Aceh, Part 1

On the day we were to leave for Aceh, I was scheduled to be picked up at 4:30 in morning. I even surprised myself to be waiting outside a whole 5 minutes early. This is one of the benefits of international travel; before my body adjusts to a new time zone, I'm early to everything for about two days. I had just arrived in Jakarta the day before—after over 30 hours of travel—so I was tired, but the anticipation of the trip and the flipped body clock had me ready to go. I met Veronica, the director of YCAB, at the airport and we boarded our flight to Banda Aceh, in what was our third trip to one of the locations most severely damaged by the tsunami.

We landed almost two hours later, and were met by Steven, the YCAB representative who left his home in Jakarta to move to Aceh and be our on-the-ground project manager. I asked him how he had been doing since I saw him last year, and he very honestly answered with a smile and shake of his head, "Today? Not so good!" Steven has been the crucial element to any success for these projects. While for us the sacrifice of being away from home and unfamiliar culture are temporary, he has willingly made it his home.

To provide a bit of history, last year YCAB established these projects in Aceh along with several approved NGO's joining together for a UN emergency relief plan. Wellspring underwrote the approved YCAB projects under this UN umbrella. As the UN only stays in regions for a set amount of time, they pulled out a few months ago, in keeping with their deadline. YCAB and Wellspring decided to stay longer, in an effort to provide ongoing support and enable us to slowly pass the baton to local managers. Our hope is that the projects we have started will now continue, but in the hands of those to whom they truly belong.

On my first visit to Aceh, which was six weeks after the tsunami, all I could see was sand, and I thought the terrain was desert-like. At this time, bodies were still being recovered, and a painful silence hung in the air, the sound of intense despair. On my return trip one year later, I was shocked by all the sprouting vegetation and signs of new life. And now, another year later, it was an island. Full of coconut trees and flowers and shrubs, it was beautiful and I would never have guessed it to be the same place. We drove through the country side, passing rice fields and semi-permanent housing provided by the government. There are also permanent brand new homes that are being built in the villages where some of our projects exist. Aren't they cute?

We stopped to peek into a primary school that is funded by UNICEF. These cute, tiny little children sat in desks bigger than they were, reading numbers from a chalk board. Their big brown eyes stared at us cautiously, but shy smiles quickly followed. We spent a few minutes talking with those operating the small school, and introduced ourselves. Wishing them every success, we continued on our way. As we pulled up to a small building, a big smile broke out on my face as I was met with a red sign outside that said "Wellspring International." It never ceases to affect me when I see this name, representing so many of you around the world, a mark of your presence somewhere far away.

Check back in with me tomorrow when I post the remainder of our time in Aceh.