Going...

eth⋅no⋅cen⋅trism

/ˌɛθnoʊˈsɛntrɪzəm/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [eth-noh-sen-triz-uhm]

–noun

1.	Sociology. the belief in the inherent superiority of one's own ethnic group or culture.

2.	a tendency to view alien groups or cultures from the perspective of one's own.

It's one of the words my Dad really likes to use. I have been learning a bit more about where we are going and what to expect as far a culture goes. Over the last 12 weeks, we've noticed more than a few differences between the Canadians and Indonesians. Some are simple, if sometimes irritating, like walking speed, or Facebook addiction. But going there is going to be bit more intense, and I'm wondering what will have the most affect.
Right now I think the things that are weighing most on my mind, the things that will cause the most disturbance will be, in order: heat/humidity, spiciness of food (amount of oil used may also be a factor), and language barrier. There's not much I can do but adapt to them. The first two will be a matter of time, the last will probably find some balance later on.
All of Indonesia speaks Bahasa Indonesia, but every region has it's own distinct dialects that can make a big difference, compare German with English. They area we're going to will speak Sundanese primarily but should have learned Bahasa to some degree. We are going to live with some of the more affluent members of the community, probably going to have at least a high school education. I'm hope I'm prepared for anything, no matter what it's going to be interesting and new. Fun facts: squatting toilets only, no toilet paper just water, no hot water for showers,
As usual, it's the night before and I haven't finished packing. I'm pretty much ready to give up trying to anticipate what will be available and what won't and just go with it. Unlike most times I travel, that's a big open ended question. Still, I think it'll be something I'll enjoy, or at least learn from. But the purpose of the definition is just to remind myself that I'm not in a place to judge others culture, and realize that I'm going to be doing a lot of shrugging things off.
We leave tomorrow and I've already said goodbye to most people. My host mother, Maria, left this morning. She has a conference she had to go to, and we all got up to see her off. It was emotional, expecially for Hendri. He put on a special song to say "thank you" for everything. We both gave gifts to thank them. I made a dream catcher for them, and Hendri got a picture of us all and framed it. I am definitely going to be coming back sometime soon, but Hendri doesn't have that luxury, though he is planning on returning in 2015. We both really appreciated both Maria and Ken for their hospitality, above and beyond the call of the program, so I think we'll both be missing them.
Hopefully I find a computer again soon, but we'll have to wait and see. I have a few bits of info on where we're going and what we're doing but they're few and vague. I think we'll be living close to each other, which is the hope. We spend the first week in transition. A day in Jakarta, meeting the minister of sports and youth, and other officials. 3-5 days in Bandung with short term host families to help us adjust and gather things we may need. I'm only bringing one bag, most of that is books and gifts, so I'll have to pick up some clothes etc. Then we are off to the town. We are starting to plan some volunteer activities for the area, ranging from gathering clean water to more social issues. Apparently, female circumcision is big in this area. That's raising the hackles on a few group members. We may cause a stir when we get there, after we learn to communicate to people.
With any luck, I'll post again soon.
Love, Justin

It's been awhile since the last post. A lot has gone on and not all of it is good, but I may not have internet access for awhile so I had better put some more posts up.
Recently my cousin, Danny Byatt, passed away. He is greatly missed by his family.
That has been a big part of how the last few days have passed, trying to find a way around the rules I agreed to to be in the program. I can't take a bus or rent a car, and people are to busy to drive that far out of their way. I will be in Dartmouth at the Quality Inn on Sunday, so I'll be able to go around town and see people then, but it's not the same.
This past month has really zipped by. I am trying to remember the bigger details to share. This weekend we went to a sweat lodge which was a pretty intense experience. 2 hrs in a sauna not much bigger than a van. 16 people squished in, though most people didn't last the whole time. In fact most of the Indonesians were out in the first half hr, but the ones who stayed I think really enjoyed it. It was much hotter than I thought it would be, the steam was suffocating and it burned to breath to hard. I couldn't talk very much, and staying still was reccomended, but the people doing it were able to full out sing. Practise makes perfect I guess, and they were very kind. They fed us afterwards, lent people towels and shorts, and fed us after wards, and they didn't charge. They seemed happy to share their culture, and I think the group really appreciated it. We invited them to a potluck we are holding on Friday for the host families.
We already had an afternoon tea/performance for the work placements. We haven't been working since last Thurs., and we invited all the supervisors in for a thank you. We all gave them a card, and a speech. We appreciated their efforts, all of them seem very kind and welcoming, great examples of the town. I know I'm going to miss working on the farm. Wasn't always exciting, but we got free apples, good working conditions, outdoors, and in a beautiful place, plus they were both very nice, offering drives encouragement etc.
the last post was about the fundraiser. It seems like that's made up most of our time here, and definetly required the most focus. We reviewed it the other day, to the discomfort of some. There was a clear difference in the group on who did work, and who felt that others could have done more, which led to a few peoples great stress. I'm not sure we'll be doing another show like that, but I think that in the end, we're not going to change much as a group, and the show turned out quite nice. I stand by our work (those who did it), and, if there is a next time, maybe people will change their habits. Their was a lot of energy at the beggining, but our group has a bit of a focusing problem, and plans that are made aren't always explained to everyone, or followed through.
Anyway, we leave Antigonish in 5 days. I've already started packing as we have to go to a debriefing camp for the next 3 days. Once we get back, we prep for the host family dinner, then say goodbye. Leave town on Sun. It's going to be a busy week, shooting by already. I'm still not sure how I feel about leaving. When I was a kid flipping through my parents National Geographic magazines, I decided Indonesia was the most beautiful, diverse, and fascinating country. Now I'm days away from getting there, and either it hasn't really registered that I'm leaving, or I 'm too distracted to care about it. I have a few worries. Electricity, internet connections, social comparisons, etc. I'll make a list in my next post. Either way, the countdown has begun...

