Week 2

Hello everyone! It is only 2 weeks in to my Peace Corps journey and I feel great. The last week has been full of excitement and changes to say the least. Last Friday, September 27th, 2019, we were assessed in an interview format on our Bahasa Indonesia. Since we only had two days of formal learning, it was a short interview. I was asked to introduce myself and various questions about food, colors, numbers, and more. Our results on this assessment, my personal information, and the homestay family information were all taken into account while assigning host families to trainees. The following day (Saturday) was the day we had all been waiting for. Our homestay families for the next 10 weeks were revealed and we were finally going to move in! The morning was full of enthusiasm and nerves. I was thrilled when I received the picture of my host family and also pleased to find out the village they live in. Our cohort of 70 Peace Corps Trainees is separated into seven villages. Therefore, there are about 10 trainees in each village. On Saturday afternoon, we headed out to our own villages.

My language class at the hotel.

I was greeted by my Ibu (mother) and we walked from another trainee's homestay (the meeting point in our village) to my new house for the next 10 weeks. Although my Bahasa is limited at the time, my Ibu, Bapak (father), and I chatted for a while before they graciously hung up my bug net around my giant and very comfy bed. Next, I put all of my things away in my bedroom. My Type A personality absolutely LOVED this after living out of a suitcase (or three) for the last week and a half. My Ibu took me to her parent's house where I met extended family members. We also walked around the village and went shopping at the local shop where she bought me a ton of snacks and ice cream. The next day (Sunday) was my first day off after a long week of training. My Ibu took me to the local Zumba class which was a ton of fun. I hung out with my new host cousins and took a long nap. In general, I feel extremely grateful to have the host family I do. Personally, I believe that I have the best mom at home (I miss you Amy Jo!) so it would only make sense for me to get the best host mom too! :)

On Monday, myself and the other trainees in my village had our first experience at an Indonesian school. We visited an Islamic High School. We were paired up with a student from the school who proceeded to give us a tour of the campus. Both the student and I were able to ask each other questions we had about both the Indonesian and American school systems. Later on, we had our first of many visits to the local university. This is where we will have "Hub Days" a couple days a week. Hub Days include sessions with all 70 trainees. At the end of our first Hub Day, we received our bicycles! Each bike is equipped with helmets, bells, lights, locks, and more. This felt like Christmas morning to me because biking is one of my favorite hobbies.

Tour at the local Islamic High School.

Freestyle picture with the principal and the student tour guides.

Welcome meeting at the local university.

My amazing tour guides at the university.

Bike day!

The rest of the week has gone by extremely fast. I have been trying to start my days with a long walk or run in my village. Since I am in the farthest village from the city, I am lucky enough to get some amazing views of the mountains and fields that are nearby. Language class takes place at my house from 8-11:30 am every morning. There are four other trainees in my class. The rest of the day is usually spent at our link site in a nearby village where we participate in sessions. The sessions this week have been anywhere from First Aid to Demystifying Grammar. Overall, I'm really looking forward to spending more time with my host family this weekend and reviewing all of my language notes for the past week. Sending my love to family and friends back home!

First run in our village!

The beautiful view I get biking everyday!