Super Indo!

Well, the first two days or so were pretty strange...but now Yogya is starting to fit like an old shoe. :) Once I was sure that I could find my way home, I felt much more comfortable. I've been able to walk around a bit, went to Malioboro Street to exchange money and saw that for the first time. It is the "big tourist area." They have the best sidewalks in town there, and of course it is packed with stores and markets and motorcycles.

I have two teachers: Dwi and Asih. Dwi has me for four hours in the morning, then we break for lunch, and Asih takes me ;) They are both wonderful and patient. Dwi makes me speak in only Indo, and loves to have me form sentences over and over, which is great, but it makes my head a bit dizzy by the time we break for lunch. Asih, on the other hand, talks more in English but we have a lot of fun! She loves to laugh at herself, and me. I think they balance each other out well. Sometimes I feel like I am progressing very slowly, and other times I feel like I am learning a lot! It just isn't processing as quickly as I want! I think I keep double guessing all my word order now, because I used to be rather sloppy! Once I feel more confident in that, it should speed up.

Enough about that. I went grocery shopping yesterday. My teacher recommended Super Indo to me, so I thought I'd check it out. I was soon quite taken with the store as I ran across old snacks, foods, and brands that I used to eat in Papua: Selamat Biscuits, Chitato Chips, Kopiko, Super Mie, Nutri Sari, Milo...it made me smile. Not only that, but I got to shop serenaded by what sounded like Avril Lavigne, Phil Collins from Tarzan, and Bryan Adams and music from Spirit. Yes. Wonderful selection. But what really had me sold was when the Super Indo theme song came on. Yes. They had a theme song, about Super Indo. Wait. There's more. I knew I had to return when I was in the check out line and I saw, on the adjacent wall, not an employee of the month picture....but an "I do Care Champion." I don't think I need to say any more.

I keep telling myself to take pictures, but I haven't yet. I decided Yogya is a city of depth...there are many little alleys and paths that lead back into quaint little houses or shops. I get the feeling everything is in 3-D, much more than America. :)