Saturday Morning at my Homestay (5/29/2021)

 We finally made it Malang! We've been here since Wednesday night, so we've had a few days to get settled a routine. My typical day so far...

1. Wake up and have some sort of quiet time (mornings have all been different so it's been changing)

2. Stop for breakfast on my way to language school

3. Work on learning Bahasa Indonesia in the morning 

4. Stop for lunch on my way to the office 

5. Study language, work on projects, do a training session, etc. in the afternoon

6. Stop for dinner on my way back to my homestay

7. Talk as best I can with my homestay parents (Ibu and Bapak)

8. Shower (always necessary) and prepare for bed

My room at my homestay is on the second story. It's a perfect size. There is a bed, a desk, a chair, a loveseat, an end table, a dresser, a fan (very critical), and a TV (which I don't plan on using). On one side of my room there is a big window that overlooks Bapak's garden. A small building is in the middle surrounded by plants, most of which are small to medium sized trees; the garden is contained by two brick walls, the house, and Babak's workshop. The door on the other side of my room opens into the hall. From the hall you can access the stairs, the bathroom, and the balcony. On the balcony there is a bench, stairs to the roof, 14 potted plants (most of which look like mini trees and have really cool root systems), and 10 hanging bird cages (one of which I hit my head on almost every time I go out to the balcony). The loveseat in my room and the bench on the balcony are both perfect places to study or read. Next to my homestay house is a mosque, and by next to I mean that the two buildings are about 3 feet apart separated by a little alley. It's loud. But every time I hear them singing it reminds me to pray. One of the purposes of this explanation is to work on my observational skills. I'll include pictures of everything I described so y'all can see how I did. 

Something that we've been learning about different cultures is that it is unhelpful to make quick judgements and to dismiss other ways/styles/methods because they don't seem to make sense. Instead, it is best to listen, observe, and hopefully begin to understand the reasons for the differences. I'll give an example. When I was first in Malang and walking through the streets and neighborhoods, the words I would have used to describe the layout were tight and cramped, both of which have a bit of a negative connotation. But I've had some time to sit and observe and think. The words I would use now are clever and efficient...and I'm all for that.