Category: Indonesia
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Ministry with victims of Mt. Sinabung eruption
Before Easter, I had the opportunity to visit some refugee camps for those who have been displaced by the recent eruptions of Mt. Sinabung in the Karo regency of North Sumatra. After hundreds of years without any activity, Mt. Sinabung erupted again in 2010, causing mass evacuations and refugee camps. People were allowed back, but […]
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Easter Holiday
Selamat Paskah! Happy Easter! I spent the Easter holiday in the Batak Karo region. There are 5 Batak tribes–Toba, Karo, Simalungun, Pakpak, and Mandailing. Locally, the use of the term “Batak” refers to Toba Batak, as the other tribes go by their respective names. I’ve spent nearly all of my time here among Batak culture. […]
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Much needed update
A lot has been happening in the months of silence on this blog. For one, I was able to have some time in the States over Christmas and New Years. When I returned to Indonesia in January, I still had paperwork to clear up with immigration, and had to make a quick trip to Jakarta […]
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On the Batak Alphabet and Maps that Make Sense of the World
Recently, blog posts about “maps that will help you make sense of the world” (one example) circulated the internets and facebook. My current location in Indonesia, gives me a different perspective when viewing these maps than my friends from North America and Europe. One of the maps explains population. Indonesia’s population is more than 245 […]
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A Slice of the life in Indonesia
Snippets of life in Indonesia for the North American/European: * I eat rice 3 meals a day and that’s normal. * It’s considered abnormal here to not eat rice every day. * While in Balige I eat my lunch with the other staff outside. Every day. We sit at a table outside the entrance to […]
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Back to Bali
Over the holidays, I was able to return to Bali, this time meeting with my family. It was a wonderful time—2 weeks in all—though I must admit I experienced culture shock to go from rural Sumatra to Kuta’s busy hotel-lined streets. With the family I spent time time walking, shopping, and seeing some traditional dance […]
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God Made a (woman) Farmer
I did not have the privilege of watching the Super Bowl from Indonesia. The game happened during my Monday morning working hours, so I actually delighted in the real-time online updates from my friends. This post, however, is not about the Super Bowl. It is about some thoughts resulting from a commercial. I saw the […]
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Funeral Party
Back in early December, I went to the funeral for the father of the director of the deaconess school where I teach. Here is a glimpse into the funeral celebration for an old grandfather in the Batak culture. After the death, the body is laid in an open casket in the family home. Family and […]
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Update with images
I apologize for the lack of postings recently. Some days it is difficult to put my experience into words, and other days it all seems not so interesting. Now it is December, and suddenly, time has passed. Christmas and New Year’s are only a couple of weeks away; I’ve now been here for 8 months. This […]
Megs the Wanderer 