As I drive through the villages completely relaxed or we see our friends at launch I allow myself, momentarily, to feel like a natural part of this place. But every single day, the moments that remind me that we are not in Kansas anymore are hilariously charming. “Did you just see that?!” I ask Sati delightfully so many times each day. Huge yellow dump trucks piled high with massive limestone boulders say “I love you full” in two foot high block letters across their windshields. Other similar trucks come barreling down a steep, narrow road at us with “Risky” emblazoned on their windshields. Indonesians have adopted toilet paper for many other uses and most warungs (little restaurants) have plastic dispensers specifically for toilet paper to use as napkins. Some people here row out in boats just to fly kites. Other people make kites that create a weird, we’re-being-invaded-by-aliens sound and then tie their kites off to fly on their own all night. Teeny kids hide behind fences and pop out long enough to say, “I love you!” and then duck and hide, giggling insatiably. Mothers take all four uniformed kids to school on a motorbike at once. In some villages, when all the kids are in uniform and walking to school, girls carry stick rakes and boys carry machetes. Pringles come in softshell crab, shrimp and seaweed flavors. There is a brand of snacks called Pura Agung that has no indication on the packaging what the snack is made of; some are shrimp crisps, others are fried sweets, others are shredded coconut cakes – you just take your chances until you can recognize those you like. Fifty motorbikes might decided to drive at you in your lane in the wrong direction to get past a bit of traffic on their side of the narrow median. People have fake police lights on their cars. It’s all just weirdly awesome.

Yesterday, we were at a cremation ceremony. As we watched the procession, a couple guys with video cameras asked to interview me. I did the interview and didn’t think anything of it. I just got home from a day at launch when the little kids where we live where shrieking with delight when they saw me and speaking very quickly in Indonesian. I couldn’t understand a word, but their parents just told me that they all saw me on TV last night. Hee hee. Komang, their shy four-year old, saw me on TV and went in to get everyone else and they all saw my interview. I guess we’re just as weird as anything else around us!

Tonight, we are on the hunt for Babi … pork! Wish us luck.