Greetings from Nusa Lembongan

Hello all!

We've just arrived at Nusa Lembongan where we are all SCUBA diving or learning how to do so. It is a gorgeous spot and all is going well.

For the last two weeks our students have worked hard our on projects in Tiagan, Nusa Penida. We have completed the first of two floors in the temple known as Pura Desa. A huge temple ceremony is scheduled for later this week so we had to work fast to ensure that the first floor was completed in time! The floor looks lovely and we are proud of our students' hard work. It took a lot of sweat and lifting buckets of sand and cement, but it was worth it. We are now skilled at extracting water from a well, mixing cement and laying a foundation!

It didn't take long for us to adjust to life at the banjar (community center). We sleep in open air huts and have learned new methods of using the bathroom, getting clean and washing up. We also eat like the locals do- delicious rice and noodles at every meal.

Some afternoons when we are finished with our work, we go to the beach or to a swimming hole which we can jump into from an overhanging cliff. On other days we play volleyball and hang out with the locals after work.

Last weekend our students joined local families for short homestays-- everyone had fun getting to known their Indonesian families. Smiles and friendly gestures are universal here which has helped tremendously to break down the language barrier.

Now, it's time to head back to the water to learn more about diving! All is well here.

Bye for now,
Josie and Santiago