November 4, 2009
I remember an ETA (English Teaching Assistant) telling us while in Bandung that we need to realize the great effect we have on many Indonesian’s lives. I recall them saying that often we don’t realize how deeply and significantly we touch people’s lives, and here we affect some people we don’t even remember meeting.

This is due in large part to our celebrity-like status here. I was warned kindly beforehand that because for many Indonesians I will be the first Westerner they will see or meet, they will be transfixed by my appearance and shocked to meet me. Literally every single day I am here people clamber to get a picture with me, shy to ask, but once I agree they almost fall over each other to get a spot in the picture. (I should mention that 70% of these pictures are being taken on camera phones…just thought you’d like that image).

Alexa (my house mate) and I have really started feeling like celebrities. I’ve started actually expecting people to want to take my picture. A young lady joked with me at the beach, after I took a picture with some children, asking me if they had wanted my autograph. With no change in expression, I just told her that, “No, they just wanted a picture.” She burst out laughing, and then I realized how ridiculous a question that had been. Of course they didn’t want my autograph! I’m not actually a celebrity. But the fact that her suggestion didn’t even faze me is really pretty concerning.

So, yes, I do have an effect on people’s lives, but until today, I did not realize to what extent.

Today was like any other day at school for me. I had two 10th grade classes that I taught and I ate a delicious meal of chicken and rice prepared for me by one of the kind teachers at my school. As I was finishing up my meal, a teacher came into the language teacher’s lounge and told Ibu Anti, who I work with, that one of the teachers had just had a baby!

I was so excited! I had seen pregnant Ibu Fatma every day at work, and had thought she looked like she was ready to give birth any day now. Ibu Anti realized that I had a break from my classes, so we could go to the hospital right then and see her.
We hopped on a bentor (think motorcycle with seat/cart in front for passengers) and headed towards the close-by hospital. On the way I thought of Ibu Fatma and how she would ask me to touch her belly every day, hoping that by touching her belly her child would have a nose just like mine. She so badly wanted her child to have my thin, small nose. I never thought of my nose as small until they mentioned its small size every day.

So we arrived at the hospital and began to walk down an open-air walkway towards one section of the hospital dedicated to births. Just as in any home in Indonesia, we took off our shoes upon entering the hospital and crossed the threshold. No sooner had I entered then I heard a child screaming. I turned the corner to find a naked 2 year old boy crying in pain on the floor. No explanation was given, so I only have my imagination to know why this was the case.

Ignoring the boy, we turned into the first room on the right to find a group of about 7 women sitting on a rug on the floor. One of them was holding a newborn baby girl. She was beautiful. She almost took my breath away. I had never seen a baby that small - that young. She was born at 3 am, and as it was 1pm, she was only 10 hours old.

I saw five or so men against one wall, and then the exhausted new first-time mother lying on the only furniture in the room - a single bed. As any new mother she looked exhausted, but happy. I kissed her, and then began cooing at the baby.

Then they told me her name - Sarah. The mother had named her after me.

I looked at her, my eyes filled with tears, and I beamed. What an honor. I was overwhelmed, and still kind of am.

I held her and they remarked how beautiful the scene was. All I could see was this beautiful little baby girl whose life is now forever changed and has been forever affected by mine.

She will always hear about the ‘beautiful’ American Ms. Sarah that she was named after her. And I will forever be grateful to know a baby girl was named after me. They said every time they see her, they will think of me. She will be a remembrance of me to them. I almost cried.

I hope this girl doesn’t feel overwhelmed, like she has a lot to live up to. I know I feel that way sometimes, and it’s no way to live. I’m working on it though.