Budding actresses and the Amazing Race

Wow. I can't believe it's actually been this long since I logged on and shared our adventures, so let me give you a brief synopsis of some of our goings on:

OUR BUDDING ACTRESS: Despite a difficult year and the jitters leading up to the play, our budding access completed another show-stopper this year. Acting as "the Wolf" in "The Gingerbread Boy" Anouk showed of her true passion--the limelight. To see her comedic debut, click to minute 5:12.

OUR AMAZING RACE: Spring has sprung and we were off on another adventure. This spring break took us to the city of Yogyakarta (pronounced Joe-juh-car-tuh). A 40-minute flight from Surabaya, Jogja (as it's referred to by locals) is considered to be the center of Javanese art and culture. The city is key to Indonesian history as it served as the capital of the country during the revolution from the Dutch in 1945. Now, the city is bustling with over 70 universities and millions of tourists that visit annually to check out 2 of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites.

Our adventures started on bustling Malioboro Street which is famous for its shopping and local eateries. We traipsed our way through the hustle and bustle of the Sunday market day passing women selling fried bats and chicken satays on every corner. During our incredibly hot walk we were inundated by the tourism of this city by having to say, "No" to at least 50 beycak drivers who were trying to sell us a cheap drive to the Sultan's Palace. Once we arrived at the palace, we noticed a group of about 300 school children were just dropped off in half a dozen busses, so we turned around and made for the hotel's pool instead.

The next day was the start of our Amazing Race. We hired a car to take us to the famed Buddhist temple: Borobudur. Built around the 9th century, Borobudur was home to an Amazing Race challenge during it's 19th season. So, in typical "Angela" fashion, I crafted the roadblock and away we went--climbing up to the uppermost platform, we tried to count the various Buddha statues with 4 distinctive hand orientations. Because of the incredible heat, we gave up and just enjoyed the experience of this mammoth site.

The story of Borobudur is varied depending on which source you refer to. The amazing temple was said to have been built between the 8th and 9th centuries and abandoned around the 14th century. Some believe that the neighboring active volcano, Mt. Merapi, caused people to flee from the villages while others believe that the site was ignored when the Javanese people began to convert from Buddhism and Hinduism to Islam. Whichever story you believe, the site was overgrown with dense jungle and years of volcanic ash until it's rediscovery was noted by the British ruler of Java, Sir Thomas Raffles in the late 1800s.

Since then, Borobudur has seen numerous restoration projects. Unfortunately, this amazing site is vulnerable due to recurring natural disasters. The temple is built on a fault which continues to destabilize the ancient arches. During last year's eruption of Mt. Merapi (see the picture at left), Borobudur was covered with over a centimeter of ash whose damage was still visible on the day we visited. Between the challenges of nature and the 2.5 million tourists that visit every year, Borobudur is one sight that may not be around for long.

After that, we visited a number of smaller Buddhist temples on our way to the famed Hindu temple, Prambanan. On our way to this famous temple, we stopped off at Candi Pawon which was built a century earlier than Borobudur. Entering the innermost temple, where people are said to be "purified" before their trek to Borobudur, we made offerings to Buddha and sent prayers for Auntie Teresa. We figure the more Gods that are working on her healing, the better!

We stopped off for a lovely lunch, some silver smithing, and some more temples on our way to the Hindu temple, Prambanan. This temple, also built in the 9th century is said to be the most beautiful Hindu temple in the world. Like Borobudur, the story of it's abandonment is varied depending on the source, but it's beauty and the true scale is unmatched by most other sights.

To see more photos of our adventure, check out our Jogja Gallery.

OUR NEW COLLEAGUE: She's an oldie, but goodie. Tylene Desfosses was unfortunately evacuated from Syria due to political unrest in the country. Our school was in need of a 4th grade teacher because of a maternity leave--so it was a match made in heaven. Tylene is here and we're trying hard to help her assimilate quickly. One way in which we did this was by enjoying a "Hunger Games" movie debut at the Premier movie theater. We enjoyed the movie while sitting in reclining leather chairs with blankets and waiter service. It was fabulous! And it only cost us about $4 US.

OUR BIG PROJECT: It's no surprise when I tell you that last year was the best teaching year of my life. I know, I know, you've heard it all before... but last year, I couldn't contain the true exhilaration I had for my teammate, my profession, and my students who helped to chang the world. So this year, I was thrilled when the story of our water unit was picked up and published in the International School Services NewsLinks magazine which is sent out quarterly to 500 schools worldwide. The article is below.

OUR NEW PASSION: Bread still stinks here in Indonesia so we have become little bread artisans thanks to Chef John from San Francisco. We stole his beer bread recipe, made some of our own modifications (using whole wheat flours, oats, fresh spices, etc.) and are baking our hearts away here in Indonesia. Try it yourself:

OUR NEW CHAOS: Over the next 70+ days, we've got a lot going on in our lives. We're getting geared up for some sort of Easter celebration, a conference in Jakarta, Quiz Night (where we teachers must defend our 1st place finish), Anouk's 7th birthday, a house move, and another grade-level move for Angela. On day 73, we'll be off on an adventure that will take us all around the world. I can't wait.