Leaving soon.

Well it's been awhile since the last port, and the program is almost over, hard to believe that 82 days have passed. Everyday seemed so long and short at the same time. We leave the town tomorrow morning and I will shortly get back to my Host Family to give some gifts and take alot of pictures. The last couple weeks have passed with few big moments, the last week and a half was mostly reminiscing, performing and packing. We have to put on 3-4 shows for a few towns before we go, starting on wed. ending pretty much when we leave. The time before that was spent doing the FGD's (assessments) I mentioned last time, which were pretty much a big waste of time on my part, and copmpleting the smaller projects that a few ofus have taken up during our time here. Mine were mostly centered on environment, and helping other groups and I had a brief unsuccesfull attempt at an antismoking campaign. Most of of these projects could have been done in a week or 2 in canada, but due to several glaring differerences, simple tasks like printing and laminating posters took me 2 weeks to make, translate, and leave town (twice) to get them printed. I am not the most invested in my projects either, and while I know that change takes time, especially in a place that experiences so little of it, most of these side projects have had little effect on the town. My posters numbers have dropped substantially as the stores take them down for taking away their prime seller. The recycling bins that were built filled with garbage despite workshops, signs, and clearly marked bags. We may have been aiming high for much of what we did, but I'm hoping to get in touch with the next group who can pick up where we leave off, and maybe we started the changing process. Funny how much less affected and corny change is when you are trying to accomplish something.
The performances we are doing, or at leats some of us are doing are supposed to be thank you's and goodbyes. Apparently we have a lot of them to give regardless of what we beleive. mempora has many facets set about the island and we have to gove something to them all. Many of the canadians don't have a lot of performing experince, at least not until we joined the program, and weren't happy to learn about them all. Not that we are going to have to put something together for each one, no one has to do anytthing they don't want to, but we were expecting a calm trip home with time to spend with the group and gathering keepsakes to bring home (much harder to track down than you'd think). Instead we have to sit in a bunch of govenrnment buildings waiting for specch after speech inbetween a bunch of repetitive performances. I've seen most of what we haveodne several times. The performance that we all agreed was necessary was the one in our actual villagewith all our host families present witha big pot luck afterward. It went ok. The english song was a rewritten "I will Survive" played on traditional sudanese insturments. Didn't go so well, words forgotten, poor playing, but the audience just wanted us to strum a katcapy so they got what they wanted. They seemed to like everything but Hendri's students English drama. they came to hear music not english. Too bad, he spent a lot of time and effort on it, so did the kids. He's been one of the busier people here, putting together a small library, med kits for the schools, even had an outdoor reading area built. The family is definitely going to miss him, and I think me too.
So thats a basic update. I have tried to update before, but most of the times I managed to get a computer the internet was very slow or I had to rush out. The end of the rainy season brings more and more lightning storms. Every night we get to see it play along the mountains in the distance. I'm trying to write down as much as I can about this place, take a lot of pictures and a few videos. I haver been keeping a decent journal and I plan on adding to it in the next few days. I am Back in Canada on the 2nd of March, then in Halifax on the 5th. Not much longer now. I'm definitely ready to leave Cikandang, I am not looking forward to being dragged from event to event to have my picture taken by hundreds of random people, but I don't really wnat to leave the group behind and get on with my life. I am a little worried that Canada will seem boring by comparison, and I am thinking I'll be back in Indonesia if not exactly this part of it. There is way more to see here than Java island. I hope to get another entry before I get back home, but if I don't get the chance, I'll see everyone soon.
Justin