In Case I Thought College Life Was Over...

The other day was my dad's birthday!  I tried to skype him with my class so that we could sing to him... but the internet didn't work, and FaceTime wasn't being cooperative either.  But I was able to talk with them later in the evening, as they began their day and my dad shoveled the driveway.  But don't feel too bad for him, even though it's his birthday... he got to use his brand spankin new snow blower.  Anyways, in talking with my parents about some of what goes on in my life here in Indonesia, I was reminded of what I've been thinking of the past couple weeks.  As my mom said to me, "It's like college life hasn't stopped for you!"

It's true.  I feel like my life right now is almost like a continuation of college in many ways!  And here is why.

1.  Living situation.  I live in an apartment building with many other single and young married SPH teachers.  I live on a floor with five (seven now because of our student teachers!) other wonderful women and we've become very close.  We have a relationship similar to that of a college dorm floor... late nights in other rooms, devotions together, and even hall meetings to plan events!  But the res-life isn't contained to the 50th floor.  When we walk into the apartment building, the guards know us by name, just as desk workers would know us!  Sometimes it's a little creepy when they mention our room number and something that has happened recently (like my faucet falling off the wall or how I haven't paid my internet bill in a couple months).  But hey, at least they're watching our for me!

We planned a darn good Christmas party if I do say so myself!

2.  Food.  I don't have to cook for myself every night.  The 6 other single ladies who started this year and I have formed what we call dinner club.  Each night, one of us cooks for all the rest.  I cook every other Tuesday.  And every other Monday through Thursday, I show up at 6:30, eat a delicious and well-balanced meal, have some wonderful conversation, and head back home without washing dishes.  It's the perfect situation.  Even better than a school cafeteria... since that's not always delicious... or well-balanced.

Dinner club ladies, one of our first nights in Indonesia (sorry for creepy red eyes!)

3.  Late nights.  Sometimes after dinner club, we stay together and mark.  Or lesson plan.  Or watch movies.  Or organize our massive amount of pirated DVDs.  Or read the new and popular young adult distopian literature.  Or read for our Professional Development.  When a group of us are gathered together the night before PD reading meetings to discuss apologetics, it's a flashback to late night study sessions and paper writing for Old Testament or Basic Christian Doctrine.  Droopy eyes.  A cup of coffee.  And friends to talk to when I need a break.

PD Reading party

4.  A student center.  At Indiana Wesleyan, we called our student center the mallway. It looked like a large mall, with a long skylight, movie theater, art gallery, book store, hair salon, movie-rental, thrift shop, coffee shop, tech help, offices, and a convenience store. I currently have the same thing.  It's actually closer to me here in Indonesia than my student center was to my apartment when I was in uni!  I go to the mall almost every day.  Whether it's to shop for groceries, buy 70 cent movies, get a cup of Starbucks, buy paint or toothpaste, or to go see a $5 movie, the mall has become an extension of my home.

Hunger Games Midnight Showing!  On a school night...

a trek through the rain (which came up our calves) to get to the mall during a rain storm

5. College town.  I haven't realized it until recently, but the people in the town also make me feel like college life hasn't ended.  Lippo Karawaci, the suburb of Jakarta that I live in, is really a college town.  There is a university run by the same company that runs SPH.  They've got somewhere in the neighborhood of 10,000 students.... or so I've heard.  So at the mall, at the strip of restaurants, the bookstore and coffee shops, there are more students than anyone else.  I don't know any of them... but they walk around in their uniforms with their backpacks, sit eating dim sum while they study, and crowd the bookstore on the first day of classes.

6. Games and trips.  In college, there were always event on the weekends to get you involved with campus life.  And during breaks, one of the funnest things to do was to take a roadtrip.  Well, we've developed our own campus life and take our own road trips.  The one difference, we have full time jobs, which mean we have money to pay for our adventures.  And our road trips generally include a short flight to another island...

To Lombok, Indonesia

Singapore

7. Care packages!! It's always a thrilling day when the office boy brings me the little brown envelope with a package notice.  So I take my 3.000 RMB (about 25 cents) to GA, and the next Monday or Thursday I get an email telling me to come pick it up!  I open it up on my way back to my room and start looking through it.  When my kids come back from their break, they're always excited to see what's in it too!  And to try to get me to share whatever American goodies are inside :)  It's like college care packages on steroids... since it costs about 4 times as much to send one here... and the stuff I get in the ones here is vital to my life... you know, like good gum and my favorite tea and candy and Italian dressing seasoning and macaroni cheese powder.  The stuff I can't get over here.

I  was sad to leave IWU.  But I was excited to start "real life," meaning adult life.  And while I have started "adult life," I've been able to hold onto some of the best parts of college.  Living with other girls.  Good God-conversations.  Weekend plans.  Road trips. Late nights with cups of coffee.  And lots of laughs.