Scoops from two cultures, one heart
Oopsie daisy, I posted the wrong picture. So this is a quick change LOL:
Blue Bucket Boy
That’s how my son took his bath at his Oma (Grandma) house here in Indonesia since a lot of houses doesn’t have bathtubs. The bucket maybe a little too small but he sure had fun! 
Join the fun here: I ♥ Faces
The theme this week is Completely Candid and here’s my entry, although I think I should’ve use this picture for last week’s theme Contemplative (silly me, I thought you can only entry children pictures LOL).
I shot this picture awhile ago from inside a crawling taxi on one hot day, another typical Jakarta’s life scenes of horrible bumper to bumper traffic jam and as I played with my new lens, this old man caught my eyes.
He sat on the side of the road, under a barely there little tree, to cover himself from the glaring sun, hoping somebody would buy some fried snacks from inside their comfy car. There’s something on this old man’s face that is so different, it pulls a few string inside my heart.
The big city has probably beat him up, maybe had shattered his dreams, betrayed his hopes yet he is still trying to survive…at least he didn’t give up and become one of the many beggars all over the city.
Make sure you check all the amazing entries for this week’s challenge on I ♥ Faces
Ketupat
Eid ul-Fitr (Idul Fitri/Lebaran in Indonesian language) always brought so many beautiful childhood memories for me even when I’m not a Muslim. Growing up mainly in two small towns tucked in eastern parts of Indonesia that some never even heard before, Idul Fitri was special day celebrated not only by the Muslim but by everyone in the neighborhoods. It’s a vice versa tradition for Christmas too.
I still remember how my mother will be so busy in the kitchen days before the big day arrives. She’ll bake her signature famous pumpkin cake (and some other stuff that I can’t really remember now) and usually I was the delivery girl. Oh, how I love the smell of that pumpkin cake and how it filled up the whole house. Too bad she never make them anymore (winking at her if she reads this!).
On the big Day, usually around noon we would all get dress in our Sunday Best and starts our Idul Fitri ‘touring’ as what our little family used to called it. It will start with the closest neighbors’ house. Besides the obvious abundance of cookies, we will be having a huge feast of Idul Fitri’s signature dishes such as opor ayam (braised chicken in rich coconut milk), ketupat (rice cakes wraps in coconut leaves), rendang, and many more. We would all be stuffed only after a few houses LOL. This continues on the second day of Idul Fitri. Besides the countless lunches and dinners, our neighbors would also send those foods to our house. Likewise, on Christmas day, we will have our friendly neighbors over and they will be sending cookies, cakes, & foods as well.
Here in the big city of Jakarta, this kind of traditions has been disappearing for years now. Individuality is much higher so it’s not a surprising thing if neighbors barely know one another. The first time I moved to Jakarta, I was surprised by this during Idul Fitri and my kind aunt had to explain the differences.
Not only that I am missing those foods but I’m missing the familiarity of small town neighborhood, how everyone was like families not just some strangers you smiled at through your high fences. We Indonesians did shows a very high religious tolerance especially in small towns where neighbors has become like your own family. I hope in many small towns, they still preserve and cherish these traditions for many more years to come.
Have a blessed Idul Fitri, everyone!
PS: Photo from Wikipedia.
“Remember where you are…” that’s the line my father keep telling me when I started get crabby about how some things work here.
Actually, it wasn’t until I met Melanie, an Aussie girl who’s been a teacher in Asia for over 10 years that I realized that there is a word for how I’ve been feeling in the past oh 9 months. It’s called Reverse Culture Shock. When Melanie and I had our chats, that’s when I realized that she have the same feelings as I do (she was en-route to return home to Australia when I met her) and it was like one of those moments where you say “OMG, you know, I feel the same way too!”
Yes, I was only ‘away’ from my home country for a mere 4 years but somehow I feel something different now that I am back, fully living here. Please don’t get me wrong, I love my home country and being with my family is awesome. Yet there’s this nagging feeling inside me that I couldn’t even pint point at first.
For example, I get so impatience when I have to deal with the banks here, with their complicated way of doing things and just can’t help but comparing them with the way banks operates back in the US. It frustrate me but you know what, it’s always been hectic since as long as I remember it, it probably will stay the same 20 years from now. It was me who need to lower my expectations a bit or else I will never stop feeling irritated.
Living in China and traveling here back and forth, Mr. X didn’t feel much of culture shock. Although he admits that working with a local company with different work ethics still need times to get used to, he handles everything pretty well and I’m so proud of him.
Lowering my gears, I too have to re-adjust to the way people ask questions here. Indonesians loves small talks even when the typical questions they’ll ask you will be considered as none-of-your-beeswax kinda thing. Such as: “Where is your husband from?” to “Why don’t you have more kids, I bet they’ll be so cute!” I’m still working on this department but I think I get better at holding my tongue back and not replying “No, the hospital just handed him out to us to be raised! What do you think?” when a complete stranger asked “Is this your son?” LOL 
Since I found out that there is a name for what I’m feeling, I’ve been reading a lot about it online. Google helps! And it’s a relief to know that I’m not alone that there are people out there who understand it. Hopefully in time, I’ll feel better.
Contemplative
My first ever entry for the I ♥ Faces challenge. I chose this very amateur shot of my son because the look on his face really fits the theme. Being only 33 months old sometimes I can see an old soul through his eyes. Join the fun at I ♥ Faces.
New place means new exploring site for your curious little monkey…
Prop: Mommy's blush on
Regular drawers = easy access
This is how Mommy put her lotion on
Lipstick...hmmm...
Toy Story 2 is fun but mommy's lipstick is better!
Note to self: either find another place to store your make-ups or find a drawer with locks! 
I'm Maureen, Indonesian by birth, westernized by heart, single mom - blogger - full time worker - lifetime learner - photography lover - travel junkie - writer wanna be - living in Jakarta, Indonesia. Find out more...
