Don't mess with me!

As most of you all know, I have been practicing karate several times a week now for the last 4 months. It has been quite an experience having never done anything like this before... except for dressing up like a ninja for Halloween and once making numb chucks in my basement that I used on my little brother. I hope you enjoy the following pics.

We always open each class with a series of warm up moves and stretches. As you can see the splits always seems to give me some trouble. I am officially the oldest, least flexible student in the class.

This is my good friend Andris that comes to practice sometimes, I made him pay the price for forgetting to wear his uniform.

All ninjas have to start with the basics.

Here is the whole class.

This is me looking on with fear and trembling as two weeks ago my skills were tested at this city wide examination to get a yellow belt. Fortunately, the group I am watching went before me so I could watch and try to memorize what I would have to do.

So far, so good.

This is when I really started to get nervous as I was paired up against this 14 year old girl. I got her with a left hook in this picture... just kidding, we weren't actually fighting.

At one point I was tested on a series of punches and kicks that I had worked on during the previous three months of practice. Midway through this portion of the test I blew it as I went blank and forgot what I was supposed to do. At that point I tried to just make something up and hope that I wouldn't be seen. The next thing I know I hear hystaric laughter coming from these little kids that were really enjoying my failure. (Thanks to Jordan for capturing every detail of my performance!)

Eventhough I choked on part of my exam, I still passed. Though the kids above are really enjoying themsleves, I got the last laugh. I also waited for them in the parking lot before I went home after the exam!

This karate class has been one of the highlights of my time in Indonesia. In addition to developing some sweet fighting skills, I was able to make some great friendships that I'll never forget. I find great joy in knowing that I have been able to give a positive influence in such a context like this!

Flower boys

Not too long ago Jordan and I had the opportunity to become Indonesian flower boys. We have learned to expect the unexpected here in Indonesia over the months but nothing had us quite prepared for being in our first Indonesian wedding.

Usually, the way we do it in America is to invite members of the wedding party several months in advance. In our case, we found out about 10 minutes before the wedding began, as we were immediately rushed off to a dressing room after we arrived to be greeted by an old Indonesian woman who told us to "lepas pakaian!" (translation: strip down!) At that point we were thoroughly confused and a little scared to be honest. As soon as we were dressed we were handed large flowers made of banana leaves and ordered to walk in front of the bride and groom.

Turns out our roommate wanted to surprise us by not telling us in advance...but it was almost disastrous as the two flower boys showed up 10 minutes after the wedding was scheduled to start! Check out some pics from what we have voted as one of our top five experiences over the last year.

This is the entire wedding party. We were about 15 years older than the flower girls... but they didn't seem to mind!

We actually had two outfit changes, I personally like the green better myself.

Two studly flower boys.

This is a picture of my roommates family. He is the one standing to the left of Jordan. He has been one of my best friends and a great cultural teacher as he has always been so eager to invite us to be apart of his life here in Indonesia. It has been sweet to get to know him over this last year as we have shared many different parts of our lives together. He is currently in the transition between graduating from high school and looking for work.

My Bulai Friends!

A lot of times us white folks don't exactly blend into the crowds here in Indonesia. "BULAI!!!" (pronounced buu - lay) This was actually one of the first words that I learned when I arrived in Indonesia. It is the word Indonesians use for, "white person". Most of the time, as far as I know, the word is used in a friendly manor. Sometimes it is screamed at us and other times I can just read the lips of Indonesians whispering, "look there is a bulai!"

I decided to post a few photos of my bulai friends that came to Indonesia during the summer months. You might begin to understand why we don't exactly blend into the crowd.

We helped make this monkey statue in Bali just a bit crazier.

An outbound course in Bali

A beach in Lombok.

Perhaps the best one yet... going scuba diving in Lombok. I voted myself as the strongest, most intimidating diver of the group...except for our instructor of course.

The top of Mount Lawu! I proudly represent my "bulai" name were ever I go!

Lombok and Bali

Located just east of Java are two of Indonesia's most glorious islands, Bali and Lombok. This summer some friends and I were able to spend almost 2 weeks between both of these islands. My friends and I helped with a youth program in Lombok and had the privilege of stopping in Bali on our way home. For several days we spent time with Balinese friends as they took us around the city. For 4 days I was surrounded by the most beautiful scenery I have ever seen. Within the last 6 years Bali has been the target for 2 separate terrorist attacks killing over 200 people. As Bali may be seen by the world as "a top vacation spot" or a place of fantasy and idealism, it is apparent even in places like this how far man has actually fallen.

