Adventure With Ika

The Graduate, The Graduation, and the Feast

2016-12-08T23:34:00.000-08:00

Friday, April 8, 2016. 4pm.

I feel that my trip to Australia this time had a better reason and purpose than ever before. My youngest sister was graduating from the University of South Australia, on the 25th Anniversary of the university.

And the best barbecue feast I have ever seen in a restaurant.... yes, this is the outback style. Any meat you can imagine is here. Not for the vegetarian, of course.

On the Road to the USA ..... in Adelaide Australia.

2016-12-08T22:32:00.003-08:00

April 5, 2016

The time was around 7:30 am when the JetStar jet touched down in Adelaide, Australia. I had already imagined my sister's smiley face waiting for me at the arrival door. Australian immigration was awesome. The officer was friendly. I dashed to the baggage claim and as soon as I gathered my belonging I began looking around for that smiley face in the crowd. I couldn't see her. I guess I have to get closer to the crowd since she is so petite. To my surprise, she wasn't even in the crowd at all. I began guessing around..... is she playing tricks on me? Five minutes ...ten minutes gone by, I began to worry. But my common sense told me that I would hang out at the nearest coffee shop if she doesn't show up after 15 minutes. After I ordered my coffee, I began looking for the internet connection. But my phone wasn't charged, and I forgot to place my international adapters in my purse. I was too lazy to open my suitcase for the adapter that I needed. Instead, I started talking to a gentleman sitting next to me and told him about my mysterious sister. He handed me his phone to call my sister and I did. As soon as she answered the call, there I saw her smiley face. She was walking around looking for me with the phone on her ear. It's always good to see Ita, .....at least on the first day...(I hope she doesn't read this).

She gave me a quick tour of Adelaide before we drove to her house. While touring, she tested my memories to see if I still remember this and that ..... It had been a few years since my last visit to Adelaide.
"Would you like to go to the USA?", she asked.
"But I have just left USA", I replied.
"You have never even seen it", she insisted. Then she stopped on the curb side and pointed at the building in front of us.
"That's the University of South Australia, the school I have been attending for several years", she explained.
"Oh, is that where we are going for your graduation on Friday?"..... without listening to her answer, my heart was warming up filled with joy. I thought of my family back in Indonesia.... they would be very proud of her, especially my parents who have long been gone, and my sister Iliek who passed away recently.

Eva Airways vs JetStar

2016-12-08T21:41:00.001-08:00

Sunday, April 3, 2016.

This was going to be a super long flight. I was departing from San Francisco on EVA Airways heading to Taipei to transfer to another plane to Denpasar, Bali. Eva Airways has not disappointed me, the service is always as good as Singapore Airlines. But I found one of my suitcases was damaged substantially, the seam was ripped off and the entire content can be easily accessible. Nothing was missing, just annoying that I had to submit a claim for my damaged suitcase. I signed the claim told them that we would deal with it on my return from Australia. I was lucky to have my friend Titut at Astrindo Tours and Travel in Bali who arranged all my flights and hotels. After dropping off most of my luggage at her place, on the same day of arrival she helped me getting back into the airport to catch a JetStar flight to Adelaide. I still enjoy the old fashion way of booking my trips. If she can't meet me at the airport, she would send someone waiting for me and taking care of my needs.... her service is incomparable! Having her as my travel agent gives me comfort. Especially since I travel alone a lot of times.

The JetStar price was awesome, but I probably won't fly JetStar again. As with any low cost carrier, you only get a seat. That's it. Nothing more. They have the most minuscule luggage allowance too. Again, I feel fortunate to have a friend and agent who was willing to keep my luggage for me for 2 weeks since I was planning to return to Bali. Departing from Bali wasn't so bad. But returning from Adelaide was not very good. They weighed every belonging you have in your hand, not to exceed the limit stated on your ticket. This is something I had never expected. I can't remember the overage that I had to pay, but I wasn't happy about it. It doesn't matter even if you weigh 100 lbs. (I know I weigh more than that, but I know I weigh half than some passengers do). I must have slept all the way during the 5 hour flight. My body needed it after 30 hours of sleep deprivation, from the time I woke up to get ready for departure in SFO to the departure from DPS.

