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...

Lebaran ( Eid al Fitr )- Fri Sept. 10 evening My first thought about today is: I really need to get sandals.And cooler clothes. And some sort of 'expander tank' for my stomach.I spent the day with Pak Herizal's family, eating a full meal plus birthday cake there and then going on to visit several relatives' homes and finally Pak Yani's ( The other IAIN teacher/administrator who has been helping me all week ) - all offering tables-full of delicious-looking sp...

Tuesday Sept.7 evening-still not very hot; a storm is building Fasted again, almost: I had breakfast after sunrise, but nothing to eat or drink after that.Not difficult at all, actually. Again Herizal ( ( the language center director ) picked me up at 8 and we stayed at school till 3.He took me around to meet another group of deans and department heads, including the woman Education dean who visited Philadelphia and was curious about Quakers, Amish, and o...