Fresh to Death: Indonesia

The idea of 'fresh to death' originally came to fruition during Peace Corps pre-service training. The culture, the sounds, the style, the food, the people, the patterns, the smells -- all wildly unique to Indonesia, stimulating every sense, embedding strong impressions in my memory; aspects of life that I had never experienced during my previous times abroad. Throughout the duration of my service, F2D has developed into something more. The idea is still the same. I still work hard to observe, absorb, and reflect upon what I do see, but my focus has changed. It's less about the foreignness and irony (because that's worn off). I wanted a place where I could convey the real Indonesia through photography but then I realized, I don't really know what the real Indonesia is. It's certainly one of the most diverse countries in the world. How much of East Java do I even understand? It's hard to tell. I'll give you what I do know: how to honestly capture the people I meet and the places I go. My life in the village. Being raw. Being sensitive and humorous at the same time. From these photos, I hope to evoke similar senses that I once felt during those moments for others following this project.

[freshtodeathindo-blog]

Making pizza from scratch with Natasha 

[freshtodeathindo-blog]

Sometimes I find myself in places where pramuka (like scout leaders) booth leaders vie for the most attention at a "Celebrating East Java" event in Surabaya. How they snuck a reaaaaaaallly long python into a fancy shopping mall is beyond me. 

[freshtodeathindo-blog]

A pleasant afternoon becak ride through Mojokerto from the local terminal. 

[freshtodeathindo-blog]

Last January, I found this oversized gem of a pull-over hidden among many other gems in a  Malang thrift store. It sat in my closet, neglected for months. Realizing its uselessness to me, in a tropical climate (other than looking completely hobo hip), I passed it onto another PCV... and this is where it ended up... on her adorable host grandmother. 

Photo Credit - PCV Nicole Ethier 

[freshtodeathindo-blog]

Celebrating the birth of the beautiful being that is Paige Gable. 

(photo shout out to D. Paulk) 

[graceduval]

[freshtodeathindo-blog]

I'm aware that this really has nothing to do with F2D or Indonesia. It does however have to do with personal responsibility as an American citizen. Plus. I may or may not have a major girl crush on Lena Dunham. I sent in my absentee ballot over a month ago. That's right, I'm in Indonesia. No excuses. VOTE. 

[impressions-thukwan]

Mojoagung, March 2012.

[freshtodeathindo-blog]

A participant jots down expectations for Camp iGLOW 2012... 

*photo credit to my oldest childhood friend Hannah McDonald-Moniz, who is a very talented writer and photographer, you'd be silly not to click on those links!

[freshtodeathindo-blog]

My neighbors Silvie and Dwi take a break from poking local trees for their Javanese cherries, or keres.

[freshtodeathindo-blog]

Recently I was invited by an Islamic middle school in my area to give a presentation on Muslims in America. Let's be honest, powerpoint's make me sleepy, that program needs a facelift. My audience? Imagine being those poor kids who by late afternoon still hadn't eaten lunch and were sweating up enough liquids to compensate for the recent drought. They later serenaded me with Celine Dion's 'My Heart Will Go On'. 

To make the presentation more interactive, I (a) used a long ruler to point to things and make loud sounds so no one dozed off and (b) made the entire thing a fun facts quiz. You can see me combining both (a) and (b) and doin' it like a boss. 

Other things I love in this photo: President SBY's portrait smiling over the American flag. Symbolic unity! & also the marble plaque on the table with my photo. 

FYI, Dearborn, Michigan has the largest concentration of Muslim-Americans in the United States (~32,000 = 1/3 of Dearborn's total population).

[freshtodeathindo-blog]

Mbak Dini, age 10, dress-up Sunday. 

[freshtodeathindo-blog]

One afternoon while giving typing lessons, one of my kids implied how hot it was getting, so we moved into the shade of my room... which quickly devolved into playing dress up with all of my belongings and having a photo shoot.. 

[freshtodeathindo-blog]

Have you ever thought about asking your neighbor if you could borrow their portable rice processing machine to decorate for a parade? You know, the deafeningly loud machine that makes you question whether any of your efforts towards minimizing your carbon footprint improving the ozone ever meant anything as it spews toxins into the fresh village air.

These guys didn't think twice: a peek inside of a rice de-shelling processer converted into a parade float.

[freshtodeathindo-blog]

[freshtodeathindo-blog]

[freshtodeathindo-blog]

[freshtodeathindo-blog]

[freshtodeathindo-blog]

Accessories, goats, and Friday's finest. 

D.Paulk, ID5

(I love the goat's expression on the far right)