First times

For everything is a time.

This weeks has been the weeks of the first times.

First earthquake

I experienced my first earthquake. I was sitting on the second floor checking my email and all of a sudden I felt the floor trembling, doors and windows where rattling and it kind of felt like I was on a ship. My house, that looked so strong, turned into a paper box. So me and my friend decided to go outside. I don’t know if that was the safest to do. (now I know tho!! ;))But anyways it was a 4.9 a 150 kilometers from my town. We are all safe and nobody got hurt, cause it wasn’t that big, my house got a few more cracks, but it is still standing and that’s the most important.

First time driving up the mountains for Indonesian BBQ

So a couple of days later, my friends invited me to their party. They live in a small town a 2 hour drive from my place, in the middle of nowhere somewhere in the mountains and inbetween  the sawa’s  (paddy field). So me and some other local friends decided to drive our motorcycles up there and join the party. My first time driving that far on my motorbike all by myself. So I made sure my brakes worked well, got them checked, made sure filled up my benzin to the max so I wouldn’t run out of gas in the middle of nowhere, cause that’s where we headed.  The first part was driving in the traffic jam for an hour zigzagging between the cars and big yellow trucks. It was quite a challenges to follow my local friends and to not to lose sight so I would get lost in the chaos of traffic all around me. It was crazy I tell you, cars honking all around me and me following my friend all around the cars, trying to squeeze my motorbike in between two big cars, being brave and selfish, cause if you drive Dutch style here, you won’t make it. Anyways after an hour of cars, motorbikes and more cars and motorbikes we finally came out of the city, the change was obvious: crappy roads or something that looks like a road. But we had some beautiful sightseeing of mountains and sawa’s. So the last hour and a half we drove into the mountains. Oh and did I already told you it started raining? Probably not, well it was more like drizzle. So by the time we arrived I looked like a freckled bule (bule = white person)haha. And I wish I waited washing my motorbike for another week...

At once we arrived the men amused themselves with killing the birds that where on the BBQ menu for that night. (Thank God I’m a women ;)) As we women gathered in the kitchen where I learned to make some Indonesian dishes and tried to make the seasoning at the traditional way. Apparently I did it to slow (or wrong) and my friend took it over. I watched and learned ;)

So I had my first BBQ experience here in Indonesia, and of course we put different things on the BBQ then I’m used to in Holland. And after all what is a BBQ without eating the meat with rice? Anyways birdmeat is quite nice and I had a lovely time with my friends, catching up after a long time no seen.  And as I warmed myself at the fire (yes high in the mountains it can be cold at night) having black corn with butter and sugar for desert. I found myself  happy and in peace, thinking how it is a privilege to be here with my local friends sharing, praying and having loads of fun. Life is good and I love it!