I’m listening to the gradually waning sounds of laughter, splashing water, and hoots and hollers coming from our front porch area. Our three kids and three of their friends/teachers from the language school we attend have been busy pouring bucket after bucket of water down our carport, accompanied with some rather nice smelling bodywash, apparently.… Continue reading Learning Culture
Category: Culture
Goodbye Jimmy
That’s Jimmy, our first pet in Medan. Kind of anticlimactic in many ways. We didn’t pick him out, he picked us. We rarely saw him, except when we’d inadvertently open a cabinet door he was hiding behind. We joked about the parties he would throw when we were away from the apartment, but he was… Continue reading Goodbye Jimmy
He Is Risen – Everywhere!
He is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! This truth stands in human history. In geography and history and time and place, witnessed and attested to. And it is true whether we are gathering in the United States or Europe or Indonesia. The same Lord is one Lord raised from the dead as proof his… Continue reading He Is Risen – Everywhere!
Ramadan and Meals
Those Muslims who are able to safely do so are required to fast during the month of Ramadan between sunup and sundown. Ideally, not even a sip of water once the sun rises, until the sun sets. This means mealtime is a big deal when it gets dark. Traditions of gathering as families and neighbors… Continue reading Ramadan and Meals
Our First Ramadan
A beautiful sunset Saturday night from the east side of Medan… Of course it’s not really our first Ramadan. Ramadan has been celebrated for over a thousand years. We heard more about it in the US over the past few years but even so it remained a very distant affair. Important to adherents of the… Continue reading Our First Ramadan
Edi Long Hair
The pier we emerge onto at Lake Toba is a small, unassuming stone affair. Large, volcanic stone mortared together, layer upon layer out of the calm surrounding water and leading to land. Two young men sit hoping for customers for their water-craft tourist experiences. I pause to talk with them. With only a month of… Continue reading Edi Long Hair
Rick
I imagined from the US that Southeast Asia would be sprinkled with people from other parts of the world who opted to transplant themselves both short term and long term. And I imagined these people would have fascinating backstories that likely would take years to write down or tell. I met one this weekend. His… Continue reading Rick
Differences I
I haven’t worn shoes or socks since Monday, February 14. I can safely say without exaggeration that this is the longest I’ve ever gone without wearing shoes or socks probably since I was an infant. Instead I’ve worn a pair of Tiva sandals purchased before we left the US. Every day. I’ve owned sandals and… Continue reading Differences I
Practicing Language With My Grab Driver Who Is Also a Charismatic Pastor
Grab is the Indonesian (Southeastern Asia, really) equivalent of Uber. It’s practically pennies to get back and forth to most anywhere in the sprawling city of Medan and a lifesaver when every day the temperature and humidity wrestle with one another for dominance. I was invited by the waitress at the restaurant across the street… Continue reading Practicing Language With My Grab Driver Who Is Also a Charismatic Pastor
The Nelson Family Indonesia 