Asia Journal ’24 - #2:

 

A great day of immersion in Indonesian culture, from many different foods to a Chinese-Indonesian funeral in which I participated in pouring oil on the body. The highlights were the interviews with Batak

(one of the largest ethnic groups in Indonesia) leaders and a tour of the oldest Batak church (HKBP). I learned so much, and my suppositions (mentioned in the previous journal) were strengthened. A surprise was an unplanned visit with Rahel Daulay, an IWS doctoral graduate, who is Batak and a professor of one of the leading Seminaries in Indonesia. Her insights supplemented, significantly, those of the church leaders. My former student and host, Alice Setiawan and her husband, Agra, are the best. They drove 3 hours from their home town city, Bandung, to pick me up yesterday, stayed with me last night and all day today. Then braved the heavy traffic to Bandung to attend the funeral (incidentally, where porridge was served!). Tonight, I’m staying in the guestroom of Alice’s church where she is the worship minister.