Welcome to the Ring of Fire

Part I
Thursday evening, or rather very early Friday morning, I was on my way home from a lovely Toga Party when my friend and I noticed that our taxi windshield was rapidly becoming caked with soot. The cab driver explained that Mt Merapi had just erupted, again, as he reached his arm out the window to pour bottled water down the coated glass. The restriction zone around the mountain had already been widened earlier in the week to around 20km from the base of Mt Merapi, but the cab driver explained that people were starting to move southward to avoid volcanic debris from the eruption that had apparently just occurred. We looked around and his claims seemed to be correct. We were at the start of what looked like an inevitable traffic jam. Cars, motorbikes, and people on foot were all heading southward, and the ash rain became more visible as the minutes progressed. After arriving at home I immediately called the other three ETAs currently visiting Jogja that were at the Toga Party with me but planned to spend the night at another location. Sure enough, the girls were stuck in what seemed like a chaotic and panic stricken attempt at an evacuation of the northern part of Yogyakarta. People were flooding out of their houses, bags in hand, piling into vehicles and onto motorbikes, and just driving southward. The girls ended up hopping into a truck with someone who offered them a ride and brought them to the train station, a straight shot east from my house. They said that not only was there an ash rain but also small rocks and other debris pelting the car windows. Another ETA remained at the Toga Party and confirmed that he had no plans to leave when I called him because of the rocks hitting the roof. I had no such debris at my house and the two girls eventually came to stay the night. Though I didn't experience the bulk of the volcanic debris, we could hear and even feel Mt Merapi erupting from my house. A noise that at first sounded like low rumbling thunder became accompanied by a perpetual subtle vibration of the earth beneath us; Mt Merapi erupting, what we would later learn was its largest eruption in around 140 years. By the time the girls got settled in to my house and we all showered to rinse off the gritty ash and debris as well as re-capped the crazy events of the night, there were only a few hours of sleep to be had before I woke up to teach the next day. I assumed school would not be in session, which was correct, but a teacher from the SMK 6 English department, several students and I were still expected to attend the regional English competition at another vocational school in Jogja. As we drove there via motorbike through the still present ash rain I couldn't believe that the competition was still in effect. All of Jogja looked like some antique shelf in a dark, musky corner of your grandmother's house, unattended for years and whose only company has accumulating layers of dust. It actually reminded me of the old segment on the show "Jackass" where they used to antique people with flour. Anyway, I was only at the school for a few minutes, waiting for the students to arrive when the Program Coordinator at AMINEF called to inform me of an evacuation plan. The ETA in Magelang, located northwest of Mt Merapi and about the same distance from its base as Jogja, and myself would be relocated to Jakarta until further notice. I headed to the train station and bought 5 tickets out of Jogja for myself and the visiting ETA, as well as another recent newcomer to Jogja on a Fulbright Music Scholarship. I went back home, packed up quite literally all of my belongings into my suitcase and two backpacks, had a lunch of cereal, bananas and orange juice from the IndoMaret since all other restaurants were closed, and passed the time with the other ETAs chatting about how crazy the current situation was. A few hours later we were on a train to Jakarta.

Part II
Now there are only 2 ETAs here in Jakarta including myself and the ETA from Magelang, as well as the Music Fulbrighter from Jogja. The other ETAs went to their respective homes in Bandung and Bogor. Being back in Jakarta is personally disconcerting for me for several reasons. I feel like instead of being evacuated from Jogja I actually abandoned Jogja, which is the last thing I want to do. All of my students are there, all of the teachers I have become close to, and several friends close friends that have already shaped my life here. They didn't have the option to just be swept under the protective wing of their government and brought to safer territory. They will stay there until they personally determine it unsafe for themselves, which is not always an easy situation to diagnose when dealing with a mercurial and very volatile active volcano. I think about everyone there everyday and hope that Merapi has erupted its worst and will calm down soon. The plan as of right now is for the Music Fulbright to pursue her critical language enhancement award in Bandung. I will also be relocated to Bandung for the time being and teach with another ETA stationed there, starting at the end of this week or beginning of next. The ETA from Magelang will head to East Java to do the same. Another adventure begins! I'm trying to stay positive and see the new adventure in every opportunity, just like my dad always does, but my heart is in Jogja. Part III to come later...