The Wild Animals in Our Backyard, Northern California.

2016-12-08T21:00:00.000-08:00

Summer 2014

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We are very lucky to live where we are. Only 5 minutes drive from one of the largest malls in California, the Galleria Mall, yet we are surrounded with golf courses and wild animals such as cayote, mountain lions, deer, turkeys, squirrels, and more ..... who love our backyard. I have not personally seen the cayotes and mountain lions but my neighbors have. For many years they thought our backyard was their home until I became a serious gardener. Since I cannot have the animals and vegetable garden in one place, we decided to put the iron fence up. We didn't fence up our property line, but rather, we divided our property, for us and for the wild animals. That way they can still come close and visit us without destroying our garden.

Coming Home to my Neglected Garden ......

2016-12-08T20:58:00.000-08:00

September 2014

After traveling to the Indonesian islands and South Korea for a couple of months.... I am now home to attend my garden ... oops ! Everything is ripe and ready for harvest... one of the last harvests for the year.

A German Village in Washington State, USA

2016-03-01T12:39:00.002-08:00

february 13, 2016

At the bavarian village of Leavenworth, Washington Christmas lights are kept on for several months.

A restaurant with an outdoor barbecue, a heatlamp on every table and the aroma of smokey german sausages drew a long line of people trying to get in.

After spending every winter in the tropical countries the past 7 years, we decided to go for the snow this time. So here we go, on valentine's weekend Mitch and I decided to pick Leavenworth, in the state of Washington. We flew 2 hours from Sacramento to Seattle then drove 2.5 hours east. Destination .... Warm Springs Inn and Winery, which is located about 7 minutes drive from the town of Leavenworth.

Enormous amount of snow along the roadside and the snow-capped mountains left and right ....

A couple shots that don't depict the beauty of the Warm Springs Inn where we stayed.

The breakfast area overlooking a river which runs through the property and the mountain view.

https://www.warmspringsinn.com/

Titus - The Son We Never Had - From UNIKA Atmajaya to Catholic University of Korea

2016-01-16T06:43:00.001-08:00

September 18, 2014

It was in January 2013 when my husband and I interviewed Titus at Catholic University of Atmajaya, Yogyakarta. With the help of the Dean of Political and Social Sciences, we received 28 applicants one month prior, and selected 5 top students for interview. He was one of the 5 candidates to receive our sponsorship for a one-month of educational trip to the United States.

"Mommy and Son"

After meeeting everyone of them, we found it difficult to pick the recipient as each student had his/her strong points that was hard to compare. We took a week of thinking over the holiday in Bali and still couldn't make a decision. It was one of the toughest decisions we had ever had to make. My husband returned to the United States, and I decided to stay in Indonesia for a couple more weeks. I invited the 5 students to our home in Semarang for 3 days to get to know them. Only 4 students accepted my invitation. We spent the time together, mostly doing some brainstorming about education, life philosophy, campus life, social life outside the university, the part time jobs they had while attending school..... and lots of silly laughter. We also tried several restaurants, went to the mall for little treats, doing some cooking together, chatting all night long...... just like a family. It was magical!

Catholic University of Korea, where Titus attended for his Masters Degree.

To make the long story short, Titus didn't get selected, but our chemistry has transitioned to a "mother and son" relationship to this day. It was a joy to both my husband and I to have him in our life, though geographically we are distant, he is always present in our mind and heart. The coaching continues for this young man is relentlessly trying to get a scholarship for higher education abroad. The "go getter" Titus later received a scholarship from the Catholic University of Korea in Seoul. These photos are taken during my visit in September 2014.

Titus and his friends at the campus cafetaria.

August 2015. He graduated with Masters Degree in International Relations.

