Friday the University of Benguklu’s (university where I am working) College of Education had a fair and singing competition. I visited all of the booths. The students designed and worked the booths. Each department had a booth–English, Physical Education, Biology, Chemistry, etc. The Art Education booth was really interesting. The students were so excited one of the artists gave me 2 paintings. He made the paint with coffee. So cool. I cannot wait to get the paintings home and have them restretched. He painted them on a material that feels like a stiff bedsheet–not a traditional canvas.

The students are so inventive. A student in English Education devised a cheap game to teach students the alphabet and how to spell. She used plastic bottle tops and wrote a letter from the alphabet on each one. So smart!! NOTE: Trying something new. You need to scroll through the pictures. Let me know if you like this better or prefer the blocks.

Would not be a fair without a singing competition. Indonesians love to sing–even if they are not good. When important people show up at singing events (even weddings), they are asked to sing. I counted as one of those when I showed! Never fear–I DID NOT sing. I am a terrible singer. I used the excuse I do not know any songs in Bahasa–which worked for this competition, but does not work at weddings. Those songs are in English! Imagine you are in the loudest place you have ever been and multiply that by about 100. That is how loud these singing events are. The inside of my body was moving with the music it was so loud. Turn your phone or computer up as load as you can get and put it to your ear–imagine this sound WAYYYY louder.

If you are interested, below are some videos. Abdul sang because he is a dignitary in the college. I recorded one of the student competitors too. If you watch her video, wait for it, she busts a move!

Now checking off the bucket list. Thursday I saw 2 Rafflesia arnoldii. Rafflesia produces the world’s largest bloom. They are found in 2 places in Indonesia-one is Sumatra where I am completing my research. A few interesting facts taken from a-z-animals. NOTE: You can skip this and go down to the photos and video.

*weighs as much as 24 pounds *bud grows about 12 inches before opening *distinct brick red color *smells like rotting flesh *parastic *does not have roots, stems, or leaves of its own *grows inside grape vines *blooms outside the vine

The first flower was about 2.5′ across. This was an easy trek only about 50 yards into the forest. Easy walk. Set me up to think they would all be that easy–NOT SO! The black ball you see in the forest is about the size of head of a very large cabbage. This one is about to open.

The second was at least 3′ across. In one picture, you can see a small Rafflesia that should open in the next week or so as long as we continue to get rain. I thought it would be easy like the first one. NOPE! I think I risked my life to see this one. I am not kidding. The second one was nearly straight down the side of the mountain about 1/2 mile. When I started to take the first step down the side–the guide told me to take off my shoes. We do not speak the same language, but I am pretty sure he got that I was not taking off my shoes. The mountain was steep and muddy. I had to sit down and slide in the mud to the next safe place to stand. In the photo where he is standing, I am about to go to him. Look closely at the picture that is straight down to his right. In the picture where I have the walking stick, you see me smiling like a briar eating mule–that is because I am almost back to the top and I have not fallen off the side of the mountain! In the picture you can see I am leaning on the Rafflesia–that is so I do not slide down the mountain–not because I felt a closeness to this particular flower. AND apparently my guide was a trained photog. He choreographed all the photos taken while we were trekking through the forest.

The picture with the black burnt-looking flat thing is how it looks after it dies.

After we got back to the top, he washed my shoes. I looked down to thank him and realized that while he was washing my shoe he was also pulling leeches off my feet!!

I am pretty sure some of the things I say in the video are not accurate. It was spur of the moment. Maybe my neighbor Elisabeth (she is from Java Island, Indonesia) can shed some light on what he is saying,