A Story (As Told by Ibu Sri)

You know those things that are like rats? But they are smaller. Like small rats. But their tails are short. They're called shrews.

Well, there is one living behind your neighbor's house. She has a box of books stored behind her house, and the shrew is living in there. I saw it. And I followed it to the box. And I saw all of the poop. That's how I know it's living there.

So I called my cats.... I mean, your cats.... And I tried to make the yellow one eat the shrew. The yellow cat likes to eat rats. And he saw that shrew. But shrews smell bad, so animals usually don't want to eat them. But the yellow cat saw it. And he followed the shrew. And I thought he was going to eat it.

He got really close to the shrew. But then I think the shrew probably farted. Because suddenly the yellow cat ran away and he wouldn't come back.

I don't want to touch it because it smells bad. And your neighbor's helper is scared. When she sees it, she just freezes and screams for me to come chase it back in the box.

So the shrew still lives in that box of books.

THE END

Dead Week

At our school, the week before finals is affectionately known as "Dead Week". Officially, that is the name because all after school activities die down, giving teachers and students more time to prepare for finals. Unofficially, we all know that Dead Week really refers to how everyone feels on the inside.

Here are some things I've been busy with this week.

1. Dress code. Teachers are sick of enforcing it, so we are having uniform shirts made for next year. We decided this would be much easier than trying to enforce a strict dress code (currently students are to wear a solid colored collared shirt, but that is apparently way too ambiguous for most students). There are three people on the dress code committee - myself and two other teachers. I am the most fluent in Indonesian of the three, and I am also the only one who will be staying in country over the summer. So I am kind of in charge of this whole thing. The first step is customizing our sizing. An Indonesian size L is very different from a Western size L. So we have to provide the garment factory with a sample size for every type of shirt we want. So my main task this week has been to consider the entire secondary student body and decide who is a good representative of each size: S, M, L, and XL for their gender. Then, I have to borrow a polo shirt and an oxford shirt from each representative student to be sent off to the factory for measurements on Monday. I met with the people there for 2 hours earlier this week, and this is what they requested. It's more work for me now, but it will streamline the process later on. Then I also have to decide on style. How many buttons should each shirt have? Should the oxford shirts be long sleeved or short sleeved? How big should the school logo embroidered on the chest be? Should there be a pocket or not? How thick/thin should the material be? What color should it be? Should the tag be inside the collar or sewn into the left seam? What should be written on the tag? I tell you what - making 1000 shirts from scratch is HARD WORK.

2. Writing recommendation letters. I have ELEVEN recommendation letters to write this week. I really hate writing recommendation letters.

3. Preparing for next year's student retreat. We do this at the beginning of each school year, so preparations need to be finalized now so that we're not scrambling to get things ready at the beginning of next year. I somehow ended up on a committee that I did not volunteer for. And I'm the only female teacher on the committee. So anytime we need to e-mail someone, research something, look something up, or communicate with someone, I am volunteered for the job. This week, we have been trying to find a speaker for the retreat.

4. Killing ants. Dry season is starting (a big hooray for this!), which means ants are moving indoors to find food and water. I have found two ant nests in my kitchen so far this week. I bought an industrial sized bottle of bug killer, and I have been spraying it indiscriminately all over my house. It's probably going to kill me.

5. Battling a cold and possibly a mild case of the flu. I've had a headache, low grade fever, and a runny nose, and I've been sneezing and running back and forth to the bathroom for the past few days.

6. Writing finals. Thankfully, I only have three to write instead of four. But writing finals takes a LOT of time and thought. Because of everything going on this week, I haven't yet finished writing my finals. I should be doing that now, but I needed a distraction, so I decided to write this instead.

7. Purchasing textbooks for next year. I have new Pre-Calculus books for next year (for the first time since 2000!), but no teacher edition. This book is very difficult to find online for less than $300, but I have a solid lead. I also got approval to buy new AP Calculus textbooks! The book our school has been using is actually a college calculus text. In fact, it's the same textbook I used in college - but it's an OLDER edition. I'm trying to purchase the textbooks through the publisher (who will remain unnamed), but it has been hellish. Ordering books internationally generally is. I won't go into all the ridiculous details, but their customer service is a nightmare, and two weeks into the process, I have made no headway. Fingers crossed that I can order the books in time for them to arrive before school starts!

8. Grading final unit tests and projects. Fourth quarter pretty much wraps up during dead week, so all final things are due. I try not to make too many things due this week for the sake of my own sanity.