Dian - A Law Student at Catholic University of Soegiyopranoto - ( UNIKA ) Semarang - September 2014

2016-01-13T20:38:00.001-08:00

Dian, our newest sponsored student, started her student orientation in September of 2014. After one month of coaching on how to start a new life as an adult student, Dian is ready to live away from her parents for the first time. I walked her through her first week outside campus life, in the morning before she went to school, and after school in the afternoon. During Dian's first two weeks of her studies at Catholic University of Soegiyopranoto Semarang (Rofi, Irwan, Dian, and I) tried to have breakfast together every morning, and dinner every evening. I encouraged our students to share thoughts, ideas, and offered support to one another.

Left to right: Rofi majors on computer programming at Udinus, Irwan majors on graphic design at Stekom, and Dian a law major at Unika Soegiyopranoto.

I had also challenged Dian, as I did with other students, to meet a new friend on campus per day for the first two weeks. This time I asked Dian to invite all her new friends over for lunch and that I would be doing all the cooking of the food for her friends. Not only would it give me the pleasure of seeing our "daughter" attending university, but also to see the evidence that Dian really met her goal of meeting 10 friends would be an awesome experience. Photo below are her new friends she met during the first 2 weeks of being on campus.

Celebrating Lebaran - The Muslim's Biggest Holiday and Feast of the Year - Indonesia, July 2014

2016-01-05T16:25:00.001-08:00

Beginning with shopping at the traditional market at 5 am the day before, we bought hundreds of frond sacks. Some are for decoration and some are to be filled with dry rice to make rice cakes in frond sacks called ketupat. A frond sack is a sachet the size of a cup made from fresh palm fronds (coconut leaves).

If this is the first time you see ketupat, it may be a bit hard to tell which ones are already filled with rice cakes and which ones are empty sacks.

They would climb on the tree and remove the young shoots of fronds (leaves) and after first removing the frond bone in the middle of the leaf they prepare the leaf tapes for weaving. Using both hands and all fingers, ketupat makers began weaving the long tape-like leaf and make a sachet one at a time.

A skilled ketupat maker would take 1 minute or less to weave a complete sachet. In the old days, each was sold for a penny or less. Though the prices have changed (Thank God) since the 60's they have not changed in how many they sold in a bundle. The magic number.. 10 in a bundle!

The much time-consuming handcraft was never appreciated as much as it is today. They finally understand economics and know how to value their time. I am happy for the people in Java, and for myself for I can still find ketupats in the market. Unless you are a food vendor who sells cooked ketupat on daily basis, you would only find them in the market. If you are food vendor selling cooked ketupat, you would either make the frond sacks yourself or have them made and delivered to your place.

The Fish Head Story - From Undip Tembalang to Rocklin, California - July 2014

2016-01-05T15:08:00.000-08:00

If it's sold in a food market, it's got to be edible !

The story began in the now densely populated city of Semarang, on the island of Java. On a stretch of about 1 mile (1.6 km) on the street of Ngesrep leading to the well known University of Diponegoro... there are rows of restaurants, cafes, coffee shops and phantom food stalls. One banner attracted our attention, "Gule Kepala Ikan" (fish head curry).

I thought to myself ....which part of it could you possibly eat? All I could think of is the two eyeballs popping and staring at me. But I decided to give it a try. The restaurant had no AC, but very much open for the breeze to go through. There were five of us and we all ordered the same thing. Fish head curry! Watching everybody savoring the neck, then the cheek, I couldn't help but doing the same, trying not to look at mine in the eye. To my surprise, there was good amount of meat attached to the head.

Upon returning to California, our fisherman friend Joe was expressing his enthusiasm when I told him that I want to give it a try, and make the dish ...my version.

Joe didn't want to have an eye contact with it.

Rose and I were just watching.. haha!

I know... some of you would prefer to have these ..... But that wouldn't be so adventurous!

