Greetings!
I am now in the second week of helping teach English here in Jepara. And I am enjoying it.
Monday I teach Kindergarten and grade 10 and 11.
Tuesday I teach grade 1,2,4
Wednesday I teach grade 6,3,4 and 11.
Thursday I have a break.
Friday I help in the play group..like pre school
Saturday I teach grade 10.
I never thought I would want to be a teacher.
However I am begining to fall in love with it.
Things are still very hot here in Jepara.
I had a dream the other night.
My time in Indonesia was finished.
And I was going home.
But I was very, very sad.
Very sad.
Because I felt I had not done anything while I was here.
And then I woke up.
And was relieved to find myself still in my bedroom.
But now I am anxious to expierence lots.
That said, updates might become less frequent.
As I only have one year here...well actually now 9 months.
And a lot to expierence.
So I hope you all are doing swell.
I am.
but now I must go.
Jepara is waiting.
And I am anxious.
Give me a call if you really want to know something.
untill next time.
blessings!

A prayer for my year here-
God open my eyes that I may see similarities
and through the differences help me learn
God open my mind that I may be willing to fully learn and
expeirence.
God calm my spirit when I stress out
and when I am overwhelmed
God give me courage in myself
and trust in those around me.

Well I am now in Jepara sitting in a small warnet sweat on my back, water in hand, and many thoughts running through my mind.
This past Sunday I left on a family retreat with my host church here. It was a good time. There were three buses with about 150 people in total. Most of whom I had never met before. I was able to communicate with some of them using my broken Indonesian, and many of them can speak some English.
One day we went on a safari which was cool. It was like a big glorified zoo and we drove through in the buses. Then there was a little amusement park we went to. Oh and I got my picture taken with a leopard. As in it was sitting on my lap. It was scary I will try to upload a picture.
We arrived back this morning at 6am. Which now feels like an eternity ago.
I will start teaching next week. I am excited to begin this. To finally have somewhat of routine in my days, I think that it will make life easier.
The weather is hot here. The rainy season is almost upon us and there are days when you can defiantly feel it in the air that it wants to rain. It just gets very humid.
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God open my eyes that I may see similarities
and through the differences help me learn
God open my mind that I may be willing to fully learn and
expeirence.
God calm my spirit when I stress out
and when I am overwhelmed
God give me courage in myself
and trust in those around me.

Well I am now in Jepara sitting in a small warnet sweat on my back, water in hand, and many thoughts running through my mind.
This past sunday I left on a family retreat with my host church here. It was a good time. There were three buses with about 150 people in total. Most of whom I had never met before. I was able to communicate with some of them using my broken Indonesian, and many of them can speak some english. We arrived back this morning at 6am. Which now feels like an eternity ago.
I will start teaching next week. I am excited to begin this. To finally have somewhat of routine in my days, I think that it will make life easier.
The weather is hot here. The rainy season is almost upon us and there are days when you can definatley feel it in the air that it wants to rain. It just gets to humid.

Hello- this is a poem of sorts about what a normal day in my life here in indonesia looks like. Now this has been for the past five weeks Today was the last day it will be like this.
I wake in the morning.
Sometimes to silence othertimes to
Matt Dusk, call to prayer, or Indonesian pop.
I stay in bed for a while
enjoying just being
by myself for a while.
Then I go take my first mandi
the cold water wakes me up and
is a welcome change form heat.
I eat breakfast.
moast days that includes bread, eggs or noddles.
sometimes it involves chicken heads.
Then I begin my pilgrimage to school.
ths time is now 7:30
Salatiga is very much awake.
I pass the elderly man on my street
and say 'Selamat Pagi!"
he half smiles and nods his head
I hope tommorow he'll give a full smile.
Children are in school
and parents are working hard.
I smile and greet the friendly store owner.
I walk past the army hospital
and watch activities in progress.
I look at Mt Merbabu standing tall and
know i will miss the mountains.
I cross the street and
yet again avoid being hit
I pretend I blend in
It doesnt work.
People still awknowledge my presence
in various ways.
I continue on.
Sometimes I sing to myself and wonder
if people think I am a crazy person.
Maybe. I do not care.
I enjoy it.
I say hello to the woman cooking breakfast.
And then arrive at school.
The time is now 7:45.
I drink a glass of water to
quench my thirst
I scan the paper for news about Canada.
Twice there were pictures
of hockey players.
Class starts at 8:00
We study untill 10.
Studying, as of late, involves laughing, telling stories and asking questions.
Its a healthy environment.
Around 10 I say 'sampai jumpa' to friends
then head home for lunch.
This time my greetings involve one to a man
selling pictures.
One of John Lennon and Yoko Ono saying
'War is Over'
i consider buying it.
but have not yet.
I arrive home.
Sometimes I do homework. read. sleep. write
other times I talk with my family.
watch TV or play with the kitten.
I eat lunch, usually alone.
Always rice. usually quite good.
always fruit.
The time is now 11:30.
Time to go back to school.
I say good bye and yet again
make my pilgrimage to school.
The sun is warmer now
I look for shade.
Once at school I study for two more hours.
I laugh more, often shed tears.
Everything is funnier in Indonesia.
After class I go to the MCC office.
or warnet.
or go home.
The sun is very warm by this time.
Once I get home my activites vary.
From reading. studying. playing flute.
watching soap opers. visiting
or other random ventures.
For supper there is always rice.
The food here is good.
At some point I take another mandi.
Sometimes I go out at night.
But more then not I am home.
Evenings here seem short.
The sunset is always around 6.
I enjoy time to think, read, sleep.
Around 9 I usually find myself in bed.
Looking forward to tommorow.
and the expierences it beholds.

Sundays are different.
I wake at 5.
By 6 I am sitting in a the 3rd front row
in GKMI Siloam.
I understand very little of what is spoken
But the friendliness speaks loudly.
I accept candies from the lady behind me.
and try my best to quietly open them.
upon her insistance that i eat them now.
they taste good.
around 7:30 i sing 'praise God'
in bahasa Indonesia.
after I shake everyones hand
Then eat soto
at the neighbour hood joint.
I enjoy it.
by 10 I usually enjoy an afternoon nap.

Hello All.
All is well down here in Indonesia. This past weekend I was down in the city of Jogjakarta. It was a good time.

I am now in the last week of my language study. I am feeling confidant in language, but I still have a lot to learn. But I am enjoying the learning.

This sunday MCC team meetings begin. I am looking forward to those. I will be able to meet all the MCCers I have not yet met, and hopefully learn more about MCC in Indonesia.

I am very anxious to get to my placement in Jepara and finally start teaching english. I am curious to find out how I will enjoy it. I go to Jepara the 12 of October.

A couple weeks ago I went walking through rice fields. That was beautiful. I am now curious to see how the rice plant turns into the rice that you eat.