Jogjakarta: Prambanan and Leowak coffee

My alarm rang at 4:00am and it was off to the races. As we got ready Chris kept mumbling that he would clean up and we should just focus on getting ready, as he was heading to Jogjakarta later in the afternoon. What a sweet guy. Our Indonesian friend had called a taxi the night before and after having a bit of trouble translating what the security guards were saying to us, we managed to find our taxi, and he was able to get us to the airport in about 45 minutes. Love the non-traffic in the mornings. Once we arrived we realized we weren’t able to check in quite yet, so we used the restroom and opted to get Krispy Kreme donuts to celebrate our vacation. This is going to be an excuse for everything (eating poorly, drinking poorly, not working out, sitting on my ass) for the next two weeks. We had zero issues at the airport, which was a nice change of pace, other than the $4 service charge we had to pay just to get in. How ridiculous! There are so many hidden costs to traveling.

Prambanan Temple

We were early so we had to wait a bit, and they switched our gate, but we managed, simply by following the crowd. We both dozed on the flight, thought neither of us fully slept. We were greeted by Andi (our guide for the week) and a driver (Diang) who immediately took our bags from us and escorted us to their car. Andi gave us a brief history of Jogjakarta and told us that originally it was independent, but later joined Indonesia once it gained independence. Our first destination was Prambanan temple. Andi explain that it was the largest Hindu temple in Indonesia and that it acted a symbol of the unity and acceptance between Hinduism and Buddhism as it was build by a Hindu Princess who married a Buddhist man. We spent the first 15 minutes or so taking pictures of the outside and being paparazzied by random Indonesian people. I seriously felt like a celebrity. Andi took us into each temple that we were allowed in (several are no longer standing or safe, due to past earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.) He explained a lot about the Hindu statues and about the Ramayan story, and also taught us that you must always visit a temple by going around it clockwise. I forget why, something about the representation of the shortness and sweetness of life and time. Tomorrow evening we will see the ballet in front of the temple, but the story is also engraved on the inside of most of the temple. It is the story of ture love and acceptance of our position in life. I chatted with Andi a bit about religion as he asked if we were Christian. I told him I was extremely interested in Buddhism, as was he, and we chatted about the things that made it so optimal. Mostly the fact that it is all about what you make it and are willing to put into it. After we finished walking in the temples we did a quick run of the museums, before heading to lunch.

Exploring the less stable part of the temple

At lunch we were served soup, rice, veggies, seasoned chicken, fish with a delicious pepper onion sauces, beef which reminded me of pot roast, and fruit for desert. Angie and I couldn’t believe how delicious everything was and that we were living this life. After lunch we were able to see how they make silver items in Jogja. This is something they are known for, and I couldn’t believe how many steps it took to make the items, or how inexpensive the items were. 

Leowak

The best part of the day was definitely a surprise. I had talked to Andi about coffee and he asked if I heard of Leowak coffee. I had come across an article about it when I was deciding if I should take a job here. Indonesia is known for it’s coffee, and coffee connoisseurs from all around the world come to try Leowak coffee. Basically the coffee is made from beans found in “cat poop” as I originally read. The leowak looks more like a lemur to me, but I was able to hold one, and try the coffee all for free. 

each step of the process

Basically the leowak loves to eat coffee cherries, and once the fruit is digested the beans stay whole and come out in their poop. Then people take the poop and peel away the layers of the coffee seed. They then roast the coffee. Oh my god people! It was the most incredible cup of espresso I’ve ever had!

Mmmm...poop and coffee

After our coffee experience Angie and I were escorted to the hotel for an afternoon of relaxation. We swam, we tanned, we rested. I uploaded pictures and before we knew it, it was time for dinner.

Chris ended up staying a hostel just around the corner, so he walked to our hotel and was able to join us for dinner. It was wonderful and consisted of a wide array of meats, along with incredible garlic broccoli, fruit plates, and of course, rice! Post dinner we headed to the square and were surprised to see lit up bicycles and pedal cabs everywhere! It felt like Christmas, which is a feeling I usually hate, but when you are living away from home anything that feels like home feels great. We were told that there were two trees in the middle of the square, and the story is that you make a wish and if you can walk through the center of the trees blindfolded then your wish will come true. The space between the tree is quite large, so this seemed like an easy task, however, Angie failed desperately and ended up going to far to the right. I was able to walk almost directly through the center, though I didn’t really feel like I was close at all. Apparently I almost walked into a bum at one point. My dream will come true, but I can’t tell you what my dream is. Chris managed to run into the fence of one of the trees. 

waling through the center of the trees. 

