Mencampur - Mixture

 This Blog is a mix of daily observations and experiences on my part. I sit looking out across my balcony at a very blue sea, light breeze and quite comfortable in the shade but the sun is a scorching burn if I even could sit in it. This follows several days of rain. I have pillows in the sun like other homes have during the day (my neighbours can reach the lower part of their metal roof so put their foam mattress and pillows up there on sunny days to dry them out and keep out any bugs that might be setting up shop.)

walking partners Chrystal and baby Rose

Speaking of bugs I have had my own to deal with this week. Woke up in the night Monday scratching my arm, went back to sleep - silly me, and woke to much of my torso, hips and upper arms covered in itchy red spots. I willl guess they are bed bugs as I am sleeping on a very old mattress and box spring that came with the house. But why now or where did they come from? Are they also in my sofa where I normally sit in the evenings to listen to podcasts of Q and Vinyl Cafe? I had a small experience a few weeks ago with my arms bitten but with lots of severe pesticide daily over a few days thought I had dealt with them.
So spent a night with my friends at their house and had a good sleep -thank goodness for Benedryl - then came home to think this through. Pillows and all bedding went right out into the sun then washed by hand - that's all I have - and unfortunately only air temperature water but hung them out for two days on the line. No more sitting on the sofa, although had already not been doing that for a couple of weeks, and the morning I got up with the bites had woman-handled the king size mattress out to the balcony, where it will live until I vacate at the end of April when our lease is up. I have been spraying the box spring daily with the ultimate pesticide, and now am going through my clothes in the wardrobe washing them and putting into our spare room when dry. I am sleeping in the spare room on a thin mat on top of a wooden platform as that room didn't have a mattress and thank goodness no real box spring to hide the critters. I bet all of you readers are now scratching just reading this. My friends have been great and not banned me from visiting but they too start to scratch when they ask how my new friends are doing!
So, that's my rant on that topic. But, given that you can imagine my mood is not top of the world but then again, one must have a laugh over all of these experiences, so no need to renew my Xanax prescription yet.
But now that I'm on the end quarter of my placement here are a few of the things that make life interesting.

Bride and Mickey

 - sticky sweaty skin, bug bites, bug spray twice a day, anti malaria meds and just thinking of keeping a home free of vermin! The hassle of buying big jugs of clean water when I don’t have a car, grocery shopping in small bits as I have to fit in in my backpack and be able to hook any extra bags to the hook on my bike. Trying to judge weather, too hot to walk in mid day or monsoon rolling in! phoning the water truck man when our cistern runs dry - about every 5 weeks and hanging around until he comes as he is often in the midst of filling other orders, keeping an eye on the electricity credits on the meter outside so we don't run out of electricity and going to the store to get more credit, having to put on my helmut, jacket, socks and shoes, gloves to go anywhere on my motor bike (now that I have had 3 accidents, I am continue to be vigilant on safety wear) , walking with no sidewalks or shoulders on the road and dealing with children who yell "boulay"  (foreigner) at me and children playing "knock knock runaway" on my front door. Now this might sound like it is terrible here and no it's not. It's just these become the daily life and for me who comes from a country where daily living is pretty convenient, and I can communicate easily to get my needs met and to just socialize, it feels like a lot of work.

interisland pilots- from several countries

 I am so lucky to have been able to come to be in a country so different from my own, meeting a vast array of new people of many different backgrounds and experiences and of course new friends. The view of the sea every morning, noon and night!  Being in the villages where I am welcomed as a friend and to have tasted mangosteen fruit! It is new to me and I really like it - will have to see if it is imported to Canada. Oh and avacado drink - now that's really a treat chocolate syrup and all! House parties with friends and crazy headwear themes! See photos of friend's going away party as their contract has ended in Kupang.

I plan to stake out a street corner that has traffic lights at some point and take photos of all the sights that we would never see at home before I leave. Have to go to that corner as that's the only time anything holds still enough to get good shots! Imagine live chickens hung by their feet  upside down strung on a pole across the front of a motor bike on their way to market! 

Angela the Bride and Alberta Cowgirl

So friends and family, Easter will be upon us soon, with all the accompanying activities among you. Blessings to all!
 

Elmi

Elmi's home

This post doesn't need a translation as this one is all about Elmi, the name of the young woman I have been writing about who has the amputation and for whom we were able to get the wheelchair donated from the local disabled person's organization. As I said in a previous post, we have been working on getting all the forms in and documents gathered to put her application to the province for training in Solo, Java as her mother has now given permission for her to go. She is now 19, the same age as War who I wrote about last May who we were also working to get out to training but who died before he could leave.

 I have resisted posting this Blog until Elmi was in the air, which she is today, leaving early this morning with 4 others chosen to go, in the accompanyment of a provincial staff person to get them settled at the school.

front of home

papers to sign

We went Friday to Elmi's home in the village, a 1 1/2 hour ride away to be there for her meeting with the provincial staff person for the asssessment meeting. (my first time to ride my own bike this far and the roads are atrocious in this village) It was confirmed that another person had definitely dropped out so Elmi could join the current group going and leave on Monday, today! There was great excitment and Elmi, sitting so proudly in her wheelchair was ecstatic. Her demeanor since rising off of the floor to be able to sit at eye level with everyone else has brightened and when she gets to Solo she will be meeting for the first time others who are in the same or similar situation and I think she will expand her horizons when it comes to accessibiity and maybe even learn some tricks to getting around easier. She really is housebound at present due to the inaccessible home, mud yard and road made of rocks and the steep hill where they live. BUT, one step at a time - I get ahead of myself looking at her other barriers but hopefully she will be her own best advocate when she returns. She hopes to study computer operations over the next 10 months and she will be tested for aptitude when she gets there. There are many other choices open to her as well and she may well change her focus on arrival.
In the meantime, she is off as of today, her mother was too tearful to come to Kupang to see her off, but was strong enough to give permission - a big step here as young people look to their elders for that support or they would not take these steps. Elmi's Mom is a widow, so she will certainly miss her for the next months.

Elmi and her craft work

We met with the village head after the time at Elmi's and Berti explained  why we were out there that day. He was amazed that Elmi could go off without her mother to lift her and help her with personal daily living needs and Berti used this as the teachable moment to explain how independent Elmi is and will be even more so on return. He couldn't believe that she could dress, toilet and bath herself and also clean the house and prepare food. He was suddenly very tearful as Berti talked and she later explained to me that it was his worry for her that brought the tears. (surprising to me in an Indonesian man)
My own lightbulb went on when I realized the biggest need here is the teaching about how people with missing limbs can be independent in all ways, and that the barriers are transportation and people's lack of knowledge. Usually those outside of their own family only see them sitting on the sidelines or in their own home, doing nothing. They don't see them in their daily life when they drop by for a visit. And some admitted that they haven't seen Elmi since her accidnet as they are afraid to see her legs cut off!
Still work to do!
Enjoy the photos from Friday.

neighbour gets us coconuts - barefoot to the top!