I first heard the drums when I got off the boat. We were in our second village for our second project. As we approached the school, the path was lined with local students in their school uniforms playing traditional Indonesian drums with animal hides stretch over them. What a welcome. We spent the morning expanding and smoothing a soccer field and painting a classroom’s worth of desks bright red.
The village was preparing lunch for us so we were trying to quickly wrap up our work projects. As I was checking around to make sure we hadn’t left any tools lying around, out of the corner of my eye, I could see some activity behind one of the school buildings. I wandered over –and sure enough- the rumors were true. There were a dozen local middle school boys and girls in beautiful Indonesian outfits preparing for a dance.
We were going to be getting lunch and a show. Awesome. As tempted as I was, I didn’t say anything to our kids. After our lunch of fish wrapped in banana leaves cooked over an open fire, papaya salad, and other local delectables, someone popped a CD into the karaoke machine and cranked up the volume. We were treated to -not one, not two- but three dances by groups of local middle schoolers.
After lunch, our kids had an hour of free time. They scatter to the four corners of the village to run around, hang out, and play soccer with local kids. That was my cue to grab my camera and wander from one end of the village to the other and back again
A little service work, good food, a dance by our new friends, and a chance to get some cool photos.
Pretty much a recipe for a great day.
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