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Introducing Riding Java

motovlog from Java, Indonesia

My family and I recently moved from Moab, UT to the city of Yogyakarta, Indonesia on the island of Java.

I’m so excited to be able to share this experience with you as we ride together.

Before I tell you a little bit about Indonesia and what Riding Java is all about I want to thank a few of the guys who have inspired me to glue a camera on my helmet and ride around talking to myself, motovloging. So, here is a great big thank you to:

Thank you for the inspiration you give to newbie motovloggers like myself.

Alright, so, where in the world is Indonesia and what is Riding Java all about? I’m so glad you asked!

Indonesia is located in Southeast Asia. It is made up of about 17,000 islands that stretch out along the equator for about 3000 miles in between Australia and China. 5000-6000 of those islands are inhabited. There are hundreds of different local languages spoken here, but, thankfully the country is unified by their national language, Bahasa Indonesia. Indonesia is the fourth most populated country in the world. China is number one, India is number two, the USA is number three and Indonesia comes in number four with about 240 million people living here. It is also the worlds largest Muslim nation with about 88% of the population being Muslim.

Indonesia is an amazing place to live and an amazing place to ride.

As we ride together we’ll talk about all kinds of different things. We’ll talk about

  • Travel
  • Culture
  • Food
  • Life
  • And of course, Riding

So guys, that is Indonesia and Riding Java in a nutshell. Why don’t you…

  • Subscribe to my channel
  • Give me a thumbs up
  • And share this video on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter

Until next time, this is Riding Java… I’ll talk to you later.

You can subscribe to my Youtube Channel by clicking here.

Question: What would you like me to vlog about? I really want to hear your suggestions.  You can leave your comment by clicking here. 

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Language Classes

Language Class-Sarah

Seth, Flat Stanley and I with Wulan and Icak, two of our language teachers.

A couple of weeks ago we decided to go sign up for language classes. We visited two language schools and picked out one called Alam Bahasa. I was really exited and could not wait to get started! Dad decided to take 6 hours of lessons a day but Mom, Seth and I decided to start with only 2 hours a day.

I was so happy when I got to take my first lesson! I got up at six o’clock and we left the house at 7:30 because our lessons started at eight and ended at ten. We walked about half a mile to the bus stop and boarded the bus, which is called the TransYogya. After stopping about two times, the bus came to our stop. We got off and walked to the school.

When we came in a lady greeted us and later gave us all bags that held a pencil, notebook, and eraser. In the central area of the school, there are benches and children’s books on racks. The students, including our family, talked to each other while we drank coffee or tea that is provided before and after classes. When you walk out the other side of the central room, you are outside but there is a roof of vines where a little bit of sun gets through. I sipped some tea and waited for our teachers.

Finally, it was time for class! We all had our own separate classes so that we could learn without distractions. I went away with a Muslim lady to my class. That day, I learned the ABC’s in Indonesian and how to ask someone what another person’s name was and how it is spelt. My teacher was really nice and she spoke mostly in Indonesian so that I would learn. The room I worked in had a table, two chairs, a whiteboard and tinted windows.

I had so much fun! After class, I was tired but I couldn’t wait for the next day! Alam Bahasa is a great school and I would definitely take classes here again.

If you would like to leave a comment, please click here.

Sarah and Christy

Me eating birthday cake with Christy, one of mom and dad’s language teachers.

Pesta Malam

Me with Este, Icak and Lisa, three of our language teachers at our Indonesian Night Party. We are all wearing traditional clothing.

Sarah Playing Instrument

At our Indonesian Night Party I was able to learn how to play the “Angklung”. Each angklung plays its own note. The music is beautiful! 

 

 

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I Wish Motorcycles Came With Beepers!

Confused

I went to the mall the other day and parked my rented motorcycle in the basement parking garage. I remembered to memorize where I parked so that later it wouldn’t be a frustration to find. After doing our shopping Sarah and I walked up to the spot where I was sure my motorcycle was parked. But, it was not there. I was really confused, but Sarah assured me that was the right spot.

Trying not to panic, we decided to walk slowly up and down the row looking at each motorcycle carefully until we found it. After all, motorcycles don’t just get up and drive off by themselves! After walking up and down twice, I began to get very nervous.

I began to think about trying to describe my missing motorcycle to the parking attendant. All I could really say was that my motorcycle was black, my helmet is black, and the license plate starts with an AB. As I looked around me at the sea of motorcycles I realized that information would not help anyone because just about every one of the motorcycles are black, most helmets are black and as I looked at the license plates they almost all started with an AB. Ahhhhhhh!

I was beginning to lose hope. Just when I began to get the attention of the attendant, I saw Sarah’s helmet, which was white with some purple on it, hanging on my motorcycle. Yeah! It was definitely not where I had parked it. As I looked around I noticed that the attendants were moving and rearranging everyone’s motorcycles to make room for more to squeeze in. So, if anyone has any tips for how to keep track of my motorcycle, I sure would appreciate the advice!

Question: What tips would you give me to help me keep track of my motorcycle?  You can leave your comment by clicking here. 

 

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Bathing with hot water is for babies!

