Kahana In Indo Part 1
The Indojiwa slowly motored towards the Hinako islands and a peculiar sense of peace and intrigue had sent me into a half-conscience daze. Only days before, I had been stressing over deadlines and traffic completely engulfed in the fast paced western lifestyle. I remember feeling somewhere along the 36 hours of travel, as though the talons of consumerism and media dependency were violently ripped from my body. I sat there on the deck of our boat like a young child separated from his parents in a grocery store unsure of how I should fill this void I was feeling.
This was the first phase of my month long trip through Indonesia. I was on board the Indojiwa as a part of a Holidays With a Purpose Charter through Nias and the outer islands off of Northern Sumatra. Unlike most Indonesian Surf Charters, Channah and Ruby Senaratne have developed a business model that helps provide education, health care, food, supplies, and a sustainable income to the indigenous inhabitants of Northern Sumatra.
One fascinating project that LEAP (Local Empowerment Assistance Project) and Holidays With a Purpose has taken on was the development of a self-sustainable coconut oil plant on the Hinakos. More than an aid project, HWP and LEAP are about helping these communities to become self sufficient with their own natural resources. The villagers are able to harvest coconuts to produce virgin coconut oil. The oil is then sold to health food stores around the world and is also being used to manufacture various lotions, and soaps that will also go on sale. It was amazing to see a family of surfers that has made it their goal to give back rather than take.
We spent 10 days tracking flawless surf throughout the Indian Ocean. While the surfing did help occupy my time, I didn’t feel fully revitalized until the first time we disembarked from our boat and hung out with the villagers. On the third day of our trip we invited a Northern Nias village down to the beach for a learn to surf day. Over 60 people of all ages showed up at the beach to get their first dosage of wave sliding. By the end of the day the villagers were teaching us a thing or two about their local spot.
We spent a few days on the Hinako islands visiting one of the Coconut Kids clubs set up by Ruby and Channah that served as a school for the children living on the islands. We also helped lay some concrete around two of the main water wells. I remember one particular sunset while sitting on the deck of the Indojiwa. I was looking out at an empty lineup reflecting on our interaction with the locals. I wasn’t sure why but it was as though the void I felt at my departure from the states had suddenly been filled. It dawned on me that so much of my typical day consisted of an impersonal form of communication.
Whether it's email, Instant Messaging, cell phone conversations, or text messages, over half of my day is spent relying on some battery dependant device to correspond with others. Pardon my cheesiness in reiterating an age-old prophecy…but it felt really good to connect with people face to face. There was something about spending time in the villages sweating and aching over building projects that left me at peace instead of my anticipated sentiments of frustration and anxiety.
It was the experience of life in its rawest form. Being so absorbed in creation and humanity simplified existence and helped me to understand what it really takes to be happy. I couldn’t help but feel so blessed and honored to be able to serve and nurture relationships with the people of Indonesia.
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