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.

Interesting Airfare

Tonight we finally made the pilgrimage out to a location our friend Leo had told us about a few weeks ago. The owners took an old plane and transformed it into a bar. It was really cool and made for some great photo opportunities...

Follow the departure sign to take off to your destination (aka enter the establishment).

The front of the plane doubles as a stage for their acoustic sets on weeknights.

Sarah and I climbing on board the plane.

It's absolutely impossible to tell, but this is our group crammed into the cockpit.

A view of the rest of the bar from the plane-cockpit-stage. You can see the serious detail they put into the decoration.

That's pretty much it! It was amazing sitting around tonight as we reflected together on all the stuff we've done in the past few weeks. We're getting a little sentimental with the end of the program approaching only a week from today. Still, so blessed to be able to share such awesome moments and locations like these with the group.

My Second Pink Pangea Article!

My second Pink Pangea article was published today! In it I juxtapose the expat nightlife with a little unique local Jogja culture. You can read the story here:

Nightlife in Indonesia: Going Out in Yogyakarta

I Want Candi

This weekend we did a little more touring around Jogja. Saturday the three of us went downtown to tour the water castle. Also known as Taman Sari, it was built by the first Sultan of Yogyakarta and was used as a resting area, meditation area, defense area, and hiding place. So welcome to Cribs: Javanese Royalty Edition.

At the ruins of the watercastle.

The three of us at the center of the underground mosque, where the azan used to be performed.

Some local kids were flying kites on the roof of the structure leading to the mosque.... so our guide showed us where they climb up and we went up too!

The entrance to the sultan's pool.

So the story goes that the balcony was for the sultan to watch his multitude of women essentially strut their stuff to the pool. He'd fill his pool with concubines and then toss a single flower from the balcony into the pool. The girl who was able to get it would be taken into his "final room".

The bedroom that the sultan would bring the winning concubine to. And you know, me just being my casual self.

Outside of one of the sultan's guest houses with our adoring fans *cough* personal male concubines *cough*.

And Sunday was no less exciting. Ayu took us to Prambanan. At this point I feel like I'm racking up UNESCO World Heritage Sites, but Prambanan held its own amongst the others. It is a Hindu temple compound originally built around 850 CE but has had an interesting history of natural disasters and historical take overs between now and then that has influenced the current appearance. Now only a few temples have actually been reconstructed. Hundreds more lay in rubble in the surrounding area.

The main temples dedicated to Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva surrounded by the rubble of other temples.

The three of us in front of Prambanan.

A statue of the god Brahma inside one of the temples.

Also, as usual, we were more exciting to the local students than the actual temples. (Shout out to my parents: hundreds of Indonesians apparently think you created something cooler than UNESCO Heritage Sites that took centuries and dynasties to create. So I guess props to you.) This is a picture of students taking pictures of us.

We managed to avoid the paparazzi every now and then for a photo of our own though.

Not too far off from the main Prambanan temple complex are ruins of some other Buddhist temples that we got to visit as well.

One of the Buddhist temples.

Also if you're worn out from all the touring you could buy an iced cold Bintang (or mineral water, if you're into that) from this guy.

Overall it was a fantastic (and exhausting) weekend. My next few days are full of other adventures... just of the more mundane variety. Tomorrow I'm off to the immigration office to renew my visa. Also, I'm going to try and apply for an Indonesian drivers licence... so, that could end well....

A few after-notes...

1. The title is something that popped into my head as we were touring Prambanan. "Candi" (actually pronounced ch-andy) is the Indonesian word for temple. But the chorus of "I Want Candy" wouldn't get out of my head after I thought of it.

2. Happy father's day Dad!

3. The caption on the last photo is a joke. I'm being sarcastic about alcohol being sold at such a prestegious religious site. I don't support drinking... particularly at such locations (unless it is mineral water).

Jogja Art Scene

It's amazing how life works when you're abroad. Two weeks ago we didn't know anyone here and last night we had an invitation to an art gallery opening from a friend of a friend. So, we descended upon Yogya by cab and watched as our driver took us one turn after another. Eventually we were off in some unfamiliar district with few people between the occasional still-open restaurant. We took another turn and ended up in a pitch dark neighborhood. Thoughts of the cab driver dropping us off in the wrong location flitted through our minds as we frantically tried to identify any building that might be an art studio. Finally, we turned onto a road that suddenly seemed to be full of life.

The entrance to Krack Studio, where the exhibit was held. 

Welcome to the art district of Yogyakarta. A mix of trendy and alt-culture Indonesians, Australians, and Dutch hovering in the light of the studio building as if their proximity to art was like oxygen to their lungs. Hijabs were traded in favor of graphic thrift store outfits and tea was replaced by beer in plastic cups.

We perused the art exhibit taking in piece after piece. It was an impressive collection of screen printed renderings of old (or not so old) advertisements from Indonesia's history. The official description of the exhibit is as follows (from their Facebook page here): 

A new life. Democracy. Heaven. Winning the lottery. A big house. Career. Celebrity. Sex. Smartphone. We are defined by what we dream. Tanah/Impian (Dream/Land) explores the aspirations of Indonesia over 100 years, as reflected through popular culture. The exhibition highlights the often stark difference between ‘Dream’ and ‘Reality’, and, as an election approaches, challenges us to think critically about the values that define us as individuals, as a community and as a nation.

The pieces did not disappoint. It's amazing and horrifying what advertising sells to us. For instance, 3 Swords Wine...

