VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE

He was a helicopter gunship pilot
in the South Vietnamese airforce
He can proudly trace his blood line
through many generations of royalty
One day, deep into the war,
his uncle sent a bus
“Get on the bus…now!”
Wife, 4 little children, other family members
got on the bus
They were taking nothing
but themselves
The bus drove them into a US Military Base

A helicopter flew them to an aircraft carrier
Surprised, they were greeted with clothes and food
They did not understand what was happening
The next day, the war was over
They were the last ones out
A freighter took them to Camp Chaffee
in Arkansas
Khai contacted Subud relatives who had made it to France
At Camp Chaffee, they and many others waited
for someone magical called a sponsor
One day there was a phone call for him
Someone named Lucien
“I don’t know anyone by that name.”
“It’s for you.”
Lucien was a Subud member from Chicago
He would sponsor the Phams.
Khai agreed.

The next day they had plane tickets to Chicago
They lived with Lucien for some months
He had a house painting business
and hired and taught Khai housepainting
My husband, Ren, spoke French, Khai’s other language
So this was a good connection
Ren took him around
Khai remembered Ren’s words after an interview:
“You will never get hired if you respond like that.
You must assert yourself.
You must convince them you are the best person for the job.”

Khai was learning a new culture.
Others offered support and guidance
The family moved to California,
he went to school, he held two jobs,
night watchman, cutting lawns, delivery man
Mimi his wife worked too.
“What was most important to you?” I asked
“School for the children
and getting training in something
that would be flexible.
I got advice to learn computers.
I didn’t like computers.
I was looking for something
that seemed more dependable.
I took one course in Systems Analysis.
That was it. I liked that.
I could figure everything out by understanding systems.”
He got an entry-level job in aerospace
and worked his way up.
They lived where the schools were best.
For 15 years, they didn’t have a vacation or a day off.
After 15 years, he was making enough
that he could take a vacation.
The children went to college:
a psychologist, a lawyer, an accountant, and a hotel manager
He’s proud of them.

We met two of the children
Khoi came to Boulder to interview Ren,
He’s making a film about the people
who helped his and other Vietnamese refugee families
MyKhan is a Senior Lawyer
married to Scott, an advertising executive
They live in LA with their two children
As we sat and talked, Khai said,
“Some people say I was wrong
not to teach my children Vietnamese.
Some people say I was right.
I wanted them to be Americans
with no accent. Now I teach Vietnamese
to my granddaughters.”
Scott, a Caucasian, said, “I want my daughters to be
proud to be Vietnamese. I’m not Vietnamese,
but I don’t think of myself as being in a cross-cultural marriage.”

Interested in cultural identity, I asked one of the daughters,
“Who are you?” To my surprise, everyone wanted to answer this question.
The 5-year-old: “I am a pianist.” The 9-year-old: “I am a girl.”
The mother: “I am a mother of two daughters who will contribute to society.
I earn money to support our lifestyle by working, but my self-expression
happens in other ways.”
The husband: “I am the husband of this beautiful woman,
and father of these wonderful children.”
The grandfather: “I am proud of my good family.”

Khai and his wife Mimi drive a new Mercedes Benz.
Even though they are now retired,
they work full time “giving back”
through a foundation they founded
(www.Reaching-Out-Foundation.org).
It raises money to support two Catholic nuns
and two Buddhist nuns who provide health care and other services
to disabled and poor families in Vietnam.
The Phams were busy getting ready for their next big fundraising event.

We loved our time with this remarkable, warm, and wonderful family.

