Selamat Pagi (maybe Selamat Malam for you!)

As soon as we arrived to Wisma China Alam Guest House, a lovely bungalow residence in which we are staying in Ketambe, a small village in the province of Ache, the seemingly endless travel day was instantly worth it. After three plane rides (four for some of us), an 8 hour van ride and one flat tire later, we are excited to say that all 13 of us have safely arrived to the sight of our orientation. Situated in the middle of one of the last untouched stretches of jungle here that hasn’t been damaged by deforestation, our days have been filled with building group dynamics, learning some Bahasa Indonesia, observing the majestic mountains and the river that surrounds us, hanging out with the local children, playing with two puppies that live here with the owner and his family and eating some of the most delicious food cooked by Mini the wife of Johan, the owner of this beautiful place and definitely an environmentalist.

Every night before dinner we gather and share one thing from our day that we are grateful for. So here is what we said yesterday before eating a delicious jack fruit curry with rice:

• Nina – Conversation with Kate while washing colored pencils covered in chocolate. It was nice to just slow down and have a genuine conversation
• Jacob – Johan talking about his life story and forest conservation
• Matt – Laundry with Rita and having her always smiling and bringing energy to the group
• Peter – Meeting Iqbal, the grandson of our host, Johan
• Kate – Yoga session in between orientation
• Keshet – Butterfly landed on big toe and shared a moment together + seeing dragon flies
• Liv – Sharing life stories and starting to get to know each other in a more intimate way
• Anna Harris- Having time to journal
• Izzy – Meeting small chicken that children were carrying and showing off
• Anna Hartzell – Contact with nature + being in such a naturally beautiful environment
• Rita – Seeing the whole group willing to learn, speak Bahasa, meet the children, be in nature + teaching hand-washing laundry technique to Matt and Kate
• Romina – Learning the names of the people in the kitchen and later having them say my name back
• Olivia – Seeing the light coming from the hills that lit up the surrounding jungle in gold
• I hope this was a glimpse into all we have discovered in Indonesia this past days.

Sampai Jumpa!

Dragon Students

Photo credits : Romina