ANAK ANAK BAIK BAIK (The Kids Are Allright)

My English students here are roughly 9 to 18 years old, and some of my classes have ten or so students in the 9-10 age group.

I certainly did not plan things that way. First of all, I have never taught anyone anything at that age. My students in the US have all been mature adults. Secondly, I must be honest enough to say that I am not a person who is initially drawn to all children all the time. John is not the guy running up to kids in public places to engage them or cooing at toddlers in stores. Up to now I would say that for me, the connection happens or not on a case-by-case basis. It depends on the child and my mood. Lastly, as I get older I notice an increasing desire for quiet and perhaps a decreasing amount of patience in my reserves each year compared to the year before.

To be fair, when I came to Surabaya, my job description certainly included the possibility of teaching youngsters. But I thought that given my own age, background and experience, I would probably be charged with other duties. I was wrong.

Now here’s the surprise: I really like the kids, and I am absolutely fine with teaching them. In the great majority of cases, Indonesian children are polite, smart, receptive to learning, and ready to engage. Of course they have high energy. They get excited and bubble over sometimes like all kids do, but they respect the teachers and will calm down with “settling activities” --- like drawing--- which we teachers carry in our bag of tricks. The kids are very often adorable and sweet, and they want to teach you about Indonesia and their world. Sure, there may be one or two exceptions I can think of, where a kid is often disruptive (due to over-indulgent parents, perhaps). But truly, these are very rare instances, and they can be managed.

Last week I substituted for another teacher who was on holiday. The class was young, maybe eight students aged10-12. The lesson was about local customs for holidays and birthdays, and the children could not wait to tell me about theirs. When we played a team game, they supported their teammates, and showed natural sportsmanship. At the end of the class, each of the students came up to me on the way out, said “Thank you, Mr. John,” took my hand and pressed it briefly to his forehead. I was touched, as you can imagine.

Outside the classroom, I notice that Indonesian kids from all walks of life are naturally curious about me as different from what they usually see. If they stare at me I wink at them. And because they are not inhibited adults,  they will often approach me for a brief interaction. These moments are usually lots of fun.

Last week in a department store I was paying for an item at the checkout counter when a young man, about 9 or 10 ran up to the counter and said “Hi, mister.” When this happens I usually bend down so we can be at the same height. “Hey, buddy. How are you today?” We chatted for a minute, and then his father came over with his other, younger son. “He wants to practice his English with you.” I told him his boy had great energy and personality. Turns out he is an aspiring drummer. I turned to my new friend, told him I played the guitar, and maybe we could play sometime. The younger boy didn’t want to be left out, and followed me as I was leaving his father and brother. I stopped again and we talked a minute also. Then smiles and waves all around. It wasn’t a big deal, but they were all so pleasant and made me feel like a celebrity. Just a nice moment.

Obviously there’s a lesson in all of this. Keeping an open mind and not pre-judging the work of teaching children gave me the opportunity to discover something new about myself. It opened up the possibility of enjoying an experience I did not naturally relish. In a way, it sort of “jump started” or renewed my relationship with a segment of the population I don’t interact with often. And it broadened my work world and ESL resume.

All in all, another small gift from my time in mondo Indo.

As I finish this post, outside dusk is falling under a soft rain, and the call to prayer from the local mosque is being chanted over its loudspeakers. Thanks for visiting here, and please check back soon.

JOYS OF YOGYA (Part 2)

Yogyakarta is an excellent tourist destination for many reasons, but I would list reason #1 as accessibility to a great number of varied tourist experiences, both inside and a short distance outside the city. There are organized tour options available from agents downtown and at the hotels, or hire a car and guide for relatively short money.

Just 25 km north of here, the Merapi volcano towers over the city, a perpetual object of both fear and reverence for Javans. This is the most active volcano in a country of many, and thousands of people live on the flanks of the mountain despite a very real danger of eruption. The volcano emits smoke most days of the year, and serious eruptions in 1994, 2006 and 2010 resulted in pyroclastic flows and death tolls. There is new museum and tourist site on the mountain side where you can hire a 4x4 to tour the areas impacted by the 2010 eruption.

Gunung Merapi ("Fire Mountain")

Perhaps the most beautiful place I’ve seen since arriving in Indonesia is Borobudur, a spectacular Buddhist monument constructed in the mid 9^th century, at a time when Java was ruled by a Buddhist-Hindu dynasty. It is built from two million stone blocks in the form of a large symmetrical stupa, with square platforms topped by circular platforms in a distinctive design. There are 2,672 relief panels showing scenes from the life of the Buddha, and 504 statues of the Buddha. A great part of monument’s beauty is its location, literally wrapped around a mountain, with green terraced rice paddies and soaring volcanic peaks in the distance. No wonder this is Indonesia's most visited sight. Borobudur benefitted from a UNESCO restoration in the 70s, and was made a World Heritage site in 1991.

