Teaching 40 Javanese kids

I was asked to visit (and teach) in a Junior High in Wonosobo, Java. For most of the students, it would be the first time to have 'a native English speaker' in the classroom. When I tried to explain to the team of teachers that my mothertongue is Dutch, and that I am far from a native speaker, they just shook their heads in disbelief: 'To us, you are a native speaker. First of all, you are blond, you have white skin, blue eyes and a pointy nose. On top of that, your English sounds a lot better than all of us teachers together. And not to forget your country of origin: it's somewhere in Europe, so that's enough for us to regard you as a native speaker.' 
How on earth am I to reply to this? If having a pointy nose means that I am a native speaker, well, then that's just fine! So I went into that classroom (40 to 50 students = regular size) and tried to answer as many questions as I could.

Sunrise and chicken shit

Some photos to show you the beauty of a morning sunrise. Today I got up at 4.30 a.m. to drive to the 'Dieng Plateau' in Java, from where you can have a magnificent sunrise... if there aren't any clouds, of course.
But hey, who's complaining? Clouds have their beauty as well, no?

cloudy sunrise

misty mountain

And while I was waiting patiently for the sun to rise, the local villagers were getting ready for a long and hard working day.
Javanese families usually get up around 4.30 for morning prayers. After that, they prepare their children for school (starts at 7 a.m.). But the farmers, and especially their wives, get up earlier, to go and sell their goods in the morning market (3 a.m. - 7 a.m.). So this means that cities literally never sleep, and roads are never empty. Dozens of horse carriots, bicycles, motorbikes, cars and tractors run you over any time of the night:-)

Ever had the honour to carry loads and loads of fertilizer (read: stinky chicken shit) or 100kg of potatoes up the mountains? Look at the shoulders of the man in the picture and be amazed.



chicken shit in these bags

  

strong shoulders



a city that never sleeps

two colorful morning beauties

Evening and early morning coffee in Yogyakarta

An evening in Yogyakarta. We drove up the hills, from where you have a splendid view over the city.

Yogya in the background

Morning coffee

What a wonderful way to wake up in the morning! This little creature drank my strong coffee and didn't leave one sip for me!

Yogyakarta - taking part in family life

How nice to be welcomed with a fresh bath and a cup of tea … My hosts, Ary, Annie, little Tiara, grandma or ‘oma’ Indah en grandpa or ‘opa’ Yoko, believe in karma: what they give to the people and the world, will eventually turn back to them. So they choose to be friendly, patient, open minded, warm hearted, welcoming and loving. They choose to be happy and to share this happiness, through good and bad times. And yes, as every family, they went through difficult times as well.

little Tiara -age 3

Their house has a good vibe: peaceful, airy, open to the world all day long and to all kinds of passers by. This is what they teach me: to welcome strangers with open arms, to sit on the doorstep together without talking and watch. Just watch what passes by.

One day I’ll return all the good things that people like them are giving me now. It might not be directly back to them, but new strangers will benefit.

'Angklung'-musical instrument-bamboo

oma Indah

Back to the bath: I left my flip flops on the doorstep, circled up some stairs and there he was, grandpa Yoko, getting up from his mat (he was watching television) and welcoming me with the typical folded hands before the chest. He went straight into the bathroom and opened the tap to get my bath running. I was stupefied. No stranger ever did that for me before!  Grandma Indah brought me tea, Ary a towel or ‘handuk’. And happy sweaty me splashed fresh water and lovely smells around. Fifteen minutes later I stepped out of the bathroom with a big smile and a sincere ‘tirimakasi’ or thank you.

Maybe I should mention that this family is muslim, like so many families here in Java. Which has its consequences: the ‘Musholla’ or prayer room is next to my bedroom. So I wake up in the middle of the night (mosque wake up call), I listen to the hustling and bustling in the house (time to pray!) and fall asleep again. 

Ary smoking 'Dji Sam Soe', sigaret with clove

me, NOT smoking

At breakfast and lunch I sit together with grandma Indah. She teaches me all the secrets of the Indonesian cooking, through gestures and smells and flavours. She only speaks a few words of English, so we communicate over an outdated (1940ies) English-Indonesian dictionary. Our conversations often end up in loud fits of laughter. I will always remember her as 'my special Indonesian mother'.

The weird thing is that this family is grateful that I am a guest in their house. They drive me to potteries, to silver factories, to temples ... and they just love to do this. They see me as the perfect reason to organise a family get-together. Little Tiara (age 3) says ‘tante Joey’ (aunt Joey). And I listen how they use familiar Dutch words, such as ‘oma, opa, tante, oom, soentjes’. 

Ary at entrance of temple

Me and school kids

Train Surabaya - Yogyakarta (Java)

Five hours by train. This is a special experience, because Java is the only Indonesian island that actually HAS a train. It also meant travelling without airco because I was in ‘bisnis kelas’ (business class) and not in executive class (unfortunately sold out). For the record: this train doesn't have economy class... 

I had to deal with a cockroach (or an animal of that kind) running around my bare feet, and I had to accept the chaotic, constant back&forth traffic of food sellers and tea merchants and water suppliers and cushion suppliers shouting at the top of their voices. Result: a spinning head.

Business class = no airconditioning

Happy card players, Java

In the streets of Surabaya, you'll often find card players with pins all over their faces. A lost game, is a pin in your face. Aw!

7 lost games in one ear ...

playing cards from morning till evening

8 lost games  - poor skin

Java, Surabaya city: hot, crowded, welcoming

Deavin in his home studio

For two nights I stayed at the house of Deavin, a young music teacher, hypnotherapist, writer and lover of life. A highly intelligent and talented guy (IQ 164 or ‘Very Superior Intelligence’). Always busy, hard working, hardly sleeps. But most important: he has a big heart, and is happy to share his lust for life. Surprisingly enough: he doesn’t read notes, but numbers … this seems to be an alternative way of composing music. With the numbers of my birth date, he created a jazzy song. Time of creation: two minutes… and I was amazed.

Surabaya: having lunch in the street

This is what travelling is teaching me: the world is full of people with giant hearts, and with a lot of love to give and blessings to share. One cannot solve problems by being angry or agressive or stubborn. The only way to change things, is by putting love and effort into it. And most of all: patience. Loving patience. Anger doesn’t change anything, love does.