hello hello everyone! right now it is sunday about 5pm, most of us just woke up. We all got an amzing oppurtunity to go to Mt. Bromo this morning for sunrise. We had to leave last night about 11:30 and drive so we could get there and hike a lil ways to the place where you can see the sunrise. When we got there it was freezing but we all tried to stay as close as possible for warmth(thanx for the snuggling scott and steven) but once we finally got to the top and watched the sun break over the clouds and mountains it was breathtaking. Few words i could say could describe the beauty that God let us see this morning, i know that pretty much everyone on the trip has pics of it so ill just let u check those out. This morning just reaffirms the fact to me that our God is so big. From mountains to sunrises, to getting a chance to come half way around the world and find that that people here are just as loving and considerate as at home. God is big and is moving everywhere, we just have to be still and watch for him.... I cant wait to get back to the states and see everyone please keep us in your prayers and thoughts
Bud
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Nasih Goreng, Pecel and Ayam
The terms from the title are all things we have tried to eat while in Surabaya! The university students yesterday served us Pecel-which is a combination of rice, bean sprouts, chicken and green beans. It is covered in a very spicy peanut sauce, and they gave us a chance to practice grinding the peanuts into a sauce-like mixture. Although most of us have liked atleast trying new foods, when we order on our own, we usually try to stick to Nasih Goreng (Fried Rice)...
After meeting some new students yesterday at the university, Taylor and I made plans to eat lunch with two girls. We had some interesting conversations about faith and culture, and I hope that we planted a few seeds. In Indonesia if you ask somebody to go to lunch with you, you are expected to pay--so they paid for our meal! It was really sweet. However, if it is your birthday, then the custom is for YOU to take all of your friends out to eat and YOU pay for them! Quite different from America! So, since it was Erin's birthday yesterday-she treated Stephanie and I to an icecream cone from KFC. (Yes, they have KFC here. The menu is quite different though!)
It has been such an amazing week here. I can't believe we are almost at the end of our stay! EVERYONE is so helpful. I am sure the fact that we are "bule" helps, but I think the people here are genuinely very kind and helpful. They understand the importance of relationships and community! A lot of the hotel staff know a few of us by name, and we are often greeted on the side of the road even if they don't know us. If their indonesian is not very good, they will shout, "Hello Mr.!" (Even to the girls! It is hard not to correct them! Ha!)
We do most of our traveling in taxis, but when we first got here we were able to ride in a "becak". Becaks are the little bikes with seats on the front. I know we weigh so much more than your typical indonesian, but it was really fun to ride in them!
Tonight we are meeting up with some of the Culture Exchange students to see a movie (lift us up as we try nd bridge conversations into conversations about Him!) After we get back, we are leaving at 11:30pm for Mt. Bromo (the volcano) We are driving through the night so we can get to the volcano at sunrise! WE ARE SO EXCITED!
We love you all and miss you dearly!
Love,
Hannah
After meeting some new students yesterday at the university, Taylor and I made plans to eat lunch with two girls. We had some interesting conversations about faith and culture, and I hope that we planted a few seeds. In Indonesia if you ask somebody to go to lunch with you, you are expected to pay--so they paid for our meal! It was really sweet. However, if it is your birthday, then the custom is for YOU to take all of your friends out to eat and YOU pay for them! Quite different from America! So, since it was Erin's birthday yesterday-she treated Stephanie and I to an icecream cone from KFC. (Yes, they have KFC here. The menu is quite different though!)
It has been such an amazing week here. I can't believe we are almost at the end of our stay! EVERYONE is so helpful. I am sure the fact that we are "bule" helps, but I think the people here are genuinely very kind and helpful. They understand the importance of relationships and community! A lot of the hotel staff know a few of us by name, and we are often greeted on the side of the road even if they don't know us. If their indonesian is not very good, they will shout, "Hello Mr.!" (Even to the girls! It is hard not to correct them! Ha!)
We do most of our traveling in taxis, but when we first got here we were able to ride in a "becak". Becaks are the little bikes with seats on the front. I know we weigh so much more than your typical indonesian, but it was really fun to ride in them!
Tonight we are meeting up with some of the Culture Exchange students to see a movie (lift us up as we try nd bridge conversations into conversations about Him!) After we get back, we are leaving at 11:30pm for Mt. Bromo (the volcano) We are driving through the night so we can get to the volcano at sunrise! WE ARE SO EXCITED!
