Princeton Evaluation

The name of the test alone was enough to scare me - "The Princeton Evaluation." This is a standardized test that is used to evaluate progress made in learning Bahasa Indonesia. It consists of a one hour verbal question and answer session, as well as a small reading and understanding session. After 3 units, which is the equivalent of 3 months study, I scored a 2+ on a scale of 1-5 (5 being "An Educated Native Speaker). That sounded pretty good until I read the description of "2+." Under the category "Pronunciation and Accent" the comments said, "Foreign accent requires concentrated listening and mispronunciations lead to occasional misunderstanding and apparent errors in grammar or vocabulary." Even more discouraging was the comment under the category "Grammar." It said, "Frequent errors showing some major patterns uncontrolled and causing occasional irritation and misunderstanding."

So my speech is "uncontrolled" and causes irritation to those who listen? That wasn't quite the effect I was going for. Oh well, there's a language learning principle that says, "To speak a language well you must first speak it poorly." I guess I'm right on track! My Grandpa once told me a story that his first day of school his teacher told him in English to sit at a desk and instead he stood on top of it because he only knew German! Grandpa speaks fine English now, so there's hope for me too.

Morning Stroll

My friend Sigit as we walked up to his farm in the early morning

A farmer we saw along the way

Gorgeous Flowers

Vietnamese New Year

This past weekend was the Vietnamese New Year celebration, their biggest holiday of the year. I was honored to be invited both to New Year's Eve's and New Year's Day festivities. Here are a few pictures: The traditional Vietnamese way is to eat on the floor, and to eat a lot. So we ate a variety of meats, vegetables, etc. cooked in a "hotpot" along with rice and noodles.

Each New Year's Eve, special food is offered to the spirits of ancestors who come and bring good luck and success for the new year. The table is set up at 11:00 pm, and at midnight prayers are offered for and to the ancestor's spirits. This practice comes from the Buddhist background of many Vietnamese, and is still practiced despite the fact that many are atheistic.

Kamar Mandi (Bath Room)

Coming to Indonesia opens the mind to new ways of doing things: new foods, new forms of transportation, new ways of looking at life, and new ways of taking care of daily hygiene. The above photo may seem strange to all who live in the Western world, but the squatty-potty (as I affectionately call it) is actually used by more people in the world than the porcelain throne found in most American homes. Other features vary as well. To the left you see a big tub of water. No, that’s not for jumping into as a make-shift bathtub. Instead it’s a water reservoir (called a bak) that holds several functions: 1. To provide water to “flush” the squatty-potty 2. To provide water for your “dipper shower” 3. To serve as a vital water reservoir since water supply from the facet is not always consistent. You’ll also notice that this is a “wet-floor” bathroom. An added feature in our bathroom is the game called “Kill the Cockroaches that Crawl out of the Drain.” I set a personal record two days ago by killing 5 during one bath, without my contacts in or glasses on. It sure makes bathtime a whole new experience.

My Sweet Wheels

'96 Honda GL PRO
160 roaring cc's
Beautiful teal highlights
Runs smooth at 60km/hour
Previously stolen and returned
My borrowed ride until I find my own to buy

Eko

Eko is the youngest guy in our house, as he is about to finish up high school. Although he's a punk rocker and I'm a country guy, we have a great time together. He refers to my clothing style as "pastor-like." I'm not sure if that's a compliment or not.