Last year we tried pulling a Halloween party together but lacked in enough interested expats. But this year, everything came together and we pulled off Halloween crafts, costumes (Eliana was Rapunzel), a pizza party, trick-or-treating to 9 houses, candy trading and pumpkin carving (I attempted Tinker Bell).
We walked in 90 degree heat at 7:00pm, a first for me. But the lightning and thunder was a nice touch.
Happy Halloween from Indonesia!
Our way home started at 6:30am on Gili Air and ended at 11:30pm in Bogor. It was a long day, that went rather smoothly if not for the 2 hour flight delay. But I guess it just goes to show that even living so close to the Gilis does not make it easy to get there.
To briefly break it down it takes: a public ferry ride from Gili Air to Lombok, taxi from Bangsal to Senggigi, a brief stop at our favorite Italian Bed and Breakfast for lunch and a quick swim, local angkot around town for shopping, taxi to the Mataram airport, flight to Jakarta, and another taxi to Bogor. Whew.
A bit bummed to have left such a paradise. It really is my kind. Eliana hit her groove and owned that island. She electively spoke Bahasa to anyone who would listen and made a couple of sets of new girlfriends just by walking up to them and introducing herself. Such confidence! Its like something clicked for her on that island. We’ll see how it transitions in Bogor…
It feels like I’ve finally kicked off my two month version of making my way back home. My real home. And I think I’ll need the full two months to do it.
I think it’ll go by quickly, at least I kind of hope it does. Because I’m really craving my home; my city, my house, my complete family.
All this swimming and laying and daydreaming…
My friend ran around the island yesterday in about 30 minutes. I wanted to explore it on foot, but with a 5 year old, that would take forever. So we splurged on a horse carriage. We looped the island (though I’m pretty sure he took a short cut down the middle through the kampung toward the end) in about 20-30 minutes.
Definitely accomplished one of Ellie’s Life List goals. Happy girl over here.
Did you know that Indonesia has 13 recognized national and religious holidays? (Today is Ascension Day, whatever that means.) That’s almost 2 weeks of PTO, not even counting the average 2 weeks of PTO a full-time employee gets, like Seth.
And teachers? We get 3 weeks in December, 1 week in March, 5 in June/July, 2 in August, and 1 in October. This totals 12 weeks of PTO!!
It’s important I remind myself of this amazing fact when I am cursing the country and its dysfunctions. Because back in the states… I had zero PTO as adjunct faculty. Zero.
Chinese New Year celebration prep has begun in the local kampung…
What I’ve heard so far from my students and friends this holiday is kind of a bid deal here.
I’m hoping to check out some festivities in Bogor and Jakarta this weekend. My goal is to find a parade and a giant snake!
You know how some people think that teachers are spoiled with long school holiday breaks? Yeah, well, we are. We earned ’em(!!!), but boy do I feel spoiled right now.
I submitted my grades yesterday and am on Winter Break until January 7! And although Christmas is only a few days away, it’s hard to get into the holiday spirit when it’s 90 degrees and I’m planning a trip next week to one of the most desirable island chains in the world (I’m talking about you, Gilis).
I mean really. I see holiday cookie after chutney after Christmas tree after ugly holiday sweater after rants about shopping stress on Facebook and Instagram. My response? Well. I miss you guys but I don’t miss that.
In the spirit of it all, we picked up some rambutan from a truck bed on the side of the overpass today. 12,000 rupiah, ’bout a buck.
Peace.
Bali or Bust 