Name That Fruit (or Is It a Vegetable?)

Here's the contest you have been waiting for. Simply scan through the pictures and write down the name of each fruit shown. You may submit your answers (please include the corresponding letters from under each picture) either as a comment to the blog, or as a Facebook response to the posting message. There will be two categories: Indonesians and the ROW (rest of the world). May the force be with you!

A.

B.

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F.

G.

H.

I.

J.

K.

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M.

N.

O.

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Q.

R.

S.

One Last Trip to the Market

On the Thursday before we left we squeezed in a quick trip to the market for some last minute souvenir and gift shopping. As usual we took the micro-bus and used the "Kennedy overpass" to get to the right side of the road.

Maintenance on the overpass is slack and this thin spot in the metal deck  right here is going to send someone falling through to the street soon! We should alert the safety inspector in Siantar! 

Unlike previous visits when we were in search of food, this trip took us to the fabric section. It smelled a lot better than the chicken, pork or fish areas. The downside was it is tucked away in a maze of little shops upstairs and there is no air circulation at all. If you need thread of any color, this shop is the place to be.

We felt welcome as we walked through. It was definitely a slow business day. Of course we're quite a sight where ever we go in Siantar. Sort of like the white elephants on parade. 

This is the sister of Andi, a Nommensen friend of ours. Her shop could fit in the free throw lane of a basketball court, and was jammed with literally thousands of fabric products. Most of them are the Batak traditional ulos.

Jacob had his heart set on a black ulos to go with the hats Andi gave to us. This one met Jacob's approval, and features intricate stitching and a nice contrasting color scheme. As you can see in the picture, it is very different from the rest of the ulos. 

Local people tend to carry things balanced on their heads, even in very tight quarters. The students all used backpacks for their educational materials, however, and  did not balance them on their heads.

Nancy got into the shopping mode and we all helped her pick out this beautiful blue number, consisting of an ulos and a matching wrap around skirt, a sarong. Despite the sweaty environment, Nancy toughed it out and gave the outfit a full modeling. 

The ulos includes some incredible detail and tassels at each end.

There are many ways to wear the ulos and Ester modeled one option.

Jacob also wanted some palm sugar (dark brown sugar compressed into a large disc) and after tracking that down we headed off in the micro-bus. We said goodbye to Ester and continued past the Ramayana towards the Miss Khim's English Course for our next teaching gig.

Our driver was working on his cool image, with the backward ball cap, dangling cigarette and tight t-shirt. He "horned" a proper amount and we appreciated the fact that he didn't bother to actually pick up anybody else. 

Traveling Photos

These are views from our return trip to the United States. Thanks to Dean Tagor and Pina for escorting us to the airport and Medan (and to Maylena for meeting us there) and to Mitzi and Roland, my mother and father, for picking us up at the airport in Knoxville and gently depositing us home so we could crawl into bed. 

Home sweet home in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA! We were very happy to finally touch down at home, and
thrilled to have my parents meet us at the airport. Thanks to them for staying up so late to "fetch us".

Warning, out of sequence! Blogger is acting up again! This is an orange juice squeezing / serving vending machine in the Moscow airport.

Jacob, Pina and Nancy squeezed together in the middle seat
for the ride to the Medan airport. The back is completely stacked with
our luggage. If Esra had come she would have had to balance on the roof.

Besides the huge potholes, the journey is made slow and long by the
trucks and other traffic. This truck is carrying huge rocks, kept from falling out
onto the road (onto our car) by just a suggestion of a tailgate.

Yes, Dean Tagor, I like to take pictures of cows on the side of the road!
The view of cows grazing along the edge of the road, or for that matter, blocking
the road, is not unusual on the way to Medan. Cars, trucks and motorbikes seem
to steer around them without any issues. I guess when you are looking out for
everything else, what's one more obstacle?

We are told that this cardboard will be reused, qualifying this truck as one of
the biggest recycling projects in Indonesia.

At the Medan airport there are many interesting things to see, including the slogan ads for
Wings Air. I don't know if this is an airline within Indonesia or one which serves a wider market,
but they must have saved money by not hiring an advertising agency that masters English. Hopefully the
quality of their flying machines and pilots is higher.