Summer in our California Home - Flowers, garden, blueberries, love nest - JUNE 2014

2016-01-05T14:00:00.000-08:00

It's nice to be home for a little bit. Catching up with friends, spending quality time putting together the love nest in our backyard with our party friends Ed and Marini, Deanna, and Grace. Getting ready for summer parties....

Flower arranging ..... my new hobby? Being a florist on my next life ? :) I don't know .... but I am addicted of working with flowers.

Blue berries from our backyard....

Guillermo and his team are building our raised garden in the backyard... June 2014.

Tubingen, Germany ... where I met the cousin I never knew ......May 2014

2016-01-05T13:15:00.001-08:00

At the train station in Bern, Switzerland my husband and I kissed goodbye. He continued his journey to Zurich to catch his flight to the United States, and I continued on my railway to ....Tubingen, Germany. Tubingen, the city known for the discovery of DNA, and to this day it is known for one of the most highly regarded cities in the world for its medical facilities. There are 17 hospitals, associated with the University of Tubingen, and 1,500 beds are busy accepting as many as 300,000 patients a year.

Heidelberg, Germany - May 2014

2016-01-05T09:23:00.000-08:00

In 2009 we had a young guest at our home in Rocklin, California. A 21 years old Miss Betty (the nickname I gave her) from Vienna, Austria. Studying microbiology, she had come to California for a 3-month internship with Blood Source in Sacramento. A delightful young lady I have come to "adopt" by heart as my daughter. Our relationship developed and has been carried on over the past 6 years. Two years after her return to Austria, my husband and I made a trip to visit her at her parents's farm home on the outskirt of Vienna. The family compound consists of several buildings. The residence where we were entertained, the barn full of farming equipment, and a hunter's museum where her father (the farmer/hunter) keeps his collection. That evening we went to visit her grandparents' home and continued on to her uncle's private winery before we gathered at a busy bar / restaurant. Three years after that, in 2014 she was taking an internship with a company in Heidelberg, Germany. I had arrived by bus from Frankfurt. And there she was waiting for me at a Heidelberg bus station. She took me to her apartment which she rented with a roommate. I was so lucky she still treated me like her "mom".

Bettina at a railway station in Heidelberg.

With Bettina and her roommate.

The office where Bettina works as an intern.

Typical outdoor seating in May. Notice each chair is equipped with a small wool wrap for the guest to keep warm.

Bettina in blue, standing in a long line for gellato.

A quiet neighborhood.

In the peak tram going up to Heidelberg Castle.

Below are pictures from the Castle grounds overlooking the town of Heidelberg

Scenes around the town of Heidelberg

Bern, Thun, Lenk - Vending Fridges in the Alps - May 2014

2016-01-05T00:14:00.000-08:00

We began in Bern then drove to Emmentaler to visit the cheese factory and up to the Alps.... dropped off our luggage at the cabin of the Mieschers'. We were later told that the Mieschers were direct descendants of Friedrich Miescher, who discovered DNA.

The Mieschers

Our gang in Bern.

Typical Swiss food.

With the Joneses high up above Thun Lake.

Enjoying wine made from homegrown grapes in the backyard of a couple friends who live in Thun.

On our hike the first day, we saw a self help vending fridge in somebody's yard in which eggs are sold to passersby. Then on our way down the hill taking a different path, we saw another vending fridge. Inside are blocks of cheeses. Our friend Vanessa said it's a specialty cheese that's only made in this part of the mountain and only during certain time of year. The second day during the hike, we made sure to bring some money so we can buy eggs and cheeses from the farmers' vending refrigerators. I did. Took some eggs out and left money in the fridge. Took some cheese out, left money in the fridge and... helped myself with the change. Neat!

Lake Thun

A train station in the Alps

A town in the Alps called Zweisimmen.

Celebrating Thalita who represented Indonesia at a youth conference of UNAOC - August 2014

2016-01-04T12:57:00.001-08:00

UNAOC (United Nation Alliance of Civilization) was going to hold its annual conference in Bali, August 29-30, 2014. Our daughter, Thalita, was among the 5 selected Indonesian youths to represent Indonesia. The occasion marked her 26th birthday which we celebrated in Semarang, the capital city of the Central Java Province. Some of my children helped me celebrate her success one night after another at three different establishments in Semarang: Black Canyon, Pizza Hut, and the Giggle Box.

