Indonesia 2005-06, Part 1
Orientation
We are beginning an assignment with Mennonite Central Committee in Papua, Indonesia. This is made possible through a 1-year sabbatical from Goshen College. We will be serving as curriculum consultants at Cenderawasih University in Abepura, near Jayapura.
Our assignment began with a week of orientation at MCC headquarters in Akron, Pennsylvania, in July. It was exciting to meet about 35 others going to international assignments, including 6 of us going to Indonesia. We also enjoyed the new facilities, called the Welcoming Place, now used for orientations.
Departure
We left Los Angeles at night on August 8, lost August 9 over the International Date Line, and arrived in Singapore (via Hong Kong) in the afternoon of August 10, about 22 hours later! We spent a night there to rest up, but mainly to get our temporary visas for Indonesia. While there we enjoyed the national botanical gardens across the street from our guest house.
Arrival in Papua and Home Stay
From Singapore we flew to Jakarta and then took an overnight flight to Jayapura, Papua, arriving at about 9 am on August 12. After a lot of formalities we arrived at our hosts home for a one-week home stay. The purpose of the home stay is to immerse ourselves in Papuan culture and language as our first orientation to our assignment. We struggle with language, but have truly enjoyed their friendship. We also enjoyed delicious food and a trip to a beautiful local beach.
Introductions at UNCEN
During our home stay we also had one full day of introductions and orientation at Universitas Cenderawasi (UNCEN) where we will be working. We were happy to find out that our tasks will indeed be closely related to our specialties Ron working with the mathematics education faculty and Sally Jo working with the librarians. The day included a visit to the Rektor of the university in the administration building perched atop a small mountain as well as dinner out at a lovely restaurant hosted by the Dean of the education faculty.
In-country Orientation
After our first week in Papua, we made the 12-hour journey back to Java to join the other new MCCers for a few days of orientation at a cool mountain retreat near Salatiga. In addition to orientation sessions, our time together included worship, relaxation, a hike to ancient Hindu temple ruins and hot springs, and a concluding meal at a local fish restaurant.
Language Study
We began our language classes in Salatiga on August 24. We have a total of 4 hours of class per day (two 2-hour blocks) with two teachers at Satya Wachana University. It is difficult for us, but we feel we are making progress!
Our House
During this time of language study we are living in a small, but comfortable, house in Salatiga. We are the first occupants; so not everything is quite completed, but it more than serves our needs.
Jogjakarta
The first weekend in September we had an extra day due to a Friday holiday. So we decided to make a trip to Jogjakarta (3 hours away by small travel van) to visit close friends we had made nearly 5 years ago when we lead the Goshen College Study Service Term there.
Mt Merbabu
The neighborhood where we live is in the shadow of Mt Merbabu (altitude 10,000+ feet). After our first week here we joined other MCCers to go up the mountain. It is almost always climbed at night with flashlights. The two of us decided to stop at the 9,000 ft level after 5 hours of difficult climbing on slippery dusty trails. We huddled in a rocky cave to try to keep warm until sunrise. The morning was glorious!
Special Visitors
This past weekend a team of 10 visitors representing MCC constituencies in the US, Canada, and Europe arrived in Salatiga. They will be in the country for about 3 weeks, and all MCCers in the Salatiga area participated in 3 days of seminars and orientation activities for them including reports from MCC partners from various parts of Indonesia, a graduation party for university education students from disadvantaged areas, and worship at a local Mennonite church. We had several opportunities to practice our language skills!
Salatiga
We have enjoyed getting to know our surroundings here in Salatiga for the past 5 weeks. It is a bustling small city of 130,000. Sights include streets full of motorcycles, becaks (pedicabs), dokars (horse-drawn carts), and angkotas (public mini-vans). In addition to the university where we have our language classes, the city also includes a bustling market, a star-rated hotel/spa, and lots of good little restaurants. Our quiet neighborhood near the edge of town also provides quiet walks along rural roads through groves of banana, palm, and cassava.
Returning to Papua
On October 4 we will arrive back in Papua. So our next entries will be from there.
Arrival back in Papua
On Oct 4 we arrived at Sentani Airport. We have made several trips (45 min each way) from our campus in Abepura to Jayapura with lovely views of the harbor. We recently met with a group of former “IVEPers” – young people who spent a year in North America under the International Visitor Exchange Program of MCC.
Our House in Abepura
We live in half of a duplex perched at the top of a very steep street and driveway. We have wonderful views down over our campus and out over the surrounding hills. The interior is more than adequate for our needs, including a spacious kitchen and an air conditioned bedroom.
Beginning Assignment (Ron)
During the past two weeks Ron has visited one, and sometimes two, math classes each day either in the elementary or the secondary teacher training programs. A class period lasts for about 3 hours. It has been very interesting and he is learning a lot of new mathematical terminology in Indonesian. Teaching styles vary widely, as they do in other parts of the world, but student behavior tends to be a lot more subdued and respectful than in North America! He has especially enjoyed helping to introduce some new computer software in a lab for a geometry class and helping to introduce some manipulatives for use in an elementary classroom. (Photos later)
Beginning Assignment (Sally Jo)
This week we began to meet other faculty and get introduced to the School of Education facilities where we are located in the old campus. We were both assigned to a large office, actually an empty classroom outfitted with two desks and a few chairs for meetings with others. Sally Jo will assist in two small libraries one for the secondary education program and one for the elementary program. There is a lot of organization needed, but the first priority identified by the local librarians is to get their records computerized.
Visit to the University Library (New Campus)
We paid a visit to the main campus this week to see what resources are available there and to make some contacts for future assistance. It is a beautiful building, but there is also a lot of need to update their limited resources.
Fun with Visitors
This past weekend we had MCC team visitors from Jogjakarta for three nights. On Saturday we all went to the beach called Base G on the Pacific Ocean named during the Second World War. Then in the evening we enjoyed eating at a fish restaurant and watching the sun go down over Lake Sentani.
Papuan Museum
Our campus includes a nice museum representing many of the indigenous groups of Papua. The pillars around the outside of the building are decorated with traditional Papuan motifs. Inside are many artifacts, including fine wood carvings, musical instruments, and preserved specimens of different varieties of the Bird of Paradise.
Outings
We have just had a long weekend due to the holidays following the end of Ramadan. We used some of that time to go on two outings with Papuan friends. The first was a 2-hour drive (one-way) past beautiful coastal scenery to a quiet spot beside a clear cool stream where we enjoyed a picnic and swimming. The second was a hike up the mountains behind our house. That was much more strenuous but provided excellent views of Abepura, where we live and work. There was also a beautiful valley at the top that we explored before returning.
