In Indonesia, the customary manner of greeting and also of saying goodbye is that if you are the younger person you gently hold the older person’s right hand and lift… [Continue Reading]
Category: things Indonesian
Spectrum
Do you remember the story of Black Beauty? I’ll never forget the tears streaming down my face when he was separated from his friend Ginger, nor the horrible images of… [Continue Reading]
Uncharted Waters
When I first came to Gili Meno I used to look at the view across the ocean to Mt Rinjani on the island of Lombok, and think to myself, ‘ah… [Continue Reading]
Hiccups, first world problems, and the value of saying thanks
The other day somebody told me of a fellow in Lombok who built bungalows like ours and with the first wet season the bungalows collapsed. They just, fell down. I… [Continue Reading]
Dodgy Dudes (part 3)
Living in a foreign country is a lot more complicated than just holidaying there. Especially in a country like Indonesia where rules are ambiguous and goal posts constantly move. And… [Continue Reading]
Dodgy Dudes (part 2)
The next man to pierce my thin skin was a ‘friend’ of Made’s who came to live with us. Let’s call him Nane. Late last year Nane begged Made to… [Continue Reading]
Dodgy Dudes (part 1)
We live in a world of dishonesty. It’s awful but true. I wish I had thicker skin to cope with it. Sadly, three of the most significant men in my… [Continue Reading]
The family that prays together stays together – the beauty of purpose and belonging
I was, sort of surprisingly, born and baptised as a roman catholic, but led most of my life as an atheist. My mum was from a protestant family. But I don’t… [Continue Reading]
Powering along! …a quarterly report
We’re at the 3 week mark! 1/4 of the way into the anticipated 3 months – and the building project is powering on! Today I sit in our new berugak,… [Continue Reading]
A new home in just three months! Really?
I’m living in The Land of Three Months, aka Indonesia. That’s how long everything seems to take here. I’m told it will again take three months to get my next… [Continue Reading]