At long last, I am taking up this blog again, having just arrived back in this mysterious but wonderful country of Indonesia after five years absence.  This time, I will be teaching at the Center for Religious and Cross-Cultural Studies of the University of Gadjah Mada.  I can only say, what a great opportunity!  The joy, the learning, the experience, will be mine, as I propose to offer something of what I know to these really very dear, interesting people.  But more of that to come.
  After what can only be described as a long and grueling trip, about 30 hours in the air, I was in Jakarta for one night in order to have a security briefing of just one hour offered by the American Indonesian Exchange Foundation, which governs the Fulbright program here.  If this sounds complicated already, it is certainly that for me, as I have had to wend my way through various bureaucratic agencies, not all in sync with one another, much less with me.
 But as I arrived on the last leg of the four-part flights, in Jogyakarta, a city in Central Java, I was greeted last night by one of my counterparts here, Pak Anchu, as he calls himself, though his real name is longer.  Indonesians seem to like being called by names that have nothing to do with their real names.  I had been writing him, assuming he was just an administrator, only to find out on the ride from the airport that he holds a doctorate from a good American university, and his specialization is indigenous religions.
 Right now, I am settled in a luxurious hotel, the Hotel Tentrem, so it is hard to believe that this is really a developing country, with so much poverty around.  As if the accommodations, and international foods of the breakfast were not enough, my companions for this part of the stay have decided on a spa trip this afternoon.  Good massages and facials are part of the culture, so I shouldn't feel so guilty about going along and treating myself.  I hope I won't get too used to it!
Well, if you have read this far, I will ask your indulgence for these ramblings on my first full day, after the sleepless nights and jet lag have taken their toll.  I hope to be more alert and have more to say as time goes on.  Your questions and feedback would be helpful too, dear reader. Enough for now.  Maria