," a place where young people can come and practice their English and just hang out.

And that's just what we did for the last three days: hung out. We started the morning with some training, then in the late morning they hooked us up with a city guide to take us around the city. This turned into a time to just hang out with a local Indonesian, getting to know them, seeing the city of Bandung, having lunch, etc.

We traveled by Angkot, the public transportation, which are like vans that have routes all over the city. One day our guide took us to the center of Bandung to see some historical buildings. We saw some old churches and the cathedral. We saw the oldest bank in Bandung and walked around a park. Then we went to the Asia-Africa Museum. I had no idea that this conference had been held in Bandung. Actually, I'm not even sure I had ever heard of this before this week. We had a great time hanging out and getting to know our guide, a local Sundanese girl. She grew up in Bandung and graduated university with a degree in criminal law. She currently teaches classes in criminal law at the university and has been going to "The Center" since it started 5 years ago.

Another day she took us to an orphanage that she volunteers at twice a week teaching English to the kids. When we got there most of the kids were at school but we got to go and hold the babies. It was such an impactful and moving experience. There were probably 20 or so babies in the two rooms with only a few workers. I wanted to stay all day and hold them. I just kept thinking of how they say that babies who don't get a lot of touch are affected for years to come. But eventually we had to leave to head back.

Then in the afternoon we spent time at "The Center" for their daily hang out time. We sat around, talking and playing games with many different people, from all walks of life, but mostly college students. While the purpose of "The Center" is for people to come and practice their English with native speakers, it has turned into a place where people come because it's where their friends are and they feel at home. Some people come everyday, others come and stay all afternoon and evening.

It really has been an amazing past couple of days. It's given me a fresh perspective of Indonesia and the people who live here. I walked away with some new friends, many who are around my age. It was refreshing to see what others who are living here in Bandung are doing. And I'm left in awe of my Father for the things He is teaching me and for bringing me to this place.

A few highlights from the week are below. I've put all the pictures from the past few days up on a web album. Click here to view them: http://picasaweb.google.com/emilyinbandung/WWW

Riding an Angkot with our city guide. (The two girls on the right are two of our high schoolers.)

Holding babies at the orphanage.

Playing with some of the little girls at the orphanage.

Making friends with some girls at "The Center."

An English lesson one afternoon at "The Center."

Birthday Celebration

A couple weekends ago we went out to celebrate my birthday. It was a fun evening packed full of surprises. Some friends had arranged for us to try go-carting at a large mall in southern Bandung. It was my first time ever trying this and I have a feeling it's a little different here than in the States. It just didn't feel super safe... I felt like I was going to tip over or something. Don't worry mom we all wore helmets. :)

Then we went inside the mall where they have some games and a roller coaster. A few of us decided to give the roller coaster a try and, although it wasn't the greatest thing ever, it was still fun. Next, we headed to a local Indonesian restaurant for dinner where I tried some new and different foods: squid, snails, and cow skin being among them. Lastly, we made a stop for dessert nearby. We enjoyed various types of cheesecake at a hole in the wall cheesecake place. Here are a couple of highlight pictures from the evening. To see all the pictures click on the following link that will take you to that Picasa Web Album:

http://picasaweb.google.com/emilyinbandung/MyBirthdayCelebrationInIndonesia

Ponderings

Father,

I can't believe it's the end of another week. I don't know what happened to it... just seemed to disappeared right before me. I still feel in a daze over the events and business of the week.

And so here I sit asking myself "am I doing what You've called me here to do?" and "what do You have for me here in this place?" I'm afraid I too quickly get caught up in myself and become focused on my own needs and worries.

Your Word says, "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."

As the result of a challenge from a friend this week I am sensing that you are calling me to ask for forgiveness from those who you've placed me in community with. For it seems I find myself needing healing... but don't we all? For only then will my prayer be powerful and effective. And only then will I be set free to live as you intended me to live- overflowing with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and self-control. And without these things I'm not doing what You've called me here to do. Please begin a new work within me, Father.

Amen.