fLoWeR
Sentani, Irian Jaya, Indonesia- Here I am. Standing in a beautiful country with people laughing and staring at me. I am the highlight of their day. I know that they could be making fun of the fact that I am spraying bug repellent all over the place while bouncing on one foot. The mosquitoes are thick and bite hard. It is very humid, even inside in the air conditioning. The smell of people's body odor that I have been disgusted with since we landed in Los Angeles, twenty hours ago, is overwhelming. I am so glad to have landed. I don't like being sick on a plane. I keep thinking just one more flight until I will be "home." "Home" for me will be in Wamena, a town on the island of Irian Jaya. The ways to travel to Wamena are to walk through the jungle and over numerous mountains for two days or fly for forty-five minutes depending on the weather. Flying sounds safe; my uncle is the pilot. Still exhausted, my grandparents, who I am accompanying, and I get a ride to a missionary's house at the compound. It is around six in the morning and I am seated at a table. The person tells us stories of her life while we are eating cinnamon rolls and orange juice. My grandfather and my uncle travel to the police station to get us "checked in"(It is really important to do so, otherwise, the government is suspicious and you never know what could happen.) We get on the single engine airplane. A while later, we touch down at the Wamena runway. I love that feel in your stomach when you land. I look out the window and see my relatives-I think-standing nearby. It has been a long time since I have seen them. Once I tumble out of the plane, all of us walk toward their house. I am so confused that I don't remember what direction I am going. Looking down the street, I see all of these strange people wearing rags and just standing around. The street in this town has garbage all along it. If I knew how to speak their language, I would inform them of their country's beauty and tell them not to ruin it. One thing looks familiar to me and that is the small vans and trucks flying along the street full of people. My cousins call them taxis. I guess that makes sense. In the house, I feel awful so I lay down, but not for long because the neighbors come in to see my grandparents and I. I packed one suitcase full of gifts to my cousins and supplies for their school. Before long, the suitcase is opened and the gifts are distributed out. As I am reading the calendar, I see what has been planned for me. I can't wait to get started on this life-changing trip.
