I am near the end of the 7 month Fulbright assignment. So close, I am saying goodbye to Bengkulu City with a few fascinating moments. Today was most likely my last full day in Bengkulu City. I spent the morning with Ela. She is lovely. She took me to the lake. All this time in Bengkulu City and numerous times passing the lake and no one offered to stop. This morning Ela did. She said we needed to stop, enjoy the lake, and have a coconut. She told me this is the best place in Bengkulu to see the sunrise. I leave tomorrow for a trip to Labuan Baja. After that trip, one day in Bengkulu and then off to Jakarta to begin the debriefing before I can return to the U.S.

When I was a kid, my Momma had a fit if we played with plastic bags. Especially, if we put the bag over our faces. You might wonder why I took the photo and did not run over to stop them. Difference in culture. I tried once to stop a kid from doing something I thought was dangerous–I see lots of dangerous things here–the parent did not seem happy about me inserting myself into the situation. Now, I watch. So far nothing life threatening has happened. Interesting how different places view what is a social and cultural norm.