Sophomore Year and Thailand, by Hannah

When I walked into school on the first day, I was not expecting the crazy year I have been given so far.  I sure would like to get out of school but I am having so much fun with all the stuff that I get to do with my friends and all the extra-curriculars I get to do.  School sure isn't fun but there is other stuff that is occupying my time.

First, one of the things that I am enjoying the most is my job.  This summer I got a summer job teaching piano.  This summer job has now continued into the school year.  I absolutely love teaching piano.  I have to admit I am not very fond of working with kids (my second job of babysitting while the Dalat staff have meetings has kind of instilled that in me) but I think giving anyone the gift of music is a huge privilege. So as a result, being able to teach kids piano is the highlight of my weekend.

Another thing I am really enjoying right now is playing varsity soccer.  It is so much fun and I do not actually mind going to practice and doing lots of athletic things because I have to. I am especially going to enjoy travelling for international tournaments. During fall break, we got to go to Chang Mai, Thailand for a tournament. It was really enjoyable and I loved playing soccer and meeting new people.  One of the most interesting experiences I had was travelling in a song theaw [song tea-ow] everywhere I went.  We managed to squish 20 people into one wherever we went.

This is a song theaw

Along with all this fun stuff, I also have friends (wow, surprise!) and that certainly can get a little exciting.  Gotta love being part of a whole bunch of hormonal teenagers in close quarters. Anyways, I am really trying to enjoy high school and not take it for granted because it is special in its own ways.

There's a Fight Outside My Classroom, No It's A.........., by Garth

A few weeks ago, I heard some shouting by male voices right outside my classroom.  I could also hear some scuffling noises. I thought to myself,  'I have not heard that noise since I was in a classroom in Canada; it sounds like a fight!'. But right away I thought "there's a fight going on outside my classroom door? We never have fights at Dalat!'  However with all those noises I was ready to get into action and break up the fight. I opened my classroom door. Right away I heard the same male voices yelling at me "Close the door!". I looked down and there was a huge 6 to 7 foot Monitor Lizard just outside my classroom door. Some of the staff were trying to capture the Monitor Lizard so it could be released somewhere away from the campus. Monitor Lizards are not too dangerous unless they feel threatened or are cornered although they do have very sharp claws and teeth. There was also some concern with children from the Preschool encountering the Monitor Lizard. It did not take long before they were able to capture and haul away the Monitor Lizard.

Trying to tie down the Monitor Lizard

All tied up ready to be carried away

Taking the Monitor Lizard off campus

Elizabeth's Knee, 3 Weeks Later

Elizabeth's leg is healing nicely.  She will have a long-term scar but there has been no infection (my worst fear) and no skin breaking open again (my second worst fear).  One more week and she can play soccer again, though Elizabeth has admitted she has joined in a little here and there but has been careful.  The picture below was taken exactly 3 weeks after the accident.

Leaving Lombok, by Garth

On July 9th, just after breakfast we drove to the Lombok airport. We were taking an Air Asia flight to Kuala Lumpur which would connect with another flight home to Penang. It was about an hour drive from our hotel to the airport. It was a very small airport with only 4 gates for planes to drop off passengers. However, we were surprised by the number of people at the airport. We were in Lombok over Ramadan, a Muslim holiday. During that holiday, many people fly to their home. We were told that sometimes the whole village will come out to the airport to welcome the person coming back. It was extremely crowded outside the airport, but once we got inside the airport was empty, except for people who were taking flights out of Lombok.  Everyone was dressed in very bright colours so it was a beautiful sight to see all these people, many of them - from the very old to the very young - jammed into the back of pick-up trucks.

Groups of people standing in front of the terminal

More people in front of the airport

Pick-up truck filled with people at the airport

Many people just waiting around

Just before we went in the airport. You can see Garth with Hannah and Kate.

Before we left Lombok we had to pay a departure tax of 150,000 Rupiah (about $15 Canadian) per person. In my hand I have 900,000 Rupiah (18 - 50,000 Rupiah notes). On the back of the 50,000 Rupiah note you can see the Pura Ulun Danu temple that we visited in Bali (see 'Second Day Tour from Ubud, by Elizabeth')

Day Tour in Lombok, by Garth

We took a one day tour when we were in Lombok. The tour focused on the traditional aspects of life on the island, with a visit to two beaches. We were able to see a lot of the beautiful countryside in Lombok. 

