Tornado

I finally saw a tornado.

Or...close enough to one. Mr. Naim's driver was taking me home from the office, and there between the buildings and tall trees, I caught a glimpse of the start of a tornado. It was long and slender, off in the distance, and not touching the ground yet. I calmly pointed, smiled at the driver, and said "tornado." Of course, the driver just laughed and smiled back. He had no idea what I had said. On the short drive home on the narrow, curvy roads surrounded by houses, I couldn't see any more of the open sky. So naturally, when I got home I put on my running shoes and went out for a jog. I wasn't going to miss this. After 18 years in Tornado Alley, I hadn't gotten to see one. And now, after two weeks in Indonesia, I was hoping this was my chance. All I got, however, were dark skies and a sweaty back.

When the rest of the family got home, Ais and Kiky wanted to swim. So we walked to the pool. I kept thinking about the tornado and how swimming in a storm is not a good idea. But I typed "Isn't it going to storm?" into my phone to show the Aunt the translation. She just smiled and shook her head no. Always smiles.

Just as we got to the pool, we heard the sound of a freight train. My stomach dropped and I was ready to sprint. They say that's what it sounds like before a tornado hits.

But then we saw the train.

So no tornado for me haha. Probably a good thing. The rest of the week has been pretty uneventful. I tried to cook some American food for the family on Sunday. Finding the same ingredients was an impossible challenge. I needed refried beans and tortilla shells for the burritos I was going to make. I ended up cooking both from scratch, which was not really successful I have to say. I also made some salsa, or what should have been salsa.

Basically the whole family has had head colds and fevers this week, me included. The seasons are changing, and the translation of these symptoms is flu. That's what everyone says, but I am sure it is not the flu, they probably don't understand our meaning of the word cold.

Something that has surprised me is what the Indonesians are afraid of. Cats for one. We think they are cute and may want to go pet the cats we see in the wild. They will run away from cats here. But as for critters, ants and spiders are no big deal. I was once sitting on my bed with Ocha, when I spotted a spider scurrying up the wall above her head. Spider! I shouted and pointed. She looked at me and just laughed, staying where she was, with the dumbfounded look on her face that said, "you are afraid of that little thing?" So I probably slept with that ugly spider we so easily could have annihilated.