when 2 really means 3..

so I’ve come to notice.. and we’ve been warned about it.. but time runs differently here..

Yesterday there was a trip planned for me to go visit my friend Krystal. She lives in another part of Nganjuk.. The plan was to be there at two.. or so I was under the impression.. My two counterparts didnt get here until 215 and then we had to wait for my Bapak. Its very clear that things here also cannot be done in small numbers.. which is sometimes annoying but other times very fun.. So we finally manage to get on the road a quarter till 3.. so basically leaving at three would have been the better time.. Im starting to see a trend.. if you really want people to be somewhere exactly at the time you want.. you need to tell them earlier.. preferably a half hour earlier.. it seems that school functions start a half hour to an hour late, people show up to your house 15 to 30 minutes late.. its a trend that drives me nuts but im sure ill start to finally embrace it probably in may of 2013.. right before i leave haha..

so the visit with Krystal.. Very exciting haha.. We finally get to her house after getting lost a few times.. Its always an adventure here haha.. But finally we arrive and Krystal gives me a look.. and I know that this little excursion is going to be.. interesting.. So we walk upstairs (she has the whole upstairs to herself) and we are told to sit and talk.. ok.. Well I wanna see the village so I ask if we can walk around.. maybe down to her school. And her cp was like ok we’ll go with you.. And my cp was like we will go downstairs so you can talk up here.. i think they just thought we wanted to talk alone.. which was true but i wanted to see the village.. Krystal happens to live in a pretty rural area.. she has fields like a 2 minutes walk from her house and its not anything like my village.. i have to say the people in her village are a lot more friendly than the people in my area.. Everyone says hello when you smile to them and here.. not so much.. sometimes i dont even get a smile back.. oh well.. you win some you lose some right?

So we finally convince them to let us walk the 500 meters to Krystals school.. alone.. which was a feat in and of itself.. It was a really nice walk.. and her school is huge! I thought mine was big but hers has so much going on.. i know my school has a computer lab.. but thats all that i know about.. im going to need to do more exploring.. I dont even know if my school has a cafeteria.. craziness.. but her school has a little area where they sell food and snacks to raise money for school trips.. totally jelly.. (which is jealous..) my school does not go on trips.. so im gunna see if/ when they have a trip and Krystal invites me if im going to be allowed to participate.. School trips here are usually only one day.. you drive all night spend one day at the place and then drive back.. a whirl-wind adventure as it were.. but thats for another time..

so we walk back to her house and inquire about going out to see this pasar (which ended up being more like a street fair in which people sold a lotta food and a lotta clothes..) it was really crowded.. at one point Krystal got a little sick of the people starring at her so she started starring back and they just held eye contact.. it was hilarious.. I cant help but remembering being back in China and whenever we tried to do that the people would freak out.. Krystal says she has done it a few times and has had mixed results.. sometimes they look away and sometimes they hold the stare.. i just keep walking.. i dont like to show that it bothers me.. even though its pretty damn annoying..

so we walk around and end up walking to a graveyard.. which was interesting.. not sure where the bodies are.. its a lot different than graveyards back home.. i didnt have my camera with me so i didnt snap a pic but i guess google muslim graveyards in indonesia.. im sure a pic will come up.. but we were there literally a minute and then all these people start rolling in.. there was going to be this traditional performance and before they started they had to pray to the oldest man (grave) in the village.. apparently this was the guy who founded the village.. i dunno i couldnt really understand Krystals cp.. but after that we followed the performers out and walked back down the street.. My cp wanted to go home and since he was the driver.. didnt really have much of a choice but i think by that time we were ready to head back.. even though we walk a short way we had been out about an hour.. so it was fun.. on the way back we stopped and and got some pop ice.. which was ok.. they added sugar to it.. and it did not need anymore sugar.. so i think next time i get it im gunna say “tidak gula!” or no sugar.. sometimes the stuff they eat here is wayyyyyyy too sweet..
                                                                     
on the way back we stopped at indomart and i got some ice cream.. mmmhmm.. it was awesome.. i havent had ice cream hm.. since sometime in Malang.. after that little excursion we piled back in the car and headed back to Krystals house.. it was a good time..

krystal drinking the pop ice and then this is one of my counterparts Pak Jamal

the one thing though that has been causing some issues of tension is the amount of.. security we seem to have.. Its nice to know that everyone wants to keep us safe but sometimes it gets to too much.. I know some people have more of an issue than others so i cant really complain too much about my situation.. I dont want to have to call HQ and have them call my family and counterparts to tell them that we are supposed to be semi independent beings.. We dont need to be followed around all the time.. Sometimes it doesnt bother me.. But other times its a little un-needed and i feel like im almost causing a disturbance in their life by them having to follow me.. it can also be distracting having someone follow you.. i find myself focusing on them and not so much my surroundings.. which could get me in trouble.. hopefully i get this all figured out..

anyways back to my story.. which is not yet done.. sorry :) im feeling long-winded today..

so on the ride back we were all joking and having fun.. and we stopped for dinner at this resturant that i had my first meal at in Nganjuk.. Its kinda funny going back and feeling more at home.. I can remember walking into the restaurant and thinking.. man i want to go home.. but this time it was much different.. Ive also started a joke with my cps about smoking.. ive started calling cigarettes cancer sticks haha.. the one cp said he wont smoke in front of me and then at the restaurant he started to and i jokingly yelled at him and he immediately put the cigarette out.. “Ill save it for later..” haha it was funny..

then he procedes to ask me about some very provocative song lyrics that he wanted to know the meaning of.. i started laughing at his interpretation which was close but not quite on the ball.. he thought i didnt know but i told him i knew but it was a little inappropriate for indonesian culture and he said just tell me.. im an english teacher.. haha.. it was a good laugh..

and then dinner was over and i went home and found out that one of the boys who is staying here was waiting for me to come home to eat.. i felt bad considering it was 7 at night and we usually eat at like 530 or 6.. he then came to my room a minute later and gave me a drink, which i wasnt expecting.. its called es jember which literally means muddy ice.. i have a picture ill post with it.. not quite sure what it was but it was full with tapioca (not the pudding) and some jello like stuff.. it was pretty good..

Es Jember.. looks yucky but its good :)

and now i am waiting for Faiz to get here so we can go on a bike ride.. i think my Bapak may be coming along.. which may be weird.. but we shall see..

well this has been long enough and im sure i lost some of you halfway through.. so thanks for sticking with it this far..

love you all so muchhhhhhhh :)

“Laughter is a tranquilizer with no side effects.”