9. Dealing with students begging for extra credit. Oh, really? Your grade is a B? And you think you deserve extra credit now, even though you didn't turn in four assignments last month or do either of the two extra credit opportunities I already gave the class? REALLY?

10. Helping students prepare for AP exams and final exams. This is the most stressful time of year for students, and I try to be sensitive to that by giving them lots of review time and materials. It's extra work for me, but it helps reduce their stress level. And happy students make a happy teacher.

11. Calculating and entering final grades. #teacherlife

12. And if all that busy-ness isn't enough, I am also celebrating a wonderful influx of hormones this week. Thankfully I've only had two stress induced cries this week. Unfortunately, both were in front of male coworkers.

In case it's not obvious, I'm REALLY looking forward to summer vacation. I have a long list of things to work on then too, but at least I can do it on my own schedule at a more relaxed pace. One more week!!

Student Sayings

Student: Can we take a break?

Me: No, not yet.

Student: Aaaaaah, you're just like Kim Jong-un!

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

Student: Did you change the color of your eyes?

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Me: Why aren't you in dress code?

Student: Oh, I have a note. *hands me a note*

Note: Please excuse (student) for not wearing a dress code shirt. His shirt got soiled in Biology due to chicken dissection.

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

A male student came into class wearing a hoodie zipped all the way up.

Me: Are you wearing a dress code shirt? (while reaching out my hand, pretending like I was going to unzip his hoodie)

Student: *screams* DON'T LOOK AT THAT! THAT'S MY PRIVATE PARTS!

The rest of the room: *absolute silence*

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

Me: If you have finished your homework, you may turn it in now. If you still have some work to do on it, you can also turn it in next time we meet.

Student: But is it alright if I turn it in now?

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

Student: Did you already finish your morning coffee?

Me: Yes.

Student: Uh-oh.

Me: What?

Student: That's bad news.

Me: Why?

Student: You're nicer when you're drinking coffee.

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Kenapa Dia Yang Layak?

There's an Indonesian worship song I've written about before. It's one of my favorite songs. Not because it's terribly deep or profound. Actually kind of the opposite. I like it because it's simple. And because sometimes I find myself singing it in English - even though it doesn't have an English version.

The chorus simply goes:

Kau yang layak,
Kau yang layak,
Kau yang layak disembah.

You are worthy,
You are worthy,
You are worthy to be praised.

Today as we sang that song at church, our worship leader challenged each of us to take a moment and think about WHY He is worthy. There are many reasons, but he encouraged each of us to have one in mind as we continued to sing.

As an ace Sunday School student, naturally, my first thought was, "He is worthy because He died for my sins." It was early in the morning, and my brain wasn't all the way on yet, so I just went with that reason in my mind.

The second time through the chorus though, I felt a quiet voice in my heart whisper, "I am worthy because I am the same."

I had to stop singing and think about that one.

This week was a rough one, full of disappointment and heartbreak and anger and tears and maybe even a little bit of grief. In times like this, it's all too easy for me to forget that no matter what happens around me, no matter how broken this world is, no matter how deeply people disappoint me, God is still the same. He never changes.

I was reminded of that so very powerfully this morning. The God that I worship today is the exact same God that I worshiped last week. In the past seven days, the world changed - things shifted - ever so slightly.

But He didn't.

Apapun yang terjadi di dunia ini, Dia tidak akan berubah. Dia tetap sama kemarin, hari ini, dan sampai selama-lamanya. Dan dia yang layak disembah.

He is worthy to be praised.

Indonesia, Stand Up!

This post is sort of an open letter to all Indonesians living around the world, but especially to those here at home. I know that many of you read this blog. 

Do you know that in your country, the sentence for smuggling drugs is harsher than the sentence for murder?

Do you know that in your country, people can be imprisoned with no witnesses or evidence against them?

Do you know that in your country, the penalty for telling a child about Jesus is greater than the penalty for molesting that same child?

It seems that the Indonesian government is trying to prove that this country is sudah dewasa. This administration wants the world to know that nobody can tell them what to do. And in fact, if someone tries to tell them what to do, they sometimes do the exact opposite. Kaya ABG.

Don't get me wrong. Aku cinta Indonesia. From the bottom of my heart, I love Indonesia. But right now, Indonesia is breaking my heart. And right now, aku marah sama Indonesia. Because right now, Indonesia is destroying people's lives in an attempt to prove a point. 

"We don't need anyone bossing us around. Rules are rules. You can't tell us what to do."

