Groovy times in Indo

This past Friday I had a blast from the past at my friend Helena's 70's party. Parties are fun in themselves, but when you add costumes they become fantastic. In preparation for the 70's party, my friend Amy and I went to a crazy mall in North Jakarta to find a funky dress. We had our eyes on them the last time we went to the mall, but decided to wait. This time around we had a legit reason to wear them, and so we made an investment towards our costume collection.

It was great to see all the different costumes that people had. One of the couples even bought their own crazy fabric and had matching costumes made because tailoring is cheap here. The evening was filled with food, 70's tunes, trivia, and good conversation. I am already looking forward to the next costume party. Presently the themes might be The Flinestones or Grandma and Grandpa style. I am happy either way. :)

The Same Old Thing

I always think it is interesting to think of when something becomes "The Same Old Thing." When exactly does the change happen? Well, that being said. Life in Indo is really starting to just feel normal; hence the lack of blog updates.

Things at school have been going really well these past few weeks. It feels good to be back in the classroom and back into my routines. I have not been motivated to blog much lately because it just feels like normal life. In fact, yesterday I was in North Jakarta which is more run-down and very different from where I live. I did notice the differences, but they didn't really phase me. It is crazy how something so foreign can soon become so normal. Crazy traffic, food vendors, motorcycle taxis, and "performance" monkeys are just a part of regular life. There are, and will always be new things for me to notice and want pictures of, but after a while it is hard to remember how this place was initially so foreign. What is interesting is how when new people come, you get to experience everything again from their perspective.

Thankfully I have visits from both my Grandparents and parents to look forward to this year. I am looking forward to introducing Indonesia to people for the first time. Even as I think about it, I know that they will see the similarities between Indo and place like Thailand and Nicaragua. Developing countries have a lot of similarities, but they also have differences. I hope I can do a good job of showing what makes Indonesia, Indonesia.

I was home for Christmas!

Christmas vacation came and went, and I am back in Indonesia. Crazy how fast the time goes! It was so wonderful to be home again and spend time with my family and friends. I got to enjoy the pampering of home which includes delicious meals and wonderful company.

The first week was pretty slow and relaxing. Because of jet leg, I slept a lot, but I was also fighting off a nasty cold that I picked up somewhere in transport. Throughout the rest of the break I read books, played games, visited people and enjoyed the winter wonderland in North-western B.C. Some of the winter activities I enjoyed were sledding, skating, cross-country skiing, and snowmobiling. It was actually very refreshing to be in the cold weather again. I loved being all bundled up and just laying in the snow.




It was also wonderful to see my little niece Lily. She is so cute, and I had so much fun playing with her. I am excited for this summer because Lily will be older, and I will have another niece/nephew who is due to arrive in February.

I am so thankful that I was able to spend some quality time with my loved ones. God has blessed me with a wonderful family and I was blessed to be home for Christmas this year. It is always such a special time and a time to feel regenerated for the New Year. On that note, Happy New Year to you and God bless you richly.