Catching up with What's going on!

We have lost a few days -  Blogger was down and so we couldn't Blog anything!!!  I am hoping it is fixed now - therefore I am getting caught up with you all! 

 Here is the staff of Kawan Kitchen - we are enjoying teaching English to them!  Danu, Agnus, Agustine, and Sidik & Andreaz (who are not in the picture) and Umi - The Christmas Lights were in the tree...gotta to take a picture with the the group!

"We Wish YOU a Merry Christmas..We Wish YOU a Merry Christmas...."

 That evening the Mountain View Christian High School had a Christmas concert - the kids put on a wonderful concert for all of us.....and oh we were blessed by that! 

 The evening started with a  Bazaar offering food, treats, and many Craft Booths to enjoy!  I found some items to bring back!  So many pretty things to choose from!

 Gosh it was a really good turn-out- they said the biggest one yet!  

 This gentleman had made wallets, purses and bracelets all made of rubber!  The plastic jug containers he used like a drawer...pulling the items out of them...what a unique idea huh?  Pretty cool we both thought! 

 Oh the kids were a JOY to listen too!  They sang in English, Korean and Indonesian!  The school is attended by children from many nationalities.

We definitely all got into the Christmas Spirit singing songs and enjoying the young voices!  They did a tremendous job - and we look forward to the Reason for the Season!

"We wish YOU a Merry Christmas and a......

        ....Happy & Blessed & Healthy New Year!" 

Sinterklaas Gathering here in Salatiga with the Dutchies!

December 5th ~ Wow Can you believe it - celebrating the Dutch Saint Nicholaas here in Salatiga????!!!

It all started with Christiaan & Leanna receiving a (several boxes!)  box from Holland with goodies in it..preparing them for Sinterklaas!  Christiaan & Leanna said "What shall we do with all that...let's have a little get together with the Dutchies!!!!" - yes- how fun & there is enough to share!  SO..........Beppie invited us all over to the house on December 5th! 

And Beppie being quite a cook/baker made Homemade Carrot cake and it was GOOD!                                 Wortel Taart in Dutch! 

 We all enjoyed one anothers company chit-chatting in Dutch....of course!  Nick & I are a little rusty compared to these 'fresh from Holland' group- but our Dutch/American mix - it was fun anyway...ha!

                      Beppie made us all feel so spoiled - it did us good to be together this evening!
Thank you Beppie - for having us all over...it was a FUN evening!!! We all appreciate it...echt waar!

Yes it was a wonderful evening - kopje koffie met wortel taart!  Yes! There was pepernoten and schuimtjes and gummitjes...and we sang the Dutch songs that Nick had copied off the internet!  Oh how handy is that - yes all available online!

Christiaan had a T-shirt on from a VERY familiar store in Leiden where Milou works and is Manager there!  Look Milou! 

Albert, Liesbeth, Leanna, Ewout and Beppie and Nick & I had a great evening!

"Zie ginds komt the stoomboot van Spanje weer aan" "Sinterklaasje kom maar binnen met je knecht" it was fun singing all together and remembering that back home in Holland and Bend, Oregon they would be celebrating Sinterklaas too!

 We are 15/6 hrs ahead - so we beat everyone to it! ha!

 Christiaan told us that in Holland they are making the old songs a little more updated! It was pretty cute the way he sang it!                               Helemaal stoer zeg!

 We also did a "elephant exchange" of gifts - and the rules were also printed off the Net below!

 

For you Dutchies - you can read off this sheet and see the rules to this game...It was lots of fun 

and we did a whole lot of exchanging with these rules...everytime you thought you had 'the gift' and then before you knew it was gone again!  

Sinterklaas in Salatiga Central Java Indonesia...pinch me...is this really happening?  Did we ever think??????

Nope! BUT WE DID!!!!

Lunch Anyone

 A couple who live down the road from us had a beautiful TV cabinet made and they told us where - so Nick & I went over there and saw the most beautiful work - all done by hand!  Oh my goodness such detail and beautiful wood that has the grains in it - Oh I would LOVE to have a table made with that wood!  Our other friends are doing just that...a big slab of a tree cut with all the weaves of the grain on the table top...oh absolutely lovely!  Anyway - we came to admire the work!  The owner, Pak Pramono gave us a tour his shop!  (man on the left in red) Pak Pramono was also celebrating his 71 Birthday!  So we wished him a Happy Birthday!  
There was a group of people also gathered in another area - and it seems that they were climbers/hikers and had just climbed Mt Marapi that morning!  They were a friendly bunch and wanted a picture with us...just look at those friendly faces!  

 Oh Oh to control oneself and not order a table to be made to ship back to the States!  Yes...CONTROL!!!!

Shall we do it Nick...get a small container and ship some things home?????  Well??????