Thalita is second from the left.

My children, From left to right: Santi, Dian (a law student), Irwan (a musician), Thalita (the diplomat), Rofi (a computer science major).

Mommy goes younger with the girls :)

At The Ramayana Ballet , Yogyakarta , the island of Java - August 2014

2016-01-03T18:17:00.000-08:00

Yogyakarta, though not my hometown, it feels like home to me. The culture-rich city of Yogyakarta, was a sultanate before Indonesia became a republic. After Indonesia was free from the Dutch and Japanese occupations, an agreement was made and the Sultan was given the right to retain his power over his territory, and the sultanate is still recognized as the chief administrator of the special district to this day. Yogyakarta has gained popularity in the last 60 years from the two most prominent architectural and cultural heritage, i.e. the buddhist temple of Borobudur and the hindu temple of Prambanan where the famous Ramayana ballet is performed on an outdoor theatre during the dry season.

With my brother-in-law Budi, my friend Donnie, and our daughter Thalita, we drove 3.5 hours from Semarang, making some stops along the way at the Banaran coffee plantation for an espresso treat, then onto a famous stop along the road, i.e. the serabi stalls. Serabi is the word for mini pancakes soaked in coconut milk and palm syrup. It's one of my favourite stops where you'd find dozens of serabi sellers lined up along a stretch of 1/4 mile long. Under the makeshift shacks, they make serabi to order, right there on the clay grill over the campfire. Yumm....

We rested for a couple of hours at a friend's house in Yogyakarta, then in the evening we drove half hour across the town to the famous hindu temple Prambanan to watch the fabulous Ramayana Ballet. It was spectacular! Worth the trip and great time to spend.

Visiting the Salt Farm on the island of Bali - August 2014

2016-01-03T17:34:00.000-08:00

For those of you who always complain about the high humidity in Bali, you might want to consider coming during the month of July and August. The weather is nicer and less humid. Night time temperature is quite pleasant, my friend Titut calls it the cold season in Bali. Titut is a long time friend of mine who has been living and working as a travel agent in Bali for over 20 years. Her company arranges most of my domestic travels in Indonesia.

With her friend Dara, she took me for a road trip to Amed beach, another part of the island that's less visited. It is about 2 hours drive from the airport. Beautiful and secluded. Along the way, we visited a salt farm. Titut and Dara introduced me to the farmers. It didn't take long before I helped the farmers carry some sea water from the beach and brought it to the farm where we poured it into a long wooden basins made of coconut tree trunks. The tree trunk was cut lengthwise in halves and they carved out the center to make a long boat-like basin which they used to contain and to dry the sea water under the sun and to let it evaporate. Depending on how hot the day is, the residue (salt) may be collected the same day.

2nd Trip to Komodo Island - July 2014

2016-01-03T16:58:00.000-08:00

July 2014

It was such an amazing experience to see the giant lizards and the islands around Flores that I had to take my husband, Mitch to the islands this time. Besides, I want to introduce to Mitch my newly adopted family whom I found by accident from my previous trip. We flew from the island of Bali on Wings Air to Labuan Bajo, Flores. Checked in the Bintang Resort and contacted Christian and Doddy, the tour guide and boat crew that I met during my first trip to Komodo island. I had announced to Christian that I was coming with Mitch and that Mitch and I would like to take his wife and children for a boat trip for the day to a nearby island before Mitch and I took the long boat trip to dive around Komodo island.

