Malang (mahhhhhlong)

    I've been in Malang for less than two full days and I'm already in love with this town (or rather, large village).  The culture here is refreshing.  The vibe is so laid back.  It's laid back in a typical islander-lifestyle way.  Everybody is overly friendly and tries to help me speak Bahasa Indonesian.  If I can't say what I'm trying to say (which is most of the time), they are very patient while I let Google Translate take over.

    The day started early with teacher orientation on campus. It was very exciting because it was the first time I was able to see the campus. I can use one word to describe it: breathtaking.  I took a picture right behind my office window.  There's beautiful, green, tropical scenery with a mountain in the background.  This picture does not do it justice.

 

After I finished gawking at the scenery, it was quick to work.  My empty desk soon became a full desk...filled with piles and piles of books to aid me in teaching my Primary 1 (P1) and Primary 2 (P2) classes.  I will be the form (homeroom) teacher for one of the two second grade classes and will push in on a first grade class to teach English.

 

The other view from my window:

 The school library:

 The curriculum I will be using for my kiddos:

     Maintaining the proper school attire is strictly enforced.  Students must be dressed to code at all times.  There's even a mirror students can look into to stay accountable.

 

My classroom!! You can see the mountains and trees through the window on the other side of the wall. :)

Bina Bangsa School - Malang...the view from the upper primary levels.

 

 My classroom sign.

After school we walked to the market (which seems like a daily routine now).  I needed to get bread and realized they conveniently have uncrusted bread for those who prefer it that way. I've been trying to stay healthy to counteract all my chocolate and suri roti (bread with a delicious mystery filling) eating, so I stuck with wheat.

 

The view outside the market:

 

 Thank goodness for my impressive cooking skills (not).  I was able to mess up making a bowl of ramen.  Didn't even know that was possible.

I will try to capture some of this beautiful city on video.  I just haven't had the chance yet.. so so busy!

Love always,

(Ms.) Katrina

Jakarta

     Today marks the first full week I have been in Indonesia.  Teacher orientation for the first week in Jakarta flew by.  Luckily, I was able to get there early enough that I had a free day in Jakarta with my roommate Lexi (who will be teaching on the Semarang campus), as well as our friends Clark and Jeremiah.  Here's a little video of some of the things we experienced on our free day in Jakarta!

It's Time!

The last week has been an absolute whirlwind.  So much has happened!

Highlights:

• My best friend Brittany put together  a whole surprise party for me at her place in Minneapolis.
• Calvin went paddleboarding
• We went to Winzer Stube
• I packed up just about all of my closet into two luggage bags and began my journey to Jakarta, Indonesia

I have some pictures to document this past week. :)

A gift from Colleen "I think I can, I think I can"

Psycho Suzie's porch seating

Rained like crazy after hole 13 and we got stuck!

LAST DAY WORKING RETAIL!!

All my total wine gals

GoPro

Today I got my GoPro ! I took it out for a spin and tried to make a video--not the best quality, but good practice. :)

And yes....that is a ninja turtle helmet.

Portland --> Seattle

We stopped in Portland for lunch and while we were there we just HAD to stop at Voodoo Donuts and get some sweets :)  Voodoo is known for their wacky flavored/decorated donuts-one even being a Nyquil one to eat before going to sleep! (the FDA shut that down real quick though).

Our next stop was Seattle- where we went on an Orca boat tour, and visited Pike's Market Place.

Bend, Oregon

Today we left Grants Pass and headed out for Bend.  We had a four hour car ride, but thanks to our nice roomy SUV, good music, and good movies, it didn't seem too long of a trip.

Upon arriving in Bend, we decided to check out one of the local breweries.  Oregon is known for brewing beer, and ironically, we are staying right on the Deschutes River.  As I am typing this, if I look up I can see thick forest parted by a peacefully flowing Deschutes River.  It's absolutely gorgeous.

We checked out the 10 Barrel Brewing Company and had INCREDIBLY delicious food there (brussel sprouts with some cheesy mayo topping, cajun steak nachos, and lime-siracha buffalo wings).  I would definitely recommend anybody passing through Bend to make a stop here.

Just from driving around, it seems like a very eco-friendly and clean town.  There are people biking, walking, and tubing down the river.  It seems like an active and friendly town.

Our plan was to only stay in Bend for a few days, then head up to Portland. However, Bend was just too beautiful to leave, so we decided to stay for a few extra days.  According to Dave Matthews (of the Dave Matthews band, naturally)  it is the "best kept gem of the United States" and I could not agree with him more.