Hot or ColdWhile bathing with hot water is a common and preferred way of bathing in America it is viewed here in Indonesia as the way the sick, babies or elderly bathe. So, if you come to visit us you most likely will experience the traditional Indonesian way of bathing. We use a large tub of water called a “bak”, with a dipper called a “gayung”.

After sharing with one of my language teachers how the cold water takes Seth’s breath away every time he pours the water over his head, she gave me some tips on how to properly bathe without shocking your system!

Step 1: Splash your face.

Step 2: Splash your legs.

Step 3: Splash your back.

Step 4: Now you are ready for a full bath!

Apparently going through this process helps your body get used to the water before covering your whole body in it. Of course, if you’re already hot from Indonesias humidity and heat, having a cold shock to your body feels great!

Question: Which way would you choose to bathe? Take the time to complete all 4 steps or skip the steps and pour it over your head right away? Please leave your comment by clicking here. 

 

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Two Motorcycles

No MotorcyclesMarty and I rented two motorcycles for 6 days in order to get around Yogyakarta quickly and efficiently while we finished setting up our house. I am so thankful that Indonesians are forgiving people because we have made several traffic mistakes.

Mistake #1 No motorcycles allowed. Here in Yogyakarta there is large six lane road circling the city. It is called the “Ring Road.” Most of the time on the Ring Road there is a special lane for motorcycles and they are not allowed in the car lanes. We figured this out quickly after seeing all the motorcycles merge together and leave us to drive alongside the cars. Ooops!

Mistake #2 Red means stop. That should be obvious since “red” universally means STOP. Sometimes here in Yogyakarta the traffic lights are positioned in different spots than they would be in America so we have ran several red lights not realizing it till it was too late to stop. Ooops!

Mistake #3 One-way streets.  We have also entered one-way streets only to find we were driving the wrong direction. Ooops!

These are just a few of the mistakes we know we have made. I hope that there are not too many more that we are unaware of. I am thankful that no one has yelled at us or shook their fist in our direction. It helps that traffic laws are not really set in stone here, so our mistakes don’t look too awful.

Question: What traffic mistakes have you made and were others as forgiving to you as the Indonesians have been to us? You can leave a comment by clicking here. 

 

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TransJakarta Busway

TransJakarta BuswayI have had the opportunity to ride the TransJakarta Busway several times since moving here. I think riding on it is a lot of fun! It has it’s own lane separate from traffic, although motorcycles and cars use it illegally at times. Sometimes, on the bus I have a lot of room to move around, but other times it gets really crowded! According to Wikipedia, the Busway was open to everyone in 2004 and carries around 250,000 passengers per day.

One time when we rode on the Busway, I got to buy the tickets! Since I do not know the language very well Mom told me what to say and gave me money to pay for them. Unlike in America, the men and women are separated on the bus. So, mom and I sat in the front of the bus and Dad and Seth in the back. We had a long ride and Dad was not there to tell us where to get off. Mom misunderstood what Dad had said before we boarded and we got off too early!

When we looked back at the bus we saw Dad and Seth waving to us from inside as we stood on the platform watching them drive away! We hurried to get back on the next bus to catch up to the boys. As we pulled up to our destination, Dad and Seth were there, waiting for us!

A few hours later, we got on again to go home and the same thing happened except we stayed on the bus and Dad and Seth got off at the right stop. We didn’t panic, just laughed at our silly mistake again. We quickly turned around and caught up to them. All of us were laughing!

I learned that on the Busway, you have to pay attention to everything around you; especially what stop is coming next!

Question: What type of interesting transportation have you taken? You can leave a comment by clicking here.

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Business Woman Puts Family First

Mom and KidsOnce upon a time there was a young, married, successful business woman, earning a terrific salary, driving a company car and living in a nice home with servants to care for the housework and children. Behind the scenes though, she was a slave to her boss. She was more submissive to him than to her husband, because after all he could fire her! Her children were more affectionate to their nanny than to her. She was unhappy, her husband was unhappy and their family was hurting.

One day she read in God’s Word, “Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord” (Colossians 3:18). She asked herself, “Have I been being submissive to my husband or to my boss?” God’s Word also says to teach your children when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise (Deuteronomy 6:6-10). How could she teach her children throughout the day when they are left in the care of a nanny and she is out in the world working?

Something needed to change. She made the decision to quit her well-paid job and win back the hearts of her family. She decided to follow God’s plan. Her boss was dumbfounded. Why would she want to “sacrifice” her salary and company car? Her response to him was that it was not a sacrifice but an investment. She was investing in the hearts of her husband and children.

This is a true story of a real woman I met recently here in Indonesia. When she told me her story and the change she made after reading God’s Word I asked her permission to share her story with you. I am so encouraged by her example of being a doer of the Word and not a hearer only (James 1:23-25). Her husband is happy, she is happy and the hearts of her children rest in her hands. God’s way is always the best way!

Please share this post if you found it encouraging. Thank You!

Question: What changes in your life have you made after reading God’s Word? You can leave a comment by clicking here. 