Christian's family lives in Ruteng, a town about 7 hours drive by car from Labuan Bajo. I had developed a good relationship with the family and have been staying in touch since March 2014. Christian only gets to meet his wife and children once every 3 months because of distance and financial reasons. His family had never been to Labuan Bajo where Christian works, so Mitch and I decided to invite them to join us for a family mini vacation while we are visiting Flores and Komodo. We chartered a small boat for the 7 of us plus 2 other boat crew members. Christian and Doddy had prepared a picnic basket for lunch. The small island that we achored the boat on was quiet. There was nobody else on the island but us. The lunch was delightful.

Island Hopping around Komodo

2015-03-09T16:15:00.000-07:00

March 2014

Being able to speak Bahasa Indonesia enables me to communicate with the local people anywhere I travel in this nation of 17,000 islands. My first geography lesson in elementary school gave me very little ideas of what those shapely floating lands on the map were actually like when you step on them. My eyes began to open when my uncle flew me from Java to the island of Sumatra in 1979. The sky was clear..and I could see what was underneath the plane! Then with a friend I flew to Bali and then by boat, we hopped on to the next island of Lombok, east of Bali. I could see the mountain afar from the ferry deck. From then on, I got fascinated by the possibilities of discovering more islands and perhaps ... countries.. If my father had been a sailor, I wonder how many islands I would have stepped on. As an Indonesian, growing up in the much competitive city, our idea of traveling was to go out of Indonesia..... a place that would require a passport! That said, we were not encouraged to get to know our nation's geography in the real sense, by our parents or teachers. Rather, just like many young people, especially those who major in English, we were enamoured with the dream of visiting an English speaking country. And here I am, after dozens of passport stamps and so many countries later ..... I revisit my childhood dream.... island hopping within the Indonesian archipelago, by traditional boats, small boats, big boats....any boat... The only way to forget how awful the ozone layer has now become (I am taking some responsibilities in that I do travel quite a bit by plane).

These photos below are small islands between the islands of Flores, Rinca, and Komodo where the last dinosaurs live.

Komodo - the last dinosaurs

2015-03-09T10:53:00.000-07:00

March 2014 Our journey began in the city of Semarang, island of Java where three of us (Neneng, Anggie and I) hopped on a bus to travel 12 hours to the eastern tip of the island (the Ketapang harbor, in the town of Banyuwangi) to catch a ferry to the westernmost point of Bali island (Gilimanuk harbor). The overnight journey was rewarded by the greeting of sunrise which we enjoyed with a cup of coffee on the ferry deck to Bali. Short, 45-minute ride, perfect ! The bus was also with us on the same ferry, continued our journey to Denpasar, the capital of Bali. Bali is always a nice hub to go island hopping on this huge Indonesian archipelago. After enjoying the tourist capital of Indonesia for 3 days, the two of us (Neneng and I) flew 2.5 hours on Wings Air to Labuan Bajo, island of Flores. Labuan Bajo (LBJ) is the nearest airport to get to dragon island. The town is building a new airport terminal at the time, but we still had to use the old and inadequate structure, where I couldn't possibly drag my suitcase on the unpaved road from the tarmac to the building. Kind of neat, actually, since I have never seen anything like this before. A porter carried our suitcase on his shoulder to the building while I looked around for our contact person. In this town, though remote from civilization, has begun to attract so many italian investors. I am lucky enough to know someone who owns an italian restaurant in the town. We spent the evening at the restaurant while getting my bearing. In the meantime, we met a group of single women travelers from England and Russia who joined us at the bar. We agreed to meet the next morning to share a traditional boat to take us for an overnight trip to the island of Komodo. Playing with the Komodo dragon Komodo crossing

