At 3 AM one Friday morning, I found myself in a dark car on the streets of Jakarta. The only person I knew in the car was Sabrina, the other exchange student in Bogor. My hosting coordinator from AFS had invited me to go with her and friends to Pulau Seribu. I passed in and … Continue reading Pulau Seribu
You know that wonderful experience when you've written a whole blog post and attached pictures? Really quite a rewarding experience. But do you know the experience of that whole blog post disappearing for No Good Reason and leaving you a Blank Page? That is not a rewarding experience. Nevertheless, I shall persevere and WRITE THIS … Continue reading It’s Wedding Time!
My host mom, Sabrina, and I took a quick weekend trip to Lampung. We took a overnight bus ride/car ferry and were there by 6 AM the next morning. Lampung is on the bottom (or the green) of Sumatra. My host uncle lives there with his wife and four kids. They have been asking us … Continue reading Where I Become the General of a Dolphin Army
(Part 2) I was going to put some inspirational river quote here to make y'all feel properly inspired, but I couldn't find any that I actually liked. So whatever. On Wednesday, we went on a little boat on the Musi River. The Musi River splits Palembang in two. One side of the river is named … Continue reading Palembang from the Musi River
(Part 1) "Take me somewhere," The Sniffler said, "where the food is diverse." "Pshaw," Spectacles replied, "that's easy. That could be anywhere--besides school cafeterias, that is." "There has to be a very prominent culture." Spectacles stroked his imaginary beard. And then, "Eurake!" "'Eurake'? Don't you mean eureka?"The Sniffler said, unimpressed. "No, I definitely mean eurake. … Continue reading Gold and Fishcakes
It was fairly standard Sunday. Went to church at 8 AM. My host family picked me up at 11 AM. We drove around a neighborhood near to ours in search of Turkish kebabs (which are, unfortunately, nothing like real Turkish kebabs. They're something like a sad fajita). We didn't find said Turkish kebabs, so we returned home. … Continue reading Showdown With the King of Fruits
Bunda: Hello Ruth. (Ruth looks up from her laptop) Bunda: This weekend Ayah* and his friends are going to Lembang. Do you want to join? *my host dad (Ruth thinks this over in her head, taking into the account that every time Ayah's friends come over they sing loudly for 5 hours. But then she … Continue reading A Story of Smoke and Oranges
When I first came to Indonesia, I had no idea that I'd be traveling as many places as I have. I certainly did not anticipate the opportunity to leave the country and travel to China. Nah, I'm just messing with you. This is a Confucius temple in Taman Mini. (part 2/2) December 3, 2015 In … Continue reading China
Lately I have been getting a lot of complaints about my failure to update my blog and let everyone know what's been going on in my life. I do have a reason for this. Before the end of the year, my computer charger broke and stopped working. As a consequence, I couldn't get on my … Continue reading Taman Burung
The Truth By Ruth 