This was another pretty typical week. We saw our regular kids, and I got to do a reading evaluation which was fun. It was a good learning experience, and good practice because we have 2 more lined up for this week. We had a half-birthday party for Vangie (one of the middle school teachers) on Wednesday afternoon, when we (appropriately) had a half-day off for professional development. The party was great! Joyce and I had written a mad lib, and we had two groups fill in the blanks....we got some great stories. Barb Hoving made a delcious 2-layer cake (half white, half chocolate), and several people gave Vangie presents like a half of a box of tea, wrote only half of the card, etc. Lots of fun! We had Bible study that night, too, and there were 6 of us there! I had my first parent conference this week and my first teacher conference. Both went really well! I felt like I actually knew what I was talking about and could answer their questions. I didn't get my Indonesian lesson this week, since it's usually on Wednesdays and we only had a half-day, so Ibu Elsje left early. I picked up a few other words throughout the week, though, like "bawang" for onion....that's an important one. ;)
Nothing nearly so exciting as Kali Biru this week, but there was a basketball game on Friday night. One of the high school classes always serves a meal before the game, so I enjoyed a hot dog (American - I guess the Indonesian ones aren't so fabulous), potato salad, a pickle, orange Fanta, and some ROLOS!!! (They cost about $1.25, but they were worth it!) I spent most of the game talking with Kevin Lynne, an MAF pilot, and Joyce, my neighbor. The girls won their game, and I left before the boys played since I hadn't been home all day. It was a great night, and I even had the privilege of showing Joyce the wonders of Facebook later that night. ;) I also purchased tickets for the Valentine's banquet on Saturday - Doug and Karin Allrich (an MAF couple) are hosting a singles table, so that's where I'll be. A few other teachers will be there, too, so it should be fun. A former chef and his wife are preparing the meal, and we'll get to watch Sabrina in the courtyard. I'm looking forward to it!
On Saturday Eve took me to the pasar (market). We walked through to the back where people from the Interior sell their produce. It was so colorful and crowded....people and vegetables and fruits were everywhere! I purchased some bawang mera (red onions, small, like shallots) and perfectly ripe rambutan. People were selling things on the floor. I tried some authentic street food - parang goreng (fried bananas) and ubi goreng (fried sweet potatoes, one of Eve's favorites). I didn't eat too much because I didn't want it to wreak havoc on my digestive system, but I enjoyed it. I preferred the parang goreng. We went to the meat area next. Chicken and fish everywhere! The chickens were whole – plucked, but everything else in tact. A little weird to see the eyes and beak and feet, too. They sold the wings and feet and other random parts as a "set" – I guess they use chicken feet in soup. There were flies all over the place...and to think that that’s where my chicken came from. :S There was TONS of fish....mostly tuna, from what I gathered. Tuna is way bigger than I thought. I thought they were normal-sized fish like walleye, but I was wrong. There were some massive tuna there – they sliced them in half the long way, and then cut the sides into steaks. It was fun to watch them fillet the fish. They’re super-fast, and they know exactly what to do. There were crabs and eel-like things and squid and angel fish, and ikan mera (red fish), and a green fish, and all sorts of things. We went back to the first part of the pasar, where people from other islands sell their stuff. It was a little more high-class in that there were tables and it was more spacious. Several people were selling these chunks of what looked like pieces of a cheese wheel. But they were actually a root of some sort. It was crumbly, and the women were forming it into that circular shape, and then they cut it and sold the pieces. We also stopped at a gold store where I got some small white gold earrings, and at another grocery store where I got some mozzarella cheese - $19 for 1.25 kg. I had my first dinner guest that night - Clare stopped by with some Valentine's Day blueberry muffins, so I invited her in and offered her the random things I had to make a meal...she opted for scrambled eggs with cheese and papaya.
An update on the 4th grade teacher's visa....there's supposed to be another meeting in Jakarta tomorrow (Monday). Be praying! Alyssa, the E/MS principal, is currently teaching 4th grade, and it's really draining on her since she has her administrative responsibilities, too. The deadlines are also coming up for the school's accreditation visit - Tim, the high school principal who's also serving as the acting director of the school, is a little stressed, too. They'd appreciate your prayers, I know. Please continue praying for my health, too. I had a little scare this weekend - I had a headache that wasn't going away, and Eve and I had just talked about how headaches are a symptom of malaria. Thankfully Tylenol took care of the headache and it hasn't come back. Pray for one of my students who has malaria right now. She's still in school, but you can tell it's affecting her. Thank you!
Today was OE Sunday at Newman Chapel. Several of the kids shared about their experiences, and they showed a video. It was great! One girl talked about the incredible need for medical and dental missions, but she said their need for Jesus is even greater. Another girl talked about how she was impressed with the power of prayer and how the trip encouraged her in her own prayer life. They also showed a video, which I loved! Those kids had an incredible experience. Joyce had several of the teachers over for lunch after church (spaghetti, green beans, and chocolate cake), and I spent most of the afternoon catching up on my journals and cleaning....it'd been far too long since I'd swept.
On Tuesday I get to go with on an MAF flight to Angguruk in the Interior, about an hour away. I'll be going with Kevin, so it should be a fun time. The only down side is that I have to be at the MAF base by 5:30 am. I have that to look forward to in addition to the reading evals and the Valentine's banquet on Saturday. It should be a good week!
Pictures From The Pasar
Hi Holly! Nice post! Ummm... You said in your post that you ate parang goreng... That actually means fried machete... banana is pisang. Also, the things that look like cheese wedges is sago. It is made from the inside of a sago tree and has to be processed properly or it is poisonous. It is the staple of the diet of the people interior. They make a bunch of different things with it.
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