We first went to Banyumulek to see pottery making. It was very interesting to see how the village made pottery without any electricity. 

Children sitting in front of some clay that is drying out to be used to make different types of pottery

Little jugs being placed out to dry, waiting to be "fired"

How the pottery is fired - over a brick fire that has coconut husks, newspaper, and some twigs

Hand made plates are stacked on top of each other, layer after layer

The fire is lit underneath the pieces

Straw is added on top. The pottery pieces are baked for about 4 hours

Finished product after it has been painted

Next we went to a traditional village that did different types of weaving, On the way to the weaving village, we saw some people harvesting rice.

Getting the kernels from the rice plant by smashing it against a wooden frame (a man's job).  The ladies sitting down (you can see their hats) are getting the rest of the kernels off the stalks

About to smash the rice stalks again

Women and men make blankets and clothing using traditional non-mechanical looms.

Woman at a traditional weaving loom. Some of the blankets she made are behind her

Hannah trying to weave on the traditional loom

Aimee weaving on a different type of traditional loom

Kate taking a turn at weaving

Elizabeth trying some weaving.  It is definitely harder than it looks

After visiting the weaving village we had lunch and saw a couple of beaches on the south side of the island of Lombok. We spent about 1 1/2 hours swimming at one of the beaches we visited.

View of one of the beaches we visited

Beach in South Lombok - beautiful, serene, windy and cool-ish temperatures, and almost empty of people

Man using a water buffalo for farming

Our last stop was to visit an aboriginal village called Sade, which is made up of the Sasak people.

Entrance of Sade with the house of the village leader in the background

House used for storing rice

Buildings in the village. Most of them had a clay base. The walls were made of bamboo, with straw being used for the roof

Cooking fish over an open fire

Elizabeth's Stitches

This week Elizabeth got stitches.  She was playing at the park near our home last Monday evening, climbing up an embankment.  Though it didn't hurt at first, she said, after a bit it did start to hurt a lot and she noticed and felt some blood dripping down her leg.  We never found out what caused the cut.  It was a very deep gash on her knee.  I was at school at the time, having taken Hannah, Aimee, Kate, and two of their friends for an evening program when I got a call from Garth.  He realized quickly that this injury was going to need more than just a bandaid.  I left the other girls at the evening program and just hoped that Garth or I would be back in time to drive them home without it being too late (we were back in time).  I took Elizabeth to a children's clinic where we only had to wait about 15 minutes to be seen by the doctor.  He gave her a tetanus shot and then some local anaesthesia and then six stitches.  Then he put "tape" over it to help held the skin together.  "No P.E. for 2 weeks and no soccer for 4 weeks," he said.  Ironically, I had just signed her up the night before for an upcoming soccer game and she was also supposed to play soccer twice a week in an after-school program for the rest of the term.  You could tell it hurt Elizabeth quite a bit getting stitched up, especially at the beginning, she said.  She was also given antibiotics and pain medication.  She has been hobbling around pretty good, though she can't bend her one leg.  Tomorrow (Monday) she will hopefully get the stitches out.  This is the same leg that got the very bad jelly fish sting.  Here are some pictures.

After the tetanus shot in her hip

She could still participate in a presentation at church about putting on the full armour of God (she's in the middle with the sword)

Weird Things About Malaysia (and other parts of Asia)

Random doors in the mall

If you have to repave, don't move the vehicle; just pave around it

One of my students last year pretending to be a volcano

Large size grasshoppers


Small size butterflies (Indonesia)

Unusual statues at the bowling alley

Animal poop and coffee beans that gets turned into highly valued coffee

The animal (civet cat) that eats the coffee beans and poops them out

Garth enjoying said coffee

Having "conversations" with monkeys

Walking down the street with fruit on your head (Indonesia)

Walking down the street with mattresses on your head (Indonesia)

Weird kids who are told "Don't Fishing"

Who are those weird kids again?

A little boy at a home beside our homestay that is having a bath (Indonesia)

Public transportation the fresh air way

Garth growing some hair on top (Jasper's bum)

A cicak visiting us while washing the dishes

Monkeys visiting the city

Looking rich (950,000 Indonesian rupiah) but actually poor  - worth about $90