Smiles and Motorbikes

Dear Friend,

I had an amazing day today. It is horrible to say this, but today is the first time, since I have been in Indonesia, that I really enjoyed being a teacher. It all started with first grade. You will remember I was sick on Friday, so I had not seen them for 3 days. Monday is my day to lead devotions with first grade, so I told them the story about Daniel in the lions den. Then we sang Jesus Loves Me and He's Got the Whole World in His Hands. We have been singing these songs with the motions a lot for the first graders to gain familiarity. I don't know what it was, but something about singing those songs and seeing the kids finally doing the motions and smiling because they enjoyed it, made me so happy. I love singing, it is an awesome way to start the day, and to share that with my students was just what I needed. Then at break time I was talking some the third graders and just watching them made me smile. Perhaps I finally felt apart of the place and not just someone acting like she knows what she is doing. Whatever it was, I had a wonderful day and truly enjoyed teaching my students.

On other news, I rode on the back of different motorbikes 5 times today... sidesaddle! I would call them motorcycles but they aren't as big and hunky as most motorcycles in America. Motorbikes are one of the main modes of transportation here in Indonesia. Here is my story:

Every morning I walk to school, and I am usually carrying at least one majorly overloaded bag and then a few more small bags. My friend drives a motorbike to school and I think he takes pity on me the young bag lady, so if he sees me walking to school he typically stops and lets me hop on. Since I have to wear a uniform to school, I am usually in a skirt, so I have to ride side saddle. That was incident number one.

Next, I had to run to the bank and it is only open during school hours. We are aloud to leave if we get permission, so I went with someone from the finance department who was already going. Unfortunately, I brought the wrong thing, so I ran outside and hopped on an ojek. An ojek is a guy with a motorbike who will ride you wherever you need to go for a very small fee. Sort of like a taxi. They are all around just waiting for someone to need a ride. He drove me to my house, I hopped off, paid him and run into my house as he rides away. I immediately find my bank books and run out of the house. An ojek sees me and asks if I need a ride by clapping his hands together. I, in response, clap back to tell him I would like a ride. He pulls on his helmet and rides over to where I am (Only the drivers need to wear helmets). I ask him to take me to the bank and he does. After that, I have to catch another ojek back to school. By this time I am running out of the small bills you pay with so I had to pay him with a few bills and then coins. I felt so bad. So far that is four rides. My last one happens after school.

Tomorrow is Indonesia's Independence day so everyone has a flag hanging in their yard and the day off. Since I was sick over the weekend I decided to go to school and get some work done. But first I needed colored paper to print on. So I walked to the mall to buy various colors of printing paper. I also bought some snacks for my fun day at a deserted school. So I'm walking out of the mall carrying three heavy bags, one of which is over sized. One of the ojeks that was waiting outside the mall saw me and gave me a ride home. I was still wearing a skirt so I had to ride side saddle again and he zoomed off! Seriously that was the first time I was a little scared on one of those things and thought I might fall off. Of course I was holding my over sized shopping bag and trying to balance side saddle so I had a right to be a little nervous. I mean, if it's a friend driving you can hold on to their arm or something, but a stranger, no thank you!

I have only ridden on the back of a motorcycle once before and that was with a helmet on. I actually really enjoy riding ojeks. The wind blows in your face and I now know what a dog feels like sticking his head out the window of a moving car. It feels refreshing and exhilarating, I can't help but smile while I am on the back of one! If you ever come and visit, I am making you ride one. Just like if I ever take you to Japan we are riding the trains at rush hour. Now there is something ironic! Japan is such a closed big personal bubble sort of culture, but when it comes to rush hour you are seriously pushed into the train standing back to back, butt to butt.

If I were to bring you one snack from Indonesia, it would be chocolate cigars. It is an amazing invention. It is a little wafer cigar about five inches tall and it is filled with chocolate. It is great! I mean, if you need a chocolate fix, this will suffice. You will not even need a second one. The amount of chocolate in each bite is wonderful, and it is soft chocolate with a crunch of a waffer. I mean, you know me, I am by birth a chocoholic, I am Swiss!

Well, I miss talking with you,
Your friend,
Rebekah E.

P.S. I just realized that I am once again in a county whose flag colors are red and white. My birth country, Switzerland, is red with a white cross. Japan, the country I grew up in, is white with a red circle. America is red and white... with some blue. Now Indonesia is half red and half white. Funny huh?