One after the other: Delights in Jogja
The program (and especially Sari and her family) has been treating us to all sorts of goodies in Jogja, it’s been such a blast (especially the food).
Jacob has explained many of the activities we did. Since his internet is currently disagreeing with him, he and I decided that I should post some photos.
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- The staff at Sanata Dharma university giving us a presentation of their many programs.
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- A tour around the campus.
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- Our classroom is Bali ;)
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- On the tour, we went to the library, throughout the corridors, and up many buildings.
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- From one of the buildings, there is a view of the Merapi mountain, one of the main areas of interest in some of our NGOs.
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- ENAK! Very delicious welcome buffet lunch prepared for us by the program, and we all sat chatting and getting to know each other under big Banyan trees in the courtyard.
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- First day of bahasa Indonesia classes. Here’s one of our very good and energetic teachers, Mas Ade.
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- Having lunch with our cool teachers!
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- In Satunama, Jacob’s NGO, and learning about the two indigenous villages living on the slopes of Merapi.
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- Photo op with the kids who are welcomed to Satunama’s library once or twice per week.
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- Dinner with the crew before the Ramayana ballet.
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- A glorious view from the theater seats at the ballet. The Prambanan temple is lit with golden light from the base, a luminous moon shining from above.
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- Gamelan-playing in the theater courtyard.
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- Photo op with some of the play’s characters.
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- A fiery battle between the forces of Rama, our hero, and Rahmana, Shinta’s abductor.
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- More fiery dancing. (Photo credits: Alex Jacobs).
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- Burning hay houses marks the end of the first act.
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- Shinta’s handmaidens lead her to Rama, her husband.
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- Shinta proves her purity in staying alive after being burnt.
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- Visiting Colin’s NGO, LKiS. It works with Islamic communities, specifically Islamic boarding schools, to promote pluralism, alternative readings of the Q’ran, women empowerment, and general tolerance and acceptance of other genders, cultures, and people.
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- Due to their ‘radical’ views, Islamic extremists attacked them a few months ago.
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- In four weeks, I’ll be living in this sweet house! I am so excited!
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- Bram, Sari’s husband – a super cool dude.
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- A joglo, a traditional house in Jogja.
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- Gents helping Rose with her stuff.
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- Happy Yuppy. Bumbu Pawon, one of my fave restaurants just because it’s so spicy.
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- Ayam Penyet. I nearly cried eating this chicken smothered with sambal sauce. Totally worth it.
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- Sari translating the pure bahasa Indonesia presentation given to us by Walhi, where I’ll be working. I am a little worried about this little language problem.
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- Recycle materials.
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- Super psyched for their programs. They have extensive reach in Jogja and Indonesia overall, and we found that it’s connected to all the NGOs that the interns will be working in this summer.
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- Some of their environmental sustainability games.
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- Uniform for Jogja street vendor sweepers. They try to keep the sidewalks of Jogja intact by preventing street vendors from setting up their stalls there.
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- Seeds you can get in exchange for bringing trash to Walhi.
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- Visiting a natural bath pond.
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- A source of constant joy – Rose, Sari’s daughter.
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- One of my favorite restaurants so far. It is a vegetarian joint seemingly in the middle of nowhere that people still go to anyway (I’m one of them!) because of the good food, great ambience, and cool products. They sell recycled materials, batik, and organic food supplies.
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- A bag made out of inner tube!
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- A well-made bag from used juice wrappers.
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- Visiting the Prambanan temple in the daytime.
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- Some of the many murals decorating the sides of the temple.
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- A woman dissatisfied with her lover.
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- Having fuuuunnn.
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- Batik making class with Mas Alri and his father, who is a master batik artisan in Jogja (yes!).
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- One of the designs that Mas Alri’s father does.
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- Adding the bring colors to the batik after dotting the wax on them to cover the parts where I wanted to preserve the color.
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- A tour of a typical neighborhood in Jogja while waiting for out batik to dry.
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- Soto lunch with Mas Alri and other teachers.
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- Proud of our batik!
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- Site of Pingit!
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- Where Amanda will be working with an NGO who wants to help kids who are struggling with school – and life – financially to learn and/or have a better education.
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- Playing around with them.
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- Soccer on the grounds.
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- They love Jacob.
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- Pic with the girls (with a rowdy little boy stealing the scene).
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- Concert at Boyolali with Iwan Fals and the artists we met in the area where I’ll be living soon! Yes!
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- Visiting Borobudur temple, a Buddhist temple. Prambanan was a Hindu temple.
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- One of many reliefs around the Borobudur.
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- At ‘heaven’s door. This is the seventh level of the Borodudur temple, the first of nirvana’s three levels, where you can find the famous stupas.
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- Magnificent view of the mountains from ‘nirvana’. We went around three times clockwise at the very top in the Buddhist tradition of meditation. (Photo credits: Alex Jacobs).
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- A side monastery beside one of the three temple complexes that make up the entirety of the Borobudur temple.
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- Here, I offered an incense in thanks and celebration for our time here in Indonesia.
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- Motorbikes that Jacob was talking about. Sepeda motor. With 4 people. Strangely, I don’t find this quite as abnormal as he does, since I have seen more people riding on these and jeepneys than is the ‘safe’ number.
The best part is meeting people, practicing the language, and discovering more of Jogja. I’ll write more about our adventures and WALHI in my next post.
June 16th, 2012 at 10:31 am
Thanks for posting so many great pictures! Please tell Mas Ade and Bu Sari I say hello
Also, so impressed with your batik!!! Menikmati!
June 18th, 2012 at 11:14 am
Will do! I also enjoyed reading about your experiences from last year, thanks for giving us that glimpse into this wonderful program
Terima kasih! 