Yes, another country another blog about the logistics of what I am doing on the World Race. I find these blogs some of the most important because they simply inform those who are following my journey of what I am doing on the field, where I am staying, and ultimately give an insight to my life on the World Race. If there is anything that you think would enhance these blogs, please let me know!
Country Overview:
Location – Bandung, Indonesia
Language – Indonesian; Sudanese / English (some)
Currency – Rupiah: $1 = around 14,000 Rupiah (I am easily a millionaire here!)
Hosts – Ibu Jane and Pak Steve (Ibu = Mrs. ; Pak = Mr.)
Team Name – Team Mix and Match (Teammates: Codi Moore, Joanna Phillips,
Katrina Chaney, and Bethany Carter)
Our Home: In Indonesia, my team and I have been blessed with a beautiful home. We are staying in the guest house of Ibu Jane and Pak Steve with includes a cute courtyard, full kitchen, rooftop patio, and lovely housemates. The rooms have two bed in each so Codi and I share a room this month. I love to spend my free time in the kitchen cooking a meal while listening to a podcast or helping my teammates complete a puzzle in the living room. Bandung is also quite an amazing place. It is a big city with all the amenities you could wish for. The first week a couple of us went to get our hair deep conditioned and a massage all for only $8. So, I’m going to go back and do that again for sure! Another favorite thing of mine about Indonesia is J. Co., a donut and coffee shop that has the most amazing donuts. I originally thought that I would never find a donut that even compared to American donuts but Hey! I found one and it’s amazing. The area in which we are located is primarily Muslim. With this being said, I have gotten used to hearing the Call To Prayer five times a day and seeing hijabs on most women. I have found the religion as very beautiful and it has created opportunity to talk to Muslims about their faith, as well as, my own. Bandung is located in a little valley and surrounded by mountains/volcanos. It rains almost every day which means a lot of flooding in the city but I have missed the rain so I love it. One day, Codi and I did yoga and danced in the rain out in our little courtyard. There are some amazing areas to hike and so we have had the opportunity to see all the green Indonesia has to offer. Both hikes were gorgeous and took us into tea fields, waterfalls, steep slopes, and even having monkey guests. It took a little bit of a transition to get used to Southeast Asia but honestly now I never want to leave!
Our Mission: The Mission in Indonesia has looked very different from any country I’ve been to so far. My team and I are working with Ibu Jane and Pak Steve at a place called The Center. Here locals come and share community while practicing English with those who are fluent. On Mondays we participate in sports (this month has been volleyball) while Tuesdays and Thursdays are “Hang-Out” at the Center. I have loved working at The Center because it is preparing my team and I for our lives when we get home from the World Race. When we go home, most of us will not be working in churches or Christian organizations, rather we will be in a world where the priority is not Jesus. Through working at The Center, I have learned how to talk about Jesus in my normal conversations while not making it abrasive to someone who has differing views. I have also had time to truly learn more about Islam and the culture and customs of the religion. Our primary goal here was to create deep relationships with locals and I can say that we effectively accomplished that goal. While here, I have also had the opportunity to teach English at the local women’s prison, as well as, at a school mentoring program in a rural village outside of Bandung. All in all, this country has been by far one of my favorites so far on the race. I have learned so much about myself, the Lord, and other cultures and religions. This is one of the first countries that I truly feel immersed into a countries culture.
How am I?
In the past “When In…” blogs, I have exposed you to different check-in activities that we do at the end of the day with our team. I’ve shown High Low Buffalo, ESP (Emotional, Spiritual, and Physical), as well as, Rose Bud Thorn with you thus far. Since those are the three main check-ins, I’m going to circle back around to High Low Buffalo and use this as a little rotation for my blogs here on out.
High — Oh I don’t know where to start. This month has been one of my favorite months so far. I have loved being able to make very deep relationships with so many people, which has been so rewarding. Therefore, I’m going to say my high for this month has been creating those relationships. Because of the relationships, we have made we have had the opportunity to learn more about other religions and cultures, do activities we probably wouldn’t have done (hiking with monkeys, lunch/coffee in a treehouse, endless meals, desserts, and coffee dates), and simply spending time with people our age. I am convinced that the people we have met through our work here will be life-long friends.
Low — My low for this month actually just happened a couple days ago. I ate some street food and while it tasted delicious, it was not good for my body. I ended up having a small spell of food poisoning. While the constant trips from my room to the bathroom and back, I realized something miraculous: This is the first time I have been sick on the whole World Race. So while it was a crappy time (pun intended), it also showed me how blessed I have been so far.The day was spent in my room with Codi (other teammate who was also very sick) watching countless movies, chatting, naps, and time of reflection of the World Race this far.
Buffalo — Something that I find strange in Indonesia is that “Bules”, what they call white people, are seen as something amazing or exotic. Everywhere we go we are constantly asked to get pictures with or thrown children to hug and hold. While I love being able to hold children and make complete strangers happy by simply taking a picture with them; I find it really uncomfortable at times. We were at the zoo one day and I felt like I was the newest exhibit, rather than the animals. More of the natives wanted to take pictures next to us rather than the lion or the elephants. It makes me question what about me is so special that I bring them this much enjoyment. What I’ve learned is that many of these people will never leave Indonesia, maybe not even the island of Java. So, with this being said, we are their only glances at diversity. While this is sad, I hope that I have given them a good impression of Bules across the globe.
I hope this helps give you an image of some of the things that my squad and I are doing here in beautiful Bandung, Indonesia. As always, feel free to reach out to me via email ([email protected] or [email protected]) if you have any questions or just want to chat. I have WiFi a lot more this month, however, will only be here for less than one more week but I would love to chat if you wanted! Enjoy some pictures below!
– E
