Two Months In!

It’s the weekend again!! – Time to write at last!!

The rain has been getting heavier here which has made swimming in the river increasingly more exciting day by day! (I promise I’d being safe Dad!!).

Last week we ran a session with a school from a nearby city. It was fun to meet some different kids and the day only got better when they all jumped into the mud to go rice planting at the end of the day! Mud attracts children in all countries it seems.

On Friday last week we ran a circus lesson with our Kindergarten students, who had a fantastic time!!

This week I had an adventure in public transport as I tried to get the bus to the next town over to pay the Wifi bill. I cycled this distance the other week, but on a hot day cycling 10k is pretty much the last thing which I want to do! So I thought, how hard can it be to get the bus??

I optimistically asked Fitri what time the busses come. She just laughed at me and said ‘nobody knows’. So I hopefully stood outside the school waiting for one to drive past. After about 15 minutes success!! I frantically waved him down and hopped on board.

Being a bus driver in Indonesia must be incredible. There’s no limit to how many people you let on, you don’t work to any timetable and its compulsory that you blast the loudest music that you can while you drive. After what felt like a short party, we arrived at the other end and banged on the door to be let out. Having paid the driver my 5,000 rupiah I set off to the post office. I successfully paid the wifi bill and picked up my post- Hurrah!

Now to get back. I stood by the side of the road hoping for another bus. After a couple of minutes a black school bus style oplet pulled up and asked me if I wanted to go to Bukit Lawang – Yes! So I jumped on board, only for him to turn and drive away from Bukit Lawang – towards a school. Oh dear. This was not just an out of service school bus, this was an actual school bus. So we picked up around 40 children from a nearby school, who all found it hilarious to discover a Bule (tourist) sat in their school bus. We then proceeded towards Bukit Lawang – stopping at various houses to drop children off. After what felt like forever I though we must have reached the Trust – so I banged on the glass to stop the driver! I scrambled past the school kids and out of Oplet to pay the driver – only to discover we were still not there.

Too embarrassed to admit my mistake in front of so many kids, I decided to walk the rest of the way – surely I’m just around the corner!

I was not just around the corner and after 10 minutes of walking I decided to cave and get a bershak home so that I didn’t miss the lesson I was meant to be teaching! An all-round successful day of transport!

Next week I am heading to Penang to renew my visa – I think it’s about time I have a break from Bukit Lawang, since I caught myself running the length of the house to look out the window the other day, just because I heard police sirens drive past. It’s funny how quickly you become one of the people who get excited even by a car driving past, when you live in a town where nothing ever happens!

This evening if the rain lets up I might head to a wedding – perhaps it will be more exciting than the circumcision party I went to the other week!