Monday, September 20, 2010

Indonesia, I love

As I sat and ate a piece of crustless bread, I found myself listing other things I love about living in Indonesia.

1. I can buy crustless bread. It costs a couple extra cents at the local bakery, but who cares? Why don’t bakeries in America do this?

2. Rainy days are like snow days. No one here likes to go out on a rainy day. Plans get cancelled. Streets empty. There’s nothing I like more than enjoy a cozy day, listening to it rain on my tin roof while life stops until the sun shines again.

3. Those bright yellow flowers I don’t know the name of bloom all year long. I would never pride myself to have a green thumb. So, you’ve gotta love the all-year summer in which my plants just keep on blooming.

4. No question is a dumb question. I love asking questions. And while it would seem to other Americans like I’m asking dumb questions, the answers are never what I think they will be. Recently, I asked a friend why Indonesians believe a newborn baby’s head should be covered (I assume it’s so they don’t get cold, but I’m wrong.) She said she believe soft spot in the head is a place where the Entering of Wind can occur. This Entering of Wind is considered a legitimate sickness with the symptom of stomachache. The hands and the feet are also covered so that wind doesn’t enter them either. (I had erroneously assumed that babies wear mittens here to keep them from scratching their face with their fingernails—wrong again.) I love this element of surprise.

5. Everyone is family. Indonesians I don’t even know refer to my children as their younger siblings. Many of my friends or friends’ mothers refer to me as their sister or as their adopted daughter. Indonesians are quick to invite you into their family, which I love.

4 comments:

  1. Rebecca - I love this list, especially #4. So many people fail to ask questions, but how will you know unless you ask? In all of our travels, I never found a national who laughed at my "dumb" question - they were always more than happy to explain it to me. You can learn SO MUCH by asking - so keep it up! :-) Have a great week and tell Brad we said hello!

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  2. Thanks for your comment, Carrie! Great to hear from you! Hope you're enjoying a nice fall this year. Come back and visit us anytime!

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  3. Hi there! First off, LOVE your site and your family and your work and Indonesia! Wow! Not too far from us, in Thailand. We just moved here with three little ones and this missionary stuff is no joke, right?! Tougher than imagined, but I too am learning to love the people and place--sometimes more of a choice of the will than anything else.

    I just wanted to pop in and say hey. I am writing about missionary life over at my blog and would love to have more expats speaking over that way, too. If you ever have a bored moment, would love to have you comment, or maybe even featured over there, if you'd like! Anyway, just wanted to say hello, and that your family looks absolutely precious!

    Lots of love from here,

    Laura
    http://www.lauraleighparker.com (Life Overseas)

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  4. Laura-thanks so much for visiting and posting! I look forward to reading more about your own adventures.

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