As I write this, nine different families are gathered at Nusakambangan. They have 30 more minutes to say goodbye forever to their sons, their fathers, their husbands, their daughters, their brothers, their sisters. And then at midnight tonight, those nine people will be shot to death - some of them without compelling evidence of the crime they are to be executed for.

Hatiku memang berat sekali hari ini.

There has been huge international uproar over so many events in Indonesia even just this year. But the Indonesian government doesn't want to be pressured by other nations. They will not be swayed.

What I don't understand is why is it only the foreigners standing against injustice in Indonesia? Governments and citizens of nations all around the world have pleaded for leniency, have signed petitions, have shown support to the condemned. 

Where is the voice of Indonesia?

Dimana suaramu?

This is YOUR country!

I'm not only talking about cases that have gained international attention simply because they involve orang asing. I don't only care about the other bule like me. I'm also talking about things that happen to your fellow countrymen EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.

This system is broken. It is broken and it needs to be fixed.  Inilah negaramu. Change needs to come, and it needs to start with YOU.

Things I Learn in the Most Unexpected Places

I have this friend. He is Muslim. But he loves Jesus at least as much as me.

He is the kind of person who drops off the face of the planet for weeks or months at a time. Then, when you least expect it, there he is again. And whenever he's there, he's usually asking me to teach him about the Bible. He especially wants to learn more about Jesus. Because he thinks Jesus is a pretty cool guy, and he wants to learn to be more like Him.

So sometimes I teach him about Jesus. One day, we were reading in John 6 about Jesus feeding the 5000. It's a story very familiar to those who grew up in the church. I've heard it from all different angles. Pastors use it as an example of how we should trust in God because he will always provide. Or that we should always be willing to give, because God can use what little we have for His kingdom. Or that we should never put God in a box because He can do far beyond what we can even imagine. I have heard this story preached to death.

 But my friend was hearing this story for the very first time. I asked him if he had any observations about what we'd just read. At first, he was very shy. He didn't want to say anything. But I could see he had something on his mind. So I coaxed it out of him.

He finally said in a voice just about a whisper, "He gave thanks".

I asked him what he meant by that. And the words started to come out. The more he spoke, the bolder he got. By the end, he sounded like a preacher in a pulpit.

"Look at verse 11. Jesus gave thanks. He didn't have enough food for everyone. He knew it wasn't enough food for everyone. I don't know if he knew that it would become enough food for everyone. But he still gave thanks. He was thankful for what he had, even though it wasn't enough. But when he gave thanks, that's when God made it enough. God made it MORE than enough. In my life, my tendency is to complain when I feel like I don't have enough. But I need to stop that. Because if I can thank God for what I have, even when it seems like it's not enough, God will make it enough for me."

Look at me, little church girl, getting schooled on the Bible by a man who has never even read it! What he taught me that day will always be the way that I read that story now.

The day we studied that chapter was one of the last times I saw him. It's been almost a year now. But today I got an SMS from him. He's been living on another island all this time. He says in his SMS, "I've been studying the Bible a lot here - talking about it and living it too!"

This guy though... It's like everything he says surprises me in the best way possible!

He also told me in his SMS that he's coming to town and wants to get coffee. I'm excited to hear from him. I know that he knows the Truth in his heart. But because of his background, he is afraid to claim that Truth for fear of persecution and possible shunning. I'm hoping that the last year he's spent on another island has been good for his heart and soul.

Oh, and whatever religion you are, I STRONGLY recommend that you find someone from a different religion to sit down and read your holy book with. Read the Bible with a Muslim. Read the Quran with a Christian. See it through completely new eyes. You'd be surprised how much you can learn.

Mondays

I've never really had anything against Mondays. People hate on them, but I've never really found them to be any better or worse than any other day of the week on average.

This Monday though.... Today has been.... strange.

I saw a student before school and noticed that his face looked swollen. I didn't want to draw attention to it and potentially embarrass him though, so I said nothing. Then when he showed up for my class second period, his left eye was extremely swollen, very red, and seeping fluid.

Me: That looks like pinkeye.
Student: I know. It is.
Me: You... KNOW?? WHY ARE YOU HERE? Pinkeye is highly contagious!!!
Student: I didn't want to miss the lesson.
Me: NO! Nononononono. GO HOME!
Student: Do I HAVE to?

GAH. People... I think this was the first time I've ever actually had to force a student to LEAVE MY CLASS. Good thing I keep an entire pack of antibacterial baby wipes in my desk drawer at all times. I immediately wiped down my entire body. Just kidding. But the thought crossed my mind. Thank goodness I got to him before he sat down or touched anything. Fingers crossed that the entire school wasn't contaminated by him during homeroom and first period.

