Too many stories to write I think I have brain cramps.

It’s truly amazing out here. I am in Toro Subang, this small but lively village on the remote coast of Pulau Bacan. I got here using Motor (a small boat carrying 20-30 people) yesterday, and I have not stopped being amazed since

It’s everything that you could have ever dreamed about the perfect soul retreat. Since there’s so much to tell, I better off write it in points:

The village. Nested in the riverside, with houses above the water, it’s perfect to the details. The docks, the glass clear water, the houses with porches you cannot beat, the dusty roads, the big mosque at it’s center. I arrived in the perfect weather, afternoon with a blue sky and the deep blue waters. Imagine me climbing the docks with a carrier (those big bags you see people use on expeditions) on my bag, a fishing hat on me head, looking around with a smile on my face. Perfect.

The people. As progress brings a lot of great things to society, it also corrupts it in a big way. I am deeply surprised by the people here. I had fears in preparation meetings about the people being unfriendly, rude or even racist towards my ethnicity and me being a stranger, but really, all I experienced since is nothing but openness, politeness, friendliness, and all admiration from the kids. I am in fact writing this on a dock of someone’s home, facing the waters, with the wind on my face and the family taking a bath 2 feet away. Really, humans are made for relationships, good ones, as I have experienced here.

The swim. Yesterday I swam with thirty beautiful children on the river, with the perfect water, the perfect sky, the perfect dock. It’s an experience I think I won’t have again in my lifetime. It’s your perfect Visit Indonesia moment, your brochure’s front page, your website first image. We jumped, screamed, laughed, played, swam, and everything in between. I am eternally grateful.

The PMs. Everything you think about the PM they are, and more. My PM now, Ajib, was greeted like the village leader when we got here. Every kid in vicinity just ran up to him and screamed, “Pak Aji! Pak Aji!” When we came across villagers they respectfully nodded their head. When we came around to the house, all the kids waited by the porch to hear his stories. It was amazing. He’s smart, he’s respected, he’s honest, he prays, he teaches Taekwondo, he’s your teacher. It doesn’t take a genii to see how all the kids on the island love to be around one of these role models.

Do you know, they wait in front of Ajib’s house every morning to walk to the schools with him? I was stunned by the view. There was like 40-50 children all wearing white and reds with bags on their shoulder, waitig for their teacher to come out the door.

Being close to Ajib, I can see the passion. Not the passion I have, the “city folk wants to get his feet dirty passion”, but a passion for children, for education, for making a real dent in the system, for a better future of Indonesia. And this is just one of the ten I have lining up in my schedule for my trip. I think I need another single post to write about the PM.

Wud love to write more, but this is on my iPhone, so I’m starting to getting numb thumbs here, so I have to continue on the next post. The experiences I just wrote is just a tiny fraction of everything I gained here. Still so much to tell. So much. So much.

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