Reunion at the Artotel, Jakarta, Indonesia - A Note to Myself

2014-02-03T17:12:00.000-08:00

Semarang, the Capital of Central Java province, island of Java. January 20th, 2014. After 36 hours of travel from San Francisco to Frankfurt then Bangkok, I arrived in Jakarta on January 18th. Our daughter Thalita and son Irwan are already at the arrival gate ready to hug me. Negotiated a taxi to the hotel for $20 (one hour ride) and arrived at the Artotel on Jalan Thamrin where we would stay for 2 nights. Our son Shindu who works at MetroTV as an online journalist joined us later that evening. The three of them had dinner together and I caught up with my jet lag in my room. Thalita and I stayed in one room and Irwan and Shindu in another. The next day they went to the historic Old Batavia while I made appointments to receive some friends from college. Indrawati Utomo came first, then Donnie Perdanawati, whom I hadn't seen in over 33 years arrived. We gathered in my room which is located on the 6th floor or called "Eddie Hara Floor". A floor dedicated to our college classmate Eddie Haradityohadi who decorated all the rooms and also the hotel lobby/restaurant with his awesome artwork. Eddie and I went to college in Semarang in the late 70s and had not seen him since 1980. Many of us girls like Eddie, not only because he's nice and a bit shy, but he was also different from the rest of the campus. In the most conservative environment, he was wearing a stud earing. The first time for me to see a guy wearing an earing. 33 years later and living in several different countries (Holland, USA, and now Switzerland), his earings are getting larger, and so is his fame. I surprised him on my check out as he checked in the hotel. We hugged at the lobby and caught up for 30 minutes. Our daughter Thalita was thrilled to have finally met the famous artist.

Mentoring Rofi for 4 days

2013-02-06T20:25:00.000-08:00

December 18, 2012. The young university graduates barely left me when Rofi "came on board" to stay with me for 4 days, replacing Irwan. Irwan had made a suggestion that I spend a few days giving Rofi the kind of mentoring that he had received from me early last year. He said that it would benefit Rofi a lot, as it had benefited him and made a big change in his way of thinking and appreciating life. I said okay, and Irwan went to Gilbert Camp #2 to accompany Ahmad and to help setting up our small library for the kids. Rofi is one of our 16 sponsored children. I met him about 8 months ago when I was attending Irwan's High School graduation in the small village of Gringsing. At the graduation, I gave away 2 door prizes for a 4-day getaway to the "big city" of Semarang. Rofi, the leader of the students body in his school, picked one of the 2 lucky numbers. For 4 days in May 2012, I got acquainted with Rofi a little bit. Not enough to know him since my attention was divided for 3 other teenagers at the time. During the visit in May last year, I asked him what he wanted to do now that he had graduated from high school. He said he needed to be looking for a job to help his family, but he had a problem with one of his eyes. Apparently while helping his neighbor fixing their roof, something had gotten in his eye and it got infected. He had tried to go to an eye doctor, but the doctor could only do so much. He still had a blur in his vision and said it looks like there's water. So I took him to a specialist in Semarang. With some eye medication, he continued his regular doctor visits, and he felt a bit of improvement.

In the photo shown here, Rofi is the one on the most left. Rofi continued to be in touch with me via email till after I returned to the United States in June 2012. He said he was looking for a job but couldn't find any. Didn't know what to do since there was not many jobs available especially for high school graduates. The only factory in his town didn't have any opening. My heart ached for him. I had sent him to a driving school in Semarang, I thought with a driving license, he could be more competitive in his job hunting, especially in Semarang since the city is booming. Not many people his age know how to drive. Cars are very expensive, most people ride motorcycles. After he finished his driving course and got his license, his job hunting had not resulted in anything. I had told him that I was going back to Indonesia in November,2012 and we could talk. It's been 2 months now since Rofi joined "our family". I had offered to send him to a vocational school where he could learn some technical skills in 3 months, after which he could go hunting for a job again, or even start his own little enterprise as "the handy man who can fix many things". He said he would like to attend a computer college like Irwan does.

