Pekerjaan (Work)

It occurred to me that most of the stories we share are about what we do on our free-time, weekends or holidays. So I thought it would be nice to share a bit more about the work we do. Although technically Dave is the only one of the the two of us who holds a "work visa", I have found much of my time here consumed with various projects and volunteer opportunities.

As many of you know Dave was hired as a Technical Expert  at the Indonesian school in Tembagapura. Last year, he worked hard to develop teachers' English language skills and support them as they worked to integrate more English into their curriculum and lessons.

Here's Dave with one of his teachers. She is leading an assembly at the expat school on Indonesian Independence Day, 17 August 1945.

This year the school has hired more Technical Experts who are taking over some of Dave's classes and responsibilities to give him more time to devote to Quality Management and improving the school's compliance to ISO 9001.

Dave thinking about his new assignment. Hmmmmm....

Besides the basic house keeping duties which are not to be underestimated, I have taken on some new responsibilities in the community and schools this year. Last year I started a quarterly middle school after school program called Adventure Leadership - Adventure activities that build leadership through cross-cultural cooperation, communication, problem solving, challenge and service. This year I am once again leading AL with the occasional help of an Indonesian teacher with a background in Outward Bound-type activities. This term we have 8 students - 4 Indonesian, 2 Papuan, 1 Dutch and 1 American.

Adventure Leadership students problem-solving together.

Just this past week Dave and I made progress on a new initiative to start a "hiking club" with middle school students. Yesterday morning we led our first hike to the waterfall above town. We had 12 people join us!!! Many students here in town tend to spend so much time indoors due to the copious amounts of rain. Students also complain of being bored and not having enough to do, so we are trying to make more opportunities for healthy and active lifestyles - while pushing our personal agendas of breaking down racial barriers, building confidence and building respect for the natural environment. It was an absolutely beautiful day to start the hiking club!

Lastly, with a new school year, I have stepped into a new community volunteer role. Recently the torch of coordinator of Tomawin Dorm volunteers was passed down to me. The previous coordinator is moving on this week and has asked me to take over. Taking over essentially means coordinating a creative and generous collection of 6 women from the community who volunteer their time every Friday afternoon to play with, love on and teach English to the kids. However different our styles and approach may be, our intents come from the same heart - to serve the kids living at the dorm.  Asrama Tomawin is a dorm of 60+ Papuan students from grades 1-9. These kids have come to live at the dorm and study at D's school from surrounding villages, 1-3 days walking distance. Most of these kids come straight from remote villages when they are very young. When the kids come to live at the dorm they have little to no Indonesian language, they have never worn shoes, gone to school, slept in beds as we think of beds, washed regularly or traveled outside of their villages. Some kids have lived here for 9 years and others for only 1 week.

Needless to say, I have a very strong affection for these local kids and wish to see them succeed. With many odds against them, they struggle to learn two new languages - Indonesian & English, conform to an Indonesian academic style and live so far from their families.

This little cutie was competing in a PPE (personal protective equipment) relay race! 

So there's a snapshot of our work here in Tembagapura. Maybe this helps you to understand better what we do and why we have chosen to stay here for awhile. Thank you for all of your support and prayers.



  

Tembagapura Days

One common question I get living here is; "So what have you been doing to keep busy?" This isn't an unjustified question. We live in a small mining town with one main shop area which is an all inclusive grocery, department store, pharmacy, post office, salon and cafe. So, basically if you need to go to all of these places in one day (which I never do) you could accomplish your shopping needs and have a coffee in less than 2 hours. Which begs the question... what does one do with the remaining 14 hours of the day if, like me, you don't have a job or kids?

Well...

I've started a garden from seeds and cuttings from friends...

...making the most of our small back porch!

OH BOY!!! The culinary adventures have been delicious!

Every Thursday I lead an after school club called Adventure Leadership for Middle School students from both the expatriate and Indonesian schools.

Sometimes, when there are interesting events like the strike of 4,000 workers that started a couple of weeks ago, I get curious...

I put on my Personal Protective Equipment and head out with my camera...

...doing my best to document the goings on of this very dynamic place.

A red band around the head indicates the decision to strike for a better compensation package.

While at home, I'm kept company by some of the local boys who like to hang out in our backyard.

So, there's a better picture of what I do to keep busy while D's at work! Some things I also enjoy but don't have pictured are taking runs around town, walking with friends, studying Indonesian, volunteering at the local Indonesian school and playing with some of the kids and moms at the hospital in the local village Banti. My days are full and fulfilling. There never seems to be a dull moment here, I am learning continuously and I hope the same is true for you wherever this may find you!