After this fun activity we completed the most difficult task ever. We rented a 3 person bike and tried to bike around the square 4 times. Angie was originally sitting up front, but she made Chris trade her and poor Chris had to steer us, which was quite the task. Eventually we figured out that the key was to all start at the same time. Then we just had to figure out how to slow down/speed up enough to avoid the traffic. After we completed the challenge of 4 laps we were escorted home and crashed in bed.

great times with great friends!

More Songs About Me

So here comes another "creative" blog post. About, you guessed it, music!

So the other day I'm on the treadmill and a song written by my oldest brother comes on, and I can swear that it was written from the perspective of someone else, about me. And yet, I can hear his voice singing it. It is so confusing. So I posted a link to a very old version of it, just listen. All that flying away crap I love. (#3)
http://archive.org/details/rrnrlove2004-06-07

Then I come home and decide to put on some archives from the last concert my brothers did together (while I was in Albania) and this song comes on (#14: Lost):
http://archive.org/details/DCAF2012-10-27

My brother wrote this song while he was living in Honduras. I always forget that he did this, and that we have this connection of our living abroad experiences. Lets just say it made my thoughts lost in Minnesota.

"Now I'm staring at Jakarta on this starless, smoggy Tuesday night.
There's so much here you would like to see.
We could sit and talk for hours about how no one really seems to understand,
But then again, neither do we."

Yeah I did a little re-write there. Anyway I'm sitting here reading my book and come across this information about Buddhism:

"Here you've got your mind, the source of all your problems, but also the source of you liberation. Use it. Look at your life. Figure it out."
"'Buddhism requires that I take on the terrifying responsibility for myself; I am the author of my own suffering, and my own deliverance. And yet it also requires very little--only that I open my eyes right here, where I am standing, that I simply pay attention."
- Beyond the Sky and the Earth, page 240- 241

Agh! Why is my mind lost in Minnesota? I'm here in wonderful Jakarta and I just want to be here. There is so much to experience, but I miss my old experiences. I seriously need to quit living in the past. It was fantastic, but this is FANTASTIC!

So here's the thing for anyone still reading this rambling thing that probably doesn't count as writing. I'm not homesick. I'm not looking at plane tickets, I'm not crying, and I'm not considering backing out of my contract or my plan to do this traveling thing for a long time. I swear to god I'm fine, and I'm perfectly happy here. But I'm not all here, and maybe that sucks, but maybe it is also okay. Opinions? Will my heart really always be in Minnesota? Yes, and part of it will always be in Albania. And now part of it will always be in Jakarta. And what a fricken awesome realization. And did my brother write these songs years ago with some secret message to the future me? I'm over analyzing everything. Time for a beer and bed. Also, Angie can't believe I'm having a beer. Who did I become? A girl who doesn't drink beer every night?

Playlist

So I wanted to begin writing some more “creative” blog posts, and this will be my first completely random attempt. I offer you a play list from a small portion of my journey home from Bandung (with commentary):

Cannonball by Damien Rice

The Monday before our trip I came across a Damien Rice song while I was running, and then I had to listen to the whole damn album that night. It’s been awhile. Damien is one of those sad/happy music experiences for me. It’s all about my mood. Right now, happy. This is actually probably one of my favorite songs ever.

Sing Me back Home by Merle Haggard

This one made me miss home a little. Music is always something that calls me back home, but it also makes me feel like I can make other places my home. It’s strange. Then I started thinking about the memories behind songs and how essential music is in everyone’s life. Don’t even argue with me on this one.

To Be Young- Ryan Adams

I love dancing to this song. It's one of those fast songs that is actually sad. Those are my favorite. There is just something so truthful in the lyrics. To be young is to be sad.  

Somewhere North- Caedmon’s call

My brother and his wife made a wedding mix to hand out to all the guests at their wedding. This song was on there. The version on my iPod is actually sang by my brother. This song made me wish I had something more, relationship wise. I’ve been having some serious insecurities recently as I’m coming up on almost 2 years of being single. I know being single has its benefits. I’m loving every second of discovering myself as a single gal, and I don’t have time for a relationship, but something in me is craving some sort of romantic (if that’s the right word for it?) connection. I'm worried that when I do get around to a relationship it will have been so long that I will be completely lost about how to deal with it. Also my mind is definitely somewhere north of here. Like maybe somewhere colder.