The advertisement reads: "Be strong! Be fit! 3 Swords Wine. Increases your blood. Makes your body stronger. Makes you fatter. Makes you smarter. Good for bones. Never feel tired. Makes women get pregnant faster."

Or even more horrifying, this one from 2012....

For $0.64 you can buy your own Indonesian maid. But don't worry, if paying in full is too hard for you, you can just pay a deposit of $0.30 to get yours. So I reiterate, only two years ago you could literally buy your own slave for less than a can of Coke in the United States. 

Since we were in an unfamiliar part of town we decided to do a bit of wandering before returning to our house. There wasn't much open since Yogyakarta seems to close up pretty early, particularly on weeknights unless it's a busy area. Eventually we decided to call a cab to come get us, as there were clearly none in the vicinity. Which worked really well considering we had no clue where we were.

An amazing man at his Roti booth on the corner of the street watched as we struggled. Although speaking no English, he understood our intentions and when we handed our cellphone to him, he gave the taxi directions to where we were and then provided us with chairs as we waited.

The Roti booth on the street corner.

He and I bonded over the fact that his stall was called the same nickname my friends call me, considering telling my name in Bahasa Indonesia and pointing are two skills I've gotten really good at perfecting during my time here. But eventually the cab came and collected us and our night of mini-adventure came to an end as the fatigue from our workday hit us in the airconditioning of the car.

Happy Holidays!

This week, as you might've gathered from my first day of work post, is full of holidays. Tuesday was the Muslim holiday Isra and Mi'raj and Thursday was Ascension Day in Catholicism. Indonesia makes all religious holidays national holidays. So everyone in Java has been out of work for a good portion of the week. This of course makes life (and traffic) a little more hectic, but we've been adventuring around nonetheless.

Our free days mix a combination of religious and cultural exploration, lots of eating, and some free time as well. For Ascension Day we traveled to Gereja Ganjuran, or The Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It was established in 1924 by a Dutch family who owned a sugar factory in the area. It is particularly interesting because the church blends Roman Catholic tradition with the already existing Javanese culture of the area, which makes for some pretty interesting architecture and motifs.

This is a statue of Mary and Jesus depicted in Javanese style.

A Catholic temple outside of the church.

The inside of the church.

And clearly, the only way to follow up any outing in Indonesia, is by getting food. In the case of the Gereja Ganjuran trip, it was Pecel Lele. We went to this very pretty Javanese cultural center and hotel where I decided on the fried catfish with chili sauce. Ayu said it was "very student of me" to order. Plus, it's fun to order (it's pronounced peh-chel lay-lay).

Lunch.

Somehow, despite our excusions and copious meals, we still manage to find some extra free time during our days. On Tuesday night we decided to head to Yogyakarta's Southern Square after dinner. A park by day, at night it lights up with illuminated pedel-cart rides, different venders, and street musicians. 

Sarah, Tanto, Fye, Suraiya, and I in our elephant pedal-cart.

Sarah rode on top (behind the "Jogja" in the previous picture) and took this picture of some of the other illuminated "cars".

Also, a trip to the Southern Square wouldn't be complete without trying our hand at a little local myth. In the middle of the square there are two large banyan trees.

We visited at night, but here's a photo from Google of the trees during the day.

According to the myth, if you can walk from the north side of the trees through the path between them while blindfolded then you will get a wish granted. You start from pretty far away from the trees, and (particularly on holiday) have to wade through the crowd of other hopeful wishers trying to walk straight while blindfolded. 

This is a photo Sarah took of me as I walked blindfolded toward the trees.

Although it sounds relatively easy, people are limited to three attempts per night. Apparently it is really common for people to start walking straight toward the trees only to suddenly start walking to their right or left without any recollection of having turned. Out of Sarah, Suraiya, and myself I'm the only one who managed to make it through the trees while blindfolded. 

So despite not necessarily getting all of our wishes granted, we did manage to make the most of our holiday(s) and got the chance to get a little more acquainted with Yogya.

A Trip to the Palace

Today during our free time Tanto took us around Yogyakarta and we got to walk around the Sultan's palace. Upon arrival, we were lucky enough to catch a traditional Indonesian dance in one of the areas of the palace. 

The dancer with the traditional musicians playing behind him. 

Indonesian traditional dance tells a story. The second dance was about a fight that happened between two brothers. The dancing is slow and meticulous, but it is so poetic and graceful. Every slight movement of their feet, toes, and even the arch of their feet has significance. I really liked the second dance because it reminded me a lot of martial art forms work, which makes sense since Silat comes from Indonesia.

The "brothers" mid-dance.

The end of the dance. 

And of course, we had to take pictures with them.

Afterword we got to walk around the grounds of the palace and visited the museum for the 9th Sultan (the father of the current Sultan). He was the one who declared Yogyakarta's independance. My fellow interns and Indonesian friends and coordinators were joking that I proved I really was a communications intern, because every time they tried to find me I was off talking to people. There was a tourist group from Germany so I followed along with them every so often to hear their tour guide's historical description of parts of the palace. Minutes later I'd be deep in discussion with other travelers (particularly a woman from Spain who spoke English) translating what I was learning from the tour guide. I managed to find plenty of time to talk to locals too. Learning more history from Ayu and Nana, and even managing to interact with some of the Sultan's servents.

This picture is misleading. They are really nice and happy to interact with you.

It was really beautiful and interesting because you just can't find history similar to Yogya's anywhere else. Also, my bahasa Indonesian lessons started today. So next time I'll be able to communicate with even more people!