Meulaboh

Here in Meulaboh since two days. Seems like a few weeks! Many impressions, experiences, inspirations! We are staying (Dada Pavanandaji and I) with an Acehnese family about 200 m. from the sea, 5 kms from town. There is a 20 ft. boat conveniently "parked" next to the house, care of the tsunami!
Family is beautiful! Taking care like their own family members. Quickly adjusted to our weird diet. Two of them accompany us to camps for distribution of badminton rackets, balls, nets and footballs.
Met Director of Religious Affairs Dept. in Meulaboh, Pak Munir. Happy,
energetic, helpful man. He went with us yesterday to Muslim school where we
donated 4 balls, 30 rackets, etc to 175 children in the school. When Pak Munir understood we were fasting he was so inspired and impressed. He said Muslims do only 12 hours fast but you do 24 hours without water!
We found Acehnese to be highly tolerant people, yet firm in their own
belief. Beautiful combination. We met this family through Pa Faudri- 24 year old Acehnese working for Mercy Corps in Meulaboh. He arranged our car as well as accommodation. Very gentle person. At breakfast table, he showed up with 3 daughters of his sister. What about his own? He lost his wife of one year and son of two months in tsunami. Eyes well up, cast down with a bewildered expression "Why me?" Silence bounces off the four walls. My mind races to try and change the topic. Suddenly his niece, Farsi tweaks him on the cheek and the gloom
evaporates.
The Acehnese have a siddhi of making light of their own tragedy. Our host, Pa Rafari, duly showed us the height to which the tsunami waves reached inside his house: 6 feet. His wooden doors of the 2 bedrooms became webbed wood. Seven sewing machines of the wife and her collegues in the sewing coop were carried away or became waterlogged and inoperable. Job lost, money flow cut off.
Our driver, Pa Skander has taken in an orphan boy who lost his parents and one sister in tsunami in Lamno about 200 kms up the Coast. Everyone is pulling together to help each other with what meager resources are left. Strong people.
Last night a huge storm lashed the city (nothing compared to tsunami of course). On my way back home form UN Base camp, a coconut tree blocked the way. Other UN staff were also stuck. Fifteen of us tried to lift the coconut tree. But we were no match for it. We realized our microcosmic limitation.
UN Staff walkie-talkied for a chain saw.
Meanwhile locals got to work. In fifteen minutes a coconut climber arrived with his machete. With arms flailing like airplane propellers, he chopped off the head of the tree and proceeded to dissect the main truck. Another two locals came with their manual saw and finished the job. I marveled that the $10,000/mo. UN guys gave way to these $1/day laborers with their primitive instruments to get us out of that predicament within one
hour.
As we drove through the cleared road, I pondered when might the chain
saw arrive.

Ac. Shiilabhadrananda Avt., Meulaboh, Aceh, Indonesia.