Finally getting somewhere

My first day here was definitely a day of adjustment. However after yesterday, I feel much more inspired and excited for this journey. Last night I went to a meeting through the Rahmania Foundation, an organization that hosts weekly night meetings open to Muslims (both expats and locals) who want to learn and disuss more about their religion. It also serves as a forum for people who are interested in converting. The head of this group, Lenna is a truly amazing and loving person. I arrived to her house 2 hours early (sort of by accident), but she welcomed me and allowed me to read about Islam and chat with her until the others arrived. The meeting itself was about 20 Muslim women (all but three wore the jilbab) and 3 Muslim men (one a recent American convert who married one of the young Indonesian women). Everyone sat in a circle with al- Qur'an and the Ulemaa (equivalent of a priest in Islam) started with a prayer. He then asked if I would like to open the disscussion by asking a question. I was able to get a lot of honest feedback from these amazing people who were so open and excited about my project. It was very neat because the women would share their opinion and the Ulema would be the voice of the book by citing al-Qur'an and having us read the Suras to actually see what it says, and we were able to discuss and interpret from there.

The night ended with some delicious food and I was able to casually talk to most of the women in attendance. Many really want to help so we eagerly exchanged emails and some even gave me gifts. They were so generous and welcomed me back next week, as well as to other events such as helping orphans break the fast during Ramadan. I am so thankful to have attended this gathering, and that Lenna graciously hosted me for all 6 hours I was there. She even offered to help me find other groups that I have been struggling to contact. As Muslims would say, alhumduliallah! (roughly translated to praise God).

On a more candid and comical note, I have a few noteworthy observations...

1. Random Parade- this morning I was sitting in the courtyard of my hostel eating breakfast when I heard a drum and a few random brass instruments. We all rushed over to see and there was about 100 little kids, mostly in Islamic dress, walking down the street. We watched for the 30 seconds it took and then everyone sat down. No disucussion. But even if there were, I wouldn't be able to understand it. I couldn't even guess what that makeshift parade was about. hmm.

2. I'm a millionaire- at least in Indonesian standards. I exchanged a few hundred dollars yesterday, and in return I got over 3 million Indonesian Rupiahs. Pretty awesome.

3. Sidewalks, or lack there of- I can't stress enough how impossible it is to walk in this city. I mentioned that there are scarcely any crosswalks, but more importantly the sidewalks are near non-existant. Usually they have giant cement pillars down the middle, which I assume is to keep all vehicles off because they will drive anywhere that they can possibly fit. Additionally, everyone who has nothing to do seems to just lounge on the sidewalks staring and talking to the few daring enough to walk by. More imposing though are the kaka lima, the little cart restaurants that often appear quite permanent. Think of the street vendors in Philly or NYC, it is very similar to that.. except put one every 15 feet, add a handful of chairs, and place your entire extended family around it (either in the chairs or just laying in the middle of your way). And that right there is the recipe for an awkward walk down the "sidewalk".

4. "Hello miss, goodmorning!"- this is seemingly the only phrase that everyone knows in English. It doesn't matter what time it is, they usually say "goodmorning". At this point I am still finding this relatively amusing, however it is going to get old very fast because everyone says this. EVERYONE. Street vendors, little children, shop owners, taxi drivers, and my favorite.... Police. The people who would seemingly be the most professional are infact the ones who yell at me the most. Nonetheless, my favorites are the occaisonal accidental "hello mister" or curious "where are you going?". Hasn't failed to make me smile yet.

5. Calling all Americans- there are no Americans anywhere here. Every non-Indonesian person I see ends up being French or Australian. I have honestly only seen one American. I guess most Americans who go to Indonesia go to Bali and not this crazy, hot, hectic capital. Well, I guess you could say that I'm not a typical American.

6. (reaction to #1)- I think I figured out the parade. or at least I am pretending to justify it. Over night my street has morphed into a stage for the annual Jalan Jaksa FESTIVAL!! It's one weekend every year, and it just so happens that it is when I'm here. Nice timing, eh?


Hope you are still enjoying reading. As you are well aware, I love to ramble so if you have any questions/interests feel free to ask!


Liza

I made it!

Well, it has been a crazy past few days. After a LONG day of travel and an even longer search to find a hostel, I'm happy to say I am alive and well. For the sake of my parents, I will spare the details, but let's just say that last night I didn't get out of the airport until midnight. Long story short, I owe a lot to an amazing Chilean couple who let me tag along with them all night so I wasn't wandering the streets alone until we found a hotel. Fun fact about where we stayed: they served fried rice for breakfast. mmmmmmmmm.. that was something new to wake up to.

I am currently staying in a hostel on Jalan Jaksa, a street in Jakarta that is full of hostels and cafes and is pretty much known as the backpacker's haven around here. Jakarta itself is a very interesting place. One of the books I read before I left described it as "overwhelming" and I couldn't find a better word myself. It is a huge, dirty, crazy, busy city. I am terrified to cross the streets. The cars zig-zag everywhere but mostly the mopeds and litte rickshaw things could care less about you ever getting across. Oh, and there is only a cross walk about every mile or so. Basically to get across the street, you have to hold you arm up (only your right, since the left hand is never used to do anything because it is considered unclean) and hope for the best. Hopefully I master that by the time I leave.

Indonesians seem very nice, but the language barrier is much greater than I had anticipated. Hopefully this won't hinder my research ...That's all for now, don't want to bore you all with my rambling. Just wanted to announce that I made it. Hopefully more interesting things to come soon. Or at least some delicious food escapades.
selamat tinggal! (goodbye)

Liza


PS- I am writing this at noon, sitting in an outdoor cafe drinking freshly squeezed apple juice, and the call to prayer is echoing throughout the allyways. Its gonna be an exciting month.

And so it begins...

Tomorrow I leave for Indonesia.  Finally.  It seemed like this much awaited day would never arrive.  My close family and friend's have been aware of this giant undertaking for almost a year now, but for those of you unaware of much of my project, I will briefly explain it. 

Starting last September I starting applying for this amazing scholarship awarded by UD alum David Plastino for any "self-designed off-campus project".  After almost a year of research, preparation, and interviews, I am ready to embark on this dream trip.  I will be traveling to Indonesia for 30 days this summer and Egypt for 30 days next winter to conduct independent research in order to complete a senior thesis.  As an Interntional Relations major focusing on the Middle East, my project naturally encompasses Islam, a multifaceted religion that I have become truly enthralled in.  My thesis is entitiled, "Contrasting Indonesia and Egypt: the role of the hijab in public versus private life as a religious and cultural choice" and I will be interviewing young Muslim women who wear the hijab (headscarf) during these two months abroad to hopefully unveil (bad pun, I know) answers regarding where, when, and why the hijab is worn, mostly focusing on the difference between public and private life. 

You may wonder- why Indonesia and Egypt??? Well, the reasons are simple.  Most blatantly, Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim nation (serving as the home to over 200 million) and Egpyt is the world's most populous Arab nation.  Additionally, I believe that studying a country outside of the turmoil of the Middle East is very important when studying such a politically powered garment as the hijab.  I hope it turns out to be as interesting of a comparison as I anticipate. 

This blog (my first!!) aims to inform, update, and hopefully entertain, any excited/interested/concerned friends and family as I partake in this sure-to-be-life-changing experience.  I will try and update at least every other day, but I am not sure yet as to how my internet access will be. 

Please comment and enjoy!
Liza