"I think it's important to find the little things in everyday life that make you happy" --Paula Cole
I have traveled the path from my host family's home to the UM campus hundreds of times, and most of the time don't think to realize the beauty of the everyday things around me. Coming to Indonesia has both presented a wave of adventures and a wave of difficulties. Malang is so different from Gaithersburg, Maryland. It smells different, looks different, sounds different, feels different, and even tastes different. It's hard to describe how different my life is here--and I know that the life I lead in Indonesia is very western and privileged compared to the majority of the population.
At my host family's home, ants are everywhere--big ants, small ants, fat ants, skinny ants. They're in my bed, on my walls, on my books, in the bathroom, and in the kitchen! I remember the first few days I was disgusted by them and had so many sanitation worries. But it's 5 weeks later, and I'm perfectly fine. Food is left out overnight (under a cover), unrefrigerated, and we eat is just the same. Every morning I'm woken up by the rosters crowing outside my window and at the night I fall asleep to the azhem from the nearby mosques and the sound of motorbikes.
At school, students are required to wear closed toed shoes or sandals with a backstrap, cover their shoulders, and have knee-length skirts or pants. All of our instruction is in Indonesian, and after class, I spend more time learning the language in elective classes or with tutors.
After school, I usually hang out with friends at the nearby mall or at various public places in Malang. The mall (named Matos, aka MAlang TOwn Square), is only for "rich people"--yet I've never looked around it thinking of its patrons as rich, in America they would be middle class. And the prices in the mall are very cheap, even though its only clients are the wealthy in Malang. Movie tickets are $3.50, and the chairs in the theater are about twice as large as the seats in America and are extremely comfortable. Meals here can range from $0.50 to $5.00 (only $5.00 if you really splurge at the fancy place), and clothes can be bargained for for under $2.00. Public transportation in Malang are small, blue buses that have wooden benches inside. It costs $0.30 to ride the bus, no matter how far you go. This week, I rode it to the alun-alun (town square), which is the heart of the city. I was able to see the official Malang mosque, visit the pasar basar (traditional market), and see the inside of a Indonesian post office.
I only have 3 weeks left here in Malang, and there's still so much I want to explore. I've made a vow to go to a new place or try something new every day I have left here. It took a while for me to adjust, but I'm starting to feel at home in Malang, and want to take advantage of every day of the 3 weeks left.
This morning, I took a few pictures of what I see during my daily walk to campus (they were with my phone camera, so I apologize for the lack of quality in some of them)! Maybe they'll help capture a little bit of the essence of Malang!
 |
| crossing the street is always a challenge in Malang because of the constant stream of sepeda motors (motercycles/motorbikes) and the lack of streetlights |
 |
| A ice cream shop I pass everyday--but when I went in one time to buy ice cream, they said they don't sell ice cream.... ok, that's confusing.... |
 |
| I often see people burning their trash in outdoor furnaces like these |
 |
| One (of many) of the mosques I pass daily. They are usually all painted with bright colors (as most houses are too), and sometimes I can hear passages of the Quran read from the speakers on the top of the building as I pass. |
 |
| I've learned that Indonesians hate walking (they consider a 10 minute walk far), so there are lots of people with these bike-cart things, and give rides of relatively short distances for only a few cents. |
 |
| Jalan Surabaya (Surabaya Rd.)--this picture is kinda of bad, but you can see a range of mountains in the distance from this angle. |
 |
| The entrance to my university: Universitas Negeri Malang |
 |
| I can often see volleyball or basketball tournaments going on around campus. Sometimes the players run up and ask for a picture with me (Indonesians are obsessed with taking photos with white people--and I definitely count as white here despite being half Chinese) |
 |
| Building D8! Home to the Indonesian CLS program! My classroom is on the second floor, and before Ramadhan, I would eat lunch of the second floor terrace every day. |
 |
| Kelas Kalingga is the name of my CLS class! We have 6 students and 4 teachers :) Rock on Kalingga! |
Labels: class, CLS, culture shock, differences, everyday, Indonesia: Summer 13, language, life, Malang, mall, memories, mountains, my story
