Today, like many of my days in Bandung, I am sitting at my
computer, in my beautiful room on top of a guesthouse. I often get distracted from
countless readings about International Relations, war and security, and diplomacy, and after being distracted yet again, this time from the call to prayer, I have began to contemplate my life in Indonesia so far.
The call of prayer was something I first experienced in Yogyakarta. The
siren-like speaker was just behind my room so I was constantly reminded that
now was the time that the majority of Indonesians were bowing to Allah. I found it
really difficult to cope with these drawn out, melodical chants blaring through
the speaker into a my room, a place I was trying to find comfort and to make an oasis from the unknown
culture and way of life outside. I have heard this
speaker since the 7th of February until now, every day, five times a
day. I think that's about 1,200 times!! I still don’t love it, but I am not compelled to grab my iPod and blast
some uplifting music in my ears until the prayer stops. Now I feel largely at
peace in Indonesia and it’s a rewarding feeling! There are still times when
the differences between life in Australia and Indonesia are really noticeable and
frustrating, but these are only small things and life is never perfect!
I have come
to love some of the differences that living in Indonesia brings such as fresh
food markets along the road where I can buy a bag of vegetables and fruit for
$1.80, the social culture and extremely generous people, the traffic jams that
make me slow down, be patient and appreciate the time to talk with those around me, the ability
to walk to the gym daily under a canopy of tropical trees with vines hanging
over the road, going to an amazing international church, going out to brunch,
lunch and dinner at least twice every week, being able to buy and cook the food
I love (pesto pasta with broccoli and baby tomatoes is my fav. at the moment), learning about International Relations from an Indonesian point of
view, the opportunity to travel to Jakarta, hike up volcanoes, visit natural hot-springs or
tea or strawberry plantations on the weekend, the massive shops here and
second-hand warehouses filled with millions of clothes for $2 each or less,
being able to drink a fresh coconut or have a plate of gado-gado on the side of
the road for just over $1.
Bandung is very different to Yogya. In Yogya, I lived in a village situated in the mountains for 2 months. I was constantly surrounded by
people who were always cooking, teaching, playing, working to make other’s lives
better and resting. Life
in Yogya was amazing and I could not believe I was getting credit for uni to
live in a village and to help people (I could understand getting credit for the 30 page report though!). As amazing this experience was, it was also draining and spiritually-challenging at times.
For me, being immersed in such a selfless and strong Muslim culture was a dramatic
change to life in Adelaide. I really noticed the stark difference between the
culture at home which is for me, very fast-paced, unfortunately self-focused
with weekly schedules full of prior commitments and responsibilities, but is the
way of life I have come to love and appreciate. However, life in the village was slooooooow, the people I
lived with were always helping others to cook (sometimes before 5am!), clean, teach, and hardly ever took
the time to put themselves first even when they were exhausted. If plans
existed they often changed last minute, the time was hardly referred to, and there
was hardly ever a quiet moment where someone was not laughing, singing, popping
in from next door, cooking together, teaching or playing with the children outside, etc. This was
great and probably the way I wished life was in Adelaide sometimes although, I
did really miss living with people who spoke my language, eating healthy foods,
having a set daily schedule, and having Christians that I could relate to, and
university - I really missed learning new complex theories and having a mental challenges. Thankfully, I have found this in
Bandung! University is a real challenge and is a lot more intense than university at home so I can say, God's given me more than I could wish for! I am thankful for this challenge though and the ability to learn things I wouldn't have studied in Adelaide that will set me up well for the future.
Ultimately, I know God knows me and the desires of my heart. I have learnt that when
I walk through life holding his hand, letting Him direct me life becomes way
better than I could ever hoped or imagined. I know many challenges lie
ahead like the countless exams and assignments in the next 7 weeks... but I look forward and keep
pushing on to run the race that God has planned, because He has plans to
prosper and to protect me, He gives me strength and I have nothing to fear because He is on my side!
P.S. Thank you so much to each of you who are praying for me. I appreciate it so much!
May God bless you all,
Pip xx
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