I hope you enjoy the pics from our journeys!!!

Nice shirt, huh? This is in Lombok during low tide.

Our group hanging out in Bali!

Playing with some monkeys! Though these cute, furry little things look friendly... don't be deceived. On another occasion I tapped one with a stick and truly feared for my life as he attacked me. I bet you didn't know that little monkeys like these have fangs.

One of the things that I loved about Lombok and Bali was that our needs were always taken care of. Because of these places being heavily populated tourist areas folks like these walk around and offer to sell just about anything you can imagine, from pineapple to cigarette lighters with a cool built in flashlight (I'll show you when I get home). Maybe it is the "business man" within me, but I love to bargain with the sellers. Here I am in action, trying to get the price that I want. If you are a good bargainer sometimes the process will take up to half an hour.

I don't like to brag, but sometimes I can even get them to throw in an item for free. I'm pretty sure the term, "more than I bargained for" got started in Indonesia.... she gave me her daughter!!!

Most of Indonesia's Hindus live in Bali. This is one of the many holy sites and places of worship.

One of the more popular beaches in Bali.

Another candidate for picture of the year. This is a picture of some Sasak fisherman in Lombok.

This is actually a shot from the hotel we stayed at during the youth conference in Lombok.

"The Beast"

After a month and a half of traveling to several new places in Indonesia and a short trip to Thailand I am long over due on my blog posting. But no worries I have some great material from my journeys to make up for it. I met many new people and saw some amazing sights along the way. Over the next few weeks I will try to capture as much as possible for you to see!!!

Some of you may know "the beast" as being that huge ugly dog from The Sandlot. For us in Indonesia "the beast" is something much nastier and much more intimidating and has been known to take small children, not just baseballs. Located just about an hour away from my home in Madiun is the infamous "Gunung Lawu". This is a 12,000 foot mammoth of a mountain.... we conquered it twice within a month. Usually the way we do it is to leave from the base around 8 pm and book it to the top in order to make it by sunrise. This leaves little time for breaks and stragglers are usually left behind... (with someone to make sure they are OK, were not that hardcore). Climbing mountains such as this has shown to be great opportunities to grow our friendships with the Indonesians. Pak Jim, the 65 year old pictured below has tackled "the beast" close to 10 times and the Indonesian kids see him as their hero (so do I)!!!

These crazy guys are getting ready to head up and have no idea what is in store for them....

We made it, and the glorious sunrise was worth the effort.

The climbers... next stop Mt. Everest

I'm pretty sure this could classify as "picture of the year." Here we have all K-Staters, including our fearless leader that graduated back in the Mid 60's.

Just some shots of the scenery.

Feeling like an Indonesian...

Before I came to Indonesia last fall I made it my goal to do whatever I could to become Indonesian! I figured the best way to learn about a culture was to become a part of it in whatever ways possible. Though my white skin and blond hair often makes me stand out in a crowd... I think these pictures below make me look dangerously close to an Indonesian.

Lookin' good... Like an Indonesian

Workin' hard.... like an Indonesian

Going after some coconut... Like an Indonesian

Enjoying my coconut... Like an Indonesian

Playing soccer... Like an Indonesian

OK... Not quite like an Indonesian. I barely made it to halftime because my stomach cramps were so bad. My high school glory days are long gone.

Madiun... You gotta love it!

A few days ago I took a trip around my hometown and tried to capture some shots that I hope will give you a little taste of my surroundings from the past 6 months. A simple trip with the intent of taking a few photos turned into having tea with a police officer, promising 4 little dudes I would play soccer with them sometime and making a new friend at the local market (me and the lady pictured below). It was that experience that reminded me again of why I love my city.... not because of the surroundings or the things to do, but because of the people. As Jordan and I are the only two white boys in our city we often receive more invitations from folks than we know what to do with. When I hear from Jordan that he is "going somewhere real quick" that usually means he'll be back in several hours.

A shot from the market.

My new Indonesian Grandma.

This is a shot of the biggest Mosque in town. Around 85 - 90% of the people in Madiun are Muslim.

These little carts are a pretty common sight. They are pushed all throughout the city and some like to set up shop here at this park. They usually sell food and drinks and sometimes small toys.

These are the guys waiting to play soccer!!

This is called a "becak". It is a pretty common form of public transportation here in town and actually quite popular throughout Indonesia. With my business education I might start up my own becak company back in the states!