My Cup Runneth Over...

When i think that this morning I actually had some pancakes and waffles for breakfast (along with rice of course) I feel like I have lived days in just this one 13 hour period. Our hotel was nice in Palembang, breakfast was lovely and we were in the lobby and ready to go at 9:00am. Sri's husband volunteered to drive us to Sekayu, which we had been told was about a three hour drive. Little did I know that it was going to be like the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland the entire time. I am not kidding.... It was really interesting to drive outside of a major city into the more rural parts of Indonesia. Sumatra is a swampy island....this is most likely why malaria is a problem. Oh by the way....our host Sri told Cora and myself that she had malaria two months ago. I honestly never thought I would meet someone who has had malaria in my entire life....looks like have. It makes me so grateful for the hard work of my Face to Faith students the past two years as they raised money to help stop malaria. Love you guys!

When we finally arrived in Sekayu I was actually expecting it to be smaller. It is a decent size town. Probably the size of Brigham City, Utah for comparison. We immediately went to the school and had a tour of the school. It is nice and all of the classrooms open to the outdoors. The students were very friendly; as well as the teachers. I am sure I will have more to report about that tomorrow.

After meeting the principal we were told that we were going to the education department's headquarters. Sekayu is the capital of the county Musi. So the county's education department is located in Sekayu. We met the deputy secretary of the department of education who was so warm and friendly towards us. Next we were told we were off to see the mayor. The mayor was actually in Jakarta so we met the secretary of the county sho invited Cora and I to dinner at the mayor's house tomorrow night. Hahaha! Each night of Ramadan after the sun goes down Muslims enjoy a big meal....we will share that meal with the mayor tomorrow night...who has also invited the governor. What do I wear?????

Next, we checked into our hotel..which is blog worthy; however, I am trying to stay positive...so no comment. Let's just say I am not in Jakarta or Palembang anymore. The end....

Sri and her family came and got us and took us to dinner. We ate in open bamboo huts next to rice fields. It was beautiful because the sun was setting and you could hear the call to prayer from the mosque a few streets over. Even the bats flying around were sort of part of the magnificence ambience. We ate rice, fish, calamari, and beef. We tried traditional Muslim snacks only available during Ramadan...even the stray pregnant cat roaming from hut to hut was kind of cute. It was a nice night.

After that we went to an night market and looked around. Everyone wanted a picture with me and followed Cora and I around. Hahaha....if I touched something then teenage girls would hurry to touch it, too! It was hilarious, but very uncomfortable at the same time. It is hard to have people watching you all of the time, even when they are being nice and are just curious. It is an excellent lesson in what it means to be a minority. If you have never been a minority in your life then you have much to learn about compassion, empathy, perspective, and justice.

Now I am back in my hotel room...it is still hot in here even though the air conditioning has been going for hours...typing my blog. Tonight I feel very grateful to live where live. To think of all the times and places I could have been born and I was born where and when I was...my cup runners over with gratitude for the blessings and opportunities I have been given. Traveling truly opens your eyes to what is important in life...a huge shout out to my friends, family, and students. Thank you for being part of my story...

xxooxo