 OK Uncle Paul - you probably know what this fruit it right?  

 You told me the name of the previous fruit - the red one in our front yard - Jumbu...how about this one?  To me it looks like a avocado????  I took it especially for you to figure out...hint hint?

               Does any other Indo out there seeing this know???

 Look at this wall - the moss grows on it because of the dampness in the air...and then look what is growing from it?  Ferns!  Just coming out of the rock....I don't think it was planted there - or maybe it is....

                           When I see interesting things - oh well the camera comes out of the purse!
Notice the word Dutch people out there?  Parking "Parkir"  in Dutch parkeer - they changed it a bit here - but I am sure it is left over from the Dutch colonial days
.

double click on this picture and you can read the menu!

  - So on Sunday we had this really nice lunch after church - and Nick & I enjoyed the surrounding & atomsphere of this darling place called Kafeole' - so we said this afternoon....shall we go get some lunch?  Well we only need to say that ONE TIME to one another! Ha!  

We start with a freshly juiced Papaya drink!

                           Just look how BIG this leaf is????

So' large!  

 Oh see how beautiful and "fine" this fern tree is?  Oh you guys - isn't just gorgeous?  You see all different kinds of trees, bushes and ferns in this pretty restaurant!

(Oh Oh ...makes me think of Jonah!)  

 This little hut happens not to have the pillows around the table - but people here are comfortable sitting on the floor, not Ellen - but when you walk through the pathways you see people sitting comfortable in the cute huts enjoying a meal and one another!

Nick & I sat at the table - under the canopy!  

Shopping in the Rain!

 Shopping at the department store - and this little girl was all smiles looking at those "tall people"
                        She was with her mommy and quite comfortable!  Cut huh?!

 It began to rain so' hard...Nick & I had to take cover...and then even HARDER ...everyone ran cover and just waited. 

 Well it rained for about 10-15 minutes and we all stood undercover - and then it lighten up and we walked over to the scooter...dried it off and got those poncho's out an zipped home!  You betcha!

 Jessica had brought me a special gift - a handmade table runner that was made from the island she was from Kalimantan - see the turtles in the pattern?  She shared with me that the people enjoyed doing crafts with animals in it!  It looks so nice on the coffee table that we have borrowed from our friends! 

Our neighbors had come over for dinner and showed me how to make "sabal" and with his hands he was trying to explain this crushing movement - well Nick called out "oelekan" which came from nowhere!  He was so surprised himself he remembered that from his mothers days!  How funny - he keeps having words come back to his memory!  Well - we went out and bought one!  Then Pak Jono said - let the grinder be wood "kaym" not rock on rock - he said because it will grind the rock - so we did - we replaced it.  So now I will have to get going and make some sabal!  (chili paste- Indonesia style!)

There's Beppie our friend - she is really comfortable on that motorcycle...she zips around on it - no problem (tidak masalah)!  I hope to learn and get as comfortable with it too! 
 
Tomorrow is Sinterklaas - and we will also be celebrating it here in Salatiga!  Beppie is having the Dutchies over for the evening!  We printed some songs - and there are even some goodies that have also come from Holland!  Supposedly 10 of us speaking Dutch!  Oh Oh!  When the Dutch get together.....well      ........."altijd Gezellig!"

                                Now Doesn't she look like a Dutch girl on that motorbike?  

Sampai Nanti!

(see you later!) 

or actually ....

Salamat Tidur! Good Night! 

Sunday Lunch ~

Sunday after church Nick & I followed "the gang" to a cute place for lunch!  A place we had not yet visited! These youngun' were part of the "welcoming committee" who so warmly welcomed us when we first arrived here!  So it was great to get together again!  We followed Albert & Yohanes to

Cafe Oleh ~

A very cute place indeed!  Yohanes had this old scooter that was FAST!  He laughed as he raced down the road!  Albert held on!

This restaurant was like a garden ~ just adorable...look here....to the left and right were little patio's through out this garden - where you could sit privately in this darling garden.

 Tables tucked away in cozy little pathways - where you could & chat and eat!

 Jessica and her sis Joy were waiting for us with Novee - they had found a cute little hut with sitting area!  But is was a low table - sitting on the floor - and it didn't have enough for all of us to sit around...fortunately - we looked for another table - I don't do well sitting on the ground!

         Jess found the band stand - and gave us a little show "Go Girl!" She looked like a natural!

 So here are some sweet friends: Albert, left from Holland, Yohanes is from the Lake Toba area in Sumatra, then on the right Joy and Jessica two sisters from the island of Kalimantan both studying at the university to become teachers.  Then there is Novee - who is here from the Philippians already 4 yrs!

                                                         Oh we had such fun!

                                    We so enjoyed our time together and yes lunch was good!
                            How could it not be...great company and a darling place...of course!