Last Day in Bandung

My last day in Bandung finally arrived and it was bittersweet.  I can’t say that I was sad to say goodbye to the mosquitoes or the lizards that lurk in my bedroom or the incessant noise in the neighborhood beginning around 3:45 a.m.  However, I WILL definitely miss Jason, Laura, and little Mika.

I spent the morning playing with Mika.  We had so much fun as she would crawl fast as a little crab from the sitting area into my bedroom, giggling merrily as I pretended to “chase” her.  Then she’d throw herself into her little tent/crib and scoot around and wait for me to pretend to try to find her.

  

When I’d peek inside, she’d laugh and then come crawling out and head over to my table beside the bed where she’d get a mischievous look on her face as she’d try to reach some of my things that I had slid to the back of the table out of her reach.  Failing to grab something off of the table, she’d “walk herself” along the table edge to my bed, “walk” along the side of the bed and the end of the bed to the door where she’d get back down and crawl quickly back into the sitting room and the whole cycle would begin again.  Oh, did we have fun.

Ibu Uez was helping out and took her for a walk around the neighborhood after lunch so that I could finish packing and get a quick rest.  I’ve been feeling like I’m coming down with a cold (Mika had it first and now Laura has one) and have been trying to stave it off long enough to get back to my own house.  Laura had told Ibu to be sure to have Mika back by 2:30 so that I could spend some final time with her before I had to head over to the language school to meet up with Jason and the taxi that was to be there to take us to the train station.  Well, it got to be 2:50 and still no Mika.  I was beginning to think that I would have to leave without saying goodbye to her but just then they walked in the door.

It was so hard to hug that little one and say goodbye, even knowing that she’ll be back in the States in a few months.  I was crying and then Ibu Uez started crying and Mika was looking at both of us with big eyes.  To make a long story short, Ibu ended up insisting on lugging my carry-on bag and my purse to the school for me so that I could carry Mika there and have some extra time with her.  We made a strange little parade through the kampung…..the two of us ladies sniffling, luggage dragging over the rocks, and one baby trying to grab the Kleenex out of her Nana’s hand.  I didn’t care because I got to hold that sweet baby just a little longer.  I sure appreciated Ibu’s loving offer.  I guess a “grandmother” is a “grandmother” in any country and we understand each other’s heart even when we can’t understand each other’s spoken language.

The taxi was already waiting when I got to the school (now THAT was a miracle) and Jason was walking out with my other two suitcases as I walked into the compound.  Ibu Uez and I gave each other another big hug and I thanked her yet again in my limited Indonesian and handed Mika back over to her and then it was time to go.

Jason and I had another train ride back to Jakarta and this time he didn’t have to jump off the train once we arrived.  Hooray!  It felt good to be back at the team apartment and I had a good night’s sleep for a change.  I didn’t even hear the call to prayer this morning.  I’m really going to miss this view from the apartment, too.   For some reason, I have really come to love the look of this tower that we can see from the apartment.  Its architecture just really appeals to me.

Today we are just taking it easy before it is time to catch a taxi to the airport this evening.  There will be plenty of time for sitting once I’m on the two flights that I’ll be catching to get home.  Jason and I walked across the street this morning and are sitting in Starbucks where he is continuing to work on the essays for the grad school applications and I’m working on this blog and enjoying listening to Frank Sinatra, Cab Calloway, and Rosemary Clooney being piped over the loudspeaker system.  The fellow sitting across from us working on his iPad has been glancing over at us occasionally, probably because I was singing along (quietly) with Rosemary on the song “Smile.”  Hey, at least I didn’t grab a napkin, roll it into a pretend microphone, jump up on one of the upholstered chairs and start doing my torch song singer routine. It wouldn’t have taken much provocation but it probably would have taken a little more caffeine than I have in me right now.

Lord willing (and the internet cooperating), my next post might be from the Hong Kong airport.  If not, I’ll hope to continue this tale from home.