Hello again friends. I am back from an overwhelming and tiring (but good) weekend in the town of Pati. We arrived Friday afternoon in time for a late lunch, which I soon found out to be part of a non-stop eating marathon that seemed to last the entire weekend. They weren't kidding when they said they celebrate after fasting for a month. My host father's family is extremely warm and hospitable and did not hesitate to fill my plate with food for me, being careful to avoid the foods that even they say are pedes sekali (very spicy). Not to be confused with panas sekali (very hot temperature) which was also a phrase used excessively over the weekend. I took naps in the afternoons, as did a lot of other people, otherwise I would be sitting in my own pool of sweat fanning myself - much like everyone else. I understand now why so many Indonesians shower twice a day! In between eating and sleeping there was a lot of visiting and attempted conversation on my part. I was the subject of quite a few jokes (all in good fun of course) and they just loved when I tried to repeat after them saying tongue twisters in the local Javanese language - hours of fun!
Saturday afternoon reminded me of Christmas dinners - the cousins (and I) laid around on the cool tiled floor looking at pictures after eating waay too much, but snacking on cookies just to prepare ourselves for the next round at supper. A few relatives speak English so I wasn't totally in the dark all the time, and I would occasionally surprise them with a couple Indonesian words (or sentences if they were lucky). Saturday evening we walked to the city's central roundabout/circle where vendors were selling food, cotton candy, clothing, toys, etc.. and there was a fish pond, games, and TONS of people. I was the only foreigner for miles of course, so I was another spectacle added to the excitement. Fireworks are also very big, especially for holidays so lots of people buy them for their kids and set them off in the street. And the holiday is not complete without gifts! It's tradition to give friends or family money, and I was even included in the gift-giving!
We came back to Salatiga last night after a long drive complete with stopping to visit my host mother's family, eating (again) and lots of backed-up traffick. It was a good time, challenging and frustrating at times with the language barrier, but great to experience a holiday that is so widely celebrated in this country. My photoshoot with all the aunties was maybe a little out of the ordinary for the festivities, but how often does a Canadian show up at the family gathering? That's all for now. It's back to the studying until next weekend: BEACH!
No comments:
Post a Comment