Day 1: Hey friends! I (Apple) kidnapped the SMP blog for an entry =) Anna and I traveled to a different location to pioneer the first village stay in the area. This village was bigger than the others we stayed at. We adventured across the straight at low tide, almost capsizing a small canoe in the process. We arrived at the village and immediately met so many of the kids. Even though our time there was so short (2 nights), our host family welcomed us in with open arms. We kept busy in the village. We ate lunch with our hosts, then played games with the kids (duck-duck-goose and sharks and minnows, SE Asia edition). In the afternoon, we learned how to make traditional fish crackers step by step – cutting the fish-flour roll is harder than it looks! In the evening, our pak (host father) made us some delicious grilled fish, which was so sweet of him. Later, we interviewed the chief of the sea tribes, heard his stories about the unpredictability of the ocean, carefully held his grandfather’s 100-year-old diving goggles in our hands, and were touched by their traditional song, rhythmic like the waves. After the motorbike ride back to the house, we had a really cool conversation with our guides and the village advisor about surrender and trust in God.

Day 2: The second day, I woke up to my 3-year-old host brother curled up at my feet, fast asleep. I have no idea when he appeared there, but it was a fun surprise =) We attended a preschool end of year performance and enjoyed seeing the six-year-olds reenact a legend. Then, we joined the mangrove community, planted a few baby mangroves, and spent time asking the fishermen questions about their lives and the challenges they face. In the afternoon, we met an incredible man who truly loves his village. Pak H is an entrepreneur who collects and ships clams internationally. His work provides another alternative to illegal mining for the villagers to provide for their families. He shared about the challenges of his work, but also the potential for the community to be able to grow through the expansion of other avenues for work. One of the main things that stood out to me from the village stay is the centrality of compassion. For example, it’s so easy to quickly condemn people for being involved in illegal mining. But in reality, its truly the best option they have to provide for their families. Pak H and our friend Pak N model compassion really well, as they work to help their community flourish. Pak H does that through his business. Pak N does that through stepping up as village advisor and working to promote tourism as another avenue for employment. I’ve learned so much from these two men and their kindness.

After a delicious chicken biriyani cooked by our Pak, we had a grilled fish cookout with the community. We enjoyed some clams, courtesy of Pak H, chatted with the kids with our limited language skills and google translate, and created hand shadows with our host sister. The next morning, we joined the elementary school for aerobics and said goodbye to our host family. Our time there felt so short, and yet there were so many wonderful moments - connecting with the kids, motorcycle debriefs with our guide, seeing our ibu’s smile, and so many more.