My story about Indonesia

Kids of Sanggar Sahabat Anak, Bandulan, Malang.

Little learner.

"Here, help her. She's having difficulties with roman numbers."

My friend walks away, leaving me alone with the six year old indonesian muslim girl with a wide smile on her face.

"Bule!" She says, and bursts out laughing. She means me, the tourist. The other kids join the laughter, apparently the idiotic/surprised expression on my face is particulary amusing.

The beginning is nearly always baffling. I mean I don't even know how the roman numbers work myself. Reliefingly it's not very hard to do the quick study from her worn out book, but then, how do I explain anything to a six year old indonesian muslim girl?

Luckily we both spoke body language.. with a good sense of humor.



I am in Malang, East-Java, Indonesia. I first came here four weeks ago, white as a sheet, with a bunch of useless just-in-case stuff in my backpack, after an announcement "voluntary help wanted"  in the web page of The 7 Interchange. I came from Finland, where I left behind a starting career in key client management just to make a dream come true and jump out of the ordinary life.

"Are you sure?"

I was expecting that question when I first declared I would quit my job. Instead I was encountered with encouragement.

"You haven't been yourself lately. I think you have to get back on your own path."

My sister has been a great source of innovation for my life. Her numerous travels have inspired me to follow. I mean, how often do you hear that a political history major takes a break in studies to do some gardening work for the city of Tórshavn, Faroe Islands? When I watched her ferry depart from the dock in Norway for the journey towards the-middle-of-nowhere, I realized thats just how she is. That's just how we are.

My sister in Faroe Islands.

That we are one of them.We are travelling in the search or purpose. And what a great thing it is that we have the essentials for it: enough health, wealth and a home to return to. And one day we will find that the best next adventure is settling down, once we find the place and company and purpose that we love enough.

I had to raise some funds to make it possible to travel here. I was surprised how much the different costs pile up once you start planning a life in a tropical country.

"I really recommend you take the vaccination against the The Japanese encephalitis virus, not to mention typhoid fever. You already have hepatitis, tetanus and MMR-vaccine, that's great, but you still need anti-malaria drug just to be sure. Oh, and don't let the mosquitos bite you. There is no drug against dengue fever. That would be 550€, thanks."

It was January 2012, about one month after the initial decision to go, and I was walking back home from the vaccination clinic. I felt dizzy, with japanese encephalitis vaccination in my veins, and I started calculating. The whole idea started to seem silly and impossible. I took a stupid risk, and now the enrollment date for masters studies was already over. I'm on nothing, I realized, and there is no way I can save enough money to live this dream.

Snowdropper and the plentitude of gear.

Then it started snowing.

It must have been a miracle. I mean, it seems odd how everything tied up: sudden need for snowdroppers, the idea coming to my mind, me being fully qualified for the job because of climbing experience, and the luck of getting into the team of the most hardcore high place workers in the city. We worked - quite literally - day and night, which for me meant faster departure to Indonesia, and for the rest of the team, well, a very nice payroll.

I guess it's true: "Once you start reaching for your dreams, as through a miracle, the whole universe will help you achieve it." But it doesn't come without one's own determination and hard work.


I'm still on the way now. I'm moving. I try my best to report from the way while the ideas are still fresh in my mind.

Without losing any more time.. Matur nuwun (thank you in Javanese) for reading, and see you next time.