So, since last post, a few things have happened. The biggest would be the fundraiser, which went very well. We raised over 1600, which isn't too shabby. Watch, enjoy, point out the flaws.

1. Part 1 : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74YuXeD4Zeg
2. Part 2 : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTgHi9n_Uqc
3. Part 3 : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0vyGj6YWgA
4. Part 4 : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lULORvdubVU
5. Part 5 : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_uaFWFvg28
6. Part 6 : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5S_pVUri1Q
7. Part 7 : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PZNmlPUbuU
8. Part 8 : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AhSVmBPTlg
9. Part 9 : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sfdh4j7uzMs

It was stressful putting it all together, more for some than for others. It took the better part of Sat. to cook all the food, decorate the church and rehearse for a bit. I spent most of the morning cooking nasi goren (fried rice). I think I can cook it in my sleep now. We were still eating it for the sleepover on Thurs. But I think it went well, I enjoyed the hustle/bustle of the kitchen, we performed well, fed the audience some decent food, I think everyone enjoyed the show. More to come later.

So, as some of you know, I've been sick for about a week now. I'm better, or getting there. Still in a bit of a fog, and tired, but I don't have a fever or chills, and my throat doesn't hurt any more. Hopefully I can get back to running regulrarly again after Saturday. Until then, I have to hope that my immune system will keep up the good work. Some days I've felt fine but others, not so much.
Over the weekend we had a Halloween party. I spent a good part of the day cooking. It was a beautiful day, warm and sunny. We weren't sure if the part was going to be cancelled or not due to H1N1 but I figured if it didn't go to the potluck it would be eaten here. I made a really nice spice bread, beef dumplings (which are harder to make than I thought), and spaghetti. Good hearty food for harvest. We found out the party was on, and after a rush to get costumes together at the last minute we were on our way.
Now, it's important to preface the party by saying that this was many of the Indonesians first encounter with Halloween. hendri was very excited by the idea to dress up, and, using some random bits and pieces from Maria and Kens "halloween costume bag", he formed a ghoulish cosutme that looked store bought. I coped out, and went as a vampire. Simple, and easy to put together, though I probably matched dozens of people in town. Luckily our group was a bit more imaginative, and there were no copies. Most costumes showed a bit of effort, or at least, signifisanct ingenuity. The evening was a blast, all the effort and energy that children normally build up for the holiday, in semi-adult bodies. Many pictures were taken, and we grabbed a quick dinner. Then, as the Antigonish curfew closed in, it was decided that trick or treating should be taken advantage of. So, the Canadians decided to take the Indonesians around the block. Pretty incredible, and hilarious. As a group, they would chrage a house, running across the yard, yelling random things, and acting scary. Then, as they gathered in front of the door to yell "trick or treat" (the occupant either amused or worried), they would start singing Indonesian songs (pretty common for our group) and a Canadian would explain who we were as candy was dolled out.
We finished the evening with sorting and sharing candy, after a surprisingly succesful venture, and played a gmae called werewolves. We were allowed to bring alcohol to the party, so there were a couple bottles of wine finished off. It was a pretty great evening.
The morning after, however, the illness returned and many people were once again out for the count. I was feverish and in solitude for most of the day. Which was unfortunate not only for my own comfort, but this was the day Marias family, some of whom were visiting from Holland, were coming for dinner here. Close to 30 people in total, and even though I had promised earlier to help cook, and it would be nice to meet more people of the family, I was in hiding, and rather miserable for it. It would also hae been a prime opportunity to sell tickets for our show.
Either way, I'm better now, and starting tomorrow morning, we start work and don't stop cooking, singing or dancing until 8, Saturday. I'm excited for the show, sad I won't be doing swing, but we just didn't have time to learn it with both of us feeling ill this last week. But there is still plenty to do, and learn. Other people in the group have taken the brunt of the labour for a couple reasons. I wanted to do more, but given my position in the community and the low frequency I go into town and see the others, I don't have many opportunities to help out. Still, I imagine everyone will be needed tomorrow. Should be fun.