Party tricks, sorry for everyone who reads Hello Mr as you will have seen this story!
on Rachel Gates (Indonesia), 01/Oct/2010 07:59, 34 days ago
Normal0falsefalsefalseINX-NONEX-NONEMicrosoftInternetExplorer4/* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}How to survive the Sopi!Well I am pleased to announce that I have won one of the biggest challenges of my life!Well a drinking competition anyhow. Went to a party celebrating someone’s graduation. Ashamedly I have no idea who this person was, as it was a friend of a friend of the Aunt who works at the school where I am based. So I dutifully turned up with the Sisters that I work and live with at the moment. Now thankfully the other two volunteers from Ruteng Mark and Anouk are on holiday so I am looking after their house. Probably very good because of what happened next........You have to bear in mind the life I have had since arrivalin Ruteng has been listening to praying and singing at 5am, (I am sleeping, but it penetrates through the walls of the convent) cold mandi, very cold mandi at 5.30am and breakfast at 6am. (Don’t panic on Sunday’s I get a lay in, breakfast is not until 7.00am) Start work at 7am tea break at 10m, lunch at 1pm siesta till 5pm (I check my internet, go for a walk, look at my motor bike think about getting on it and then think...maybe tomorrow, as it still scares me). Dinner at 7pm after listening to 6pm prayers through the wall whilst I am reading. For those of you know me you will know that I am not the most religious of people, so this is a change of life for me, but one I found very relaxing. However I did fear I was becoming institutionalized.So when Mark and Anouk said they going on holiday and could I please look after their house, of course the answer was a massive yes!!!!!!!!!!! And I am pleased to report that I have been nearly very well behaved. Well until the events of yesterday!So I turn up to the graduation party and some of the teachers from the school are present. Now in work I have been quite quiet, people know me by my laugh, I live with nuns what could possible go wrong. Well Pak ? (he has been asked to remain anonymous due to the shame) thought I should try a bit of the local Sopi. How can a girl resist? (What Pak ? does not know is I know about the dangers of this stuff, as I have been taught well by Mikal, Anouk, Mark, Danny, Lau and Teresa and our recent adventures in the Bajawa district attending first communion parties. Those of you on facebook will have seen the photos and me attempting to introduce the waltz to The Island of Flores) So I have my first drink of Sopi with Pak ?, he then pour’s me another which I seem to drink, but actually goes to the new friend sitting to my right when Pak ? Goes outside for a cigarette.At this point the sisters leave the building, expecting me to leave with then. I explain I am in the middle of talking to someone and I will be fine to make my own way home. Pak ? enters the room with another drink for me of Sopi. Which I drink. Pak then goes to get another drink, but I make another friend sat on the left who knows what I am doing and offers to help. Pak ? get another drink so I drink it slowlyPak ? then has to go to the loo, so my now friend of the left drinks it. I offer to get the next drinks. But What I actually get is water for me and Sopi for my new friends and Pak? Noone could tell because of the colour of the glasses were drinking from. You know those plastic ones. Anyhow this pattern of drinking did go on for a few hours. And by the end I was quite merry, as were the new friends. Also the Sopi transformed me into someone who could speak and understand all Bahasa Indonesian spoken, but poor Pak ? could not walk!!!!Anyhow got home and went to sleep. Today woke up and have a bit of a headache and my fluent Indonesian seem to have disappeared overnight. However Pak ? Apparently he is sakit! I bet he is!Anyhow off to the Island of Sumba tomorrow. Tomorrow I have between 5 and 6 hours on a bus, stay in Enda overnight and then fly or boat it to Sumba. Sumba is an island with pristine beaches and beautiful scenery. I am going to be seeing the conference facilities of a hotel for five days, whilst I try and understand an Indonesian accountancy course. Fun oh FUN!Hope everyone is well, this site will not be updtaed for about three weeks, as I will not get back from Sumba until next weekend, and then I only have four days in work before I go to Bajawa and Mbay, but will try and gets loads of photos so I have more to write on my return.