The Last Days

Time for me here in Indonesia is drawing to a close. Yesterday, I went with Ocha, Vidia, and one of their guy friends to a fruit harvesting place in the mountains. They were growing all sorts of fruits there and we got to walk around and pick some of them. It was a really nice area, beautifully situated among the cloudy peaks with the city of Malang off in the distance. In addition to strawberries, there were guava, orange, apple, and dragon fruit trees. There were also caged animals along the path—rabbits, deer, different varieties of chickens, owls and eagles, monkeys, and sickening large bats. In the bat cage were little guinea pigs running around on the ground. They were so cute and fluffy...but I couldn't help wondering - bat food?

I got my hair cut. I was scared to do it, and I always put it off, but I needed one and Ocha made me. The hairdressers in the states have a hard enough time understanding what I envision with my hair. Try getting them to understand when you don't speak the same language! I had to rely on Ocha, and I often have a hard time getting my point across even with her. Yes, I was terrified I was going to leave that place with a bob haircut or something. I don't know why, but no matter how good the haircut is, or how many people tell me it looks good, I still always want to cry. Maybe it is because I have lost part of me, or maybe it is because I am putting all my trust in someone wielding a pair of scissors...

It of course did not turn out how I had wanted, but I managed to hold back the silly tears. In the end, it was a major improvement from before. It passed my ultimate test of approval by forming a nicely shaped ponytail. Ok, so I admit it, I'm happy with it.

I made rice crispie bars for my host family. Well, they weren't really rice crispie treats because there are no rice crispies here. Which really surprises me coming from a country based on rice. Anyway, I used cornflakes instead. They don't have normal marshmallows here either, so I had to settle with pink and yellow duck-shaped ones. They turned out nothing like usual, but they were really yummy! I might have to try the improvised version again back at home.