Ramayana Ballet

A few weekends ago we visited the Prambanan Temples located just outside Yogya and had the opportunity to explore the intricate stone carvings that decorate the ornate structures. The temples, built during the 9th century, are dedicated to the Hindu divinities, Shiva, Vishnu, and Brahma, and the stone carvings illustrate the epic of Ramayana.

On Saturday evening the group returned to Prambanan to learn about the Ramayana myth by watching a traditional Hindu dance performance. The Ramayana story goes like this:
A princess, Shinta, and a prince, Rama, marry after a lengthy competition. One day, Shinta, Rama, and Rama’s brother are walking through the forest when a golden deer passes by. Now, this deer is actually a decoy set up by Rahwana, a ruler from another kingdom who wants to steal Shinta away from Rama. Innocently, Shinta asks Rama to capture the deer. So, Rama leaves his wife with his brother in search of the deer. Later, Rama’s brother leaves, too, but draws a magical circle around Shinta so that no evil will beset her in his absence. At this point Rahwana seizes the moment to capture Shinta but cannot penetrate the magic circle. So, he disguises himself as a beggar, luring Shinta out of the circle. Then, he steals her! During the trip back to Rahwana’s kingdom they encounter a bird named Jatayu who is suspicious of seeing Rahwana with Shinta. Unfortunately, Rahwana defeats the bird and leaves him for dead. Not long after, Rama and his brother come across the dying bird and Jatayu tells them that Rahwana has captured Shinta. On the way to rescue Shinta, Rama aids a white monkey, who in return, lends him an envoy of monkeys to help retrieve Shinta. Meanwhile, Rahwana and Shinta have arrived in Rahwana’s kingdom but Shinta refuses to become his wife. As a result, Rahwana wants to kill Shinta though his niece stops him from committing such an act. At about this time Rama and the monkeys build a bridge in order to cross the sea and attack Rahwana’s kingdom. A war breaks out and Rama triumphantly kills Rahwana with his bow. When reunited with Shinta, Rama doubts Shinta’s purity. Shinta, determined to prove her purity, is willing to burn herself. The god of fire helps her and she remains unscathed in the flames. Finally, Rama is convinced of Shinta’s purity and runs to meet her. The END.

Wow, that took longer to explain than I thought. At least the pictures will make sense (hopefully). We had VIP seating at the performance so I was able to get a few good pictures of the ballet. Some pictures have captions to help carry the story along. Enjoy!

Hidden Neighborhood Treasure

Earlier this week we came across a little treasure spot right in our neighborhood: the Sangam House. The Sangam House is an Indian-inspired yoga studio, restaurant, and boutique run by a lovely French couple with a truly international flair. After stumbling upon this neighborhood treasure and speaking to Pak Jean about yoga classes, Yvette and I signed up for 8 yoga sessions. The studio offers classes in hatha, tantra, and yin yoga most weeknight evenings. So, last night was our first class, hatha yoga. Diana, Yvette, and I arrived early and found a spot in the corner of the room to avoid drawing attention to our limited yoga capabilities. Hatha yoga focuses on breathing and posture. Timing breath and movement is also critical in hatha. For example, in the salutation to the sun one must time inhalation and exhalation with each movement. While this might seem simple it’s a more difficult to actually carry out. Overall the class was a success and we are excited about trying tantra yoga tonight!

I have also eaten in the Indian restaurant at Sangam. The dining atmosphere is so relaxing and the traditional Indian food is a nice change from my daily Indonesian fare. Top on my list of favorites at Sangam is the banana lassi and my favorite spot to perch is the wooden bench-like swing.

Pictures of Sangam will be posted to the Yogya photo album soon!

Javanese Jesus and the Indian Ocean

Our weekend excursion this week took us south of Yogya to the town on Bantul then on to the Indian Ocean. The stop in Bantul was truly a moment of religious syncretism. The local Catholic church, built by Dutch factory owners in the 1920s, shows what happens when European Catholicism is brought to the island of Java. Ganjuran Church offers mass daily and a massive stone shrine towers above the bamboo thatch work roof of the church space. Ascending the steps of the shrine one finds a status of a “Javanese Jesus.” Jesus, clothed in traditional Javanese dress, looks back toward the church. During our visit, a dozen or so Christian pilgrims were waiting to pray at the top of the shrine. To a degree, Ganjuran is a tourist place as oleh-oleh shops (souvenir) dot the main road, selling crosses, rosary beads, Jesus statues, and t-shirts.

