Some of my favorite things

Now that my fingers are no longer inflamed from the hot chilies and I had plenty of time to think as I soaked the ten digits in the oil and water I thought I’d send out some of the things that I miss from the States. These are in no particular order.
Besides toilet paper, a flushing toilet, and a hot shower:
Top sheet to the bed. It appears that even in hotels, it’s only the bottom sheet and a quilt
Bath towels. The towels here are between the sizes of a hand towel and a very small bath towel.
Washing machine – with hot water. I don’t know how clean I’m really scrubbing these clothes. Plus it is so time consuming. I could use a laundry service – but they just wash the clothes like me – in a tub with cold water.
Locks on the door that turn counter-clock wise to release and clock-wise to lock. It is the complete opposite here, so I am constantly relocking the door as I attempt to get out!
Air mail postage that only costs about $1.00 for a letter. I’ve sent three letters recently one page each. They each cost approximately $4.00 a piece. But the people are worth it!
A good Caesar salad with a glass of wine. Lettuce, dressing (other than bottled Thousand Island, which is very popular) and wine are very hard to find. Being a predominately Muslim country, there is very little alcohol in Cirebon. In the capital of Jakarta I could find some. But that is a five hour car ride, or a three hour train ride.
Vacuum cleaner. It appears that everything is swept or mopped. The dirt and dust just get moved around.
Stapler the ones here are tiny, hand held ones with tiny staples. They easily jam and can’t handle a class of 22 students.
Half and half for my coffee. The instant coffee is always mixed with coffee mate and then they put in lots of sugar.
Rain it’s been over a month and just one little shower at night the first week I was here. It’s hot and sunny every day. I’m sure when the rainy season comes (November through March) I’ll be missing these sunny days.
Now some of my favorite things that I appreciate here:
Great food stalls virtually on every corner. Along with food vendors walking, riding becak’s or motorcycles through the neighborhood. You never really have to leave your home to eat! And you never really have to cook.
The beautiful colors. The tropical colors are soothing and rich.
The very reasonable prices of local items. For twelve dollars I bought my groceries for the week. Fruits, vegetables, rice, milk and yogurt along with my peanut butter.
The wonderful staff at school. All the teachers and administration have been so very kind to me and are more than happy to help me learn the language.
The exotic fruits and vegetables that I get to sample
The hot sun is actually very pleasant to me. I’ve dreamed about snow already – but I don’t think I will actually miss the winter weather.
The children in my class they are adorable, their smiles are amazing. And like children everywhere, they can be silly and not interested in what I’m trying to teach!
The beauty of the countryside. I’ve not travelled too far as of yet, but just to see the mountains, and the rice paddies is fascinating to me.
I’m sure I will add to both lists as the year progresses.