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Homeschooling in Jakarta

I have been pleasantly surprised to find several groups of Homeschooling families here in Jakarta, Indonesia. They seem to all function differently, focusing on a variety of activities. Some are more structured with educational lessons prepared for the kids to participate in. Some are more casual, allowing for the kids to run and play freely. Some are open to everyone, regardless of religious background while others are reserved for those with a “Christian” background. Still other Homeschool groups are designed for foreigners and those that can speak English well enough to participate.

Eagles Nest

One of the Homeschool groups that I met is called “Eagle’s Nest.” They asked me to be their guest speaker and share my experiences as a homeschool mom and wife trying to live God’s way. We discussed God’s plan for the family and how as parents our ultimate responsibility to train our children to love Him and follow Him all their lives. The moms had some excellent questions after my talk. They asked about practical examples of how to train our children not to complain. They asked about training them to sit still and quiet during worship. They asked about sibling rivalry and how to overcome that. They also asked about discipline and how to control our emotions in stressful situations. There were questions about the husband-wife relationship and what to do when we don’t agree with each other.

I explained, and I hope they all understood, that I am not perfect and neither is my small family. We make mistakes. We fail at times. But, we apologize to each other and to God and move on trying not to make the same mistake again.

I thank God for this opportunity to speak to these ladies! It was a growing opportunity for me as I put into words the principles that my family lives by. I learned more about Indonesian culture as well as a few more vocabulary words! I pray that each mom was able to take away something from our meeting. I pray that each of these women look to His Word to find Truth and that they, along with their husbands, train their children to serve Him all their days.

Question: What activities does your homeschool group do when they get together? You can leave a comment by clicking here. 

Please enjoy this brief video I made from our very first Homeschool activity here in Jakarta. Thank you and remember to subscribe so you can watch more interesting videos about Indonesia!

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How To Pray, Part 1 | Clothing, Location And Posture

We’re living and working in Indonesia, a nation that puts great emphasis on prayer. We are reminded of it six times a day when we hear the “call to prayer” sounded from loud speakers all around the city. In this country how, when and where one prays is important.

Prayer on Knees

In American “church” culture we can see some interesting traditions as well. Some groups pray to crucifixes, statues of Mary or other saints and kneel for certain prayers. Others seem to think praying in a ‘church’ building is more special than other places.

The Bible says that, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim 3:16-17). Prayer is definitely a good work, so lets see what the Bible has to say about it.

Obviously, this will not be a complete list, it is a blog post not a doctoral dissertation, so please add your comments in the comment section.

Proper clothing for prayer. We can observe some religious groups prescribing certain clothes for men and/or women to wear when they come to God in prayer. But, in the Bible we see people wearing a variety of clothing types when praying.

  • Dirty bloody clothing and chains (Acts 16:25)
  • Work clothes (Neh 2:4-5)
  • Sweaty military clothing (1 Chr 5:20)
  • Probably everyday clothes (Luke 6:12-13)

For a thorough study of the head covering see Kevin Moore’s five part series titled Female Head-coverings in 1 Corinthians 11:2-16.

While there is no prescribed special clothing that we must wear in prayer there are, of course, other principles found in Scripture that would govern the clothing we wear in prayer. For example, the principle of modesty should tell us that we should dress appropriate for the location we are at.

Location for prayer. For some groups a certain location and/or direction is important when praying. However, when we look at the Bible we see just about any location conceivable being used as a place of prayer. We see people praying in the following locations just to name a few.

  • Outside in a garden (Mat 26:36)
  • On the beach (Acts 21:5)
  • In a house (Acts 12:12)
  • On the battlefield (1 Chr 5:20)
  • At work (Neh 2:4-5)
  • In jail (Acts 16:25)

If we are to pray without ceasing (1 Thess 5:17) then any place we find ourselves is an appropriate place to pray.

Body posture in prayer. For some groups body position is very important. They even have prescribed postures at certain points of their prayers. Others may seem to think that raising their hands is more spiritual than other body positions. In the Bible we see the following body positions used in prayer.

  • Standing (1 Sam 1:26; Matt 6:5; Mark 11:25; Luke 18:11,13)
  • Standing bowing the head, while striking the breast (Luke 18:13)
  • Hands spread out and/or lifted heavenward (1 Kings 8:22-23; Neh 8:6)
  • Bowing the head (Neh 8:6)
  • Bowing the head, with face between the knees (1 Kings 18:42)
  • Lifting eyes heavenward (John 11:41; 17:1)
  • Kneeling (Dan 6:10; Luke 22:41; Acts 9:40, 20:36, 21:5; Eph 3:14)
  • Face on ground (Matt 26:39; Mark 14:35)

Hendriksen and Kistemaker have done an interesting job of interpreting the significance of some of the various body positions found in the Bible. Get their commentary here.

Brother Kevin Moore also has an excellent article on the subject of raising hands. Read it here.

When we read the Bible and use it as our only guide, it becomes clear that there is no prescribed special clothing, location, or posture that a New Testament Christian must follow when praying.

If you found this post helpful please spread the love by sharing it!

Question: What other examples from Scripture would you include for clothing, location and posture in prayer? Leave a comment by clicking here.