Social Life in Rungan Sari

Our social life has begun
dinner at the wealthiest and finest
house in the neighborhood
built by Simone Guerrand Hermes
as one of his 10 world wide residences
Maya and Halim and their son,
live in it right now
Halim has upgraded and remodeled it a bit
lovely, private pool,
two separate wings
tones of wood and black
big deck, elegant wicker furniture
tatami mats on the walls
high ceilings, large windows,
dramatic fine art
dinner–fish, rice, vegetables
entertainment–a complicated, inventive card game
Polish Hearts (google it if you want)
Maya is English, Halim is Polish
she’s one of the top international Subud administrators,
he’s an architect working on the next phase of development of the land here
Ren is now helping him design (working title):
Kalimantan International Leadership Academy

Saturday night
“Hey, come by and you can borrow one of our DVDs,
or many, for that matter.”
Every house has a selection of dozens or hundreds
of pirated DVDs.
We go home with the first season of Downton Abbey
and The Ides of March
We have a DVD player and an 90s style TV
and hundreds of channels including at least 10 world news stations

Latihan on Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday
with about 20 others

Sunday night
Stars Under the Stars
a showing of “The Descendents”
on a 4 by 4 foot portable screen
some watched from the restaurant deck
others from chairs and cushions below
the Geigers made popcorn with caramel
that left rampantly sticky fingers

Monday dinner with three young volunteer teachers
French, English, and Indonesian
very dedicated and thorough in their preparations for class

Wednesday night Scrabble at Utami’s
She’s the daughter of an Indonesian diplomat
married to Subud’s renowned “Crocodile Dundee” gold miner
They have 3 gorgeous teenage daughters
so their house is where all the neighborhood
teenage social life is happening

Thursday, Karim, the Principal, will come to our cottage for dinner
Our cottage is right next to the center sports fields
so people are walking by all the time
our porch, a New Urbanist planner’s dream
of visible, engaged community
no need to lock doors

ahhhhhh, 4 pm
getting into the pool

sweet coolness
our “noodles” to swim with
“what are those things?”
quite an oddity
floating on a noodle
gazing at the clouds
full of jinn, they say here
full of spirit pictures
I animate the clouds as I float
it is good, peace

usually alone in the pool
this time with two Indonesian mothers with babies
and a Dayak couple
but
suddenly the young volunteers
and the neighborhood teenagers
begin showing up
like Aboriginal telepathic magic
now 10 of them!
we’re delighted

soon we understand the Indonesian magic:
texting
never talking on their handphones
always silently texting
connecting in shorthand
“This is what’s happening.”
“Here’s where it’s happening.”
“Come now.”

First Period, First Day
N.B. Freshly written, but from three weeks ago

First period, first day of the term
classroom is simple
white board, bulletin board
teacher’s desk, tables for the students
individual cubbies serving as lockers

the 12 6th graders have been divided into two groups
for English–I have the top half of the students
(should I say the other teacher gets them from the waist down?)
I’m very nervous
I haven’t been in the classroom for 37 years
there is no textbook
the other teachers say just to use the first day
to get to know the students
I have a game or two in mind
but otherwise…
the 6th graders sit politely at their tables
6 of them spread out across the room
each has a well-supplied pencil box
and a notebook with lined paper
“My name is Ibu Cedar.
Cedar in English is a kind of tree.
I’d be happy to tell you anything about me
that you’d like to know. I want to get to know
you too, of course.”
Silence. “What would you like to know?”
Silence. Looooong silence.
“Am I speaking so that you can understand me?”
“Yes, Ibu.”

“Well, let me tell you some things about myself….”
“Now, tell me about you.”
Silence. Long silence.
A few questions
one or two word answers
“Do you understand me?”
Nods
“Can you tell me why you won’t talk with me?”
silence
“Let me guess.
You’re shy?”
“No.”
“You’re afraid?”
“It won’t be good.”
“The words won’t be good enough?”
Nods.
“It’s really important to you to get it right.”
The class bell rings
We have begun.

These writings are accompanied by photos that can be seen on the Right Use of Power Facebook page or on Ren’s Facebook page. To see additional photos of the children and the school, here is a copy of the BCU School newsletter.  

