Two Weeks Down!

(written last week)

Selamat siang! I am safe and sound in Indonesia, specifically in Kediri, East Java. This is where I’ll be living for the next 3 months during PST (or Pre-Service Training), and yes, I am okay and unaffected by the earthquake that hit Palu. That’s in Sulawesi, and is located hundreds of miles from us. If you want to read more about it, or donate money to relief efforts, check this link. Earthquakes occur frequently in Indonesia, as it lies directly on a fault line, but Peace Corps takes extensive measures to ensure PCVs are safe and secure....

I cannot believe two weeks have already passed, it’s really flown by! I’m enjoying the people, the culture, and definitely the food, although it’s spicy and I’ll have to get used to eating rice three times a day. My fellows PCTs (Peace Corps Trainees) are kind, friendly and come from all over the US, so while I’m being immersed in a culture completely different from the US, I’m also interacting with Americans that live distinctly and entirely different than New Yorkers. I’m one of two people from the New York metro area.

The past week has been a crash course in Peace Corps, and extremely intensive— I wake up at about 5:30 every morning, and continue training for about 12 hours. By the end of it, we’re tired and sweaty, and bedtime has been to earliest for me in a long, long time. While it’s been difficult to squeeze in time to blog, I’m enjoying a little break before dinner starts. This week has been a whirlwind, but I want to document my initial reaction to the country, not only so you can try to understand my experience, but so I can look back at this post in the future and see how I was thinking and feeling. Here’s a few I’d like to touch on now, and will most definitely be elaborating on in future posts:

The people: the people here are so friendly, and while we definitely stick out as foreigners, and are photographed and stared at, the in-country Peace Corps staff and other Indonesians are making us feel welcome, which has made the transition much easier.

Development: you can tell the country is rapidly developing, especially with regard to infrastructure. The trip from Surabaya to Kediri only was cut in half due to the construction of a new road, and while on our way I noticed countless projects being done.

Islam: Like I explained in my prior post, only so much research and preparation can be done, but in order to fully understand Indonesian culture, I have to be in the country. This is most relevant with Islam, and as Java is majority Muslim, learning more about islamic culture has been fascinating. Every space has a musholla, or a prayer room, and the call to prayer is played loudly, often waking up fellow Trainees in the early hours of the morning. Women must also follow modest dress codes, and PCTs are not exempt from this.

Also, it’s HOT, but I have nothing to complain about. It’s a perpetual New York August, but early in the morning and later in the evening, the temperature drops and it’s enjoyable. Highs are in the mid-90s and lows are in the mid-70s.

Getting here: the journey to get here was long, and tiring, but I really am surprised how quick it felt! I was worried that I would go crazy during the 11 hour flight, then the 6 hour flight, but they went fast— I mostly slept, which I’m thankful about.

It’s good to finally be in Kediri with access to all our bags, after two nights and only our carry-ons in Surabaya (checked bags were sent straight to Kediri from the airport). I’m looking forward to getting to know the city more and meeting my host family on Saturday (!!). The language has been fairly easy to learn, and I’m pumped to have more sessions on culture and Indonesian life. For know, I’ll leave you with some photos and videos from the past week! Talk soon xx