A Day at Dian Interfidei

Sorry I've been a little more relaxed this trip about posting. There's been so much going on here- but most of it is just daily routine. So, I figured I'd write a little bit about what my weeks look like and about my work!

I work Monday through Friday at Dian Interfidei. Suraiya and I intern there, and can usually be found in a small meeting room on the second floor. The office is a converted house with a very open floor plan that really compliments the relaxed atmosphere of the office. We're working on a variety of projects, the current of which include developing two presentations that we'll be giving to Dian Interfidei and the surrounding community. They invite partners and friends of the office to come and listen to our presentation and then we're expected to facilitate a discussion. My first presentation is next Thursday and then I have another one toward the end of the month. Additionally, I teach English to the staff on Monday and Thursday mornings and spend the rest of my time usually on research and document translation.

This morning was a little different. It started a little chaotic but we eventually managed to sit down for the first English lesson. But it wasn't long before we were interrupted by visitors! Two women from Holland who had been interning outside of Yogyakarta for the past few weeks. They're training to be nurses and mental health care specialists and decided to spend time this summer working on sanitation issues for women in the remote farming village.

The staff and interns of Interfidei with our visitors.

From left to right is: Reta and Wening (both Interfidei employees), Ava, Suraiya (the other AUA intern), Ava, Elga (the director of Interfidei), and myself. The Avas are from Holland.

We spent the morning swapping stories and chatting in Interfidei's front room. It's always interesting to meet other foreigners who are staying in Java and hearing about their experiences. Unfortunately everyone we meet always seems to be leaving in a day or two, but it's nice to share a mutual understanding of our unique experiences, even if just briefly.

But it's back to work! Thursdays are particularly peaceful because we don't have to rush home from the office to get to our bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian language) classes like we do on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. But they're useful, because now saya bisa bicara bahasa Indonesia sedikit! (Translation: "...because now I can speak a little Indonesian!")