The Elliotts

Kuntum Christmas Program - Selamat Hari Natal

Yesterday the kids wowed us with their enthusiastic participation in their pre-school Christmas program. Blaise debuted as a wiseman - he took his role very seriously and carried it off flawlessly. Flora charmed the crowd with her bunny outfit whilst a tad bit sheepish on stage.

We had a lot of fun celebrating Christmas with all the families at Blaise and Flo's school. Enjoy the pics!

How Many Indonesians . . .

So, how many Indonesian construction workers does it take to pour a driveway?  In short, a lot.  I took this picture from off of our balcony here in Bandung.  Across the street there is this super-project that is being built.  At first I thought it was some sort of housing estate and that they would start selling units to families or something (our neighbourhood is mostly middle-class-ish single family housing; we are in a fourplex), but it turns out that  this project is being built for somebody super-rich.  There is a big seventeen foot high wall all around the estate and we just hear noises and construction going on inside.  They have been working on it since long before we arrived here in March and will be going on long after we leave.  But anyway, sometimes there are ‘outside’ jobs, like the driveway, and we get to see how things are done.

And yeah, it seems that it takes a lot of people to do most everything here.  In one place the gigantic wall was out of plumb three cm (one inch) over its whole seventeen foot height.  To be honest, I usually have a pretty good eye for straight and true, but I couldn’t tell.  So, how do you fix a concrete garden wall that is an inch out of true?  I stopped to chat with the workies and suggested that they could just add a bit of thickness to the bottom of the wall (it was leaning out) and have it sorted.  But they reset the scaffolding, knocked off all the stucco, and these two guys chipped an inch of concrete off the side all the way along with a hammer and chisel.  It took the better part of the week.

Unbelievable from a Canadian perspective, eh?  But labour is always available (maybe four dollars a day for these guys, maybe a little more — I spoke with a contractor and he said the absolute max for a carpenter would be eight dollars a day) and so why not just have a person do it.  Wow.  Like the driveway: no power tools at all.  Concrete mixed on the ground and passed along by hand and then troweled by hand.  And this for the fancy house.

The other half of the story, though, is that there is always still time to chat, and always someone to help with a project it seems.  We have had a lot of opportunities to build relationships with our neighbours and the people who work in our neighbourhood just through stopping and chatting — it’s like I am back in Calgary working for Cedarglen.  So, twelve helpers to pour the driveway, but people are still people; I see the workers at the project sitting in the shade against a wall having coffee just like I did a thousand times.

So, yeah, we are still figuring out life in Indonesia, and still shocked and genuinely humbled at how hard some folks are working here for such a modest living.  I have been so thankful this year for how I have been able to see afresh all the blessings that God has poured into my life.  I am thankful that God gave me the chance to work in the trades all those years so I can understand maybe a little better what it’s like to live and work the way so many people here do.  And I am thankful most of all to know that God himself was not too proud to come and work in the carpenter’s shop too, to know that he understands through and through how it sometimes feels to be me.

Penang Bridge Marathon

So, I survived the marathon. It was not a spectacular performance on my part to say the least, but it was a great experience. We began the race at 2:30 am - obviously it was completely dark. I had a pole position - at the front - along with about 20 kenyan runners. Talk about intimidating! They were definitey the stars of the day. The newspaper were there interviewing them, snapping photos, and so on. I just tried to blend in with the sea of asian faces :)
The race itself was quiet, dark, and lonely and I felt out of shape. After the first 5k I knew that my goal would have to change.  I began to focus on finishing.  It was truly an unique experience to run a race with 20,000 runners but in complete silence.  There were no supporters (because who would be looney enough to get up at 2:30 am to watch a marathon?) and no chatting amongst participants.  Very odd.  At one point a friend of ours participating in the half spotted me on the other side of the bridge and said "go Kari" and I said "go Bob" and then it was completely silent again.  Albeit a rough race I finished standing up and for that I am thankful, and by the grace of God received enough prize money to cover our trip expenses!
 

Before . . . .



So, we are packing up this morning and catching a train to Jakarta - the first stage of our Malaysia marathon trip. The kids are full of excitement and anticipation. I am a mixed bag of nerves. Truly, I think I have technically done everything wrong in preparation for this race. Usually I have the last month before a marathon scheduled and disciplined precisely. Well, here goes an experiment. What happens if you get sick with a tropical fever one month before a big race? Can you still succeed?



Ben has been encouraging me to trust God for big things. I sometimes feel that God is maybe not that interested in these small things but I am trying to trust and hope nonetheless. There is a passage in 2 Kings where the king of that time Jehoash fails to trust God for what could have been an even more complete triumph over his enemies. Thus, I am challenged to trust God for what seems impossible. This race is a little bit like a battle for me . . . . so we go forth today and trust God for victory!

