Terapi Ikan, Pantai, Tari Srimpi

It feels like it's been forever since I've last blogged, though three weeks doesn't sound that long. Nothing extremely new or exciting has happened since my last post, but I'll fill you in on how life has been in the desa :)

A few weekends ago I visited my host mother's family in Kulonprogo, which is a village about an hour west of Tamantirto. This was my first 'road trip' on a motorcycle, and was quite enjoyable even though it started to rain about half way there. Once in Kulonprogo we sat on the porch and chatted while eating fresh durian, then in the afternoon went out for some terapi ikan (fish therapy). At the terapi ikan place there were three small pools of minnow-sized fish where you could dip your legs, or hand/arms too if you wanted, and the fish would come and bite your skin. It hurt a bit more than I expected, so it was hard to resist the urge to jerk and twitch (which you weren't supposed to do- I think it stresses out the fish). After awhile I got used to the sensation and it felt more like a bad case of pins and needles for the next hour or so. I resorted to laying my feet flat on the bottom of the pool so that the fish couldn't get underneath and bite between my toes, which tickled a lot. Everyone said that terapi ikan is very healthy for you, but the following night no one in my host family could sleep well, so I'm not convinced yet. I suppose it was a pleasant experience- mostly because it's out of the ordinary for me- though I did start bleeding at one point because a group of fish kept going at a mosquito bite. I'd certainly do it again if I got the chance. No pain, no gain.

Terapi ikan

There was also a Javanese holiday in January called Bekakak. I went with my host father to Batu Gamping, where the main event was held, and the streets on the way there were packed with spectators and vendors. This holiday occurs once every year, and the date always changes because it is based on the Javanese calendar. The main event consists of a mock wedding; there are two dolls made of rice that represent the bride and groom, and each one has it's throat cut (the dolls are filled with a red sugar syrup to look like blood). The 'blood' is then collected in a bowl and someone drinks it I think, though I didn't see that part. After the mock sacrifice the dolls were taken apart, along with a mountain of fruit that lead the procession, and the pieces thrown out to the crowd surrounding Batu Gamping. For the first time in awhile I was glad to be six inches taller than most everyone around me- I caught a banana, some green beans, chillies, and even a piece of the dolls (which was a big deal). Right after the ceremony ended it started to poor rain, so I returned home soaked and shivering but content with my winnings.

The 'wedding procession' on it's way to the sacrifice (where all the flags are in the very back of the picture). There was a marching band, soldiers on horseback, and of course a lot of spectators.

The fruit tower being carried up Batu Gamping.

This past week at school we had Monday off because of the Chinese New Year, or Imlek as it's called here. My host family isn't Chinese so we didn't celebrate, but did take advantage of the holiday to take a trip to the beach. We went to Pantai Baru, and it was so windy that day that we technically weren't allowed to get close to the water because the waves were too high, but I did go get my feet wet before we left.

The beaches around Yogya are generally dangerous, so swimming isn't allowed. You can't really tell from this picture, but all the beaches I've been to near Yogya are very steep, and so the water gets deep fast and it creates a nasty undertow. I don't mind not swimming at the beach- Indonesians don't use swimsuits and getting soaked and sandy with regular clothes on isn't that fun (especially if you have to hand wash them afterward)- so I'm content with just dipping my feet in and enjoying the view.

Last Wednesday I left for my first real Rotary trip to Pangandaran, a beach area outside of Bandung. We went body rafting in Green Canyon (which was fun and so beautiful, though we weren't allowed to bring cameras), and visited Pantai Pangandaran and Pantai Batu Hiu. The trip went by fast; we all arrived late on Wednesday night and had to leave after lunch on Friday, but I still managed to get a little bit of a tan.

Thursday morning all the exchange students went to the beach to watch the sunrise (we technically missed it since no one wanted to wake up at 5 am). Still beautiful, though.

