Today is our last day of classes, here at AMINEF, our last day of ETA Orientation before we depart to our various sites across Indonesia. I am really excited about what is coming, yet I am a little sad to say goodbye to the native English speakers who have been my companions for the past month.
I leave on Friday morning, and together, Ethan and I will fly to Padang. There, we will part ways; Ethan will be taken to his beach-front abode, and I will take another form of transport 60km inland and upward to the cozy hilltown of Bukittinggi, West Sumatra. I have seen a few pictures of the housing that awaits me there; it is quaint, but nice. I am told that I am a five-minute walk from the trademark monument Jam Gadang-- the giant clock tower that characterizes the city. I have a bank of windows that face the street, a private access (or accomodations are being made, so I hear), a western toilet, and a shower! These last two are especially nice surprises; I did not expect these up until Nelly told me that my housing would have them. Rizma also told me that the landlord is purchasing a new bed for me, and that, although I have no kitchen, I will have a miniature refrigerator and a sink separate from the bathroom. It isn't my own house or apartment as I'd hoped (I will be living on the second floor of a banker's house), but it is more than I asked for.
My time here in Jakarta has been well-spent. I can feel the changes in my perception shifting as I learn and accept more about my ethnic identity. I realized the other day, for instance, that I did not come here to be an Indonesian, nor did I come here to pretend that I am a bule, but I came here to realize that am a both and Indonesian and a white person. I must be able to embrace both sides of my ethnic heritage, or the conflict within me will never resolve itself. That seems overly dramatic, and the 'battle' imagery was uncalled for, but sometimes I do feel like a woman torn. I feel sometimes that this is the real reason I have come here, without knowing it.
Bukittinggi is close to Padang, but it is even closer to Pariaman, where my Daddy was born and raised. I think that there is much to be learned, especially so close to the source. I have already gone visiting my father's older sister, Zuraida and her family, and Edi and his family, and my father's oldest brother, Basarudin and his family. I still have two aunts (with extensive families), and a grandmother left to visit in Pariaman. I feel like a youth on a quest to find peace with her cultural identity-- doesn't that sound like a byline for a dramatic movie?
I have one more thing I have to do before I leave AMINEF, and then I am heading back to the hotel to start re-packing trunks that are sure NOT to hold all of my things. Not only that, but there is a 30kilo weight limit on my baggage to Padang-- which I have exceeded by more than double. Nelly says to convince the ticketer that I am a volunteer, a student, here to help the Indonesian government through teaching, and to show a copy of my Presidential stay permit. We'll see how well that goes!
I leave on Friday morning, and together, Ethan and I will fly to Padang. There, we will part ways; Ethan will be taken to his beach-front abode, and I will take another form of transport 60km inland and upward to the cozy hilltown of Bukittinggi, West Sumatra. I have seen a few pictures of the housing that awaits me there; it is quaint, but nice. I am told that I am a five-minute walk from the trademark monument Jam Gadang-- the giant clock tower that characterizes the city. I have a bank of windows that face the street, a private access (or accomodations are being made, so I hear), a western toilet, and a shower! These last two are especially nice surprises; I did not expect these up until Nelly told me that my housing would have them. Rizma also told me that the landlord is purchasing a new bed for me, and that, although I have no kitchen, I will have a miniature refrigerator and a sink separate from the bathroom. It isn't my own house or apartment as I'd hoped (I will be living on the second floor of a banker's house), but it is more than I asked for.
My time here in Jakarta has been well-spent. I can feel the changes in my perception shifting as I learn and accept more about my ethnic identity. I realized the other day, for instance, that I did not come here to be an Indonesian, nor did I come here to pretend that I am a bule, but I came here to realize that am a both and Indonesian and a white person. I must be able to embrace both sides of my ethnic heritage, or the conflict within me will never resolve itself. That seems overly dramatic, and the 'battle' imagery was uncalled for, but sometimes I do feel like a woman torn. I feel sometimes that this is the real reason I have come here, without knowing it.
Bukittinggi is close to Padang, but it is even closer to Pariaman, where my Daddy was born and raised. I think that there is much to be learned, especially so close to the source. I have already gone visiting my father's older sister, Zuraida and her family, and Edi and his family, and my father's oldest brother, Basarudin and his family. I still have two aunts (with extensive families), and a grandmother left to visit in Pariaman. I feel like a youth on a quest to find peace with her cultural identity-- doesn't that sound like a byline for a dramatic movie?
I have one more thing I have to do before I leave AMINEF, and then I am heading back to the hotel to start re-packing trunks that are sure NOT to hold all of my things. Not only that, but there is a 30kilo weight limit on my baggage to Padang-- which I have exceeded by more than double. Nelly says to convince the ticketer that I am a volunteer, a student, here to help the Indonesian government through teaching, and to show a copy of my Presidential stay permit. We'll see how well that goes!
posted by Amelia at 2:04 AM
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