We were contemplating what to do for our Christmas vacation. We thought about visiting an island in Thailand, but then we found tickets from KL to Yogyakarta for the same price. It felt a little early to go back to Java, but when we weighed going somewhere new or going to a place that was home for so long, we opted for Java. We kept it really quiet, hoping to cause some big surprises when we arrived. We wrapped up an intensely busy semester and had to travel right away. (We have a residency requirement to meet, so we had to be back in the country soon.)
The first available vacation day saw us getting up at 4am and heading to the bus station. We traveled by bus to KL (5 hours), intercity train to the airport, plane to Yogyakarta and then by car to Salatiga. On Sunday we caused big surprises and brought smiles to many faces at church in Salatiga and Semarang. My favorite thing that day was a hug I got from my Sam. We spent time with friends in Salatiga on Monday and Wednesday. On Tuesday we caused screams and tears of surprise at our school from the last two years. That was so excellent! On Wednesday night we went back to Yogyakarta and we spent two days there in a very BUSY city before we did the loooonnng journey back. After going to the airport at 8:30am, we finally ended up in our beds at 2am the next morning!
Someone asked me just yesterday if it was worth it-was it good to go back so soon? It was really hard to answer that question. One of the biggest reasons to go was the arrival of baby Nathan a month ago–my friend’s new baby. I got to hold him four different times and just wanted to soak that all up. He is precious. Niko was smitten with him too and was fighting his Mom for a chance to hold him. I also enjoyed the time in the presence of some of my dearest friends–who will always be my dear friends-no matter where our footsteps take us. I did feel, all week, that although it was short, tiring, and we missed seeing some people–that every experience we had that week was a “gift” no matter how short. It reminded me that EVERY DAY we have is a gift and every relationship brings so much to our lives. We should embrace the opportunities we have with great joy.
It was also interesting to be reminded that how other people see me is not necessarily how I see myself. I was surprised so many times, especially in Yogyakarta, to see Indonesians reticent to talk to me because they thought I only spoke English. One woman at a counter pushed her co-worker toward me to speak to me…and then they had such relieved faces when I was able to talk to them in their own language. That is such a difference between Indonesia and Penang! Casey helped some tourists when we arrived because they couldn’t find anyone to speak English. Here you are hard pressed to find someone who doesn’t have English. We enjoyed being back in a culture where were challenged by speaking another language. It also made us grateful for our experience there which helped us learn another language.
The other lesson that I had was in confronting my own personal fears and prejudices. On the day there our flight was delayed for almost two hours because of a staff shortage. There was a lady who arrived late for the flight and who was quite emotional. She was from the Middle East and was completely covered except for her eyes. She came on to the flight with 3 or 4 carry-ons and was quite upset. She kept coming up to the front and was agitated about her sister who had not yet made it to the plane. The flight attendants kept trying to get her to have a seat. Eventually two sisters made it to the flight, one carrying a baby. She rushed into the gangway and threw her arms around her sister, speaking excitedly in Arabic. One of the sisters who was carrying a baby was in tears. They finally got on the flight and got settled. I found, as I sat there, that I had quite a lot to deal with in my mind. I think that a fully covered Arabic woman causes some emotions in me. I know that one thing I have felt in Penang is sadness/anger. I know their covering hides who they are and in an essence dismisses them and I have seen this as they walk the streets here with their husbands or brothers. My heart cries out for the hidden gifts and beauty of the shrouded one–who has so much more to offer the world. I must admit that on the plane it caused me some fear and trepidation too. The covering just hides their identity and possibly more nefarious purposes and that “unknown” can cause fear. We didn’t understand what she was going through—why she was so emotional, why she wouldn’t have a seat…and that was perplexing. I found myself wondering what American flight attendants would have done. Then, in my mind, I also carefully considered the tears I had seen and the sounds of relief coming through in a language I did not understand. What I learned is that empathy and understanding is sometimes something we have to FORCE out of ourselves. We have to choose to put fear aside and put ourselves in some other person’s shoes.
We were also reminded of the things we loved about Java and the things we struggle with about it. All of that came crashing onto us in the space of one short week. The biggest love is definitely the people we love there–and the second would be the food we miss. What we really struggle with is the dirt, pollution, noise (aaahhhh!!! BLARING music in EVERY store), the crowds and the traffic. We hit Yogya in one of the busiest times because that was a fact of life. We were able to go to the beaches of Gunung Kidul (south coast) and it was amazing but there were hundreds of people there with us. We found a beach where we could take a couple of steps and snorkel. The diversity of the fish just a couple of feet out was incredible. Chase said, “This is amazing!!” We spent two hours there just checking it out. But, we had to be careful not to crash into others as we snorkeled. That was the tough, not so relaxing part. The roads were full and extremely crowded. So, another lesson is —that life is always a mixed bag. You have to take the good along with the bad. That’s just the way it goes.
Now we need a vacation from our vacation and just need a little rest before we start adventuring and playing on our own island. Thankfully there are some more free days before the second, and even busier, semester begins!
sharonbernhardt 