My Experience in Indonesia

John Klompmaker from Bowmanville, Ontario, was a member of the first Service and Learning team to build hope and homes in Indonesia after the devastation of the tsunami.  He shares with us here his life changing experience.

Our team arrived in Banda Acheh on March 3, 2006; all of us green horns as far as Indonesia is concerned. We didn’t really know what to expect. The one thing clear to us is that the country is almost 100% Muslim and based on what I have seen in the media, they are all extremists. As my story unfolds, this media concept, which I perceived, will be seen as the furthest thing from the truth. In reality they are just people, like ourselves, except that they have experienced extreme devastation and are desperately in need of help.

The first thing we noticed when leaving the airport is that they drive on the opposite side of the road to North America. They also use small motorcycles more than cars. We were also tuned up very quickly on the customs in this country, which they take very seriously. Some examples of little changes we had to make were for example: taking off your shoes before entering someone’s house, sitting on the floor with your legs crossed while visiting, never stick your feet straight out (that’s an insult), wave with your right arm, not your left when greeting someone, always eat with your right hand (the left is used for other things, and should never touch food), avoid pointing with your fingers - use your thumb, stoop slightly and have your right arm extended toward the floor when passing in front of anyone.  All in all, these are customs that show respect for other persons. I was thinking that maybe North America could learn something from these people.

We had a chance to see the devastation in Banda Acheh and surrounding area. It was hard to believe that vast areas of land, once covered with homes and possessions, were now just fields of rubble. We saw the river running through town in which thousands of bodies had floated after the tsunami. We were struck by the tremendous power that nature can unleash. It made me feel rather small in the midst of what I was observing. We were beginning to realize just how terrible it must have been for so many families to loose loved ones, their homes and possessions in just a few short minutes. To be left with, in many cases, nothing but their own lives.

We were taken to Lhong about 2 hours from Banda Acheh, to begin our work in the construction of new homes. This is one of the areas where the CRWRC is actively at work. They go by the name Gen-assist and they have plans of building 535 homes here. Around 200 have already been completed and given away. We learned that they are involved in much more than new home construction. They also have a team working on temporary housing, of which they have erected over 700 shelters. These shelters are steel frame on legs to keep them off the ground. The floors and outside walls will be wood. Once permanent homes have been built for these people, the temporary shelters should come down again. Most everyone thinks that once the shelters are up they will probably remain. Who knows at this point? What I found interesting is that there was another NGO group supplying the temporary shelter material and Gen-assist was able to provide the manpower for the erection of these buildings. Not a bad deal.

The third project of Gen-assist is the livelihood program. Here groups of people living in these poor areas are trained and helped in starting garden farming in crops such as peppers, melons and so on. In one of the villages they had even helped a group of ladies start a sewing business, providing them with sewing machines and materials and training. In another village CRWRC supplied a group with a fishing vessel so that they can catch and sell fish. They will then begin a fund from their profits to buy a second boat for another group. It was pointed out to us that a home is a great start, but if there is no work, how does a person exist?

All three of the people in our work team were place with a different family and also in different villages. If you want to know how other people live, this is the way to do it. Language was a large barrier and for those who had taken a dictionary there was a definite advantage. We soon learned some key words and with that and sign language, we were making head way. The people in these villages were extremely friendly and welcomed us with open arms. They had never experienced white people living among them and they were anxious to make contact with us. Each village had 4 or 5 coffee gathering stores. They also sold some basic groceries. I was continually being asked to join with them here and have a coffee and snack. They would rarely let me pay. This always amazed me because I knew that these people could not afford these generosities. The coffee itself took some getting used to but for the village people, this was their social event and they love coffee. When I was totally lost in their conversation I would say, ”anna poo poo” which translates as “no problem”. That had them laughing like crazy. We had also taken a large quantity of balloons and candies with us. That turned out to be a very successful idea. All the children were our friends and even mothers would approach us for a balloon or candy for their little ones at home. The diet there is basically rice and fish and it’s eaten at every meal. They don’t use forks and knives here, but just use their right hand. If food is left over at breakfast, you’ll get it for lunch and so on. They have no refrigeration, so food can only be kept for a short time. I missed my cereal with milk and strawberries in the morning.

We were each placed at a different construction site. There was a crew working at each of these houses but we were able to help them. For me, the first day was a little rough. They couldn’t really speak to me and they probably wondered why I would want to help them anyway. That soon changed though. I watched them for a while and then signaled them, for me to take over. I think they loved it. The two people from that first site remained my good friends during my whole two week stay. I was even invited to their houses for coffee; that’s got to be a good sign. I gave them each a Canada t-shirt before I left and I took lots of pictures of these folks while they worked, which they really enjoyed. This is where a digital camera is really nice; instant play back.

We then experimented with having the whole team working together on the same house. That was fun too, because conversation was a little easier. It also meant that our lone translator could help all of us at the same time. Although we were intent on helping with the building projects, the temperature made it difficult. It was over 30 C ever day. That comes as a shock to people who just came out of a Canadian winter. We did the best we could though, and drank lots of water. The houses themselves were basically brick walls on a concrete foundation. The interior walls were brick as well. The walls were tied together with a reinforced concrete lintel poured on top. The roofs were wooden trusses with sheet steel over them. The walls were all plastered inside and out once the structure was erected. I must say, a very nice looking home of about 480 square feet. Their toilets are in the floor of the bathroom and one has to squat to use them. A water container in the corner serves as the source of washing and flushing. It all worked quite well. [story continues below picture.]