Blogger Mode

In the past few days, I've had so many things I wanted to share with the reader(s) of my blog (Reader Count: 1 - Myself). But tragedy struck, I lost my phone. I'm trying to not be so sad about it, but it's all I'm thinking about. I mean, I could have lost my passport! If I lost my passport, I would have wished "Oh man! I wish I lost my cell phone!" Or I could have lost my passport...at the airport. I would have wished "Oh man! I wish I lost my passport earlier!" Or I could have lost my camera. And then I would have thought "Oh man! I wish I lost my cell phone, the camera is much more valuable!" Or worse, I could have lost my memory card. I would have though "Oh man, I wish I lost my camera, the camera is replaceable!" Or I could have somehow lost my life, but then I don't know if I could wish I have lost something else. But as a living, breathing person right now, I am glad I didn't lose my life. I wouldn't know where to find another one. Ebay is selling a new Samsung A707 for $90.00. I would be worse off if I lost my wallet and it contained $91.00!!

Long story short, I'm trying to not be sad because it's only a phone. I might sound like an ass to some by saying "it's only a phone" like I'm some sort of richass. But I keep remembering what Tyler Durden said in Fight Club, "The things you own end up owning you." No way! The only thing I want to own me is my momma...and probably chemistry, but only because it's part of the natural laws of the universe.

Changing the World

I came here thinking that I would change or touch somebody's life in this country. But now I realized, it's me who is being changed.

I feel my heart opening up to the world. They told me that I always have to smile because it's polite and to not do so, would cause misunderstandings. It's pretty easy for me now. My smiles are genuine.

Bule! Bule!

Back from another long day exploring Semarang. It was my first time on a motorbike, and I loved it. Sure my ass hurt a bit on the rocky roads, but on both sides of me, I see ricefields, trees, grass, farmers fishing, and suddenly my ass doesn't seem to care so much anymore. He (sorry! I'm no good with Indonesian names) asked me if it's like this in my country. I told him no, this country is a lot more peaceful.

Played with some angry, greedy monkeys today! They are really eager for peanuts! We had to hike down the hill to see the waterfall and caves. I wanted to die! It never ceases to amaze me how the heat and all the uphill walking never fazes them! They are like super people! Or maybe it's Americans that really like to sit on their bottoms all day. Afterwards, we visited the Great Mosque in Semarang. And after that, we visited the beach. I've never seen so much clothing on a beach before, haha.

When I was deciding whether I should visit Indonesia or not, the travel warning for Americans really concerned me. On top of that, my parents and close friends warned me about Moslem extremists and I was crazy for an American to visit a Moslem country for so long. I've come to realize that it was all negative speculation from people who really don't know what they are talking about. I'm not saying to ignore the recent Jakarta hotel bombing or any other terrorism directed at Westerners in Indonesia, but it would be wrong to say that the entire country is hostile to Westerners. Since I've been here, I've met the kindest people I have ever met. I feel sad that I have to leave Dejavato and move in with my host family. It's only been less than a week, and I've grown so attached to this place. In fact, I've grown attached to the people I met today whom I toured Semarang with, especially the person whose jacket I've spent a good couple hours holding for dear life.

So there we were sitting outside the Mosque waiting for our friends to finish praying, which is pretty much the most Moslem place there is, and remained unharmed. Instead, people wanted to take picture with the "bule," or "white foreigner." Of course, they were not addressing me, but Maddy and Alexia. They were full of smiles. I swear, here in Semarang, being a "bule" will make you the most popular person around the area. So many funny stories.

Long story short, I've never been happier anywhere in my life.

We are #1! We are #1!

So I see a lot of these ads when I checking my Yahoo! mail. Interesting, isn't it? It's like everybody outside of the United States wants an opportunity to come in. I don't know how true that is, but it's pretty cocky to assume so, isn't it?

Going for a Ride

Who says I'm not a daredevil? It's no wonder why my Math 3C professor said that young people statistically have a greater probability of dying every day than other people. We, young people, think that we can live forever. Yesterday evening, I was sitting on one of those carriages at the Semarang city center and went on a lengthy ride. When I say carriage, you might imagine a pretty horse straight for the pages of a fairytale and romantic flowers decorated all around. Well, it was sort of like that, but without a horse or flowers, with a little more of scrappy metal, dirty seats, and a brave Indonesian man just bicycling away in the midst of merciless traffic. I really felt like a poor whale sperm swimming in an ocean of sharks, trying to find my way home.

This is me throughout the entire ride:
"Whoa, whoa, whoa.."
30 seconds later,
"Whoaz!" *pant pant*
5 seconds later,
"Dear God Almighty, Lord in Heaven, Everlasting Father,..."
7 seconds later,
"AMEN! AMEN! AMEN!!!"

And I thought L.A. traffic was bad. And even worse, I thought Chinese traffic was the worse.

What am I?

So far, it's been an interesting experience. Yesterday, when I was flying over Indonesia, the first thing I noticed was the color green. Even over Jakarta, the place is full of greenery. The city was not towering with skyscrapers, nor was it bustling with cars like it would be in New York City. I'm very excited to be part of this experience, I'm sure there is plenty for me to learn from and take from. The people here are very kind, especially here in Dejavato. I feel right at home. They say it's part of Indonesian culture to be always friendly and smiling ever so brightly. The kindness and friendliness here is so overwhelming, it's almost enough to melt by stone cold heart. Lol, I kid. But since it's part of their culture to be so friendly, I find it inappropriate to always wear my Nancy frown on like I do back home.

As I sit here typing this blog inside the Indonesian home of some of the friendliest people I have ever met, a young French woman lays next to me, peacefully reading. And next to her, a woman from Austria. To the right of me is a bookshelf filled with books that were donated by all the different volunteers that were here before me. I see Korean and Japanese script, German, and other European text I do not have the experience to recognize. Myself as an American-born Chinese. There's just so much diversity and culture here, it's amazing.

By the way, did I mention what a confusing presence I cause people? On the plane, the kind Indonesia-born, Taiwanese citizen asked if I was Taiwanese. I told her I was American, and she responded "How come you don't look American?" I lol'd in my head, and answered the best I can, "I don't know." Here at Dejavato, I perpetuate the same kind of confusion. Not to mention how "unamerican" I look, they would not have guessed I was Chinese. To them, I look like an Indonesian. It's very interesting what people from different countries percieve as "American." You would think that America, quite known for its characteristic of being a "melting pot," I wouldn't have encountered the confusion I have in the past 24 hours, how wrong I was.