In between second and third period, I was chatting with a former student who graduated several years ago. She told me last month that she was engaged, but I had yet to see any pictures of her fiance. She sent me some pictures of the two of them today though and... I definitely wasn't prepared for what I saw - her fiance is about three times older than her!! I was so surprised that I didn't know what to say at first! But I trust her judgement, and as I talked more to her, it was clear how very in love they are, and I am so very happy for her!

Then during third period, I discovered a monkey is on the loose in town not far from where I live. THIS IS MY WORST NIGHTMARE. I think I will lock myself in my classroom to sleep tonight.

So all that happened so far today. And it's only two o'clock.

No Motivation

I have not dropped off the face of the planet.
Things are going well, in fact.
I've had several opportunities to travel lately! So far this year, I've been to Bali twice, Jepara (a beach area on the north coast of Java) once, and Jakarta once. And two of those trips were free!
I've been making slow home improvements, and my little apartment has been getting more and more homey. I had new sheets made for the first time in seven years. I got a large carpet to put in my bedroom so that I don't wake up to cold tile floors every morning. I got my first teapot so that I can heat water for hot beverages quickly. Little things like that.

Like I said, things are going well. It's been a good year.
I've just had ZERO motivation to write about it. I'm not sure why. Usually when I don't want to write, it's because I have a lot of heavy things on my mind and I either don't want to talk about them or I'm not sure how to express them in a way that is accurate to how I truly feel.
That hasn't been the case for the past month. I just have a total absence of desire to write.
So if I don't write again for awhile, I'm sorry. Mostly to my parents who I know are my most faithful readers. :)

I'll leave you with some recent school funnies. Because they are funny. And who doesn't like funny stories? (Answer: NOBODY.)

Student: I like your sweater.
Me: Thanks.
Student: The material is nice. Did you make it?
Me: No. But thanks for thinking that I could have!
Student: I thought you could do anything except push-ups.

Q: In the tennis championship between players A and B at Wimbledon, the first player to win 3 sets is champion. Find the number of different ways for player A to win the championship.
Student: I think something is wrong with this question.
Me: Why?
Student: Three people can't play tennis.
Me: There are only two players....
Student: Then who is Wimbledon??
Me: ...............

While walking past elementary soccer practice...
Coach: CAN WE PLEASE STOP EATING GRASS AND PLAY SOCCER?!?
Me: *silently praying* Thank you Jesus that you didn't call me to teach little kids.

Two 12th grade boys talking about their younger sisters (one in 11th grade, one in 9th grade).
Boy 1: I don't know who would ever marry my sister. She's gross. She burps and farts out loud. ALL the time. It's truly disgusting.
Me: Well, she's beautiful and she's fun to be around. Also, she has a boyfriend. So I'm pretty sure she'll be OK.
Boy 1: But I just don't understand why boys like her. She's gross.
Boy 2: My sister is gross too.
Me: Nuh-uh! Your sister is adorable!!
Boy 1: Yeah, your sister is cute.
Boy 2: No! She's gross! She...... POOPS!

The Last Day

This is the last day of school before Spring Break! On my walk to school this morning, I met Pak Budi, our elementary school cleaner. He is a very friendly guy, and we often chat in the morning. For some reason this morning, after we parted ways, I was translating our conversation into English in my head. But I was translating it literally. And wondering why people don't talk like that more often. It's so much easier.

Here is our conversation in literally translated English.

Pak Budi: Morning.
Me: Morning.
Pak Budi: Holiday to where? In home only?
Me: No. Me to Bali.
Pak Budi: Alone?
Me: No. With class three children.
Pak Budi: All class three children?
Me: Yes. All.
Pak Budi: They to there have what plan?
Me: Holiday only. This last opportunity spend time together before graduate.
Pak Budi: Oh. How many?
Me: 22 or 23.
Pak Budi: Many enough.
Me: Yes. Many enough that naughty enough.
Pak Budi: Haha... You guard them.
Me: Hope can.
Pak Budi: Sure can. Goodbye.
Me: Goodbye.


On second thought, we might all sound crazy if we talked like that all the time. But it would still be fun!

The Harsh Indonesian Winters

 

I live in the tropics.

And I sleep in leggings.

And a sweatshirt.

And socks.

This is why I can never move back to Indiana.

