"Thank God I found the GOOD in Goodbye!" - Beyoncé

It happened. We threw our going away party last night. But for all intents and purposes it was more of a gathering of friends to break the fast. It was absolutely wonderful having all our friends, and those who have practically become family, all together in our house. We got to gather together, give thanks, and celebrate; because these past six weeks have been well worth celebrating.

We had our first Selamatan. A Javanese tradition celebrating the unity of everyone participating in it, sort of like an Indonesian Thanksgiving. And what would our first Selamatan be without a tumpeng? It's a giant food platter shaped geographically like the mountains (which are spiritually and culturally important in Java). The tumpeng is a symbol of gratitude and there's a ceremonial practice in how it is cut and served, honoring a particular person (or people, in our case).

Our tumpeng.

As Wikipedia so eloquently explains, "with tumpeng, people express the gratitude to God and appreciate togetherness and harmony" and I don't think I could find a better example of what occurred last night. I am so thankful for everyone who's been a part of this trip. Hands down my favorite part of Indonesia is the people I've met here.

And by no means could we end without a bang... but thanks to Nana and Ayu we ended with quite a few, as they bought us fireworks as well.

Ramadan Mubarak!

It's my last weekend in Yogyakarta! Ramadan started last night (technically the start date is disputed, but that's not the important part here). So life's definitely interesting for myself. This is my first Ramadan in a Muslim country. Near sundown the streets fill up with different food carts. Everything you could think of lines the roads, particularly near mosques. The weather was beautiful last night so I walked a few kilometers looking at all the delicious food and chatting briefly with the occasional curious local.

Eventually I got the courage to actually walk into the mosque near my house. It was absolutely packed with people. There were vendors selling Qur'ans and prayer beads and other miscellaneous religious items. A booth in the middle of the courtyard had young university students handing out drinks and food for those who started Ramadan the day prior to break fast with. 

This is a picture I found online of the UGM mosque. The food booth was just to the top right of the little pond.

Per usual I drew some interest from those around me, and I was strongly encouraged by some people at the mosque to help myself to the previously mentioned food and beverages. After finally accepting a water I sat down on the edge of the courtyard and just took in the whole scene. This was it, the beginning of Ramadan. I've heard people talking about the holiday for months now. Learning about the holiday in my Intro to Islam class seems like eons ago from sitting here in the mosque surrounded by it. 

I'm still not comfortable going into the mosque during the prayers. I clearly have no idea what to do and I feel like watching from the back is sort of weird. As two older men got up to go line up for prayer they offered me their mat in the courtyard and I sat there and watched as the courtyard suddenly emptied and the mosque filled with lines of people on both stories. 

So that's how my Ramadan started. Sitting in the beautiful mosque courtyard in the evening with Arabic filling the air around me like a now familiar hymn. It's interesting how in six weeks I feel so comfortable with the Islamic culture, and yet still like such an outsider. 

My view from where I was sitting in the courtyard.

And of course, being my typical self in this inter-faith experience I'm living in Yogya, it couldn't end there. I was up bright and early at 6:00AM on the first morning of Ramadan, but this time it was so I could meet my friend Leo for church. Earlier in the week I had expressed my regret at how despite being here for six weeks and working in an internship that's all about the religious culture in Indonesia, I had yet to actually attend a worship service for my own faith in the area. So Leo sacrificed his Sunday morning and escorted me to a service in Javanese. 

We went to Gereja Hati Kudus Tuhan Yesus (Sacred Heart Church of God is my rough best-guess at a translation). The service was in very formal Javanese and was unique in the fact that you'll really only find such a service in Java. They used traditional Javanese music to accompany the choir. It was a beautiful chaotic mix of percussion and vocals that was every bit as moving as any hymn I've heard at home. 

Leo decided a picture with the church's statue of Jesus was necessary. And of course, he's hiding behind the camera.

So, whether you're in America, Indonesia, a mosque, a church, or anywhere in between: Ramadan Mabaruk! Do with this month whatever you see fit, and may it bring you whatever you seek from it.