Yudi's Homestay- Cianjur, Indonesia

I spent 4 nights at Yudi's family's house volunteering to teach local children english at schools in the area. During my stay I was also able to visit with many local families, enjoy amazing cuisine, and see some pretty incredible sights.

Day 1: I arrived in Cianjur Monday and spent some time with Yudi's lovely wife Tita, their daughter Louise (age 7), and several of Louise's friends who were playing on the porch. The kids were so cute, and happy playing jacks with seashells and a bouncy ball- which is quite refreshing compared to the spoiled kids at home who will only play the latest video games. The kids asked if I had a mobile phone and if they could see it... I showed it to them and they all began pressing the buttons and laughing to one another as they passed it around.... Shortly after, I realized that they were all dialing their own cell's so they could have my number. I have received about 10 phone calls and 20 text messages daily since.. Their broken english is pretty funny via text. Here is one example from a 12 year old Daffyd: "My dear Christy, it was great to walk with someone so kind, friendly, limpid (wtf does that even mean), and beautiful as yourself. To be frank, I stole a glace at you very often then. And I am sorry I missed seeing you off. I pray that you are safe all the way back home. Take care. Love, Daffyd" After dinner, Yudi's friend Andong came to pick me up on his motorcycle and take me on a tour of town. First we stopped by his friend Loopy's house so she could practice her English with a native speaker. Loopy, and most of the people I met, are English teachers in the area. Next, we drove to Dee Dee's house, another teacher, and I met his lovely faimly, including his children, wife, brother, mother, and nieces. After a few minutes of conversation he brought me to the kitchen and showed me 4 fish that were still alive flopping around on the floor... He said he bought them special for my arrival and would like to have his wife prepare them so I can try. Obviously I agreed, despite the fact I was still super full from dinner. The fish which was fried and served with a soy-ginger sauce, and rice was soon brought in by Dee Dee's wife, and we sat on the floor to enjoy the meal together. They eat all parts of the fish, heads, tails and guts... I chose a middle piece cause I wasn't ready for head or tail yet... and a small portion of rice. I waited for a few minutes to start because I had no fork or spoon... Shortly I realized, I wasn't going to get one. I had a minor OCD attack while I though about how dirty my hands probably were from riding the bike etc. and then I had no choice but to dive in as everyone was staring at me waiting for me to start. It was quite delicious, despite how uncomfortable it was for me to eat with my hands originally, and I was very awkward, not sure which hand was cleaner, and alternating back and forth before I realized everyone else was holding the bowl with their left hand and eating with their right. This is when I remembered my dad once telling me about the strict policy in India of wipe left; eat right. Apparently the same applies in Indonesia. After dinner, we left and headed back to Yudi's. I was exhausted from the long trip, and went straight to bed.

Day 2: I slept almost 11 hours and woke up to fresh breakfast prepared for me of Mango (delicious), noodles, and plantains. After breakfast Kumi (another of Yudi's friends) picked me up and we went to Yudi's recycling factory. It was amazing to see people sorting all the different plastics and chopping them up with machines, washing it, and drying it in the sun... I also learned about the system they have in place there for garbage where the garbage is picked up from houses and brought to the dump. Then scavengers go through the garbage and find paper, metal, plastic and glass. They then sell these supplies to either a metal scrap "broker", plastic "broker, etc. Then the broker will take the products and re-sell them to a scrap metal factory, or plastic recycling factory like Yudi's. The plastic recycling factory then sorts it, cuts it into small pieces, washes it, dries it, and bags it to sell to a plastic melting company. That company will then melt the plastic down and turn in into small rice-like beads which are then easily used by and sold to any company who wants to make recycled plastic products like grocery bags, etc. So it's kinda cool how it comes around full circle, and how there are so many levels and processes involved that create employment in the most densely populated Island in the world.

After Yudi's we went for a Cianjur special Lunch of rice with coconut-curry sauce, and vegetables with rice crackers crumbled on top- delicious! After lunch Kumis took me to his old geography teacher David's house. David lives near several local remote villages that farm rice. We went on a long walk around the rice fields and met a bunch of people in villigas that were SUPER excited to see the BULE (white) girl walking through their turf. The kids were all laughing, and following me around to take pictures of me on their cell-phones. David explained he had never taken a Caucasian on a walk as far as we went and that it was more than likely I would have been the first white person they had met in real life. I took tons of pictures with them and felt like a total celebrity again- I'm starting to get used to that now... It's funny. Then we left to meet with some of Kudi's English teaching friends so they could practice their English as well. I bought a round of coke's for $1.50 and chatted with them for about an hour. Then we went back to Yudi's for dinner, and I hit the sack shortly after.

DAY 3: Andong picked me up and we went to the Floating Village, a man-made dam lake with thousands of floating pontoons with fish farms and small huts on them. It was incredible. There were millions of fish swimming about all seperated by type. Many of the fish were decorative aquarium/pond fish that were sold locally, and others were for eating. We walked around the pontoons-which were super dodgy, all cracked and broken and narrow, I was so glad I didn't fall in- and we fed the fish. I took loads of pictures. From there, we went to an English school where I taught a group of Muslim female students English for an hour, and then had a conversation with a 40 year old teacher who was trying to learn English for an hour and a half. Kumis picked me up from there and we went back to Yudi's for dinner. Before we could finish dinner a large group of neighbourhood kids gathered outside Yudi's house wanting to take BULE Christy for a walk... we walked and they practiced their English and tried to teach me Indonesian for about an hour before I went home for sleep time again.

DAY 4: Andong picked me up and we went to the Botanical Gardens in a mountain town about 45 minutes away. They were SOOOO BEAUTIFUL! Hard to describe, but amazing. We took the motorcycle on a dodgy path to a big waterfall... I thought I might fall off the motorbike and die at several points... especially since my helmet strap was broken. After the botanical gardens we went to a tea plantation and saw fields of tea growing near a plant that processes it. Then we went to one of Andong's private school lessons to help teach his student English. I was soooo exhausted by the end of that I couldn't wait to get home and relax. Tita made a wonderful traditional Indonesian meal we enjoyed together and I had some great chats with their family.

DAY 5: I woke up at 4am to the sounds of the daily Muslim Mosque- I forgot to mention this earlier... everyday 6 times a day the Muslims gather to pray. The song-like prayers are broadcasted via loudspeaker and can be heard throughout the town in most areas. I showered, and was picked up by a van to take me to Bandoong where I caught the train to Yogakarta. The scenery was gorgeous... for the first 6 hours, and then I just wanted to GET THERE ALREADY... We arrived 3 hours late (running on typical Indonesian time) and I immediately fell in love with the bustling backpacker world in Yogakarta. I am staying at an amazing hostel called Bladok Losmen, and for $30 I have a king sized bed, fridge, TV, Hot shower, western toilet (thank god! first time I've sat down in a week!!), and amazing pool area! I have been here since and have met a ton of awesome people!! I sat and had some beers by the pool with a couple from Denmark to unwind after the long journey. That night I hooked up with a lovely German couple, and a Vancouver guy, Shindan, who I've been hanging out with since. The Germans and I went to dinner, and a traditional puppet performance which was super cool, before taking a bicycle taxi back to a pub for some live music.... I got home at midnight and settled down for a 4 hour power-nap before waking up (mosque style) to go to the Hindo Temple here Borobodour the next day. The rest, I will continue later, as my hour of internet is almost expired, and I want to get out and get a $4 2 hour massage before I go! HAHAHAHA Did I mention I love the exchange rate here..? I will follow up with more details on the temple and the rest of my adventures here once I arrive in Bali-- or at the airport if there is wireless ;-) Until then.... HOLLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!