NYU and Postcards

One of my seniors applied to NYU Abu Dhabi last semester. It was a long shot. Not because of him or his academic record - he is an outstanding student and at the top of his class. It's just hard for students from our tiny school to get into colleges with such high standards and expectations. I wrote his recommendation letter last fall and sent it in with a whispered prayer.

He got his acceptance letter yesterday. And he wasn't just accepted - he was accepted with a full ride scholarship! I am so unspeakably proud of him and all of his hard work. I know how many hours he has put into his work (sometimes more than even I think he should!) and how much he wanted this. His hard work is paying off, and his dreams are coming true.

This morning, he dropped by my classroom and handed me a postcard. Written on the back were these words:

Miss, I just want to say thank you for everything! First of all, thank you for writing me a recommendation letter despite your busy schedule. Also, thank you for always helping me in math. Being in your class has taught me to never give up but always work hard. I carried on this valuable lesson while doing my college application and it worked! You are absolutely part of this unbelievable miracle. I have always said this to you, but I want to say it again. Thank you for serving here when you could be more successful (in the world's eye) in other places. I hope to become like you, to use everything to serve others, even if it is somewhere remote and unknown. Thank you very much.


This is why I'm here! Not to see students get into fantastic schools or to prod high schoolers along to 4.0s. Certainly not for the recognition. Because really, nobody becomes a teacher for THAT.

I'm here to be a part of the story. A part of their story. Sometimes their dreams come true. Sometimes they don't. Sometimes God gives them a new dream - something they never even imagined. Every May, they go off to places around the world. I stay here. And I get to be here 2 years or 5 years - or maybe someday even 10 years - later when they come back. And they sit in my classroom after school and tell me about the places they have been and the things they have accomplished and the ways that they have grown. They tell me the next chapter of the story. The chapter that I don't get to see. But the chapter that I got to be a part of.

Reasons

My internet has not been working since Saturday. Well, that's kind of an exaggeration. It has been working for about 20 minutes at a time. And then not working for the following 2-3 hours. Then working for 20 more minutes. Then not working for 2-3 hours. You get the picture.

I had a technician come out yesterday. I hate having technicians come out. Because no matter how clearly I tell them what time intervals I will be at home during, they almost without fail come at a different time. And then they act like I am SUCH an inconvenience to them for, you know, being at work when they took the time to drive all the way to my house and THEN call me. When I already told them that they have to come AFTER 3 PM.

I also hate having technicians come because it so often seems like they really have no idea what they are doing. They fidget around with some stuff and try to offer up some helpful suggestions (which are actually accusations in disguise), such as these, which were all offered up by yesterday's technician:

Make sure you pay your internet bill. Maybe you forgot. I think that's why your internet isn't working.
(I had the receipt that I could show him. I paid my internet bill a whole day early.)

Maybe you need to get your phone repaired. That's probably why there's no internet connection.
(I used the phone earlier that day to make a call. It was working fine.)

You should turn the modem/router off when you leave home so that it won't overheat.
(I'm pretty sure this is not a thing. Also, it is currently "cold" season here.)

Make sure you pay your phone bill on time so that there's no problem with your connection.
(School pays my phone bill. On time. Every month.)

Have you turned your modem off recently? That could cause it to crash.
(Also not a thing. And if it was - then why does it even have a power button on it?!)

I've been noticing that this is a thing here. When you don't know what's wrong, you make up all kinds of reasons about what COULD be wrong. I generally have to try REALLY hard to not roll my eyes (or worse yet - laugh out loud) at these helpful suggestions. (I was going to put one of those last two words in quotes, but I just can't decide which one...)

One of my personal all-time favorites is that if you feel sick after riding in a vehicle, it is definitely not carsickness. It is because of the cold AC blowing on you. And if you want to stay healthy, you should tape your belly button shut before getting in a vehicle.

So just keep that in mind next time you get in a car.

A Death in the Family

Yesterday the father of two of our students died. His kids are in 8th grade and 2nd grade. They were in class here at school when it happened.

He is not a parent that I know personally, but in our small school community, when one of us is hurting, we all feel it to varying extents.

Many teachers and staff were able to attend his memorial service last night, and later today, we will be excusing any students who would like to attend the funeral. He will be buried this afternoon at the cemetery adjacent to our school property.

Today is going to be an emotional day for many of our students, staff, and families, and we would appreciate all of your prayers.

Geometry

Geometry class was a boatload of fun today.

First, there was audible flatulence. Which, as you can probably imagine, was the funniest thing everyone in this room full of 9th graders had EVER heard.

