candi

i love that "candi" in bahasa indonesia means "temple."  for example, ke cande = this way to the temple.  borobudur is the biggest buddhist candi in the world.  yum, sweet.  even sweeter are the groups of indonesian schoolgirls who approach us at said temple, shyly, always with one ringleader who is fractionally less shy than the rest.  "excuse me," comes a soft voice.  "do you have time for us?"  and anywhere from three to twenty white-scarved heads materialize around the level of my bicep.  "of course," we say, smiling, and a little whisper of tension goes out of the group, and they all dissolve into smiles.  or, more accurately, bigger smiles.  there is some internal list of topics that the girls want to cover: where are you from?  what places are good to visit in america? why did you decide to come to indonesia? (more smiles and ducking of heads at my answer: because i heard it is beautiful and that the people are very nice.) how many countries have you visited? (giggles at the obvious fact that i have no idea and would need to take time to count.  plus, does it count if you are under five? i think yes. but only if you have any memories, actual memories of your own, not implants from parents or photos.)  tom explaining the grand canyon: "it's a place where a river cut through the hills, except there's no river you can see, and the sides are very high and very steep."  vs. me: "it's like a mountain, except the opposite: upside down and empty."  and at the end of it all, everyone wants an autograph, a photo, and "will you please say something good about my english?"