Saturday night Sept. 18 I finally got a massage today, and it was worth the wait - and certainly worth the $8 it cost, including a generous tip.The masseuse, a friend of Herizal's wife, is an older woman who knows no English but does 'know her stuff' when it comes to deep massage; no one could question her thumb strength, that's for sure!She stretched me out a bit too.I felt noticeably more 'relaxed' afterwards both physically and mentally.We'll have another s...

Friday Sept. 17 At IAIN I attended my first staff meeting this morning, and didn't even need to leave my own desk to do it. Six of us who are sharing the teaching of the new 25-hour-a-week English program for 30 selected faculty met to decide who will teach which skill areas and at what times. Three of the teachers are ones I hadn't met, and all are very experienced; in fact, one won this year's 'Teacher of the Year' award for Palembang and was first runner-up...

Tues. night Sept. 14( a very hot day, even before the sun was up ) As usual, Herizal brought me to IAIN, which still seemed empty.One of the 5 SUVs IAIN is thinking of buying ( 2007, but looks new ) was on display in the parking lot.Herizal is anxious to get one of them for his own use - his cramped little Hyundai ( or 'YUNDA' due to missing letters ) has non-functioning AC and windows, is 10 years old and shows it in every way. Pak Raidul came in and gav...

Mon. night Sept. 13 I just went out on the balcony to enjoy a gentle, Oregon-style rain - good to know they get that kind here too.Unfortunately, it also means the air has not cooled down much. Since I've been out in that heat since early afternoon, I soon decided to retreat into my AC room.I noticed many people at the homes we visited today were wiping their faces repeatedly, and Herizal's son nearly fainted toward the end despite drinking soda after soda...

Saturday Sept 11 - Lebaran day #2 Today I visited 3 more homes with Herizal's family, including that of the president of IAIN ( Rector, to be precise ) and Annie, the woman who spent 10 years working in California, as well as a former neighbor/friend of Herizal's mom.The first two were both impressive - large, 2-story, very high ceilings, well-furnished to say the least.At the Rector's we were the only guests at the time of our visit, quite a contrast to yes...