feliz navidad

Selamat Hari Natal - Merry Christmas!

Sunday actually made the second Christmas away from home for me. Last Christmas was also spent on this side of the world, but my family waited to celebrate until after I got home, a week or so afterwards. That wasn't be the case this year. This time, I'm here for good. Bring on the celebrations.

We went to several Christmas services, complete with multiple speakers, Feliz Navidad (including one version with three languages - see video below), and candle lighting while singing "Silent Night." We ourselves threw two parties, one for our neighbors and one for the students. Christmas Eve we surprised our other buleh friends with some caroling, and on Christmas morning, we enjoyed homemade cinnamon rolls while watching Miracle on 34th Street. And our internet decided to be wonderful and give us the clearest Skype dates with our families we've ever had, so I got to watch my sister open her presents in her Disney footie pajamas. Some things never change.

I don't know about you, but this year, Christmas took on whole new meaning. The Promised One finally arrived, and with him came freedom - true, lasting freedom. Because the good news of his coming is not just important for one moment in your life; it's good news for every moment of every day. For the moments when we don't meet standards, for the moments when we fall on our faces, unable to keep it all together, for the moments when we realize we just can't do it. 

For those moments, and for all the moments in between, we have great news. 

He knows we're weak and needy. He knows we can't do it. So he came so that he could do it for us.

I am hidden in him. I don't have to pretend I have it all together. I don't have to be perfect. Cause he has accomplished all that I could not. He has secured my acceptance, my approval, my worth. He has done it all.

Freedom is here.

Come, thou long-expected J-sus, 

Born to set thy people free;

From our fears and sins release us,

Let us find our rest in thee.

Israel's strength and consolation,

Hope of all the earth thou art;

Dear desire of every nation,

Joy of every longing heart. 

 

And last, but not least:

adventure at the postal service

After nine weeks of living here, life seems pretty normal. I have to remind myself sometimes that it's not normal to have to bargain for a "bicycle carriage" to go anywhere or to buy fresh fruits and vegetables at a market that looks like it's from Aladdin. But sometimes, we have moments where the cultural differences hit us square in the face, and you can't help but laugh and say, "Oh yeah, we're in southeast Asia." Our mail experience was one such time.

Morgan's parents express mailed her a box a week after we arrived... two months ago. The customs number said it arrived in country about two weeks after she sent it, but a month after its supposed arrival, it had yet to make an appearance. So, Monday, we decided to take matters into our own hands.

After language school, we take a taxi to the big post office in town with a national friend and tutor, R, and another friend, D. Morgan and R go in to ask about the package, while D and myself wait patiently in the taxi, thinking it won't take longer than a couple of minutes to inquire and locate the package. I was wrong. While we're waiting, I take the opportunity to practice my language with our driver.

Forty-five minutes later, I've exhausted my language skills, and we've doubled our meter. Where are those girls? I text Morgan to make sure everything's okay, and a couple of minutes later, she comes out... alone and with no package.

Morgan: "Okay, so we still haven't found my package, but we've found two for you, Rachel, and one for D. You have to come and sign for them, and then you can help us look for mine."

Say what? 

We excitedly jump out of the taxi and make our way into this massive, old building, past the line of people waiting, through some hallways and corridors to this back room. Even though they didn't really want us to take pictures, we sneak a couple anyways.

Packages EVERYWHERE. No order whatsoever. Just piled up all over the place. When I walk in, R is still searching, and the only worker in the room is sitting in the corner, just pointing where to look. Thanks, Pak.

Thankfully, with four people searching and them having already searched for nearly an hour, we soon find the long-awaited box, and there's much rejoicing. We're all smiles as we walk out, wishing everyone a merry Christmas, as ours arrived two weeks early.

 

And now we know what to do if our package doesn't arrive on time: just take matters into our own hands and find it ourselves.

recipe 1: nasi goreng nanas

One of my favorite meals here is called nasi goreng nanas - or fried rice with pineapple. It is delicious, especially with the fresh pineapple here! 

One of our friends taught us how to make it, and I've had several requests for the recipe. Unfortunately, she doesn't use an exact, detailed recipe; she just kind of adds whatever to make it taste right. I tried to estimate how much she put in to make things easier, but unfortunately, that's the best I could do. We made ours with chicken, but you don't have to. You can add more egg or pineapple - whatever your heart desires. :)

Ingredients:

• cooked white rice, however much you would like to eat
• 2-3 garlic cloves, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• Oyster sauce (to taste)
• Sweet soy sauce (to taste, starting with about 1 Tbs.)
• Ketchup, about 1 Tbs.
• Black pepper (to taste)
• White pepper (to taste) (is there such a thing in the States?)
• Green onion - diced
• 1-2 cups of pineapple
• Oil
• 1 egg
• Chicken
• A handful of mushrooms (optional)

1. Heat wok or large skillet and cook the chicken in oil. Set aside.
2. Saute garlic and onion (not the green onion).
3. Crack and fry the egg with the garlic and onion.
4. Add pineapple to the egg, garlic, and onion. Allow to cook for a few minutes.
5. Add rice, black pepper, and ketchup.
6. Add oyster sauce, starting with a swirl but then add to taste. The oyster sauce adds a salty flavor.
7. Season to taste.
8. Add chicken and green onion and serve. Yum!

What our end result looked like. The 2nd time I made it, it was a lot darker than this.

'Tis the season...

Can you believe we're in December? I mean, really. It's especially difficult to realize how much time as passed when the weather stays 90 degrees year-round. There's no gradual (or sometimes drastic) dropping of the temperature to indicate we're approaching the end of the year.

With December comes holiday celebrations! It is hard to imagine it's the holiday season when you could fry an egg on the sidewalk, but nonetheless, we fully embrace the festivities. Last weekend, we celebrated Christmas with the students at the English center. Because this city is pretty large and diverse, there are a lot of people who celebrate Christmas here. 

We colored ornaments, exchanged gifts, sang carols, ate some chicken... we had a ball. It was quite amusing to hear Asians sing "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas" when they have never experienced snow and will never see anything of the like unless a miracle happens (see video below). There was a sweet time of sharing family holiday traditions and memories that brought laughter and tears.

 

One thing's for sure: not having all the commercialism and images of Santa around really allows one to think about why we're doing all of this. Thank You for Your gift. You sacrificed more than we can ever fathom. Praise be to the one who is always faithful and infinitely great.