The Three University Graduates Who Call Me Mommy

2013-02-06T19:17:00.000-08:00

December 15, 2012. Three young people, fresh graduates from the University of Atma Jaya Yogyakarta arrived in Semarang. I had reserved a hotel room not too far from our house for Titus and Videz because there aren't enough rooms for everybody at our place. But as soon as they arrived, they asked if they could spend the nights with us instead of staying at the hotel (even though I was paying), even if they had to sleep on the floor. I could feel the spirits in them when they said that they wanted to be part of "the family", and I should have known.... for it is part of the Indonesian culture to be in their "comfort zone", that is: " it's fun to be under one roof". Our "son", Irwan, had put a deposit to hold the hotel room, and although it wasn't refundable, at the end it was worth to cancel the room. We had such a great time at our house for 4 days. Once again, I was surrounded by young university graduates who are smart, trained in critical thinking, and thirsty for information and advice. We brainstormed about every topics such as world politics, government policies, social challenges, future education, career planning and also ....their current romantics. We had discussions after discussions till midnight sometimes till early the next morning .... and at every meal time possible. We also had lots of laughter. I am so blessed to have them. Having them was one of the best entertainment in my life. By the time they left me to go back to Yogya, they all called me Mommy. Thalita, the Vice President of Yogya Debate Forum,whose dream is to become an Indonesian Ambassador asked me if she could

stay one more night .... how could I refuse such a bright young woman ?

Early Christmas Party in Semarang

2013-02-01T21:40:00.000-08:00

Friday, December 7, 2012. With my best friend Endang, I went to an early Christmas party, the merriest I had ever had in Semarang. I met nice people who were mostly expats. If you are a westerner, you can expect that when you party with the expats you get to drink at least wine or beer. Most Indonesians don't drink and alcoholic beverages except for beer, are relatively expensive in Indonesia. If you are a visitor and you want to enjoy a meal with wine, you would have to go to a hotel's restaurant with a bar. In Bali and Jakarta, however, you might find some high end restaurants that serve wines. Ian and Sandra (husband and wife) from Australia were so generous to throw a very nice party at their beautiful home. Located on the hill of Semarang (literally on a cliff), a bit tugged away from the traffic, their home has a spectacular view of Semarang. Many of the guests were expats who were also members of Semarang Hash (cross country run). The foods that the hosts served were not typical Indonesian, the recipes are defintely "imported", hence some of the ingredients. Many of the guests are foreign investors who, in partnership with local businesses, make various goods such as furniture, candles, eye glasses, garments, which are exported to European countries, Australia, and the United States. Ian works as a general manager of a prominent hotel in Semarang. That same evening Endang and I were invited to another couple's home, Judith (a Phillippina) whose husband is French. They are renting an old colonial house (built during the Dutch occupation in the early 1900's), in Candi (the oldest elite area of Semarang). Again, we all had a grand time with them and their guests. Lots of laughter. Judith loves cooking, and her husband does share his bar with guests .....

Shindu's Visit

2013-01-31T14:15:00.001-08:00

December 10, 2012. Recepient of the Gilbert Family Scholarship, Shindu Alpito, a photo journalist, had a 3-day orientation session at the Gilbert Camp #1 in Semarang (Dec. 10 - 13, 2012). He got acquainted with children of the Gilbert Camps and we discussed about his study plan for the rest of his academic calendar, and his future goal. Shindu told me of his early childhood memory, when his parents gave free math lessons to children in their neighborhood for many years. Free education has apparently instilled in Shindu's heart. Inspired by his parents, he dreams of building a school of literacy to provide basic free education for underprivileged children and adults. A week after his visit in Semarang he began his community service (required by every university in Indonesia) as part of the study program. Students community service is organized by the university which he/she attends, which consists of approximately 30 to 50 students in a group. Such community service is intended as a field study from which they learn about what a community needs, as well as how they may apply their knowledge to benefit the community. While Shindu was in Semarang, I took him and our "son", Irwan to visit my old neighborhood where I grew up. I was so thrilled to have found 2 elderly ladies whom I have known since I was a child. After 30 years of absence.... photo shows Lik Yem, Lik Djum and I after we all wiped our tears. Lik is the short form of Bulik, a javanese word for auntie. The name Yem is short for perhaps Samiyem or Tukiyem and Djum may have been Djumilah or Djumini(we have never known their full first names).... just guessing from the common javanese names I know. I promised them I will come back to visit the rest of their children and grand children.