irma

It’s was just after 7:00 a.m. this morning, and I was lying in bed waiting to hit snooze again on my phone alarm, when all of a sudden my door flung open. It was our doe-eyed, adorable housekeeper – Irma. “Bone-y, Bone-y,” she squealed in a voice entirely too early for me, pre-coffee.

“Yes, Irma?”

“Today. Irma (she points at herself every time she says her name). Birthday. Irma. Birthday. Today.”

Suddenly, I was awake.

“Really?” I said with a half-asleep smile.

“Yes. Irma (pointing again). Seventeen. Today.” She was beaming from ear to ear at simple expression of this annual milestone.

And for her, it truly is, and as I awakened enough to realize it, I understood perhaps why this young girl was celebrating life with such sincere joy… because she has known so well its ending.

Irma was just fifteen last year when the tsunami hit Banda Aceh, taking with its destructive fury both of her parents, her siblings, her community – and for a teenage girl, basically her entire world. Her grandmother survived, but died just this past week.

Like thousands of others, Irma eventually moved into a barrack camp, and a new family emerged around her – older people that looked out after her a bit (one lady being another housekeeper who recommended Irma for the job with us). But she was a young pretty girl, relatively alone, and soon found herself surrounded by other teenage orphans… one of which became her husband.

Yes, sweet little now-seventeen-year-old Irma is married to an equally adorable boy just a few years older than her. Both of them had no family, so they have now become family for each other, while also abiding by the strict cultural standards that permit little interaction with the opposite sex unless you’re married.

And today, Irma was thrilled to celebrate life… her own.

She, unlike so many others, has a husband, a job that she seems to like, friends, growing English skills, a community that embraces her, and four foreign girls who adore her, despite frequent laundry mishaps and odd placement of cheese and other items in the cabinets instead of in the fridge.

So, needless to say, I awoke with a smile, refreshed already at seeing someone so resilient and precious celebrating the gift of Life.

May you celebrate yours today… even if it’s not your birthday.

With love from Banda,

bonnie jean

quiet

No news is good news, right? I hope so, because it’s eerily quiet around here. I’m “between projects” so to speak, or really, am just trying to figure out what I’m going to launch into next. I have a lot of ideas, so just pray that I have direction and drive for what to avidly pursue. Only a few exciting notes to share at the moment, though…

The clips from the tsunami anniversary coverage that I took part in are now online, so I finally got to see the results of what all the hard work was for! You can watch them online, too, or download them for easier viewing.

There are four clips available, that you can click on each to link to – First, a piece on the island of Pulo Aceh that I’ve written about numerous times, followed by a piece on children in Aceh. I’m actually in those. The other two feature our program coordinator Dellaphine (who I lived with when I first arrived), and one focuses on overall relief work, and the other is about the impact of the tsunami on children.

Enjoy!

In other news, my household has expanded here. No, not babies, but new fun roommates! Sharmila and I have been by ourselves in the “Yellow Palace” for a few weeks and our colleagues/friends Sujata and Elzat had been wanting to move in and were finally given permission. They both moved this week (bringing along a ping pong table and a cabinet-full of delicious Indian spices). Aptly so, we’re hosting a party tonight to celebrate…. there is indeed fun to be had in Banda!

I have loved the emails and endless array of cards and care packages everyone has sent! Thank you so, so very much. You may never know this side of heaven what a difference a card or a phone call makes when you find yourself living at what seems sometimes like the end of the earth … So, thank you!

Much love,
bonnie jean

2006

Selamat… new year! Happy new year, that is! And now you can see why my first new year’s resolution is to learn more Indonesian. I know “thank you” and “good morning” and other pleasantries, but making an honest attempt to study the language of the people my life is now immersed in, I have failed incredibly to do so. Translators at my every side are a good excuse, as is the fact that I’ve been “too busy” to take a class – Ha. I have to laugh at myself for the lameness of my excuses… but now, with the crazy workload subsiding, I hope to take full advantage of my every opportunity to learn the words and phrases that will help me communicate at a “connectable” level and better tell the story of the people of Aceh…

Practicing Espanol (which has faded dreadfully since my days in Dallas) is another aspect of that resolve. New friends who are native speakers are ready to practice with me at anytime. And a new Spanish/English book of Pablo Neruda’s poetry will help, too… The vast majority of my peers here are multilingual, and I, with my accented English, have been intensely feeling my own verbal inadequacies...