What I'm most proud of from the last three weeks is my progress at school. All of my classes now (except for sophomore tari gagah) are working on dances that use a painfully slow tempo. This is nice for tari alus and putri, which have smooth, graceful styles (it looks sophisticated and serious with the slow tempo, I like it) but makes a tough workout out of my freshman tari gagah lesson. You have to keep one leg and both your arms held out at a 90 degree angle (for correct tari gagah form), and if dancing to a normal tempo this isn't so bad because you often switch legs/switch positions, but when it's slowed way down and you have to hold each position for a long time, the six minute routine takes forever. All my muscles burn by the end. My favorite lesson is still tari putri. In my sophomore class we're learning tari srimpi, which uses four dancers. I've been able to memorize the routine so far, and we're about ten minutes in, but the complete dance is a half hour long. I'm excited to finish it all and see how I do. We have our first mid-way test on this dance next Wednesday (everyone will wear a jarik and kebaya of the same color); I hope it goes well.

As for other upcoming events, there is an Imlek celebration led by one of the Rotarians from Yogya Tugu the first week of February. He asked me to perform, so I've been perfecting tari persembahan as well as practicing traditional Javanese singing for the event. I feel pretty good about the dance, but I'm nervous about the song. In America, the only singing I ever did was either in the shower or alone in my car, and so performing in front of a large crowd in Javanese is quite the step up for me. Needless to say, I'm intimidated. Ideally, traditional songs are supposed to sung in sort of a nasally, slippery way (similar to what Indian music sounds like to an American), and I have a long way to go before I can make my voice sound like that (if it's even possible). I've memorized all the words so far, so at least I have that going for me. I will certainly let you know how it goes- wish me luck.

Now for my latest food update. This one was the most shocking so far in my time in Indonesia I think, mostly because I wasn't aware (similar to the fish brain before). I stopped at a small warung makan (small food shop) with my host father on the way home from school one day and we ordered tongseng, which is chopped up meat served in soy sauce with spices and cabbage (and rice; this should go without saying). It was okay, not my favorite, mostly because the cuts of meat aren't up to my picky American standard. Later that night I was sitting in the living room with my host family and Ibu Haryo asks me if I knew what type of tongseng I ate that afternoon. "Kambing?" I reply (goat?). Nope, she said: dog meat. I couldn't help it- I clapped a hand over my mouth and let out a squeal in English (Oh my gosh!). Just the other evening I was talking with my host father Pak Haryo about when he visited Japan, and I had asked "Don't they eat dog there? Did you try it?" and so this was a little twisted joke of his- no one told me that they eat dog in Indonesia, too. I decided I would eat it again if I had to; it's just meat. Everyone in my host family has eaten it before, and my host brother is pursuing a veterinary degree to take care of pets, so I figure it's okay. Whew, quite the surprise.

That's about all that's been going on lately. I have a small confession to make before I sign off (it doesn't sound as bad as eating man's best friend though)- I took my first sack of clothes to the laundry shop next to my house last week. Over three kilos of laundry (washed and ironed) was 6900 rupiah- exactly 75 cents. Tempting, yes? I still wash all my underclothes myself, so I'm not losing the wholesome experience of domestic labor. Just gaining a longer afternoon nap :)

That's all for now! Happy Chinese New Year! (And sometime in the next few weeks give your dog an extra treat for me, to help my conscience...)

Menari dan Cuci Baju!

It certainly has been a while since I last posted (I apologize), and now I have a lot to catch you up on! On the 18th of December I changed host families- and what a big change it was. I now live in Tamantirto, a village that is actually not part of Yogyakarta but much closer to my school. I am living with Pak Haryo, the SMKI vice principle, and his family.

To start off- the performance at Prambanan temple went really well, though the president of Indonesia didn't show. Bummer, but it was still a lot of fun. All the dancers met at school at 4 am that morning to get dressed and do make up for the show. The event at Prambanan started in the morning, but we didn't dance until around noon- and it was easy waiting in a closed tent for 4+ hours before performing. There were a few fans going, but it didn't help much when the afternoon sun came out.

Prambanan temple, from outside of the dancers tents. Hopefully I'll visit the temple for

real one day and get better pictures.

