Adapting...

So the past few days have held the normal array of surprises that come with adapting to a new country and culture. Mealtime with Ibu has been quite a learning experience in itself. On one hand I have finally gotten across the message that I don’t need a feast for every meal, but just as I learned to use chopsticks in Japan, Ibu is teaching me to use my hands to eat. The other day when I was trying to use my fork to dissect the whole fish she served me, Ibu instructed me to eat it with my hands so it would be “more delicious.” This involved peeling the skin back and removing the edible parts of the fish with my sticky fingers. They next day when I went to show off my eating-whole-fish-with-my-fingers skills, she chastised me for not eating the bones too! I guess I will be learning for a while and while I may try to avoid fish for a while, the food on a whole still is truly delicious.

Besides adjusting to the food we have also begun our language training and I am trying to just jump right in and learn as much as possible since we only have three weeks of class! It really is a pretty simple language until you get to the special nuances that come with more advanced skills. I keep practicing with Ibu and the other Indonesians I meet, just telling myself that when they laugh at me it is because they are surprised I can speak and they think it’s cute. Everyone here is incredibly friendly and in addition to the stares I probably get 10-15 “hello’s” and “where are you from?” everyday, it is almost exhausting!

Another issue that has been plaguing me recently is the overly relaxed atmosphere here. No one is ever in a rush to go anywhere, do anything, or sense that you feel otherwise. Bureaucracy retards even every semi-official matter extending all the way down to the series of steps it took before I could set up my internet or cell phone. And no one cares! People are happy to stay working in the office until 8pm so they can chat away half the day with their coworkers. Knowing my need for control and impatience with inefficiency this will be an area with serious need for adaptation as I get ready to start in the work place.