I returned an hour or so ago to Banda Aceh, just at sunset, and am sitting now on our front porch with a mosquito coil burning (like incense) to ward off the malaria-transporters, while draped in my new pink “Life Is Good” t-shirt (thanks, Cris!). I’ve been away for four days that zipped by ever-too-quickly in Jakarta, a.k.a. “civilization”. It’s amazing that one doesn’t even think about how isolated life is here until you get a glimpse of … a real city, a mall (with stores you actually want to shop in), a movie theater, women without head scarves, a hotel room with a bathtub, restaurants, clubs, bacon, hash browns and exquisite coffee, a variety of breads and cheeses… the list of things large and small goes on and on and on. A few weeks ago I realized that somewhere along my short (yet seemingly long) tenure here, my internal attitude had shifted without me even realizing it – from having high expectations of things and life (i.e. what I “should” have), to simply being delighted in finding the unexpected (like pancake mix and maple syrup, recent DVDs, or a Christmas tree and a turkey). So, a good dose of “civilization” in Jakarta reminded of all the things I’d forgotten to miss…

But the New Year’s trip and all its indulgences were amazing. Jakarta's a bustling (though smog-filled) city with fantastic restaurants (I think I’ve mentioned food once or twice already), great live music, an overnight trip to a lovely island, new friends to celebrate it all with… it was truly an incredible new years, and perhaps symbolic of new years ahead in unexpected places.

The brief island jaunt to Sepa, about a two-hour bumpy boat ride from Jakarta, included solitude, a beach-side cottage, jet ski riding and an Indonesian band that played “Maria Maria” at least a dozen times. Returning to Jakarta on New Year’s Eve, we met up with friends for a fabulous dinner at a Turkish restaurant where I ate more than my share of hummus (oh, how I’d missed it) and other traditional delectables, while reclining on low couches and giggling at the belly dancers. Soon thereafter we headed out to hear a Colombian band so our Colombian friend could indulge her salsa cravings… and didn’t leave until the wee morning hours. Shopping the next day (after what felt like an 18-course breakfast) was great, but soon paled in comparison to my first Indonesian movie-going experience. Along with the massive screen and suped-up surround sound, the theater seats resembled plush Lazy Boy recliners! With popcorn in one hand, a Diet Coke beside me and watching the Chronicles of Narnia, I was in a movie-goers heaven. Another scrumptious meal of tapas and sangria followed that evening, and my state of bliss was very well complete… except for one small thing – my phone.

On arrival Thursday night, I accidentally left my cell phone in the cab coming from the airport. Though the cabbie miraculously returned it (after answering calls from even my boss), I felt like I’d lost an appendage for a few days. Not only is it always permanently affixed to my hand like a painter’s brush, but I was unable to call my family who’d gathered to celebrate, and my dear friends who always yodel happy new year’s wishes from cell phones everywhere. I loved not hearing the ringings of “work” calls, but the personal communication disconnection was almost unbearable. Now, thankfully, it’s back in hand, so expect to receive belated wishes very soon!

But being back in Banda now and the day to day of Life Here, I've been ruminating a bit. And the dawn of a new year has yielded a plethora of mixed emotions, weighing definitely toward the positive side of the scale (of course), but juxtaposed with the struggles of the past 12 months. It was a year of disasters, and the tsunami tragedy bookends my 2005, with catastrophe in my home state sandwiched in the middle. Clarity and understanding of it all I’m still seeking (and may always), along with trying to discern why I’m always in places of human need when I myself am so needy…

I had a friend that left here this weekend after seven months – it was his “end of mission” as NGO workers say – and as he (a grown man) sat weepy-eyed with us in the airport, another friend turned to me and said, “Will you be sad to leave here?” And before I realized it, I blurted out a quick, “No way!” But as soon as the words rolled out of my mouth, I knew that my response was far, far from the truth. My reaction was tainted perhaps by being in dire need of a break (which we all require from time to time), but my heart and soul have indeed become immersed in the life and people of Aceh and my community here, more so than I think I’ve realized. And though I have no idea what adventures lie ahead for me in Banda, I’m certain they will continue to be amazing…

A new year is undoubtedly a symbolic new beginning. And to start my 2006 among people who have lived through the most unthinkable of tragedies, yet still personify the unyielding power of Hope, Resilience, and Love of family, community and God… it is, needless to say, a pretty inspirational place to be...

With love from Banda,
bonnie jean

p.s. I stumbled upon these good Words for the new year, especially after 2005... "And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper..." (1 Kings 19)