THE CHILDREN AND THE SCHOOL

at 7:45 the children walk by our cottage
they’ve come by bus
most from Palangkaraya, an hour’s drive away
about half Protestant Christian and
about half Muslim
Javanese, local Dayaks,
a few English speakers
blue pants or skirts
white shirts
carrying books,
a few guitars
we walk with them
“Hi Ibu Cedar, Pagi, Pak Ruslan”
(Ibu or Bu for women, Bapak or Pak for men)

at 8 am on Monday it’s already hot
the day begins
with an assembly
the teachers sit behind the children
arranged in rows on the floor
Ren and I are privileged with chairs
100 children in grades 1 – 12
happy smiling faces
and relaxed bodies
show how happy they are at this school
Pak Karim, the caucasion principal from New Zealand,
talks to the children
“I’m very happy to see you.
I like seeing you get off the bus
and walking with your teachers
across the field, smiling and talking.
I’m glad for how well we all get along.
Over the weekend, an extreme Muslim group
landed in Palangkaraya.
More than 800 Dayaks went to the airport
and wouldn’t let them get off the plane.
They told them that this is a peaceful place
where we all get along together and
mosques are right next to churches.”***
Pak Widarjo, the Indonesian co-principal
talks to the children about gratitude.
then the whole school sings together
the high school boys play guitar accompaniment
they love to sing and treat us to a cool variety of songs
with multiple parts
a favorite is “What a Wonderful World”

***This was a big event in Indonesian news! I just talked with Pak Widarjo. The extremists on the plane were coming to establish an official FPI office in Palangkaraya. Apparently the Dayaks (local people) surrounded the airport, and the pilot talked to the Muslim men on the plane and told them that the airport was surrounded and that they were not wanted here. So they left without getting off. The head of the Muslims here in Palangkaraya made a statement that anyone was free to believe or say anything, with one exception, that it not lead to violence. This event sent an important message to the government in Jakarta, Pak Widarjo says. He was happy about the result, because he worries about the growing power and influence of the small number of Muslim extremists who are lavishly funded by the Wahabi Sect who are setting up fundamentalist schools all over the world.

Recently I read a powerful book: “Terrorists in Love” by Ken Ballen. It is the compelling story of the lives, motivations, and training of five young terrorist men who had for various reasons, turned away from terrorism. Written by an American journalist and separately corroborated for accuracy, it is an insightful, chilling behind the scenes look at the world of terrorism. The love in the title refers to the intense love and devotion to family and God that motivates these idealistic adolescent recruits. I recommend it!

Ibu Enda manages the office
copies, supplies
three teachers rooms with a desk for each teacher
teachers have time off from teaching
to do prep work
so this room is a good place
to connect
Olivia from England
clues me in to a good website for ideas
for grammar
Pak Alve and I talk about
how we can collaborate on
social studies and economics with the 7th and 8th graders

Now two weeks here in Rungan Sari
culture shock, like an earthquake,
has settled into small rumblings
and I’m reminded of 1956
though I’m an adult now

everything in my entire world has been challenged
cold dry to hot humid, snowy to rainy
weather controlled amount of energy
to natural hot humid amount of energy
maybe 30% less
language confidence to language incompetence
professional competence to professional beginner
incessant pressure of too many things to do
to sureness that there is plenty of time to do
the things that MUST be done
life of constant movement and travel
to life in the neighborhood
where everyone I know is a few minutes walk away
life of planned activities
to one where things kind of happen
mono culture of Boulder
to culture of people from 15 countries
from spiritually diverse
to spiritually embedded
political American angst
to casual global conversations
great food variety to
rice as the staple food

no wonder my body had a terrible fit
of confusion and rebellion
now…what a miracle…
feeling well enough adjusted
got a few “tricks”
1. afterschool nap
2. prickly heat powder
3. lots of water
4. glasses of “pocari sweat” (electrolyte replenishment)
5. wear a wet towel around my neck
(Roommate, Doug gave me one that holds a lot of water
and doesn’t drip!)
6. sit under the ceiling fan
7. occasional treats of a few hours of a.c. in the bedroom
8. go out as little as possible from 10-4
9. go swimming at 4
10. relax and don’t fight it…just sweat