And then a pretty substantial spider climbed up a wall, which led to one of the boys screaming like a little girl and falling out of his chair. Which then led to me removing said spider from the classroom while my class huddled together on the opposite side of the room.

Never a dull moment while teaching in the tropics!

I Went to Bali and I was Angry at the Sea

I spent the past week in Bali. I go every December. It's always a special time with friends. But this trip was a little overshadowed.

Most of you probably heard about the AirAsia flight that went missing on Sunday. But most of you probably saw it on the news once or twice before some new news came along and replaced it. Because that's how the news works in most places.

Not here. Not this time. I am living where that is happening. In real time. And I promise you it has been very, very real every single day this week. There are entire TV stations that are showing nothing but interviews and live feeds of the search and rescue operations. Twenty-four hours a day, every little detail is being reported. Every splinter they find floating in the ocean. Every tearful relative who wants their story to be heard. Every coffin containing an unidentified body being brought home.

We went to the beach three times this week. I usually love the beach. I love being by the water. But this week, I caught myself resenting the ocean. It swallowed one hundred and sixty-two lives this week. All at once. One hundred and sixty-two.

We say cheesy things in church about how God is good all the time. But honestly, it's hard for me to find the good in tragedy. I want to just be able to believe that God is always good, even when I, in my limited understanding, can't see it. But watching the news all week has made that really, really difficult. Lately, I feel like God is good all the time except for when He's not.

My Bible has one of those built in ribbon bookmarks. I mostly just stick it in between random pages to keep it from flapping around in the breeze. One morning this week in Bali, I flipped open to where the bookmark was and just started to read there.

"Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God."

And it struck me. It's an action. It's a choice. When my heart is hurting for one hundred and sixty-two lost lives, I can still choose to put my hope in Him. When I am bombarded day after day by news images of crying faces and broken lives, I can still choose to trust in Him. And when I struggle to see His goodness, I can still choose to praise Him.

I don't think that is going to be easy. But I think it's a good place to start.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from Indonesia, where the sun is shining, the grass is green, the high is 83 degrees, and the cicadas are singing in the trees outside my front door!! :)

(You should come spend Christmas here with me next year.)

Christmas Miracles

Several things have happened in the last week or so that I believe are nothing short of miracles. Since Christmas is coming up (more quickly than I can believe), they must obviously be Christmas miracles! And I want to write them down here so that I can remember them later. They might all seem like little things, but miracles are always worth remembering!

1. Last week, I took my motorbike to get serviced. While I was there, I had them change the back tire as well. It was getting pretty thin. When the mechanic pulled the tire off, he had a funny look on his face, and he called me over to look. A broken off nail had punctured my tire - in one side and out the other. But somehow, I didn't have a flat tire! The mechanic was really very confused by this...

2. Back in October, I ordered some essential oils from the States from a company that offers free international shipping. They never arrived. But last week, I got a letter from the post office in Semarang saying that my order was there, but that I needed to come explain the contents in person. The letter said that the items were supplements, which are not permitted to be imported without special permission. Oh, brother... On Saturday, I was in Semarang already, so with great trepidation, I went to the post office. I was expecting to either have to pay a ton of money (AKA a bribe to get them to release my package) or to jump through a hundred fiery hoops (like getting special letters of permission from other offices) or to bat my eyelashes and get my flirt on like crazy. In the end though, NONE of those things were necessary! It did take an hour of explaining, but once the nice post office man opened my package and thoroughly sniffed my essential oils, he decided that I was not a criminal and that I was not importing dangerous substances, and he let me leave with my package for FREE. If you know anything about living in this country, you know what a huge miracle that is!

3. Christmas never really feels like Christmas here. Because, I mean, it's the tropics. There's no snow and no cold weather. Not that I'm complaining... But one of my traditions here is that every year, I buy a cinnamon scented candle and burn it in the week leading up to Christmas. It helps me feel like it's actually the Christmas season when my house at least smells like Christmas. Money was really tight this month though, and I had to sit down one day last week and decide which things were most important. Obviously, food and paying my helper's salary were top priority. And I decided that since a candle wasn't a necessity, I would do without this year. The very next day (which was mid-week and not even the last day of school), a student gave me a little cloth pouch with something inside of it. With a huge smile, he said, "Merry Christmas!" and was out the door. I opened it up, and inside was a cinnamon scented candle!

