So it's the fourth day of the program, and so far we've been doping a lot of "work". We've met our counter parts, and are slowly starting to get to know them. There is a pretty big language barrier but they all have at least a inimal level of english so we get by with relatively fe w translations. So far so good, we should be meeting our host families tomorrow, though I don't know where I am stayting just yet. All the families sound pretty interesting, most are out of town in the country. The one I"m going for is a very liberal couple whose children have moved out of the house. They work on an organic farm and if Hendri (my counterpart) and I go there, we will be working there, voluinteering at a bunch of different place including a school and dinner theatre. More on that if we actually get it, but it's what we're hoping for.
Most of the things we;ve been doing so far are seminars on how to interact with another culture and preparing for the changes as well as how to deal with being in the groupo and having counterparts. From what they say, this may hurt a bit, lots of culture shock and issues to work out betyween cultures. It's all very PC, and the way everything is being run is kind of childish. I was hoping for a crash course in indonesian culture so that we know what to expect and can learn to handle any problems as they arise. Instead we are colouring a lot and putting everything into artistic and simple ways to ensure everyone is energized and understanding. It gets tedious, though with the limits of language, it's kind of understandable. I still think it could all have been summed up in a couple hrs instead of 3 days.
L:iving here otherwise has been fun, the food is pretty good, the rooms are like hotels, and everyone seems to be getting along very well. Once away from the "structured fun" people seem more willing to actually have fun, leading to volleyball games, bon fires, and general chatting. I think that most of us have found some common ground, so it should all work out very well.
I'll try and post more this weekend with more information on what we're doing.
Miss you all
Justin