I teach only from 1-3 hours per day!
feels like a full time job
preparing and then resting
I’m loving my children
and will tell you about them
soon

Here I am not a therapist or a Hakomi Trainer
or a founder and director of Right Use of Power Institute
I am a friendly person, a teacher, a wife, an American, a Subud member

the pace is slower, time is more spacious,
pleasures and plans are simpler,
ambitions and expectations are scaled down,
the social world is smaller, the global world bigger

As I write now, the whir of the fan
suddenly stops, silence settles
it is 4:15 and the compound rests
for a few minutes while they
switch over to the generator for the evening
now the fan starts up again
stronger on the generator

*Disneyland Dream is the now national award-wining home movie my father made in 1956 of our family’s trip to Disneyland.

google it…it’s an actual medical term
“heat exhaustion”
most experienced by the elderly
and those who have come from a cold
to a warm climate….
that would be me
67 is elderly in a country where
69 is the life expectancy

there are a weird variety of symptoms
all quite unpleasant
skin feeling like it is sunburned, but it’s not,
periodic intense heat in parts of your body like back, neck, torso
but there’s no fever
sudden vomiting, nausea after being outside, headache,
diarrhea, exhaustion, weakness, slight vertigo and
frightening emotional fragility

I’m happy to report that Ren isn’t suffering from this
but I certainly am
The Indonesians say “Oh that’s just the adjustment disease.”
or they say, “Coming here brings out all kinds of nasty spiritis (jinn).”
or “Everyone gets this.”
“Takes about a week to feel better. Take it easy.”
they smile in a kind, friendly way that doesn’t really help

After several dramatically miserable days
we decide to go to the doctor in Palangkyaraya
one hour ride to town in the BCU School van
one hour in which a stop for a physical emergency
from one end or the other
would result in a traffic disaster
physical tension then mixed with the fascination of the sights
houses on stilts, people on porches,
small roadside shops (warung)
traffic weave of families on motorbikes, big trucks, cars

ah, we’re here
just another warung along the road
Doktor sign
tiny pharmacy in front
behind, a row of chairs against the wall
maybe 20 almost all filled
babies, children, elders, adults
we have an appointment
and are seen immediately
is this a privilege reserved for the rich?
we don’t know
the Dokter greets us and invites us
into her office
a little square room just big enough
for desk, two chairs, and an examination table
Dokter Ina, the woman all the Rungan Sari folk go to
kind, patient
between Ren’s Indonesian and her English
she understands the problem
examines me
blood pressure low she announces solemnly
as we sit talking the lights go out
without skipping a word
she reaches up and flips on a battery light
gives prescriptions to take for nausea, fever,
replenishing electrolytes, and for the “stomach bug”
“Come back if you need to. Nice to meet you.
Get these up front. I explain in English.”
The exact number of pills are delivered
in litle plastic bags
the process slowed only by several bouts of lost electricity
no battery lamp in the pharmacy
The bill is $17.00 for Dokter and med combined

we race to the van through a torrent of rain
getting quite wet and shivery
back at home, we collapse
as if we had just crossed the ocean
in a rowboat

[Written a week later....
the next morning I began to feel
significantly better....and today
I write this last paragraph with Cornetto in hand]

WHAT THIS IS….
This is the fifth of the Indonesian Adventure Series. I will be posting these regularly to my website and/or emailing them out through Constant Contact. Ren has now uploaded quite a few Palangka Raya photos at his Facebook page (click on this link to see them). Ask him to friend you, if you aren’t already a friend.