The Fear You Won’t Fall by Joshua Radin

I think this was one of the songs sung at my prom? For sure a song from my past. It came on and I just couldn’t skip it. Don’t ask.

Buggin’ by the Flaming Lips

Quite the contrast from the last one. Seems like a good song to describe the mosquitoes in Jakarta. “The buzz of love is busy buggin’ you” Oh, the lyrics are absolute perfection. I’ve seen this band live 3 times, but I don’t think I’ve ever see them play this song. Ah well…

Sweet Disposition by the Temper Trap

Everyone thinks this is the song my tattoo is based off of. It isn’t, but I do enjoy this song. “Oh reckless abandon, like no one is watching you.”

Purple Rain by Prince

*for some reason it won't let me post anything but prince tribute bands versions. Not going to bother with that crap.*

This song has some history behind it. On my boyfriends prom night (back like 7 years ago) we watched the movie purple rain and I hated it. He loved the song and I hated it though all our years of dating. Then one day I really listened to the song and I fell in love with it.

In My Hour of Darkness- Gram Parsons, Emmylou Harris

This song! From the Roses, and absolutely incredible. After it played I knew I had to just shut my iPod off for awhile and process it.

By the time I arrived home after being stuck in traffic for many, many hours I was so frustrated and homesick. I wrote a very upset facebook post to which one of my friends responded by sending me a song. Music is my serious outlet and I’m not sure how I would survive anything without it. This song has become my mantra in the last few weeks, and so even though I didn’t listen to it on the trip home I feel it is necessary to post it.

Keep Pumpin'!

Missing Fall

I'm sick, and thus I'm in desperate need of venting about what I miss from home:

My mom's homemade chicken noodle soup with mashed potatoes
My brother's homemade chili
Campfires
cool nights/wearing sweaters
The mountains
the woods
Whiskey
Good Beer (IPA, Stout, Chimay, Paulaner)
Red Wine
Biscuits and Gravy
fresh air
laying in grass
the sound of leaves crunching under my feet while I run outside.
pumpkin baked goods
boots/sweaters

Oh my...I think I'm missing fall.

"Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns."- George Eliot

De Ranch

This weekend I was lucky enough to get a chance to get out of the city. We headed to Bandung (another big city) to go horseback riding. 7 of us went and we managed to rent a car and driver, and pay for gas for a total of $10 each. The trip was squished, but we made the best of it.

It wasn’t at all what I expected, but it was still a good experience and I’m totally glad I went. I expected an actual ranch with lots of wide open space outside of the city, but it turned out the ranch was a small piece of land in the city, with a bunch of tourists and Indonesians. There were pony rides, wall climbing, and an archery area. 4 of us decided to head on the hour long horse ride, and the other 3 wanted to do the 2 hour tour. They only had 4 horses available for the tours so we had to take turns on the horses. The 1 hour group headed out first. The guides taught me how to hold on to the reigns, how to lean depending on how we were moving, and how to kick the horse so it would trot. The few commons words we could say were “come on!” “trot” and “sini” (which means here) which he used to motion where to put my hands and legs. Other than that we had no language in common.

The 3 teachers on the horses

The guides took us through the village and the whole time we were being yelled after by cute kids and old men. “Hello Miss!” I felt like a celebrity the whole time, which is starting to become a common feeling here. At one point a van driver held out his blackberry to get a photo of us. I wonder how many random facebook walls I’m posted on: “Look at these crazy Boleh!”

natural right?

Once we got back it was the other groups turn and we sat down to enjoy some “brownies and ice cream” which was really chocolate bread with ice cream and warmed up chocolate sauce. I tried to enjoy it, even though the “brownie” part was gross. Then we walked around to try and find something to do, but we were mostly just bored. 

Exploring

Dustin noticed a ton of people taking pictures, and he decided to take his own pictures as well. What ensued was pictures with trash cans, the bathroom sign, and pictures of him sniffing flowers. We played some games involving singing, and tried to take some naps on the table. When the other group finally got back we grabbed a quick bite to eat and hit the road in hopes of beating the traffic. 

one of the "we are really bored" pictures

Everyone was super tired, so we all attempted to sleep, but to be completely honest no one could get comfortable enough. Thus I listened to my iPod and tried to relax. Once we were back in the city we had a rough time getting home. The trip from Badung to Jakarta only took 3 hours, but the trip to our house while in Jakarta took 2.5 hours. I was so frustrated and homesick by the time we got home, but I forced myself to shower and head to bed without allowing myself to cry.

