Yesterday I woke to a sound I did not recognize. Truthfully it sounded a little like a civil defense siren with a rhythmic elevation and then reduction of sound. Nervously, I made my way to the hotel window to see if I could get a better idea of what was going on. I soon realized that what I was hearing was the 4:30 a.m. call to prayer from the nearby Mosque. A Call of Prayer is not something that you hear everyday in Madison Alabama and certainly not from a speaker system that carries the sound throughout the neighborhood. Islam is a very old religion but it is very new to me. I have learned that Islam literally means "surrender to God". According to my research, a Muslim is described as someone who submits to the will of God so a Muslim is a follower of Islam. www.whyislam.org/islam/what-do-muslims-believe/ Part of being globally competent is to recognize other perspectives. A big part of this trip for me so far has been learning about the Muslim culture and traditions. This is important to me because I have many Muslim students at my school. Indonesia has a very large Muslim population. I learned today that all government funded public schools here teach Islamic studies. You do not have to be a Muslim-- many religions are recognized and welcomed here- but you will have Islamic studies if you attend a government funded public school. This is in stark contrast to our U.S. separation of church and state. Students are also given the opportunity to participate in a call to prayer during their school day. The call to prayer happens five times each day. After a beautiful breakfast at the hotel, we had the amazing opportunity to visit the Masjid Istiqlal. One of the largest mosques in Southeast Asia. Everyone must remove their shoes before entering the mosque. There were several vendors at the mosque entrance that offered plastic bags for shoe storage. They weren't persistent just a gentle offer of the option to buy the bag. We opted to store our shoes in our backpacks or in the shoe storage area of the mosque. The main floor is tremendous. It is covered in a red carpet and the ceiling is dome shaped and magnificent. Our tour guide explained that there this Mosque is one of the largest in South East Asia and has a capacity of more that 200,000 people. It has several rows of balconies and additional areas to pray in the courtyard. We arrived just as prayer was ending. Even though the mosque is very large it is located very near on of the biggest cathedrals in the city. The spires of the cathedral were designed to be the same height as the dome of the mosque. I also learned that during Christmas the mosque holds the overflow from the church. These are both beautiful examples of the religious tolerance and peace in Indonesia. Our next stop was the National Monument. Unfortunately, it was closed for cleaning. Indonesia is hosting the Asian Games in August 2018 and many areas are receiving renovations in anticipation of the event. The area surrounding the monument is beautiful. There is an outdoor market that includes street vendors selling food and souvenirs. The street vendor foods smell amazing and it is very difficult to avoid purchasing the various gastronomical delights. We have been advised to avoid street food due to lack of sanitation including clean water for hand hygiene. As a former health inspector this is something that I already know in my head but it doesn't make may taste buds any less tempted. Additionally, we found out from the doctor at the US Embassy that it is common for the farmers to use human feces as fertilizer. So we are avoiding raw foods including fruits that cannot be peeled, salad, ice and tap water. With all of that knowledge did I forget everything I know and brush my teeth with the tap water from the sink on the first night of arrival? Yes. Yes I did.
1 Comment
"This blog is not an official U.S. Department of State blog. The views and information presented are the grantee's own and do not represent the Teachers for Global Classrooms Program, IREX, or the U.S. Department of State."
Debbie Baeder
7/17/2018 05:38:24 pm
I LOVE your dedication to learning as a path to teaching. You are my hero.
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AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
September 2018
Categories"This blog is not an official U.S. Department of State blog. The views and information presented are the grantee's own and do not represent the Teachers for Global Classrooms Program, IREX, or the U.S. Department of State."
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