4. Part of the reason why I did a bake sale a couple of weeks ago was because I wanted to make sure that I had enough money to pay my helper, Ibu Sri, this month. In Indonesia, there is a tradition called thirteenth month. Either at Idul Fitri or Christmas (depending on the employee's religion), people receive an extra month's salary. Since Ibu Sri is Christian, she gets her thirteenth month salary in December. What I made in the bake sale was enough to cover the thirteenth month. And in fact, after that bake sale, I set aside her double salary in an envelope and saved it in my bedroom so that I wouldn't have to worry about it at the end of the month. Last Friday was her last work day of the year (because when I'm off school, I usually give her time off as well), so on Thursday night, I was preparing her salary. I usually leave it in an envelope on the counter since I always leave for work before she comes in. As I was setting the money out and writing her a little note to go with it on Thursday night, I really felt like God was telling me to give her a bonus. To give her extra. To give her all the money in my wallet. That made me a little nervous. Because all the money in my wallet was $75, and my bank account was down to $40. And my next pay day is January 1st. That money was all I had for the rest of the year. But I just kept feeling like I needed to give her everything. So I did, believing that God would take care of it. The next day, I had a church leadership meeting at a local coffee shop. On the way there, I stopped by the ATM planning to take out like $5 to pay for my drink. I almost burst into tears right there in the mini mart (where the closest ATM is located) when I checked my balance and saw that instead of $40, I now had $3200!! The school paid us all early this year so that we would have our money in time for the holidays!

5. One day last week, a favorite candle of mine wouldn't light. I think there was too little wax. But there was still SOME wax left in the bottom! So I got the wax out and I had the (not so) genius idea to put it in my little tealight candle fueled oil burner. I set it on the desk beside me while I worked on something on my computer. In case you are thinking what a smart and resourceful girl I am, you should probably stop right there. Apparently, putting candle wax in an oil burner is actually kind of dangerous and can cause the entire deal to EXPLODE. Which it definitely did. Boiling hot melted wax blew up EVERYWHERE. On the floor, on the chair I was sitting on, all over my desk, on my laptop, on my printer. BUT - somehow not a single drop landed on me. I had quite the mess to clean up, but I'm thankful that I was not harmed in the making of what I thought was a great idea.

Again, most of these might seem like such little things. But this month has been a good reminder of all of the million little ways that God loves me, protects me, and takes care of me every single day, even in spite of my selfishness and faithlessness.

This will probably be my last post until after Christmas. So try to find some Christmas miracles in your life this week. And have a Merry Christmas!

Christmas Season

As you might imagine, living in the largest Muslim nation in the world, I am pretty sheltered from the side effects of Christmas. And by "side effects", I mean basically everything that defines the holiday season in America. Don't get me wrong - I don't mind the lights and the pretty trees. But I definitely don't miss all the radio stations, TV shows, and storefronts shoving Christmas commercialism down everyone's throats. I like being in control of how much Christmas I have to experience. And I feel like I expand a little bit more each year.

Last year, I got my first little Christmas tree. My first tree in five years! This year, I hung lights and some small decorations in my classroom. FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER. And I started listening to small amounts of Christmas music last week. I also get to celebrate this Christmas with Melanie, my lovely friend who currently lives on Borneo. She's flying in next week to sleep on my couch for Christmas. What a gal, right?

Christmas never really feels like Christmas here, because it's during rainy season. Someone at my church last Sunday got up and did a solo rendition of "White Christmas", and I was like, "YEAH RIGHT." The closest thing I've got to that is the white mold I found growing on my leather sandals yesterday...

Anyways, all this to say that yesterday something happened that made me have warm and fuzzy Christmas feelings, which I don't usually have here.

I was walking home from work when I noticed all of our national staff - guards, cleaners, cooks, office workers, facilities guys, gardeners, teaching assistants, IT guys, secretaries, drivers, librarians, lifeguards, etc - gathered in the school pavilion. So naturally, I stopped and rubbernecked. There was a GIANT gift wrapped box sitting on a table in front of everyone, and our superintendent was talking to them about how much he appreciates them and how our school wouldn't be able to function without them. Then he asked for a volunteer to open the box. Inside the box was a letter, and the girl who opened the box read the letter out loud to everyone.

Have you ever watched The Price is Right? Do you know how exaggerated the emotions are when the people get called from the crowd to compete? Or when they win big, and they jump up and down and clap their hands and scream and cry all at once? That's what happened as the girl read the letter and the entire national staff realized simultaneously that the school board appreciated them and wanted to bless them EACH with a Christmas bonus. A bonus that for most of them is equivalent to a three or four month salary. Think about that  - that is HUGE. The pavilion erupted. There was laughter, there was shouting, and there were lots and lots of tears and hugs! Some of them saw me standing and watching and they came over and hugged me and kissed my cheeks WHILE jumping up and down and crying so hard they couldn't even talk.