The next morning I woke up and headed to car free morning. They shut down a few of the main roads to all cars, and a lot of people gather to run and bike on the street. It was a nice change of pace, but even at 6:00am I was sweating like crazy. At about 8:00 we headed to get some breakfast. I couldn’t believe how early it was.

Road Trips Please!

One of my goals for this year was to write more creative blog posts. I love writing about my trips to keep my family updated, and as my own personal account of what I’m doing while I’m traveling. So I wrote the boring blog post about horse back riding, and now for the creative, more personal one.

I love road trips. I always thought there was something so American about them. Moving out west, following the American dream, that entire completely clichéd thing. Then I moved to Albania and figured I wouldn’t be riding in a car for a long time, and as it turns out the best, quickest, cheapest way to travel was by car. When I moved here I for sure thought that the road trips were done, but I just took a road trip to another big city, with a new group of friends. I love road trips! So here is a blog all about road trips.

American road trips: I never got to do my great American cross country road trip, but I plan on doing it some day. I love hearing stories about people who traveled out to California, camping along the way, and to be honest it is a dream I have. My American road trips have been incredible in their own way. Of course there was the road trip to Canada freshman year. 8 kick ass college students pilled into two vans with the sole purpose of being somewhere we could legally drink. I will never ever forget that great trip of coloring pictures and singing songs, crossing the boarder, experiencing 5 pin bowling, enjoying an Irish pub on St. Patricks day, and walking around playing Zumie Zumie. 

breakfast stop!

But, the majority of the road trips in America were with my brother and his friends. I’m not talking about long road trips, I’m talking about our 3 hour trips home or our 5 hour trips up north to hike and camp. The best part of these road trips? Coffee, beer, and music. Freshman year Daryn would always make a new mix for our trip home. I was always homesick and I’d spend Fridays in class and work looking forward to hearing some new music and talking about life with my brother. Sophomore year I went home less as my friends were all gone and I grew insanely bored. I realized the weirdness of my hometown and the music switched to Randy Newman and the Thank God I’m a Country Boy mixes. Junior year we got the Roses, and it changed everything. Then I turned 21 and the road trips home got even better, as I knew that what was to come was many cheap beers and many cheap whiskeys, followed by midnight bloodies. When I went to visit  America in June we spent so much time on the road and I loved it, though I wish I would have been able to drive without falling asleep. My poor brother must have driven at least 24 hours in one week.

typical weekend at home: dancing with a whiskey in my hand against Mike's girlfriend.

Balkans road trips: Holy shit! Could road trips get any better? These ones were all about the views and random findings along the way. I have to say I was a little nervous about all of the mountain driving, but Scott and Robert are kick ass drivers. Though I almost died about 10 times by nearly flying off the edge of the earth, the views were perfectly beautiful, and never have I felt more at peace with the world then when I was sitting, drinking a beer, espresso, and eating a pomegranate freshly picked off a tree overlooking the mountains. Or when I was listening to Robert’s blasting music while slipping through the snowy Balkan Alps, or when I was attempting to find a city called Vishni by asking with facial features and hand gestures. Nothing can beat these experiences.

Typical Albanian road side 10:00am stop.

and again.

Oh you know...just another unplanned stop with a gorgeous view.

Indonesian road trips: I was crammed into a van with 6 other people and a hired driver. We made a few stops at crazy road-side areas with far too many fast food restaurants and coffee shops. I drank a total of 3 super sweet sugary coffees (yuck!) and got punch drunk crazy from not sleeping much the night before, and having too much sugar. I attempted to cuddle with Angie to make a comfy bed and we failed miserably. We had random discussions about blood lines, and sports. I didn’t drink a single beer the whole day, but wanted one on more than one occasion. The trip from the outskirts of the city to my house took the same amount of time as the trip from one city to Jakarta, and I ended up finally homesick beyond belief. I’m not sure how I’m going to get along with Indonesian road trips yet.

way to CITED for the day.

This blog post did not go where I intended for it to go at all. It was meant to be about the great music I listened to on this last road trip. Whoops! That’s creative writing for you. Looks like I’ll just have to write another one. The moral of the story: I love road trips! And the Balkans way gorgeous. Seriously! 

Untitled blog post #1

09/08/13

I’m not sure what I’m doing. For some reason my mind won’t think, at least most of the time. When it does think, it freaks out a little bit. It starts thinking about the past and what it took to get to this point. What it took to become a happy person, and I don’t want anything to stand in the way of that. So if you put off the inevitable for long enough it’s bound to happen. Correct? I need to make a decision.

