About Merapi...



got this picture from VOA

It's not fair to write only Mount Merapi,(a volcano located in Central Java, Indonesia), the eruption that caused many people died, while there are many victims in Mentawai Island too because of the earthquake and tsunami, but I'm sure there already many people outside there wrote about Mentawai Island.
Merapi (and mount Merbabu which just next to each other) will always be a spectacular view in my mind. I saw this volcano, almost every morning, years and years. When I go to the daily mass in 'Santo Petrus' (St. Peter Church) in Solo, and back then when I go to school every morning I always see this mysterious volcano. I felt great everytime walking to the church and see this 'Merapi and Merbabu'..sometimes they look so clear and so close.
The other day my husband asked me, if there was big eruption when I was still living in Java Island, I said 'Yes..!', but not as big as this time. As you may know from the news, the Merapi Volcano became active on October 26th, and according to the news the explotion on November 5th was the most scary, it could be heard from the downtown of Yogyakarta (Yogya and Solo is only about two hours apart driving, but Yogya is closer to this volcano).

The ash from this volcano has forced schools and restaurants to shut as eruptions grow more powerful. This including the school where my niece, Indy goes there everyday. She went to Catholic School called 'Stella Duce' in Yogya. I was relieve when I heard her voice, typical teenager voice who's so excited 'reported' to me, about the thick ash and the sound from the volcano. I'm glad that her school has been giving free face mask to the students since the early eruptions.
As a person who was born and raised in Central Java Island, I know very well about the culture, about the mystic, rummors about Merapi, some people said that this is a kinda punishment from God. Maybe for western people this is weird eventhough we knew about the 'ring of fire' which make some islands in Indonesia are always in danger and the earthquake is about 18 times per year. If you're Indonesia citizen in Indonesia, you have to have religion, at least you must have it in your ID card regardless you'll practice it everyday or not. Long story short, the combination of the geography, the people who always believe in God, doesn't matter if they know about 'ring of fire' or not, plus the economy which always ups and down (most of the time is 'down' ),..that's make people believe that all the misserable happend was because God's punishment. And the spirit of 'share' which not only taught in preschool or kindergarten like in America, make the Indonesian always say 'pray'...for everything, 'share' is not only for divide something that you have and give some to others but also 'pray' to someone else!...
It wasn't easy to explain about 'sharing' to American (for example my husband..), who was born and raised in America, about sharing that we have been bringing it from preschool until we're getting older. He might not see other kids in famine when he was a little boy, or like when I was in elementary, I saw one of my friend went to school without shoes, just because this boy only have one pair of shoes, and he wanted to keep it last longer, so some school days, he thought it's not neccessary to put on shoes.
Can speak enough about Merapi, ...I hope (and pray) it will stop soon and life back to normal. Ameen.
(Thanks to Eko Bhakti who provide the pictures of the Church)


St. Peter Catholic Church in Solo
Central Java, can't see Merapi from
thi angle.

Inside the Church



The Church's entrance.