Temples and Nourishment

Yesterday we visited several temples including the biggest Buddhist temple in Indonesia. (Just Google Indonesia and I'm sure a picture of it will show up - with the large bell-shaped structures made of stone with holes in them house stone statues of Buddha) I was fascinated by this place, it's so vast and beautiful and filled with meanings both spiritual and cultural. Our tour guide was excellent too, making jokes that referenced American culture to keep us laughing and engaged despite the fact that English is just one of many foreign languages he's had to learn to give tours. I'm always amazed when people can be funny in another language because it requires you to understand humor from a foreign culture that you may have never known. I struggled with this so much while studying abroad - I felt that I just simply could never be funny in Spanish, that part of me was inevitably lost outside the realm of English.

So amidst the references to celebrities and jokes about American Idol, I learned about the original architectural plan for the temple and the story of Buddha along the way. By the time our sweat-drenched bodies reached Nirvana, or the top level of the temple, we felt like we had accomplished some sort of impossible feat - climbing all those stone stairs in the 90 degree heat. We each reached our long American arms through the holes in the aforementioned bell shaped stone structures to touch the Buddha for good luck and success in whatever we do. Along the way, we were bombarded by Indonesians to have their pictures taken with us, to talk to us, and even to have some of our autographs! Why? Because we're foreign giants, with our average height being easily a foot taller than most people we meet, and our light skin makes us stick out like a sore thumb this close to the equator. It's like we're being rushed by paparazzi everywhere we go! Seriously I've never felt so fabulous in my life (that's a lie, more accurately I've never felt more sweaty in my life) but people stare at me and all of us like we're aliens and shamelessly snap pictures of us with camera phones as they walk by. It's quite odd, and yet I've almost become accustomed to it in the few days we've been here.

That's got to be all for now, dinner's ready in our hotel...more later I promise, and thanks to those of you who're actually reading this : )