Fridays in Bandalampung

By now, I was getting used to hearing the call to prayer.  There was a mosque right next to the dorms, so we heard the call to prayer loud and clear, and this morning it managed to incorporate itself into my dreams (one of my girl friends was singing it, and not sounding very feminine).  Again, we had no running water so I was grateful for the wishing well and only wished I’d filled it up further.

On the way to the training Erma was kind enough to take me to the mosque.  We didn’t go inside, but from the doorway I was able to admire the beautiful interior, which incorporated the traditional design of this province on its beams.  It was interesting to go past it again a bit later on, as it filled up with men for the Friday sermon.

At the university, I saw faculty sweeping the driveway and was told that it’s expected that all staff pitch in on Fridays to help keep the campus clean.  I imagine it gives them all a sense of ownership and camaraderie, and I wonder how the professors with the big egos would react to that.

During our lunch break, Erma took Andres and me downtown to go shopping for proper socks and boots to wear for the hike.  I was just excited to see the town by day, and passed on the socks (not any better than what I’d packed) and the “boots” (olive green galoshes). I thought it was interesting to see all the warehouse shops we passed, and that the socks came from the “uniform” store, supplying everyone from police officers to rangers and military, it seemed.  We also kept seeing the strong geometric designs that are practically a symbol of this (Lampung) province.

All too soon, the training was wrapped up and the workshop was over. We went back to the dorms to pack and prepare for our field visit the next morning.  When the guy organizing the visit told me he was going to the supermarket, I tagged along to buy water and see how this college town rolls on a Friday night.  Turns out he has quite the selection of American music in his car, and the sing-along began.  I had fun seeing the different products for sale, including scented Kleenex (frankincense scented, anyone?) and picked up a few spice mixes to try Indonesian cuisine back home.  As we were leaving, I mentioned my desire to find a soccer jersey for my brother if we saw any roadside stands selling them.  I didn’t want to inconvenience him, but the next thing I knew we were visiting multiple department stores and roadside stands in an attempt to find one.  We didn’t, but it was interesting to see how their department stores were set up and what they were selling.  They felt like a cross between Nordstroms and Target.  When we saw a donut shop at the last store, I picked some up for my colleagues as a surprise for the next morning.