Papua has been the most remote place I’ve been to yet. In the tropical jungles of Papua, where tribes still roam about, lies a tiny town, sprouted up to house and service the people who work in the nearby mine up the mountains. It’s home to Mount Zaagham International School, where I have spent three days with all the kids at the school. Yes, there were only about 17 kids, but they were all pretty cool. I got a chance to work with each group of kids for about an hour and half, for three days straight. I love doing these intense workshops with multiple sessions, but what struck me was how honest and open they were in sharing their work. I guess when you’re in a group of 5 or 6, you haven’t got anywhere to hide. Not only do the kids see each other in class, but they also play with each other in the playground and well…outside of school too because there really is nobody else. So the kids have become a close knit family and you can tell that they care for one another. It’s an unique atmosphere where creativity thrives and kids are able to express themselves in many ways because they have the freedom to be themselves. The last three days have been a joy, and the teachers have also been pretty friendly and supportive too. I gotta say, life of an international school teacher is pretty sweet, especially when you can work in a place like this. It definitely has it’s perks hehe. I’ve been pretty lucky to have visited many international schools in places like China and Thailand, but this is something totally different. And what a blessing to have experienced it, and observing how these kids interact with one another. It’s pretty cool.

I got a chance to sample the busy town of Timika today, taken out by two teachers. It was like going into any small rural town of Asia, but there was something special about how the people acted and even just some of the vegetables and produce that they had on sale, even I was scratching my head, and I love my asian vegetables (well sorta haha). Now I’ve got an Easter weekend to relax in Bali, so looking forward at seeing what really happens there haha. Of course there will be fun, beaches, sightseeing and shopping (oh and a visit to Mcdonalds, to continue my burger streak!) O.W