Keluarga & Gunung Kawi

Family is not an important thing. It's everything. -Michael J. Fox

“Keluarga” means family in Indonesia—a word that I have come to use far more often than I ever thought I would. In Indonesia, family is everything. This week, the advanced CLSers visited a nearby “street children home”, and the stories they told me were fascinating. If a child in Indonesia doesn’t have a family (that is, both a father and mother who are willing to take responsibility for the child), he or she cannot receive health care, education, or a state ID card. Many of them end up in “street children homes,” learning to make and peddle goods and fend for themselves. Unlike America, people here seem to be much for family and community-centered. The culture back home encourages the individual to take charge of his or her life and leave any distractions (including family) behind—and I find that to be completely opposite in Malang.

This week, I was blessed to receive a visit from my own “keluarga”—it felt so good to see a familiar face and be able to hug someone after two weeks are emotional solitude. My Aunt Florence and Aunt Liz flew over from Jakarta to visit with me for 3 days, and I appreciate it so much! They were such a blessing to me this week, and I enjoyed every second I spent with them.

This past Thursday, CLS visited “Gunung Kawi” (Kawi Mountain). From the description I read and the little bit of Indonesian I was able to pick up while where, Gunung Kawi is a traditional pilgrimage site for Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, and Christians alike. Indonesians from all religions journey to this mountain alike because of “adat”, or tradition—they’re ancestors had always made the journey, so now they are too. The streets of the markets were flooded with people, and within the temple, hundreds of souls slept on the ground. It is thought that the trees on the temple grounds bring luck to those who have a leaf or fruit fall on them—and thus  the grounds were spotted with sleeping bodies, just hoping for a stroke of luck.

While visiting the temple, the CLS students were able to observe offerings being made from behind the furnace. The image of hundreds of people with the hands clasped and foreheads wrinkled, hoping and praying to the flames of burned offerings, will always be engraved in my mind. It is strange to think that millions have people have put their faith into this single site and single temple. The place seemed so mystical with hundreds upon hundreds of people on their hands and knees, praying for good fortune. It became clear that many of these wanderers came from poor and impoverished backgrounds--and it made me feel ashamed that I take so of my American lifestyle much for granted. 

After visiting the temple, we were able to watch “Wayang Kulit,” a traditional Indonesian shadow puppet performance. The puppets danced along the wall, casting shadows played with the concepts of good, evil, tradition, and fortune. I loved watching the puppeteer carefully manipulate the paper dolls into shapes and figures that blended so smoothly together. The MCs were delighted to have a group of Americans in the audience, and invited some of us up on stage with them. I was able to sit side-by-side with the gamelan musicians as they played beautiful Indonesian music—the scene was breathtaking. As I looked out into the audience of hundreds of hungry souls, I was reminded just how isolated and singular the American culture is. In America, I forget about the billions of other people living half-way around the world, each and every one longing for a better lie, and with their one of their only hopes lying in an offering at Guning Kawi.