We love you all and miss you dearly!
Love,
Hannah
Friday, August 1, 2008
chopedy chop
The past two mornings we have gone to Ubaya university for a culture exchange program. Their students sang us some Indonesian songs, taught us some of their games ( which Steven attempted to dive across the floor and did the Carlton dance ) , and taught us several different things about their culture. The people here are some of the nicest people I have ever met and it seems to me like they all know each other even though they are strangers. After they shared we sang some songs for them, shared some of our games, taught them the cha-cha slide ( oh yeah ), and shared with them that our culture is not always what they see on the movies. At the end of each day we broke off into small groups. These groups have helped us get to know the students better and get into important conversations. We have plans to hang out with these students, so continue to lift up these relationships to Him and ask for our eyes to be open.
Oh yeah, we went to sing karaoke last night with some of our new friends and it was one of the funniest night of my life. We sang songs from O-town all the way to Elton John. It was a very cool place. We had our own room with about fifteen of us. Me, Buddy, and Steven are thinking about starting a boy band in Indonesia! Any name suggestions?
He is doing work all around this place! And I believe sometimes we may never know how much while we are on this earth.
In Him, Scott
Oh yeah, we went to sing karaoke last night with some of our new friends and it was one of the funniest night of my life. We sang songs from O-town all the way to Elton John. It was a very cool place. We had our own room with about fifteen of us. Me, Buddy, and Steven are thinking about starting a boy band in Indonesia! Any name suggestions?
He is doing work all around this place! And I believe sometimes we may never know how much while we are on this earth.
In Him, Scott
Toilet
OK so I have yet to really do any blogging but I wanted to take this chance to fill yall in on the toilets over here. The water does not really spin clockwise our counter clock wise, it just kinda goes strait down, or gets sucked down if you will. As for the toilets themselves you are required to stand and poop, and pee as well if you are a girl. If you are confused dont you worry pictures will soon follow, hopefully we can get them posted on the blog soon??? Oh and you have to take your pants off so as not to get any one yourself.
If you were thinking that was all that could be interesting about the toilet you would be sorely mistaken. They do not use toilet paper here!!! They have a hose that eerily resembles the one we have in America on the kitchen sink (you know the one you clean your vegetables with). They expect you to use this to wash your bottom after pooping!!! or Peeing for the girls
Dont worry we have a volunteer that will demonstrate this action in photos or maybe a video if we are lucky? Her name is Hannah, some of you may know her, yeah???
So the next time you are cleaning your vegetables remember Indonesians use that same hose to clean a certain part of their body :-) A popular saying her is that if it is wet then it must be clean!!!
SO lets recap shall we
1. The water flushes strait down, no swirling!
2. You must poop, and or pee standing up, with bottom off cause it can get kinda messy otherwise.
3.you must not wipe, but use a hose that looks like the one on your kitchen sink.
4. If you make it through all that you just have to put your bottoms back on without getting them all wet
But remember in Indonesia WET IS CLEAN!!!
sorry for any bad grammar or misspellings, they have my mind all fried over here, and im not very good with the english language
If you were thinking that was all that could be interesting about the toilet you would be sorely mistaken. They do not use toilet paper here!!! They have a hose that eerily resembles the one we have in America on the kitchen sink (you know the one you clean your vegetables with). They expect you to use this to wash your bottom after pooping!!! or Peeing for the girls
Dont worry we have a volunteer that will demonstrate this action in photos or maybe a video if we are lucky? Her name is Hannah, some of you may know her, yeah???
So the next time you are cleaning your vegetables remember Indonesians use that same hose to clean a certain part of their body :-) A popular saying her is that if it is wet then it must be clean!!!
SO lets recap shall we
1. The water flushes strait down, no swirling!
2. You must poop, and or pee standing up, with bottom off cause it can get kinda messy otherwise.
3.you must not wipe, but use a hose that looks like the one on your kitchen sink.
4. If you make it through all that you just have to put your bottoms back on without getting them all wet
But remember in Indonesia WET IS CLEAN!!!
sorry for any bad grammar or misspellings, they have my mind all fried over here, and im not very good with the english language
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