The "skirt" was required, not sure why

Borobudur panorama

As part of my tour of this area I visited the local agricultural village of Candirejo, where a new home stay program has been developed to give young people an idea of day-to-day life here. A young man showed us around by horse-drawn cart. There were ripe rambutan fruits to pick and eat off the trees, beautiful rice paddies, and a small cassava chip production facility (these salted, fried chips are extremely tasty, especially warm out of the fry pot!).

through the fields in Candirejo

The temples of Prabanan are just 17 km from Yogya, on the road to the town of Solo. These also were built in the 9^th century, before Java was converted to Islam. The largest and finest temple is dedicated to Shiva, with lavishly carved “medallions” depicting scenes from the most well-known  Hindu epic, the Ramayana. The other memorable temples are those to Vishnu and Brahma. All are outstanding examples of ancient Hindu art. Prabanan is also much less of a tourist destination, which makes visiting a bit easier.

At Prabanan, in cognito as one of The Village People

All of these sights can be conveniently combined with others for a good day trip, but do consider at least two or three days in the area. Farther afield, in Solo city, there is a beautiful palace and kraton with displays of dance masks, jewelry, and gifts to its sultan (but these cannot rival Yogya’s kraton). Across the street from the kraton in Solo is a small antiques flea market called Triwindu, which is fun and very inexpensive from what I could see. Finally, an old Dutch enclave in Solo called Kampung Laweyan constructed in 1546, houses a warren of small cottages that have their own boutique batik businesses. Most of these are generations old. Here you can see batik being made and buy the finest quality for a bit more than wholesale.

Well, that’s some of my trip to Yogyakarta. I didn't get to write about Parangtritis Beach, Kasongan pottery or the herbal medicine called jamu, but maybe at some later point. I encourage all travelers to Indonesia to spend some time in Yogya to taste the rich flavor of Jawa (“Java” in Javanese). It’s a great city, with plenty of fun things to see and do, even on a budget.

Thanks for reading!

JOYS OF YOGYA (Part 1)

wood carving of the Sultan's seal 

For Christmas break I spent five nights in Yogyakarta (pronounced ‘Jogjakarta’ and called ‘Yogya’ for short). This city of about 700,000 is the heart and soul of Java, the place where its traditions, culture and arts are most alive today. I was indeed very fortunate to have the guide services of Purwana (Mr. Luna), who is Javan, and a tireless student of Javan culture and language. Among his many talents, Mr. Luna will randomly sing selections by the Bee Gees and Abba for his clients at no additional charge.* 

But I digress. Yogya is still ruled by a sultan, who lives in the kraton, a small walled city/compound built in the mid-18^th century, with its own cottage industries, the sultan’s palace, official buildings and a museum. About 1000 of its residents are employed by the sultan; I was told that service is considered an honor and without pay. You see the men dressed in sarongs of the sultan’s batik with headscarves and often a kris or short ceremonial dagger sheathed at their backs.

Sultan's gamelan musician-note puppets in background

The Golden Pavilion in the center of the kraton features a beautiful carved wooden roof, chandeliers, and marble floor. It is the site of puppet shows, classical dance and gamelan music almost daily. 

Ceiling detail, Golden Pavilion

There’s also a square with two ancient banyan trees where people traditionally waited to petition the sultan for favors. Nearby, you can see the remains of an amazing pleasure park of pools, waterways, rooms and terraces called by its Dutch name, waterkasteel or water castle. It was once used by the sultan and his entourage as a retreat for pleasure and dalliances. My Lonely Planet says that legend has the Dutch architect executed to preserve the secrecy of the pleasure rooms and their access.

Entrance to the Water Castle

Not all of Yogya is ancient. The main drag that runs through the city, JI Malioboro, is a lively scene of food stalls, stores, and batik shops. After attending a classical dance performance, Mr. Luna, his brother and I had a fried fish dinner sitting cross-legged on mats in a warung on Malioboro. It was quite a scene – lots of hawkers, bad street music and performances by “lady-men” dancing to Lady Gaga, all wandering from stall to stall. Here’s the weird thing: everyone gives the performers money. Maybe it’s to go away, but they get donations. Harvard Square was never this easy.

Also in town are some great batik factories where the art and tradition of real batik lives on. And then there's theYogya bird market --- definitely worth a stop if you’re in need of a pair of lovebirds or fighting cock or trained pigeon.

Batik fabric

Colored chicks in the bird market

Finally, about 5 km from town is Kota Gede, the hub of Yogya’s traditional silver industry since the 1930’s. Good shopping and high quality goods specializing in filigree, all done on site. No, of course I didn’t forget Cheryl.

Where to stay: I broke up my time by staying at two properties, both highly recommended. First the Hyatt, which is lush, expansive and boasts great views of Merapi http://yogyakarta.regency.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels-yogyakarta-regency/index.jsp?null. Then, The Phoenix, a lovely deco hotel and Trip Advisor top pick near downtown http://www.accorhotels.com/gb/hotel-5451-the-phoenix-hotel-yogyakarta-mgallery-collection/index.shtml. Both hotels are a terrific value.

Classical dancer at performance for Sultan 12/27/12

*        *        *        *        *        *        *        *        *        *        *        *       

Coming up next: Joys of Yogya (part 2): Around Yogyakarta, including Merapi Volcano, Borobudur (Buddhist temple site) and Prambanan (Hindu temple site). Come back soon, okay?

* Singing guides seem to follow me around the world. In Jaipur, one of our guides sang traditional music from Rajasthan to entertain us. During our tour one of his fans accosted us on the street and pressed our man into singing a song for Diwali. He did not refuse. See photo at bottom right of: http://www.workingwithenglish.com/contact_us.html