After Bantul we journeyed a bit farther south to Parangtritis Beach where we were met with sweeping views of the Indian Ocean. Weekends at Parangtritis are busy as many locals from Yogya travel to the sea for sun and breeze. However, swimming in the ocean is strictly forbidden due to strong rip currents. And, quite honestly, the waves looked a bit intimidating, too. So, instead of a swim we took a “dokar” ride along the shore (small horse-drawn cart with local Indonesian man riding on the side guiding the horse). We were taken to a quiet part of the beach that is considered sacred in Javanese culture. At this site locals make offerings to the sea.

As the sun was setting we ventured down the beach a bit to Depok for a seafood feast. Here, local fishermen sell their fresh catches then a warung prepares the feast. Our group picked out a sampling of sea treats…ranging from snapper and tuna to crabs, squid, and shrimp. At the warung we all sat on the floor around low tables as the rice, vegetables, and seafood were being served. By the end of the evening we were all full and exhausted.

Movie Theater and Indonesian Wine

Thursdays are usually quiet around the university since none of the ICRS students have class. So, not really wanting to commit my day to reading and studying, Yvette and I ventured down to Jalan Solo to visit the new Cineplex. All of the movies are in English with Indonesian subtitles, and while the films would be considered “old” releases in the States, most of the titles are still “new” to me (I rarely visit the theater at home). So, for 2 glorious hours we escaped the heat of the day and saw Tom Hanks as Professor Langdon in Angels and Demons…it was pretty good. Before entering the theater people linger out in the lobby area – tons of people at 3:00 on a Thursday, rather odd. Nonetheless, an message is played over the loudspeaker to announce that the theater for a particular show is now opening. Our film was being shown in theater number 4….and, I am proud to say, my bahasa Indonesian was “good enough” to hear that theater empat was now open! Knowing numbers in any language is quite an asset….for money, time, addresses, quantity….I find I use my numbers a lot!

After about 2 weeks in Indonesia I had my first sip of alcohol tonight! Overall, Indonesians do not drink much (especially to get drunk) – it’s looked down upon with the heavy Muslim influence. However, many of the nicer restaurants will serve beer and wine. The imported wine is very expensive…both in Indonesian and U.S. standards. A few of us visited one of the “upscale” restaurants in Yogya that served some local Indonesian wine, so I thought I would give it a try. Must admit, not too impressed, Indonesian has many things to offer the world…wine is not one of them! Nonetheless, it’s rather neat to say I have sampled some of the local drink. The rest of the dinner was nice, too, probably one of the best meals I have had in Yogya thus far.

Guess I need to get back to homework on Friday; it’s not the weekend (yet)!

Photos

Uploading pictures to either the blog or Facebook is painfully slow. So, to easily view photos go to this link:
http://picasaweb.google.com/jennifertlancaster
Many photos have captions and roughly follow in chronological order.
Enjoy!

Borobudur and Prambanan

Yesterday was a full day of sight-seeing around central Java. We left at the ungodly hour of 6:00am to begin our drive to Borobudur (about an hour away). There was a method behind the madness of leaving so early: (1) arrive before the crowds…by the time we left the place was swarming with people and (2) beat the heat! The drive north to Borobudur was not fancy but we were met with some stunning views of lush greenery and rice paddies. Upon arriving at the temple our group of 9 Americans and 6 Indonesians was greeted with coffee and tea before our walk to the temple. Borobudur is a Buddhist temple, constructed in the 9th century, the height of Buddhism in Java. Now, the temple is a place of pilgrimage and is listed as a World Heritage Site. Stone carvings along the temple walls could captivate one’s attention for hours (until the heat gets the best of you). In the photo album I have included a few close-up pictures of the stone carvings. Also, statues and carvings of Buddha are everywhere around the temple. Many of the statues along the outside walls are decapitated Buddhas; legend says that invaders tore off the heads because they thought gold was stored inside. I would be curious to know exactly how many Buddha statues adorn the temple; my guess would be thousands!

