Category: Culture
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
Scenes in Medan I
The area of Medan we know best after three weeks is the small street our hotel/apartment is on – Jalan Listrik. It’s an elbow of a street jutting out to the east and north from a major thoroughfare. This is looking out are window, facing southeast. There are two large complexes directly next to us… Continue reading Scenes in Medan I
Drinking from a Firehose
It’s hard to believe we arrived in Medan two weeks ago. Although we feel so inadequate in terms of language, we’ve learned so much in such a short time. Like this post’s title, we’re at times overwhelmed by the process of learning a language and a culture as well as how to function in life… Continue reading Drinking from a Firehose
Hungry?
Looks good, doesn’t it? Incredibly ripe and fresh. You’d like one. You know it. How would you get it? You’d have to know what it is to begin with, what to call it and then where to find it. You’d do a near-invisible sorting of the many potential places in your area you even know… Continue reading Hungry?
Kevin
Our first full day in Medan included an outing to a nearby shopping center. It’s a five or six story mall filled with restaurants and stores and on the top level there’s a grocery store. Partly to practice our Bahasa Indonesia skills and partly out of necessity for some basic kitchen goods and partly out… Continue reading Kevin
Quarantine Day 4
Because they counted the day of our arrival in Indonesia – Wednesday February 9 – as our first day of quarantine even though we spent most of that day in the air – today is our last day of quarantine. The quarantine hotel informed us yesterday that sometime after 8am today we would be tested… Continue reading Quarantine Day 4
The Nelson Family Indonesia 