13/08/13

So it is currently 28 degrees Celsius outside and I just walked home wearing pants and a short sleeve shirt without sweating. I think my body is adjusting. Also for some reason every time I shave my legs here I cut myself. It’s awful and I can’t figure out why. I have to start being more careful.

14/08/13

I hate to complain about losing weight, but I purchased new clothes when I was home so that I wouldn’t have to go shopping when I arrived here. I have no shorts that fit that don’t have holes in the crotch. And so after work on Saturday I get to go shopping….again. agh!

18/08/2013

Last night I sat back under a fan while watching my friends bowl. Angie came up to me and just smiled as we began to talk about the fact that 8 weeks ago we had no idea who we were going to meet when we arrived here. 8 weeks ago we had no idea who we were going to live with or what our jobs would be like. And somehow in the 6 weeks we have been here we have managed to make various incredible ex-pats and Indonesian friends. How lucky am I? This morning we are sitting in our apartment talking about how hard it is going to be to leave this place and these marvelous people. I’m 6 weeks in. 2 years from now these friends are going to mean so much more to me. Say goodbye? For real? No one said this life was easy, but no one can say it isn’t worth it.

21/08/13

Today I started really craving a few things from home. I’m still doing fantastic overall, I just had a rough day. I need a good IPA and a good chat with my brother. Or a nice walk to stone arch with my iPod.

Today was one of those days when I thought to myself that as soon as I’m done paying off my loans I’m done teaching. I hated teaching today. More so I hate how much I still have to learn about being a teacher, and I’m frustrated with how overwhelming it is. And so I  don’t sleep, and I dream of my classroom in utter chaos. My alarm rings and it is back off to work I go. I greet each child with a smile and recall my dream to them as our “classroom swimming in bubbles.” I ask them what they dreamt about and they reply with “monsters” and “super-heroes.” Their dreams and my dream collide. But which one am I? The monster or the super-hero?

23/08/13

Today was a rough day, and after school (more like after school plus 45 minutes of extra work) I had a mental breakdown in the 3rd grade classroom. I've been really frustrated with feeling completely inadequate. It was good to talk it out first with my fellow elementary teacher, and shortly after with my roommate. They both mentioned that they have felt the same way at some point in the last month or so, which made me feel much better. I feel like I'm doing absolutely nothing right, and though I try and try, I continue to fail. 2 cry sessions (finally) followed by a workout and a few beers, and while life isn't perfect it is a little bit better about myself and I'm happier who I am. I need to get back my confidence. Where did it go this week? Watch out world. Here I come, with my super duper supportive friends to back me up. 

25/08/13
When I'm finally happy with myself, and being by myself it will all come together. I have a long way to go, and a long road ahead of me. The first step is accepting right? This is who I am, and I love her. Every single bit of her imperfections and insanity. Perfectly Imperfect. Also, I've been on a serious Tom Robbins binge. For real. It is unhealthy.

“Funny how we think of romance as always involving two, when the romance of solitude can be ever so much more delicious and intense.” 
― Tom Robbins

Out with the friends

28/08/13
Hey ya'll I'm hanging in here. In fact this week has been a lot better, but also crazy. My weekly plans for term one are coming due, so I spent about 3 hours last night working on english alone and I'm not done. In two-three weeks we have parent teacher interviews which means our portfolios are due. Stress! I haven't even started. There was a bit of drama due to some serious rumors and gossip early in the week, but I've overcome them. I found out today that I will be getting 2 more students on Monday and I can't even imagine having more. The good news is that the classroom management is improving each and every day. I don't take the kid's crap anymore. Notes go home, detentions are given, and I try my best not to shout over them. Accomplishing goal #2. This weekend we went to an inter-nations event and I tried to mingle to the best of my ability. I'm working on making more friends, and I think overall I'm doing a good job on goal #5. I've read almost one whole book about Buddhism (goal #8), but I haven't managed to complete any Bahasa lessons since I got here. I'm sitting in on Bahasa lessons during school and I've managed to learn a few words by looking at signs, listening to directions, and reading menus, so improving on goal #1. I started insanity last week and I can already see vast improvements. I'm setting goals, I'm eating healthier and I've lost weight. Goal # 7, check. I've tried some indonesian food, I've worn the clothes, I've learned a bit of history, so success on goal #4. Woohooo! The other 4 goals are being put on hold. But, I'm progressing, I'm improving as a person, and most importantly I think I'm the happiest I've ever been.