My Blog, My Story!

In the summer of 2018, I visited the country of Indonesia for the first time. Even though I am a world citizen and have travelled all over the world. This was a very special trip since part of my ancestry lies here.

You’ve probably wondered which ethnicity I am? Well, from my father’s side, I am half Indonesian and half Chinese. Do not even get me started on my mother’s heritage! While growing up in different parts of the world and being of mixed race sometimes had me wondering where I belong. Usually when I travel to countries of heritage, I always seek a certain cultural identification in the hope of getting to know myself better.

This time, I was invited by the family Gootjes to travel with them to Asia. I met this couple at Hillsong Church Amsterdam, where I was a youth leader of their three teenage sons. Ellen and Desmond are the founders of a children’s home named, The Family Hut situated in the capital city of Medan, Sumatra Indonesia. It is a children’s home for: orphans of the Tsunami in 2004, children victimized by poverty and abandoned youth. Psychologist Ebit Solomon, his wife Minar, three daughters and Tety, live together under one roof and raise 35 children as their own.

This just touched the core of my heart! It left me no choice than to help out, so for the past three years I’ve been active as a sponsor via fundraisers at my high school and church. As an English teacher, it was an amazing experience to be able to teach at an Islamic and a Christian high school. It was such an honor to meet these heroes in person. Words can’t express enough how much I enjoyed my time with the children. It doesn’t matter in which part of the world I am, the positive energy of the teenagers is the same everywhere!

For a whole month, I was able to witness the beauty of The Anambas Islands and experienced the greatest adventures in North and South Sumatra! With our very own captain and personal tour guide Nijar, we navigated through the various uninhabited islands by pong pong boat. I saw sea turtles and gorgeous coral reeves by snorkeling in crystal clear water. We travelled to the other destinations by airplane, ferry, bus, scooter or even ‘betjak’. In the jungle of Tangakhan, I was able to feed and wash majestic elephants and I’ll never forget the stroll in the Herau Valley rice fields!

To be honest, I could go on and on but my most precious memory of this journey was the heartwarming kindness of the Indonesian people. If you’ve ever dreamt of experiencing a journey like this, check out: ‘Gids in Sumatra’ travel agency. Curious about the children’s home ‘The Family Hut’, visit the website of the ‘Dare2Give’ foundation: www.dare2give.org for more info!

The pictures were made by Manoah Gootjes and by yours truly!