our cottage is right on the central courtyard
with soccer, volley ball, and basketball courts
the compound is a series of linked
circular roads like the Olympics symbol

half sleep
shhttt, shhtt, shttt, shttt, shhtt
the sound of sweeping
Surya, our maid, has arrived
sweeping the back patio,
sweeping the leaves from the grass
sweeping is the morning ritual
in Indonesia
sweeping the night jinn away
beginning anew
comforting

rainy season
rain doesn’t sprinkle
it comes down as if the heavens
were a shower head
strong, pelting rain
dominates the sound field
pouring off roof drains
drumming the roof tiles
like a trio of drummers gone wild
with exuberance
then, suddenly gone
silence
puddles everywhere
on the precipice of flooding
but the sandy soil sucks the water down deep

other sounds
crickets at night
ubiquitous fans everywhere
dogs barking occasionally
such deep silence
that every sound is heard and felt

SMELLS….
one distinct one
smoke
several times a day
from little brush fires
set to burn the raked up leaves
and debris
also smoke
the sweet distinctive smell
of clove spiced “kretek” cigarettes
drinking? a beer every once in a while
smoking? very prevalent

FOOD
simple school lunches
a bowl of rice
with one piece of chicken or beef or tofu
and some slivered and cooked carrots and string beans
hot sambal sauce if you want
some rice chips
water

for dinner
fried rice
fish stew
delicious
tonight Indonesian salad
peanut sauce with cold potatoes
cucumber, sprouts, hardboiled egg
I’m going to ask Surya
if I can make a little recipe booklet
of her dishes
what I miss most is cheese

Now night
walking outside
in the distance
I can hear the Muslim call to prayer
softer, sweeter than Turkey
but still eeirie
crickets send their messages
in morse code of 6s, 4s, 9s
but mostly 6s
fan drones itself into white noise
and then, with a flip of a switch
is still
revealing an even more profound
quiet
as we go to bed
swaddled in the warm, damp air

WHAT THIS IS….
This is the fourth of the Indonesian Adventure Series. I will be posting these regularly to my website and/or emailing them out through Constant Contact. Ren has now uploaded quite a few Palangka Raya photos at his Facebook page (click on this link to see them). Ask him to friend you, if you aren’t already a friend.

About this post:  Ren Ruslan Feldman, my husband, and I are spending 5 months as volunteer teachers in an innovative grades 1-12 school in Kalimantan (Central Borneo), Indonesia. My intention is to explore the teaching of right use of power for kids and teachers here in as many creative ways as possible. They have already made a great start at this school. This blog chronicles the experience and the learnings. It is in a simple semi-poetic form.

OUR SCHOOL

100 Indonesian children
sitting quietly on the floor
20 teachers, some volunteers,
some paid, sit on the floorbehind the students.
“Pak Ruslan, Ibu Cedar,
would you like to sit in chairs?”

The Principal, a lovely kind smart man,
Karim, begins the assembly by telling
the children that he is proud of them
and giving examples
He introduces Ren and me, saying
“I was just being born when Pak Ruslan
was getting his Ph.D.!”

Most of the teachers and all the other volunteers
are in their 20s and early 30s
and have a good time hanging out together
and are also very thoroughly prepared teachers
They are given time during the school day
do some preparatory work

The room is lit up with smiles
They sing a few songs
The children are so happy to be in this school

I am treated respectfully as an experienced teacher,
but I feel totally unclear about what to do–
winging it, you could say!
My first class is 15 surprisingly boisterous 7th graders
for social studies
Their last term’s teacher is assisting
so that she can learn more about handling the class
from ME!
Yikes. I’m an elementary school teacher
with training from 1966. I was not expecting
7th graders…boisterous around the world, I think.
To my relief, they speak remarkably good English
and we muddle along with my telling them
a few words I’m learning in Bahasa,
playing a get-to-know-you game or two

Wouldn’t you know it, I left elementary school teaching
because I couldn’t manage the discipline…
now, I get to try again

My next class is as opposite as they come
Six 6th graders who are so shy and fearful of speaking
in English that I use up my entire battery of games
and questions in the first half hour–
more winging it

