Returning “home”
where we are
It’s been 7 years since we last left Indonesia. Many things feel the same but, of course, changes have happened.
MCC Indonesia team
We arrived in Salatiga and immediately jumped into the life of MCC. We went with the others to Saleh Putih which is a “resort”, a short distance up the mountain, not far from town for 3 days of team meetings. It was a good way to meet and learn to know new MCCers and to reconnect with those we knew from previous times. There are 8 MCC staff in the office here. Three of the national staff we have known since 2005. One of those we learned to know when she was an IVEPer and came to the States. Also here now are 8 YALTers*—4 from North America and 4 from other countries (Laos, Kenya, Uganda, and India). Of course, we knew the one from Laos since we had just been there 2 months ago and had been a part of his preparation to come. We discovered the one from Uganda lived not far from the MCC office in Kampala and we are sure we must have crossed paths during our 15 months in Uganda 4 years ago!
we made it
Team meetings are a time for mostly learning on a chosen topic with some time just for relaxation. The meetings ended with an optional afternoon climb up Gunung Andong, a 4800 foot nearby mountain. We had been up twice before in 2008. It was hard work but great fun. The “young” YALTers were even tired. We ended the day at an Indonesian home for supper.
As an aside, when we flew out of O’Hare airport we watched as an American Airline pilot flew his last flight before retirement. The tradition is that the airplane goes through a shower of water as it leaves the terminal. It was fun to see.
*YALT = YAMEN + SALT. Two MCC 1-year programs for young people.
-
- MCC Indonesia team
-
- courtyard of the resort
-
- view from courtyard
-
- fun and games
-
- jumping
-
- more jumping
-
- from Papua and Uganda
-
- ready for the hike
-
- view of destination
-
- through the trees
-
- looking out from trail
-
- continuing on
-
- view across the top
-
- we made it
-
- looking down
-
- the group
-
- on the way down
-
- evening light
-
- waiting for supper
-
- our hosts
-
- their children
-
- our group with hosts
-
- family’s ram
-
- O’Hare – retiring pilot’s last flight
-
- where we are
September 22nd, 2015 at 2:48 am
Looks like a lot of fun! And beautiful!