Lifestyles of the NGO workers

OK, this is where I feel a little guilty, and really lucky.
Once I officially got the job, I moved into one of the NGO houses. For someone who had spent the last month backpacking around Sumatra, living in some fairly grotty accommodation just having space to call my own was luxury. But it was far more than just that.
I am sharing the house with an older Peruvian doctor called Atilio. He’s great, we’re already planning the first party! There’s a DVD player, Satellite TV, Stereo, Fully equipped kitchen. Everything provided! Every house has its own driver, to take us where we want to go; plus a cleaner who comes in during the week. It’s been a while since I’ve had someone clean my room!
I feel kinda like I don’t deserve all this, I came to help, but all I seem to be doing at the moment is taking. It really makes me feel obliged to really work hard.
The other thing I realized after my first day in the house. I could easily slip into a lifestyle that wasn’t too dissimilar to the one I had in New Zealand. There are enough expats in Banda Aceh (1800 of them) that I don’t REALLY need to make any local friends. I can stay at home and watch the same TV as I could back home, plus the DVD store where I got 8 DVDs and 3 CDs for less that $10!
But in doing all that I kinda loose touch of the fact that I am in Aceh, and that is something special which shouldn’t be missed.
The next day I spent some time practicing my Indonesian with one of the drivers, then we went out to lunch together. I found out that one of the other drivers surfs, and he’s going to teach me!
Then I went to the local markets and brought some fruit and veges. I think I’m going to have fun experimenting with all the new food here!
That felt like a much better way to make the most of my time here.

A little background on Aceh: It is a pretty conservative Muslim area where they have Sharia (Islamic) laws. Young people of opposite sexes have been caned for being in the same houses together up chaperoned. As a result it is also fairly difficult to get hold of alcohol. However that doesn’t mean that it is impossible. And after a trip to a selected Chinese super market, Atilio and I left, as gleeful as a couple of sixteen year olds, with a bottle of Absolute Vodka ($20) each.

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