I’m totally excited though
and already delighted with the children

Our maid, Surya, is very lovely
today while we were at work
she washed our clothes,
made the bed, swept the floor
did the dishes, bought us some food
and cooked a lovely dinner for us
that she left out on the counter

It is extremely hot for me
especially during the hours of 10-4
when no one goes out
At four, we go swim in the pool,
a refreshing treat.
Coolest place in the cottage
is on the screened porch under the fan
Ren is having an easier time
because he spent so many years in Hawaii

It is a wonderful, happy school
completely centered around teaching
good character, wholeness ethics,
right uses of power.

__________________________

WHAT THIS IS….

This is the third of the Indonesian Adventure Series. I will be posting these regularly to my website and/or emailing them out through Constant Contact. I am posting groups of photos on my Facebook page, because it is quite cumbersome and slow to put pictures here unless I find an easier way. Love to you all, Cedar

Like other countries
where community is primary
things happen like magic
outside the planning mode
two bottles of water
appear in our room,
the restaurant is closed
but next door a coffee shop opens,
a man walking by
invites Ren to a Subud men helpers meeting
“right now, well, after your coffee,”
a man Ren knows
invites us to his house to use the internet,
a ride is arranged for us to go to the
Subud gathering at Ibu Rihiyu’s house
(the daughter of Bapak, the Subud teacher
and current International Subud leader)
that just so happens to happen
every six weeks–tonight

Everyone dressed up in their finest
a few attractively dressed covered women
Maybe 30 women, 20 men
greeting each other by
reaching out–hands interspersed
with each other and parallel,
touching and then pulling back,
very sweet feeling
matched with the Indonesian smile
that is a true heart melter

We watch a video of a talk
given by Bapak some 20 years ago,
then women’s latihan (spiritual practice)
then the men’s latihan
then some good food

Latihan is gentle and angelic
the Latihan hall spacious
carved posts, high beams,
gorgeous fine carpets

Reverent tour of the very fine house
where Bapak and family lived
at the time of his death
at age 86 in 1987
marble floors, blue/gray walls
grandly high ceilings
To my astonishment
we were prayerfully led
to Bapak’s bedroom
every item exactly the way
it was–in 1987
except for the biggest fresh arrangement
of very fragrant flowers I have ever seen

This room with the best and most modern 1987 TV
still in the sitting room
is treated like a shrine
with people kneeling on the floor
in deep reverence
Indonesian custom for beloved teachers

Ren is glowingly happy and at home
His radiance spills over to me
But I’m, how to say this,
a bit stunned that my life has led me here
What an amazing thing

On the late night drive back to
the Subud compound
our driver shows himself
to be quite an artist
of spatial relationships
calmly, smoothly
weaving his way
sometimes only inches away
from motorcycles
never sudden braking

OUR NEW HOME AWAY FROM HOME

Holding Ren’s hand
feeling vulnerable and tender
we look down at Borneo
from the air
vast forests, winding rivers,
and then the town of a million people
Palangkaraya…
no big skyscrapers here

we land and are met
to our delight
by Emilie, the French volunteer
who is in the internet video
(google: bcu school Indonesia video)
Emilie says: “It’s eencraydeebel”
in her winsome French accent

The BCU school bus takes us
and our 100 pounds of luggage
(what 50 pounds of possessions
would you choose for 5 months in the tropics?
For me, pills and books for school
are the major items.
I’m happy to have brought
our little singing birds,
my battery powered coffee frother,
some games, and a dragon puppet.

