My pembantu

I have a helper.  Don't judge me.  :o)  I had helpers in the States too.  I just didn't realize it.  I had a dishwasher, a clothes dryer, one stop shopping at Walmart; I didn't have to soak every single fruit and vegetable in bleach water, I didn't constantly fight ants, or mildew.  I'm not complaining; just stating facts that lead to the conclusion that I am okay with having a helper.  She comes twice a week for two hours.  So I still have to wash my dishes, make my bed, pick up after myself and cook if I want to eat.  :o) 

My pembantu's name is Elin.  (pembantu=helper)  I've accepted two invitations to her house on the occasions of Eid el Fitr and Eid al Adha.  I met Elin's mother at Eid el Fitr.  Her mother is a dukun.  A dukun has powers for healing given to them by a spirit.  (Read between the lines.)  Her mother has also been on the Hajj; the pilgrimage to Mecca which is one of the five pillars of Islam. 

Elin always brings one of her twin sisters to help.  She told me that she gives them part of her salary to help them pay for school. 

Elin is married and has two young children.  She doesn't see her husband very much.  He is off for months at a time working.  This seems to be a very prevalent way of life here in Tarakan.  Husbands go off to earn a living and only come home every three months or so for a few days and then they are off again.  A hard life - if you like your husband. 



Elin is on the far right.  The little girl is her oldest; the young boy is her brother.  The twins are her sisters.  The lady in the background is her mother. 

Pray for me:  that in all my dealings with Elin and her family that I will live a life that gives an accurate picture of what God is like.  

 

This 'N That II

I spent some of yesterday making granola and yogurt.  The stores here do carry cereal - Cornflakes and some chocolate flake cereal.  Since I am picky, I don't like either of those, therefore, I must make something I will eat in the morning.  I did see a box of Special K with almonds when I was in Balikpapan.  It cost over $6.00!!  I didn't need it badly enough to pay that price. 

Yogurt we can't get here.  So I make my own like most of the other ladies here.  It is actually pretty easy and tastes so much better than yogurt from the grocery store in the U.S. 

I mix the milk and yogurt starter in the insulated container and after it has set, I transfer it to the jars.  Two and a half jars will last me a while.  Yogurt takes the place of sour cream (which we can't get) and also tastes yummy with jam and granola.  I usually make granola every two weeks. 

Oh, yesterday morning I also washed the fruit I bought.  I wash everything in bleach water. 

See the papaya?  I will squeeze some lime juice and honey over it and it will be delish.  ;o)

It's not just fruit I wash.  I wash my Coke cans and milk boxes. Everything in the stores comes on ships from some other island - probably Java.  And who knows what critters are crawling all over the stuff before it gets unloaded at Tarakan's dock.  I'm just taking cautious preventive measures. 

Now, take all of the above tasks and multiply them four or six times and you get a glimpse of what the moms here do to feed and to care for their families.   

Joy Forney (look her up on the MAF website) told me about my new favorite drink.  It is TEBS - Tea with Soda.  For those of you who have lived in Brazil, it tastes quite a bit like guarana.  It's not the same but it is close enough for now. 





































This little packet contains ayam penyet.  I know that ayam means chicken but I haven't found out what penyet means.  When I put it into Google Translate, nothing came up.  Oh well.  It tastes good and everyone here eats it without anything going awry. 

Here is the package opened.  Chicken, rice, tempeh and tofu, cucumber, cabbage and some kind of greens all on a banana leaf.  Looks yummy, huh?  :o)  Actually, it isn't bad at all. 

 Well, that's all for this week.  Tune in next Sunday for more stories. 
Thanks for reading my blog.
(P.S. I don't know enough about computers to get rid of those two big chunks of white space. Grrr.  Oh, to be young again. :o) )