highlights of past weeks

This is a story all about how my life got twisted upside down and I’d like to take a minute just sit right there and I’ll tell you how mold became black in my air.

So I tried to post something last week but the internet crashed and I lost a lot of writing about my whereabouts the past couple weeks. So here I am trying again a bit late I know. Sorry.

Here are the highlights. Read what’s in CAPS if you’re too lazy to read it all :P
1) I’m MOVING. I don’t know where to quite yet but there’s some major mold growth goin on in my house and the water pressure and quality is not so groovy. One night I didn’t take a shower because I just couldn't after 30mins of killing about 23 cockroaches coming out of my bathroom. Then a few days later I didn’t shower because the water pressure was like cold drizzling rain out of 4 holes of my showerhead .. and there are some days I have to brush my teeth with the bottled water cuz it looks like what's in that green bucket of tap water. So when the mold was growing to the point where I felt like I was breathing in a sauna I decided to move to my grandpas temporarily. A friend of ours, fellow ETA in Bukitinggi, Padang, Sumatera had a lot of mold in his house and now he is in the health care of Jakarta pollution diagnosed with bronchitis. Finding a decent place to stay for 6 more months is just not that easy though so I might be staying at my grandpas. I have been at my Opa’s for the past week and it’s been pretty funny as he’s 95, deaf, and delusional sometimes.

2) Our program leaders the LOVED the NATIONAL CREATIVE WRITING COMPETITION idea we have! In fact they love it so much that they want to double the funding of the project, they want embassy people abroad to watch on a live stream, and they envision it being an annual program. WOOWOOT! That means a lot more work for Jamie and I, but it seems that we have a lot of great support from all the right people so far. Hey we’re kinda iffy on the competition name, what do you think of: “Worldviews of Real Daring Students” (W.O.R.D.S.) ????

3) This past weekend in Jakarta I met a Brazilian Contre Mestre of Capoeira and Columbiano salsa teachers, so I got to practice my ESPANOL and PORTUGUES! As well as Indonesian and English ;)

4) In days before this weekend I have hit up HOT SPRINGS an hour up in the hills, played with FIREWORKS, and had an amazing BBQ with the neighborhood I’m very sad to leave. (P.S. Many Indos don’t believe black mold is bad for people, so some think we’re a bit strange to complain about it. They think our friend has bronchitis for some other reason.)

5) The students are wonderful! They rocked this CHANGE THE WORLD creative writing project based off the song “With My Own Two Hands” by Jack Johnson and Ben Harper. Credit to Jamie for it being her idea. Next up I think I want to work a Michael Franti song… maybe “Bomb the World” with an article about Franti in Iraq. But that’s deep … hum. But some students are capable of ideas like: “Money has become our god/To buy things that do not last;” ““I think USA is enourmous country but sometimes I think USA is greedy country because USA pleasure to appress another country;” “smile like virus (contagious).” Even if the words or grammar aren’t there, the ideas are provocative eh?

My English Club students are mantap! Awesome! We watched Take the Lead and talked about educational issues and motorcycle gangs in Indonesia and US. Some of them can even hardcore debate on issues such as uniforms, arranged marriage, and authority through fear. Psh’yah I’m learnin a lot too.

Ok mis sayangs, thanks for reading. Holler back youngin’. Oooo oooooooo!