Our next stop was the mountain pass named Ketep. We arrived a little after lunchtime and by then the clouds had settled in for the afternoon, impeding our view of the neighboring mountain tops. Supposedly, from atop Ketep one is be able to see 4 different mountains, all in different directions; but, all we saw was the green valley and dense fog. The intense cloud cover at this time of year is abnormal because by June central Java should be well into the dry season. However, it seems to rain every few days here and clouds continue to cover the sky most afternoons (which isn’t too bad, really, because it blocks some of the intense sun). Nonetheless, the viewing conditions at Ketep weren’t too ideal, but I did enjoy the cooler mountain temperature!

Our last stop of the day was Prambanan Temple, the Hindu temple just outside Yogya. By the time we arrived at Prambanan I was totally exhausted and kind-of over being a tourist for the day. Alas, I forced myself to take my camera out of its case and at least take a few pictures. (So, when you look at the albums there are quite a few at Borobudur and fewer at Prambanan.) Many of the temples at Prambanan are closed to the public due to damage incurred by an earthquake a few years back. At Prambanan we encountered quite a few school groups of Indonesian children visiting the historical site.

I am noticing a trend where young Indonesian school children come running up with pencil and paper to talk to me (and everyone else in the group) at these historical/tourist sites. They notice my white skin and assume I am from America and that I speak English. Then, they begin a conversation (most are quite assertive). It goes something like this….
“Excuse me miss.” I say, “Yes.” They ask, “Do you speak English.” Again I respond with “Yes.” Then they proceed to ask me a series of questions….what is my name, where am I from, how long will I be in Indonesia, do I think it is hot here, what type of food do I like, etc. At the end of the dialogue (more like a question-and-answer session, really) they ask to take a photo with me. When I say “yes” to this request they run to gather around me, and someone takes a photo with me (the tall white American) in the center and a gaggle of 12 year-old Indonesians around me. It’s an experience, that’s for sure. Most of the time I do not mind the questioning by the children; although I have devised a plan for those days when I simply do not want to engage….. “Je ne parle pas Anglais!”

Motor Bikes & Indonesian TV

I took my first motor bike ride yesterday, thanks to Romang. He offered to drive me from the university back to the ICRS house since I was loaded down with books and a computer. Transportation by way of motor bike is by far the most common way of getting around in Yogya. While I would not consider Yogya an Asian mega-city, it is large and not all that walker-friendly. In fact, I see very few Indonesians walking around Yogya. Most mornings we walk from the ICRS house to the university (takes about 10 minutes) and we are the only ones walking. I am certain that as the locals pass us on their motor bikes they are thinking we are the "crazy Americans." So, to say I have been on a motor bike is like a right-of-passage in Yogya culture.

The ICRS house is home to the 7 Luce exchange students as well as 4 Indonesian students entering the PhD program at ICRS. The Indonesians are taking an intensive English course this summer and they have the opportunity to practice their English with all of us native speakers in the house. So, last night some of us were watching TV downstairs in the large living area. During the commerical breaks I was interested in seeing what type of products/services were being advertised on the Indonesian circuit. Much of the content is simliar to that in the U.S. - food and grocery, beauty products, etc (no car commercials, ironically). One beauty product commercial was advertising skin whitening lotion. In Indonesia women seek to have lighter skin so they buy whitening lotion or visit the spa for a whitening treatment. Culturally, lighter skin is considered more beautiful, at least in the large cities. I found this interesting since in the U.S. the exact opposite is true.

Seeing this commercial for skin whitening lotion prompted a discussion (in English) between myself and Tri, one of the Indonesian students. He explained to me how lighter skin was valued and I told him how tan skin was attractive in the States. In fact, I think he learned a few new English words....like sunless tanner and tanning bed. He laughed when I explained the tanning bed.

I have been enjoying my conversations with the Indonesian students; they contribute so much to my learning of the local culture and I am truly impressed with their skills in the English language.