The bad with the good

 

There is much that has been exciting about the "newness" of living in a country like Indonesia - and we usually try to focus on the adventure side of things.  Well, this past week I had the privilege of experiencing first hand the inside of a local hospital - lucky me!  I spent two nights in a Seventh Day Adventist hospital; I was sick with Dengue fever.  I was confined to my bed and bombarded with care.  I think on average there were four nurses assigned to care for me - bath me (yes, they offered!), dress me, check my temperature with a thermometer straight out of the fifties.  In fact, the entire hospital experience felt like I had gone back in time about fifty years - complete with nurses wearing white uniforms and little white caps.  Very cute indeed.  And I was a very unwilling, un-compliant patient.  After two days I was finally released to the loving care of my husband.  I have never been so happy to come home.  Hospital experience number two (Blaise earlier this year) completed. This week Indonesia got the better of us.

So, needless to say, these past few weeks have been a blur for us as a family.  Whilst I was sick, Ben was busy dropping kids off at school, visiting me, picking the kids up, taking them to soccer and so on.  Flora has been newly registered at Blaise's school.  It is quite cute to watch her walk up the steps to school with her back pack on and say "see you later, mummy" like such a big kid, just like her big bro.  Blaise loves having her at school and will often help fill me in on what Flora did all morning.  Of course if you ask Flora she'll say "I play house" or "I read stories". 

Ben has been getting more opportunities to teach and preach - in Indonesian!  He's already given one three hour lecture at a small country Bible School.  I am quite proud of him - it would have been a blast to watch him lecturing in Indonesian in a little pondok (a hut-like structure that is open to the outside) with cows and chickens wandering around.  Ben is in his element at the front of a class room - no matter what the language - so he was very glad for this opportunity.  It is also showed him that even at this point in his language learning he can give a lecture - albeit a simple one.

Highlights of this month: Ben's birthday, receiving a couple of packages (always a highlight!), and a somewhat awkward, but relationship building trip to the local volcano with our neighbours :). 

 

Living the life

This past month has had its ups and downs, certainly, but for the most part much that has happened has been good and exciting (at least for me, I don't know about Ben :).  To begin with one of my dearest friends in the whole world came to visit me here in Bandung - and we also got to visit the resort Island of Lombok while she was here. (yes just us three girls and no children woohoo!)  I think I had forgotten how good it was to have a close friend around to share your life with, so much so that when Somer and Jen had to go back to Canada I felt lonelier here than ever before.

The other very exciting thing that happend was I got my drivers license!  I am still basking in the joy of my new found freedom. Ben and I bought a new motor cycle (really not new, but new for us) that is appropriate for both of us to drive - I can drive to the store and pick up groceries and stash them in my back pack for the trip home.  I love driving a motorcyle (and for everyone's information it is more like a skooter than a motercyle so it is very easy drive) and especially in this country because the driving rules don't apply to us motorcyclists - we can get every way quicker than a car.

Lastly, I am feeling really encouraged about several relationships that I have invested in in our community.  Yesterday we held an impromptu birthday party for a neighbour girl turning one - her parents didn't have enough money to do anything for her birthday, so the kids and I had a fun time making a cake and celebrating with her family.  Moments like these are fabulous reminders of why we are here in this crazy country.

The running scene: 2009 Bandung

Okay, so two weeks ago I had the extreme privilege of participating in my first 10k in Indonesia and in Bandung the city we currently live in.  I say privilege because I almost didn't get to participate because of my gender!  I think I still have feelings of shock when I write that sentence.  Anyway, here is the story.

Every Saturday I run down to a local track where I meet with about 20 other runners, most admittedly are males.  It was through these running friends that I learned of a 10k race . . . . it is hard to find information on such events because their are just not websites devoted to running information like there is in Canada.  So I was very excited at the prospect of getting to race in Bandung.  One week prior to the race I was informed by my friends that the race was only for guys.  When asked how this could be, they suggested that likely the race directors felt that girls would be in too much danger if they were to participate.  For example, we might fall during the race or we might get too tired and not be able to finish the course. Naturally, I was a little bit let down with this news, but this is Indonesia and I always knew running would be a bit different here!

It was the afternoon before the race - the race I wasn't allowed to enter - when two friends from my running group dropped by our house with a race packet for me.  They had entered me in the race under one of their names; in essence I would only be able to run under the pseudonym Danny.  Hey, I was okay with that!  Race day arrives.  I take a taxi down to the start, alone, because Ben had responsibilities at church that day.  When I arrive I quickly notice that I am the only person not wearing the race t-shirt.  Okay, correct me if I am wrong, but in Canada it is just not cool to wear the race t-shirt for the race, right?  Well, here it is the opposite.  Picture 1000 runners - all men - wearing a green and white shirt and then there is me wearing a pink shirt.  Was I trying to stand out?  I had to answer a lot of questions that morning about my choice of t-shirt . . . next time I will just wear the shirt!

