So on Thursday the planning for hospital staff to go visiting began. We are between a mid-sized city and a town (189,000 people and 25,000 people respectively) so needed to divide our cars and who would go where, so we could visit all those that needed to be visit. It is quite the project keeping track of which government officials follow which religion, so you know when to visit them. You definitely don't want to show up at the mayor's house during Lebaran if he is Catholic :) You also have to know who will be home and when they are willing to host guests. Some go to visit extended families on other islands during these major holidays or they themselves go visit the first day or the second day but are home the other day. Anyway, it gets a little complicated!
The first day we visit people that have more of a direct relationship with the hospital, i.e. their kids work here or they worked here before they retired. We also visited the director of the Muslim hospital in the nearby city. The second day we head for open houses at the police chief's office and the mayor's office. These are much more formal affairs held in large well-decorated offices.
So both days I traveled with the hospital director and his family as I was representing our mission organization in this area and also the nursing school (the director was on vacation this week). So first comes the challenge of finding the house and parking on the narrow streets and alleys. Once you find it though, if the door or gate is open they are receiving visitors. So you walk into their home and shake hands and tell them Happy Idul Fitri. If they are a close friend then you say mohon maaf lahir dan batin, which is essentially asking for forgiveness for sins or wrong you have committed against them. Then you sit and they offer you cookies and other treats. It is polite to wait till they ask you at least two times and usually three before you get up and take some. They are usually also sweet drinks available. Depending on who you are (someone to be respected or a close friend) and who they are (considered wealthy or at least well to do) you might be offered a full rice meal with meat. You will eat at many houses during the day, so it is wise not to take a big portion! Most of the food is quite tasty but can be on the hot and spicy side :) You do have to remember though that it will be out most of the day, so you want to go for those dishes that were well cooked!
While you snack or eat, you talk. Think of it like a family reunion or Christmas party where you see people you don't get to see very often or at least spend much time with and so you spend the time catching up on what is happening in their lives and yours. It is pretty standard to ask about the family and kids and grandkids. Usually if you are in their home, there is a family photo and that helps. Then it is a good idea to ask which of the snacks the woman of the house made herself and make sure you try that one and compliment her. These snacks are usually quite intricate and it takes a lot of work! Once you have eaten and chatted for awhile, it is time to excuse yourself. Always a bit awkward because you basically wait for the conversation do die down and when you have people who like to talk that doesn't happen frequently. My trick in these situations is to suggest we take a picture together and that has us all standing up and then it is easier to leave :) So you all shake hands and head off to the next place.
Day #2 we headed to the mayor's house and a judge's house, who also happens to be a patient. These tend to be more formal. You come in and shake hands and get your plate of food and sit down at chairs and sometimes tables that have been set-up. You eat and then go out again after shaking hands again. There is not a chat time etc but the key is that you were there and showed your respect.
There is of course the fact that they usually don't get a lot of Americans doing this visiting, so I am a bit of an anomaly and fascination. Frequently, there are questions about why I am here and what I am doing. I have a legal visa to serve as a teacher at the nursing school, so that is how I explain my presence. Then come the the frequently asked questions, but why would you come to Indonesia or why do you stay here? I usually say I enjoy the friendliness of the people, the good food but not so much the hot weather, all very true but which usually gets a laugh and then we move onto the next topic. During Christmas visiting my picture was taken while I visited a government official and I ended up featured in the newspaper. Not sure if that happened this time around yet or not :)
While these days can be very long, tiring, hot and you end the day not wanting to eat another thing for a week, I don't usually dislike them once I get going. It is a good time to continue building relationships with Indonesians that I serve with and others who I come into contact with. For me it is all about showing respect and honor and continuing to build relationships, despite our differences.
This year I went to a total of 7 houses over the two days. Not bad! My record is 21 houses in one day but I was younger then!! Here are a few pictures from the weekend...
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| Headed to Pak Tambi's house (our driver) |
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| At the Mayor's Office in Singkawang |
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| Visiting... |
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| ... and more visiting |
A couple of quick prayer requests
~ After all that hand shaking and cheek touching I came down with a bad cold. It is making me quite miserable at the moment. It doesn't help that we have guests right now that I am responsible for helping to host.
~ There was some violence between Christians and Muslim over the Lebaran weekend. Apparently in Papua (considered a more Christian island) a mosque was burned and stones were thrown at people, because they refused to lower the volume on their loudspeaker. In retaliation a church was attacked in Java a day later. Please be praying that those who caused trouble will be held accountable in both situations and that tensions will calm down again quickly.
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