After the performance at Prambanan, Christmas break started. Two whole weeks! I was pleasantly surprised- I had heard before that we would only get three days off for Christmas, which I thought was reasonable since most of the students at my school are Muslim. Even though there weren't any classes I still went to school every day to practice the persembahan dance with Bu Ratri. On the actual wedding day I had my hair sprayed black again (though there wasn't any teasing this time, so it was easier to wash out, thankfully) and danced to live gamelan music. I was very excited to use live music, but I ended up losing the drum rhythm half way through, which was a fairly big issue. I ended up facing the wrong direction for the rest of the dance, though I did get back on track with the gamelan after a bit (I think the drummer pulled a few tricks for me so I could catch up). It was quite obvious that I screwed up, but everyone was still happy I tried. I'm glad I didn't see the bride and groom sitting right behind me until after I danced or the mix up would have been much more distressing. I'm continuing my lessons with Bu Ratri as well, so I still have time to perfect my dance.

Me dancing at the wedding. I could tell you several things that are wrong with my form in this picture, but I'll refrain :)

Ibu Ratri and I

Spending the holidays in Indonesia wasn't as difficult as I expected- my host family and I stayed busy with church events (in addition to the dance lessons). My host mother and sister help lead the church choir so there were several evening practices, and then three days of Christmas celebration. We didn't have a Christmas tree, special foods, or presents, but I still felt holiday spirit singing Silent Night and Come All Ye Faithful in Indonesian.

Christmas Day morning mass at the 'big' church in Madukismo. The teenagers in the white chairs were all baptized that day, which is why they were in traditional Javanese clothes. Christmas Eve mass was at the smaller church close to home. About fifty people attended, and the church room was filled as well as the front porch area outside.

My new host family and I on Christmas Day

Not including the holidays, regular life in a village has been much different than with my first host family. There is no shower here, just one wash room (which consists of a non flush toilet and a big basin of water), and no hot water as well. This sounds awful, but isn't a big deal- I almost always wake up sweaty since it's so warm here, so a cold "shower" is quite refreshing. The real kicker is no air conditioning.. But I'm happy here, so I'm not going to complain :) My host family doesn't have a washing machine either (or a maid), so I've learned to hand wash all my clothes (and do so almost every day). The three days of Christmas celebration I didn't do any washing though, which ended up being an awful gift to give myself for the holidays- I had a mountain of dirty clothes to attend to. My arms and hamstrings were sore for awhile after that one..

My first time hand washing! I remember thinking of the song "Whistle While You Work" from the Snow White, and thinking there's no way the forest animals were that happy washing someone else's clothes. I employ a new definition for the word 'dirty' now.

There also isn't a car at home, so I ride a motorcycle everywhere. This is a bummer when it rains, but for the most part awesome :) The biggest difference with living in a desa (village) is that everyone uses bahasa Jawa. This is good, because I'll get to learn the language faster, but also a little frustrating because I'm back to not knowing what people are saying. The toughest part for me is having to learn two different levels, ngoko (for people your own age) and krama (for speaking to people older than you). Its hard for me to remember to use a different level than is being spoken to me. For example- if my host mother asks me "Uwis maem durung?" (Sudah makan belum? in Indonesian, Have you eaten already? in English) I should reply using bahasa Jawa krama "Sampun" (yes, already) or "Dereng" (not yet), but it's still hard for me to remember to switch to using krama rather than replying "uwis" or "durung" (already and not yet, in ngoko). It's also frustrating that the two levels can be so different. Even numbers are different; in ngoko: 1 siji 2 loro 3 telu 4 papat 5 lima, but in krama: 1 setunggal 2 kalih 3 tiga 4 sekawan 5 gangsal. I have a lot to learn- bahasa Jawa, dance, karawitan... It's time to call up my Rotary club and ask for an extension.

Despite the new challenges I am very content in my new life in desa Tamantirto. I stay busy at home (with washing dishes, clothes, and helping cook meals) and now that I have almost completed my first week of semester two at SMKI, there are more dance classes in my schedule, too. I find that it's increasingly hard to remember to blog now that I'm really enjoying my new life here. Perhaps it's because I don't think of home so much. No offense. So I hope to keep you updated as best as I can. There's so much more to learn and share! Sampai jumpa!