The race itself.  I got to start right at the front; being the only white person in the race, I received royal treatment.  Not only did I start at the front, but I had a motorcycle escort for the entire race!  This was of course to ensure that I didn't "fall down" or pass out along the way - so interesting and amusing at the same time!  The race was challenging - there was one stretch of uphill that took about 15 minutes to complete.  I ended up placing fifth overall with a time that was less than impressive which led me to hope and conclude that the distance was not quite accurate (here's hoping:).  Now apparently fifth place was supposed to receive a cash prize but of course I did not qualify because I was a girl.  I at least had the small consolation of proving to the race directors that it is possible for a female to complete a 10k course.  Maybe next year they will invite women to participate too!

Big kid beds and birthday parties

So this week is all about Flora.  Flora turns two in a few days and as a result there will be a few changes around here.  The first change has already occurred - last night was her first night in a big kid bed. Yeah, Flora!  She didn't put up too much of a fuss and actually kind of seemed to like her spiderman sheets (a hand-me-down from her brother).  Her birthday will also serve as an excuse for us to take away her soother, lucky girl.  However, this decision will be hers as she will gladly exchange it for her new grocery cart - well stocked of course!

Also, we are bravely attempting to hold a somewhat Indonesian style birthday party for her.  This really just means inviting lots of kids, making food for all of them, playing games, and sending them each home with a present.  Really the only difference between an indonesian birthday party and a what we are used to is the number of kids!  Apparently this can be a good opportunity to meet your neighbours -- and empty your pocketbook too!

We are looking forward to celebrating out little girl and only wish there were more of you here to celebrate with us!

Life on Two Wheels

Well, big day today.  In a few hours I will be speaking at the chapel service at our little language school and then down to the electronics center to help our new colleague find a new wireless modem.  And really, I should start preparing, but just wanted to share this awesome video of Blaise ripping around on two wheels.  His bike is a little big for him, so the dismount is anything but glamourous, and he can only go straight, but we are awfully proud of him for suggesting that we take the training wheels off.  The voice in the background is our friend (with a video camera) Malcolm from school.

I had quite the adventure myself this week on my own two wheels (my sweet 160cc Honda motorcycle); I was riding home from Sunday afternoon basketball when all of a sudden I got whipped back and ended up laying my bike down on the road.  Turns out some kids had been flying their kite on the road and their kite line was stretched out like a clothes line.  Very unpleasant.  Here in Indonesia kite flying is a competitive sport: usually they use something like 100 lb test fishing line to fly the kites with some kind of really nasty fibreglass embedded twine near the top to cut down the other kites.  So all that to say, I was very glad to make it through my first clothes-lining with nary more than a scrape.  I am thankful in so many ways for the way that God has been keeping us safe here.

Besides all the adventure, we are still working away on language and starting to ramp up to our big move to Jakarta in the spring.  We are heading down there on a little 'scouting' trip this next week; look at a couple neighbourhoods and schools and (hopefully) get to see the school where I am going to end up teaching.  Last night we had the whole Bandung team over for coffee and cheesecake and to all encourage one another.  It seems to me that the transitions never really end when you live in a place as different as this.  And we do miss home (what we really miss are friends and fam) but we're all figuring it out a little bit more as we go along.

Catching up

These past few weeks have been a blur for us.  Blaise has just started back to school; he is now in TK A which is part one of two years of kindergarten.  Mostly, I think he is enjoying school, but there have been a few hard days.  Once a week his class spends time learning Mandarin, as if learning Indonesian wasn't hard enough!  Poor kid, he is a trooper.  We have been reminded how important it is to be praying for him.

Ben and I have also returned to school.  We are now in unit four - only five more to go!  Although our classes are shorter we are required to produce more homework.  Several times a week we give presentations on assigned topics and several times a week we have to write short essays.  I have enjoyed the new written component as it gives me a chance to further understand how to put sentences together.  Our presentations are quite comical; Ben and I are the only students in our class right now, thus my audience includes Ben and our instructor :). 

Generally, I have been encouraged by our slowly increasing grasp of language.  I have begun to really make progress with some of our neighbours.  One neighbour is a young mother - 19 years old - and I get to stop and chat with her everyday.  After five months of chatting with her outside her home, yesterday she invited me into their yard for the first time.  I am so thankful for this encouragement!

Well, as I am scheduled to present again tomorrow I must be off to prepare . . . tonight might be a late night!