Thoughts from Life In Indo!

It's almost been a month now here in Madiun, Indonesia. (Eastern Java, I'm guessing many of you have never heard of the city!) I am feeling more at home every day. Some adjustments have been difficult but for the most part I'm loving my time here and learning so much along the way. Friendships have continued to grow and I feel like I have had enough experiences in just one month to last me a lifetime! I hope the things that I will pull away from this adventure will change my life forever. I have actually made that my goal here in Indonesia, to try to never be the same as I was the day before. I have learned that in life our next day is never a guarantee, therefore I want to live out each day as if it were my last. We are all faced with thousands of decisions each day and it is how we act on those decisions that will shape our life. I hope that when I come to the end of the road I will be able to say with all my heart, "I didn't waste a minute."

So far I have spent much of my time learning language, helping teach English in a local High school, traveling and sightseeing with friends, and trying not to get myself lost. A favorite time for Jordan and I has been our friends coming over just about every evening to hang out on our porch. Jordan and some of our friends play their guitars... while I occasionally sing, and realize I have no musical talent whatsoever.

That past few Saturdays we have been woken up to clanging sounds of this marching band. This was taken from our bedroom window and as you can see the little dude up front seems more interested in Jordan and I then waving his flag!

"Tidur Sebintar Siang!" Also known as our afternoon nap time!

This is us after we slammed a delicious Indonesian dinner! Mmm... I love rice!



I got to do a little fishing with some friends and pulled in a 6 inch 5 ounce whopper on my first cast! This has actually been a highlight so far, as one of my favorite passed times is fishing. I guess I'm not too far from home after all!

I think I may have upset the one on the left.

For Thanksgiving Jordan and I got to meet up with a dear friend of ours living in another city. We enjoyed our time together... catching up, eating some good food and wearing dresses together! Just kidding those are actually called "sarungs". Many of the men here in Indonesia wear these in the evenings before they go to bed. They are actually quite comfortable, and our friends all get a kick out of us wearing them!

My new home!

Well, I arrived in Indonesia almost one week ago and I'm now settled in to my new home! Adjustments have been difficult and I definitely miss those that are close to me back home. Everything has gone smooth so far, except a minor flood that left an inch of water in about half of our house! I've really enjoyed my time here so far and its been a joy to reconnect with old friends from my time spent here two summers ago. I am amazed at the quality of relationships here in Indonesia, as so many here still remember me and have expressed how much they have missed me! So many treat me like a best friend, a brother, or even a son. Its really quite an honor to be treated in this way and definitely keeps me humble and feeling blessed! Some of the pics below are of my new house. I'm living with my friend Jordan and two Indonesian high school aged guys. We should have some good times together over the next year! I'll keep you posted!

Our sweet crib!

These will get replaced with king size water beds sometime soon!

No, that is not a bath tub! My first experience with one of these I actually got in! (the one on the left to clarify)

This is from the flood. The picture was taken from our front porch!