We stop at a grocery
for some food basics
completely stop-me-in-my-tracks
overwhelmed by the food choices
mostly packaged, unknown brands,
contents labeled in Indonesian
OI!
Rupiah is the currency
8,000 R equals about a dollar

The drive from the airport
takes an hour and is an absolutely
straight road built by the Russians.
It goes all the way to the border
of Malaysia.
Compared to the traffic in Jakarta
this is tame
Rural, lush with greenery
houses of wood built on stilts,
little shops along the road
people sitting on porches
behind the roadside houses
uninhabited forest

FINALLY WE ARRIVE

And then, here we are,
entering the compound
it looks just like the video!
We are taken to our cottage
lovely screened porch
nice kitchen
open air screened bath
two bedrooms
lovely

we find and greet
the beautiful, stately
spirit-of-the-place tree
and introduce ourselves
to the jin spirits
asking permission

Karim, the school principal
buzzes by to greet us on his motor bike
warm, welcoming
what a joy to finally unpack
shelves, drawers, hangers…heaven
nice dinner at the resort restaurant
and then a hard days night
We find that the bed is just a box springs
so we pile cushions from the living room
on top of the box springs
and attempt to sleep in this heap
pillows too hard
temperature sweltering
even a hard rain
doesn’t cool things down
no top sheet
only a comforter
how could anyone need this?

What a roller coaster of feelings….

WHAT THIS IS….

This is the second of the Indonesian Adventure Series. I will be posting these regularly to my website and/or emailing them out through Constant Contact. I am posting groups of photos on my Facebook page, because it is quite cumbersome and slow to put pictures here unless I find an easier way. Love to you all, Cedar

January 20, 2012

5:30 am flying in from Perth,
half awake
first views
vast green-ness
rice fields, little villages–
dots on the green carpet
linked together by lines
of roads, rivers, canals
big city buildings in a
sparkling cluster
like a fairytale castle world

Jakarta airport
marble floors
spacious
great windows looking out
on beautiful gardens
welcome–selamat datang
Indonesians in beautiful batiks

Silver Bird taxi stuffed with
our 50 kilos each
takes us through modern central city
signs have a mixture of English and
Bahasa Indonesia–
Starbucks, Nestles, Coca Cola

Suddenly
off the highway
swarms of motor cyclists
weaving in and out of the cars
all wearing helmets
drivers of both cars and bikes
have learned the art of
weaving through space
the next ring out from the center city
takes us by smaller buildings
little streetside family shopsfamiliar to Turkey, Mexico, China
flimsy, messy, and rough shod
after the gleaming inner city
now bicycles and little 3 person
taxi carts on side streets

And then, an hours drive
we arrive
at Wisma Subud
Ren’s face lights up
He’s been here before
the original Subud Center
once alive with spiritual excitement
now still lovely
but the buildings have aged
and the energetic center
has moved to Kalimantan
where we will live

The shift to this new cultural environment
is challenging not just by lack of sleep
I am busy listening to the language
happy that I can relax because
Ren speaks fluently
Quiet, gentle, smooth. lilting language
I can already pick out words
I have book-studied
My first sentence:
Saya mau kopi dan jalang jalang.
(I would like some coffee and a walk.)

Ren talks with people he remembers
from past trips. He is happy.
I feel like a puzzle just poured out of the box
We find our room in the guest house
It has blessed air conditioning
We sleep for two hours
I cannot seem to connect the pieces of me
in any way I recognize
Manage to get to the shower
Ahhh, what an integrative blessing–
water, sweet warm water

Now, for some kopi enok (coffee delicious)
Coffee with condensed milk…I like it!
Toast with chocolate and strawberry jam. Enok.
We walk around a bit
Internet off and on
Receive but cannot send
Patience and try it again is the required attitude

Tropical heat is quite remarkable
The air so heavy that
it takes more effort to move
air feels think like blood
so I lose a bit of my sense of embodiment
because the feeling inside my skin
is the same temperature and texture
as the temperature and texture
outside my skin

WHAT THIS IS….

This is the first of the Indonesian Adventure Series. I will be posting these regularly to my website and/or emailing them out through Constant Contact. I am posting groups of photos on my Facebook page, because it is quite cumbersome and slow to put pictures here unless I find an easier way. Love to you all, Cedar