My Indonesian Blog Update

Then: We have trained, flown, drove, rode, walked (alot) and slept our way down the center route through Java. From Jakarta to Bogor, Then a weird boomarang train trip to Jogjakarta; which is home to both amazing ruins and as a result the most tourists for a 100 km. Our hotel, seedy, small, but it works and the price seems outstanding.
I can say that we have only made a few mistakes, thankfully only a few and none harmful to us. One: the cab ride to our first hotel in Jakarta - our excuse: it was 1:30 AM and we had been moving for 12 plus hours. Two: renting a motorcycle in Jogja, which made for a confusing 2 hour loop through a crowded city - our excuse: it seemed like it was a straight route and... really it seemed like a straight route. Three: Not charging the camera battery, so we prematurely stopped taking pictures in Prombanan - our excuse: it was full when we left and neither of us knew we would use it all.
Now: We are in a internet cafe across from our hotel. Tired from a days travels using the public transportation system, we are both surprised how slick it was. Beattles and Jack Johnson ring in from the door. Dinner was a fried noodle (Bakmi Goreng) dish from our favorite roadside stall. Cam is next on the computer, the clock reads 29 minutes. In short the night is hot and humid but entirely different from Thailand (if that means something to you). Sleeping will come easy.
I have been surprised by Indo, I left with the idea of white sand and crystalline waves. But I got something entirely different, although equally amazing.
Shoot it took me 5 minutes to write that last sentence - the clock is at 34 minutes - alright Cam is up.

My Term

School is coming to end today, the ending of what seemed like a extra long term. The kids are all excited about the change...and of course the end of school for a good 20 days. I on the other am feeling a classically 2 sided excitement. One side; I'm done teaching for a while, no more lesson plans for 4 classes, stress and having to wake up at 7 every morning. On this end I see a much needed hiatus. But I'm alittle scared about how I'll keep myself busy, and where will the kids be every day certainly not all in the same place or even outside there houses. And how much will I miss teaching? I just started getting a hang of it. I know when we restart next term I'll be rusty, thats a scary thought. Its coming though and I just got all of my files copied off of the computer. I can think of some many good times I’ve had in this room and throughout the school. And of course every instance where I failed to be a good friend and the occasional failed class. These memories will stay with me, I know that.
Well school just got out, an early release day with special lunch and only 2 classes. Clean up and turning in of papers...It all seems so nauseatingly familiar. The air of change is escaping past the gates of school, I'm ready to embrace it full hearted. With either side of my head.

My Arch-Nemesis

There he was staring up at me, black hair, eyes creating tiny reflections. He sees me I know that. Fangs peak down past his mouth and all of his eight legs prop himself conviently in my bathroom corner.
This spider has gotta go.
I swing my broom down at the black legged creature. He jumps to another wall, I follow this time even quicker. Again to another wall. Spiders are creepy enough when they don’t jump, now this large plate sized arachnid is playing with me. I swing more frequently and the dance continues. Some where in the back of my mind the logical side of me is saying, “You know maybe the 7th time of doing the exact same thing will work.” My logical and sarcastic side.
For one final blow I take a breather, resting and planning my next move. I could swear the spider was laughing at me. But not for long. I move as slowly as possible; inch by inch, hovering literally a centimeter away from the black body. I jab hard and fast, closing my eyes just to blink. And the spider was gone…not stuck to my broom handle, not on another wall.
Gone.
I stood there looking around foolishly, thinking about the fact that you eat some where between 10 – 20 spiders while you sleep in your life. That can’t be right.
“Well…shoot.” Sleep didn’t come quite as easy that night.

My American Grafitti

It’s been a week since The Ideal School finally ended. Leaving little time for rest things started back up again. The week went by in a blur. Here are some key points:

• Weekend
  
• P'Tukata's Birthday!
  
• Back to School
  
• Formal Dinner W/ Big Shot Educational Advisors
  
• Teaching
  
• Bim and Bam's Birthday!
  
• Laundry (much needed)
  
• Trombone's Birthday!
  
• Teaching
  
• More Teaching
  
• Rain
  
• Played Guitar
  
• Mysterious Rotten Egg Smell Located
  
• Teaching
  
• More Rain...and Lots of it
  

I didn’t realize till later that this rain had caused a minor crisis in nearby villages. Mae Phrik was hit by chest high flood waters, destroy or ruining many home. Hoikynok, the notoriously funny named town was cut off from everthing as trees and water blocked the roads. P’Tukta joked that “you need to get there by boat.” In Pha Pang however; we just had a lot of water.
The river that runs through Pha Pang as a central vain was at least 2 meters higher than the norm. Rice fields to close were cut down, and the river carved out a new path. Sometime these new paths lead to more and more Rice fields. Everyone in town was out looking at each bridge, looking intently at the water.
Up until about noon, when the water finally began receding (just a tiny bit) people were off looking at the flooding. They’d drive by each other shouting then “rrrrurrr!” pull off. It was like a Thai American Grafitti, People cruisin’ the Pha Pang strip, the occassional stop, everyone yelling at each other between bikes, honking at people walking. I felt like I was just missing a guy with a leather jacket, although I figured the guy wearing sunglasses (at 9 am) and carrying a boombox would do.
After I made my run on the strip things cooled off, both in temperature and activity. I took a seat next to P’Jot and she said “Boring day in Pha Pang”.
I out at the constant thunder of motorcycles, the gathering of storm clouds, the book I wanted to finish, the shoes I needed to clean, the cook book I had yet to complete, my journal beggin to be written in, and replied “Yeah”.