I'm so glad that they know how much they are cared for and appreciated. I'm happy that I work for a school that values its national staff. And I'm thankful that we recognize that we are a body and that we couldn't have one part without the other.

Teachers got a big Christmas bonus for the first time last year. I don't know if we will this year or not. All the bonus money in the budget may have gone to the national staff this time around. Seeing them get their bonuses was so special though. I'm glad I stuck around. And if all the bonus money went to them, then it is so worth it. THEY are so worth it.

Bake Sale: An Update

Clearly my life is full of adventures, because, I mean, I'm blogging about a bake sale.

Here is the executive summary.

1. The power NEVER WENT OUT ALL WEEKEND. I was thankful for this, but I also felt dumb for having buckets of water all over my kitchen and bathroom. And it was a pain to dump and dry them all out.

2. The lemon cake, which I thought would not be a hit (because Indonesians don't like things too sweet OR too sour, and lemon cake is BOTH) sold out BEFORE THE BAZAAR STARTED. Long after it was all gone, people were coming and asking me, "Where is the lemon cake people are talking about?" And the colorful cupcakes that I thought the kids would be all over sold out LAST! So now I know for next time... Do the opposite of what I think I should do.

3. I spent about $20 on ingredients. It's hard to tell exactly how much, because I bought two kilos of flour, but I didn't use the entire two kilos. And I bought that bottle of dried ginger, which I never used. And a lot of ingredients I already had on hand. So $20 is just my rough estimate based on how much I spent when I went grocery shopping.

4. I made about $75 in two hours of selling. That may not seem like much until I put it into perspective. First of all, everything sold out and nothing cost more than a dollar. Also, $75 is about twice as much as what I spend on food in an entire month. I also have friends who make that much in a month. So $55 of profit, which is enough to pay my half of my helper's salary this month, plus some left over!

5. All in all, I think it was a success. I spent probably about 7 hours shopping, mixing, baking, and packaging, then another 2 hours selling. I calculated how much I made per hour and it's more than I make teaching! I might just quit my day job....

6. Oh, one other thing - I woke up Sunday morning wondering why my hands were in so much pain. They felt bruised. It took me a couple of hours of flexing and massaging them to realize - I HAVE A BAKING INJURY! Kind of... Haha... Doing that much mixing all by hand took a toll and made my hand muscles VERY sore. I didn't even know that could happen...

7. And last but not least, here is the only picture I could find of me at the event. I was also in charge of selling books. And most of my baked goods were gone by this point. And some tired people were also sitting at my table. And I have a new white friend. Clearly the best picture possible.

Grocery Shopping

My church is hosting a bazaar tomorrow afternoon, and I decided to do an impromptu bake sale. Because, I mean, who doesn't need a little extra cash for Christmas?

So today, with the promise of an all day power outage (which, btw, hasn't even started yet, at 11:30 AM), I will be baking German chocolate brownies, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, white cupcakes with homemade frosting and sprinkles, vanilla coconut muffins, and a lemon cake.

Naturally, I don't have all of the necessary ingredients on hand. So I went grocery shopping this morning. I still find myself chuckling internally about what a grand adventure grocery shopping is. I had to make four different stops. Just for baking ingredients.

1. At the first stop, I bought brown sugar. It's the only store I've ever found in all of Indonesia that sells REAL brown sugar (as opposed to palm sugar which I don't like), and thankfully it's right here in my town. This was the only item I bought at this overpriced import store (which is run out of the front of someone's house).

2. From there, I went to the new baking goods store that just opened up a month or two ago. And thank goodness for them, otherwise this list would be a lot longer! I did the bulk of my shopping here - flour, sugar, cocoa, oatmeal, milk, etc. They sell ingredients by the kilo at only a 15 - 20 cent increase in price over the distributor. I could go crazy shopping there. But I limited myself to only what I needed for baking today.

3. Next, I needed a lemon for the lemon cake. Fresh fruit is sold all the way across town from the first two stores. I also happened to find ground ginger at this store, which I don't need for today, but I've been out of it and looking for it for quite awhile now.

4. And last but not least, I needed eggs, which NONE of the other stores had. So I ran to a tiny little ma and pa shop near my house. Supporting local business and all, you know. I picked up half a kilo of eggs (they're sold by the kilo, not the dozen here), and headed home just in time to miss the rain.

Now to start baking and hope I make a little bit of profit off this whole adventure!