in the desa

i went back to the desa yesterday - the desa i went to wednesday where i was the first white person they'd ever seen. i talked with a different group of ladies this time.

lady 1: do you think she speaks indonesian?
lady 2: maybe. ask.
lady 1: i don't think she does. she doesn't understand us.
lady 2: i think she does. look at her.
lady 1: hey! do you speak indonesian?
me: yeah.
lady 2: do you speak javanese?
me: not much.
lady 1: ooooooh... but you speak indonesian.
me: yeah.
lady 3: where are you from?
me: america.
lady 3: but you live in salatiga?
me: yeah.
lady 2: (to lady 3) she knows a lot.
lady 2: how long have you been in indonesia?
me: two and a half years.
lady 2: oh. so you're fluent.
me: not quite...
lady 3: but you know a lot.
me: thanks!
*awkward pause*
me: (to lady 1) is this your kid?
lady 1: yeah.
me: so handsome! (seriously, the kid was adorable) how old is he?
lady 1: it's a boy.
me: mmhmm.....?
lady 1: he's 2.
me: he's really cute!
lady 1: *laughs*
me: so i'm wondering... what is the religion here?
lady 2: muslim. all of us.
me: 100%?
lady 3: yeah! *excitedly* but in the next village, there's FIVE *holds up 4 fingers* catholics!
me: oh. wow.
lady 2: yeah, that's our mosque *points down the village's one street*
me: ok, i see it. so when we were driving here, i saw an elementary school. do you have a middle or high school the kids can go to or do they start working after elementary school?
lady 3: we're all farmers!
lady 2: there's a middle school. but it's brand new. they just built it in the next village.
me: what year? is it too far to go?
lady 2: 2007, and no, it's not far. most of the kids go there.
me: what about high school?
lady 2: there's 2 high schools in selo.
me: that's too far!
lady 2: yeah. those who are able send their kids there.
lady 3: but now *motioning with her hand to the piles of ash everywhere* nobody is able.
me: how far are we from the peak of merapi?
lady 1: 4 kilometers.
me: what about the kids who don't go to high school in selo? what do they do?
lady 1: we get married and work in the fields.
me: how old are girls when they get married?
lady 2: 15 or 16 or 17 or 18.
me: wow! i'm 24 and i'm not married! old, huh?
lady 1: if you lived here, you'd have 2 kids by now.
me: how old are you? *said to lady 1 with the 2 year old son*
lady 1: 18.
me: aish.... wow. do you want more kids?
lady 1: *laughs a beautiful laugh* i don't know. this one is a lot of work!
me: for american culture, you're really young to have kids. we normally get married around 24 or 25 maybe then have kids even later than that.
all exclaim: really? so old!!
*a man, who i assume to be lady 1's husband comes over*
man: where are you from?
ladies: america!
me: right!
man: do you want to teach us english?
me: uhhhhh.....
man: all we know is one, two, three (numbers said in english) because that's all we learn in school. one until ten.
me: uhhhhh......
man: come teach us english! are you a teacher? a professor?
me: a teacher. at the international school.
man: so come teach us!
me: if i taught you english, where would you use it? in your fields? with your cows?
man: hmmmm.... maybe!
me: well, i can't now because of my job, and it's too far to drive here a lot. two hours. but maybe in the future?
man: ok.
me: *trying to get the attention off me* (to lady 2) how old is your baby?
lady 2: one month.
me: wow! so new! boy or girl?
lady 2: girl.
man: she was born in the refugee camp.
me: which one?
man: magelang.
me: wow..... how long have you guys been back?
man: 24 days.
me: was anyone in your village killed?
man: no, praise Allah.
me: homes destroyed?
man: a few, but not many.
me: good...
man: you should go inside and wait. *points to the village leader's house behind me* i'll make you tea.
me: *not knowing where anybody else in my group was at this point* maybe i'll just wait here.
ladies: no! go inside! it's getting cold out here!
me: uhmm..... ok.
*i went in the house and didn't see any of them again. but i did get tea.*