lebih gemuk, lebih cantik

“Lebih gemuk, lebih cantik.” Those were the first words out of my host father’s mouth as I walked through the front doors of our newly completed garage-kitchen after a fleeting 2 weeks away from site. Roughly translated: “you look fatter, and consequently, more beautiful.” I guess I’ve adapted to Javanese flattery more than I thought I had. Having someone immediately tell me I look fatter as I exhaustedly fumble into the house, weighed down by my oversized backpack after having to walk back from where the bus dropped me off because I missed the last microlet of the evening would not have gone over so well one year ago. Yeah, I probably packed on a few pounds thanks to the considerable amounts of food I voraciously consumed in the short 14 days I was away from site, but it was nice to instinctively grasp that my host father was complimenting, not insulting, me…that being fatter denotes that I’m more beautiful which he attributed directly to me being reunited with my family. These anomalous kind words were unexpectedly the perfect way to be welcomed back to site following severe feelings of trepidation towards the return.

A long, long time ago during PST I remember someone sharing that the best time for one to take PC vacation days is when one feels like it’s an impossible time to leave site. I’m a living testament to the legitimacy of that statement. The amount of stress, pressure, guilt and obligation I felt towards my school, host family and community right before I left was almost unbearable. I felt like I was deserting everyone or letting them down by leaving. But taking these two weeks away from site rejuvenated my mind, body and soul. Although I may eat these words later, I feel like I can handle anything that comes my way over the next 11 months.

Top 5 Things I Didn’t Realize I So Intensely Missed Until I Was Reunited With Them On Vacation:

1. Being in charge of my own diet: going to the grocery store, choosing healthier alternatives, and cooking for myself.
2. Western style bathrooms: flushing toilets with toilet paper, hot showers with decent water pressure, brushing my teeth at a sink, and not having to change clothes in a dripping room that’s roughly the size of a medium-sized closet.
3. Having a washing machine at my disposal.
4. Seeing/joining a myriad of people outdoors who were enjoying the abundant pedestrian friendly areas whether it was women running, men pushing baby strollers or families riding bikes together.
5. Blending in with the ‘locals’ and being with people who ‘get me’.

Top 5 Things I Was Surprised I So Strongly Missed About PC Life In Indonesia:

1. The neighbor kids’ unfailing alacrity in greeting me every time they see me.
2. Riding my bell-and-basket adorned bike every day.
3. Never having to use lotion as a natural result of living in a humid climate.
4. Feeling fairly competent in a foreign language.
5. The appreciation one gains for things otherwise taken for granted when having predictable access to them, like my secret stash of American treats stored under my bed in case of an arduous day emergency.