Day at the Village

Today we made the arduous hike to the village to meet the kids and help clean up the beach. Kona enthusiastically led the way. I emerged from the woods looking like I had just jumped into a pool. The school teacher was warm and welcoming. We introduced ourselves to the kids then we headed to the beach to do a cleanup. 

A little girl named Sophia was paired with me and while she seemed a bit frustrated that she couldn’t really communicate with me, she was still very friendly toward me. It’s easier to connect with the kids because you don’t need to speak their language to play games, give them cool things, or make funny faces at them. Sophia brought me a huge sea urchin shell that was slightly pink and completely unbroken. I told her it was beautiful and she told me she wanted me to have it. It is still in my room I really hope it makes it back home in one piece because it’s pretty awesome. After that, the kids started picking up every urchin shell they found and gave them to all of us. 

The beach was filled with trash, mostly Styrofoam and plastic bottles. The ocean current from other countries blew the trash into their shore. We filled up 8 huge trash bags but I still feel like it was a drop in the bucket compared to what was still left to pick up. 

I really appreciated the warmth and friendliness the local people have shown me this entire trip. When we got lost on the trails and ended up trespassing on a random part of the village, they insisted on showing us the easiest way to get back, even offering to bring us back on a boat. I feel very grateful that they allowed us to experience their unique location and culture when they had no obligation to do so. 





This is a picture of the urchin she gave me and a hibiscus flower that was picked by the girls and put in our hair.