Maylena, a great friend from our trip last year, met us at the airport. She now lives
in Medan and we had not had the chance to say hello before then. She arrived on her
motorbike, dressed in her black work outfit, having made her way through the hot sun.
Thank you for making such an effort for us.

We enjoyed a simple meal of nasi goreng and mei goreng together. The food included a spicy kick
and at that point of the trip our stomachs couldn't handle it very well. 

This is just a small part of the huge Singapore airport. There is enough to see in that
airport that it is almost worth the trip to get there. It is beautiful and done with great artistry. The big light
pods look like either sea shells or leaves, we couldn't decide. 

The Singapore airport features many opportunities to get on the internet for free, and also some
opportunities to stretch out...even more comfortably than what Nancy is enjoying here.

Here we are in Moscow. This looks like a new and modern airport, but unlike Singapore is very crowded and without
much opportunity for relaxation or comfort. It reminded me of a big bus station with a few fancy shops. There were just enough souvenirs to give us something to look at for an hour, but nothing spectacular enough to squeeze into our carryon bags.

The walkway to the plane is decorated with advertisements for a credit card...I guess. Translation, anyone?

Legroom on Singapore Airlines economy class isn't bad, but for tall folks like Jacob it is still a squeeze.
The entertainment options were good, with each seat having it's own large video screen including a
video and audio on demand system with thousands of choices. The movie choices weren't spectacular, but good
enough to watch with our very tired eyes.

Food on Singapore Airlines rates at least a solid "good". There was enough variety to keep us interested.
As dessert for a meal on the Moscow to Houston leg, we enjoyed some premium Russian ice cream bars.
They were on pad with Dove or Magnum bars...a welcome treat.

On the Moscow to Houston leg (11 hours worth) we were entertained by two pre-school age Russian boys in the row ahead of us.
Their mother deserves sainthood status for her gentle care of the boys, one in diapers but very active! Except for standing in the
seat and sneezing on Jacob and Nancy, these guys were just fun to watch.

We're On Our Way

It's been a hectic day, with the drive to Medan always taking a bit longer than planned. We were excited to have so many guests stop by to say goodbye as we procrastinated from packing this morning. It was a bonus to get to talk with Maylena at the Medan airport for a few minutes. Thanks to Dean Tagor and Pina for escourting us to the airport.

The Medan airport has not changed. How can an international airport in a city the size of Medan not have flush toilets, and let you leave your computer in your bag during the security check.

We are now at the Singapore airport, living large in the Air Conditioning and beauty. We are not looking forward to getting on our 11 hour flight to Moscow, followed by 11 hours to Houston. Who booked these arrangements? Were they deranged?

We are already missing our friends in Siantar. Our relationships deepened during our six weeks there. Our time flew by and it is hard to believe we are already on our way home. To all our friends, God Bless You!

Farewell Party

These photos are from the closing of our last workshop and our farewell party. To all of our friends in Siantar, this is not goodbye, but "until we meet again".

Here we are at the close of our last workshop on lesson planning and syllabus preparation. We are presented with beautiful souvenir plaques by the new Vice Dean of Nommensen.

This is the group of students and lecturers (university teachers) that joined us for the event. It was different in that teachers and students made the presentations and we just shared comments as the "experts".

Then it was back to the house in a big rush to get on with the farewell party. Jacob had planned a big blowout and everyone in the neighborhood joined us. Singing and dancing played a major role.

Eating was also a major focus. The pancakes I sweated over in the kitchen were a big hit, served with Tennessee honey. To complete the sugar rush, Jacob served brownies and some awesome cake provided by Miss Khim.  Jacob followed that up later with three flavors of jello.

Most of our near and dear friends joined us and that made it really special.

Thank goodness we didn't run out of pancakes until everyone got a taste.

I'm not sure if this was the Macarena or the Hokey Pokey. These followed the limbo, which was also a big hit.

No question about it, this one in the Macarena. Our party included the Panjaitan children, with David and Olivia in the middle of this view.

The party extended well into the night. OK, it was just a little past 7 pm but the sun was setting and it was near that bewitching hour when the microbuses stop running.