For the next eight months, I have the distinct pleasure of
residing in Genteng, a town in the region of Banyuwangi in east Java. It’s a relatively small town (people have
given me population estimates that have ranged from 25,000 – 100,000 people….it
feels to me like a solid 50,000...as if I knew what that felt like) and it’s surrounded by a whole bunch of
villages. Even now after only two weeks
of being here, I already think I could not get myself too lost here…which for
me is saying something. I love smaller
towns…it’s what I know best.
There’s no place like
home, but I sure do like Genteng.
I get the chance to teach English to 10th graders
at SMK Muhammadiyah 1 Genteng. SMK (Sekolah
Menengah Kejuruan) means it is a vocational school, so my students have
chosen a field (accounting, business administration, technology and multimedia,
etc.) to study that will prepare them for the workforce. I have only taught one week of classes so
far, but I can already tell that my students have a LOT of energy and run the
gamut from terribly shy to notably ornery.
It will be a challenge…but I’m up for it!
There’s no place like
home, but I sure do like Genteng.
Nichole (another Fulbrighter) and I get to stay together in
a nifty little house in an adorable neighborhood. My neighbors (especially my preciously
thoughtful neighbor across the street, Bu Ila) are kind, generous people who
are always looking out for the two bule
(Westerners) living around the corner.
The sense of community here is incredibly strong—it shows in the way
that people leave their front doors open so neighbors can drop by and
chat. I’ve encountered no shortage of
kindness or friendliness in my neighborhood, my school, or in Genteng as a
whole.
There’s no place like
home, but I sure do like Genteng.
Life isn’t always the easiest—but as a whole, I just can’t
complain. Things I have in my house
include:
- A Western toilet. If you heard me worry about my living situation before I left, you know this was my number one concern. No shame. There may not always be running water to flush it…but that’s what a bak mandi is for!
- A kitchen. Granted…I’m still scared of the kitchen because it is notoriously home to 4- to 6- to 8-legged creatures with which I’d rather not form relationships. I’ll adapt, though. I did swear I’d be “Sarah Hotovy: Nature Woman” by the time I returned to the US.
- An air conditioner in my bedroom. It may be a toasty 30 degrees outside, but I don’t have to sweat it out at night (I do enough “sweating it out” in the classroom).
- A really fantastic roommate. It’s nice to have someone you can complain to about getting hit in the face by a bat flying by on your evening run…or cry to about accidently smashing a little lizard in the door when you locked it for the evening…or have stand with you as you cook dinner or hang your laundry in the terrifying kitchen at night.
- WiFi! As of yesterday afternoon, I will no longer feel pathetic about how my lack of Internet affects my mood…which I suppose still means I’m pathetic.
There’s no place like
home, but I sure do like Genteng.
My home is surrounded by rice paddies—it truly is a tropical
paradise. When I head to school in the
morning, I get to stare out at the mountains decorated with palm trees that
line the skyline. Life here is
slower-paced, meaning I have more time to simply look around and embrace my
current environment. I have no shortage
of time to think, reflect, enjoy, and learn.
There’s no place like
home, but I sure do like Genteng.
It’s difficult to be so far from home, but it’s comforting
to see so much of my home here. Staring
out across the large, flat rice paddies reminds me of surveying a countryside
lined with cornfields. Already being
able to see familiar faces as I’m out in the town is like being back in York where everyone seems to know everyone else. One of my favorite things is when
people in Genteng ask me what Nebraska is like, because I can take great pride in telling
them that the thing I love most about Nebraska – the kind, thoughtful,
hard-working people who call it home – is something I can also find here.
There’s no place like
home, but I sure do like Genteng.
