Today we hit the ground running again, The remaining forms needed to be set, and the concrete filled in over the rebar. We finished this in short order and by the time the lunch bell rang all the concrete was set. The locals all seemed to split for the rest of the day indicating that we would begin again tomorrow when the concrete had dried. Wyan suggested that we go visit the Orphanage #5 in Malaya where the older kids lived. We hopped in the van and Wyan surprisingly jumped in the driver’s seat. Wyan drove in a manner that by Indonesian standards would be considered extremely conservative. It was almost uncomfortable based on our experiences over the last week and a half. Lena, Whom was along as well informed us that Wyan had purchased his first car ever just a month ago, and was still getting used to driving. This reminds you of just how financially difficult even owning a car in this part of the world can be. We arrived at #5 in a short while, after snaking slowly through one back road after another. When we got out of the van all ninety children came out to introduce themselves to each one of us. The excitement was easy to see in their eyes. They had new faces they could learn from and practice their English with. Many of them spoke very well, and had manners that would put an English butler to shame. The man in charge went by Frankie; he and his staff shared with us a rundown of the operation at #5. The children, upon reaching the age of junior high school, come to number five and stay there through high school and some vocational school afterwards. They grow their own food, and raise animals just like the younger kids, but also produce textiles and cement bricks to sell. The kids were eager to take us on a tour and show off their work living areas. Joel, another German aid worker, has been at Orphanage #5 providing English teaching the same as Lena has been doing for the younger kids. He is a good influence on the older kids and you can see how close they have all become. The children entertained us with a performance of music and dance that was impressive to say the least. The camaraderie between the kids of this age is like none ever seen by us before. They truly care and stand by each other as a basic necessity for getting through their lives. Their mission statement included healthy body and mind, spirituality, Life skills, higher education, and good Living conditions just to name a few. These tenants are apparent everywhere you go. We collectively wished to have another two weeks with these kids as well. The time came to go but not before we scheduled a soccer match for Wednesday afternoon during the hottest time of the day, 3pm. With that we headed for the hotel to stalk up on water.
DWC Team
Gregory, Tommy, Arnaz, Bob, Mary and Jen
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