Word of the Day

I was confronted with this word early in the morning yesterday when a text from my friend said he wanted to “mandi in the water flood.”  The odd meaning of this translation perplexed me but I put it out of my mind and wished him a good time.  Later in the day, however, I was confronted with the true meaning of “banjir” in Jambi; when it floods people take out their canoes. 

After attending a two-year-olds birthday, in which I was the star attraction until they lit the candles on the cake, Sumi and I went driving around the Jambi countryside, i.e. rice paddies.  This is when I started noticing the changes in landscape. 

The rice paddies with their little huts were now completely submerged in water
and had transformed into fishing ponds with sun-roughened men handling identical but oddly shaped net contraptions to lift the little fish out of the new rice paddy pond.  I was informed that this happens every year during the rainy season but depending on the flood’s timing can destroy the season’s rice crop if it comes before the harvesting is over.  This way, however, there are now two crops that can come from the same rice paddies, rice and fish!

As we drove around more I saw that numerous houses built up on stilts in anticipation of flooding were now completely cut off with the path leading to their house fully submerged.  I quickly realized that the rainy season is just that time of year when wetland Indonesians take out their other form of transportation besides the motorbike: the family canoe!  Ah, rainy season in Sumatra, at least there aren't any banjir threatening my house.