Yesterday was a red-letter holiday here in Palu, so the GFA church (and a thousand other people!!) decided to spend it at the beach. This particular beach is about an hours drive from where we live. We filled up two vehicles with about a total of 30+ people. The members of the GFA church are mostly people from more secluded villages who are in town to go to school, or have a ministry here. So the men, being raised to hunt and forage, spent their time spearfishing. While Nico and I drove the women and children to a beach more suited for swimming. We had a blast, the kids loved it! Nico rented a banana boat, which was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for many of them.
Being on the beach, in fact being anywhere in this country has the potential to be quite exhausting for a white guy, even more so if you have little children. We are a spectacle to most people, and wherever we go we'll be stared, pointed, and laughed at. At the beach there was a crowd of people just watching us swim. A few would at all times get in the water and stand/swim very close by us so those on shore could get a picture of them next to us. It's something we're getting used to still, even after 18 months in the country. We just try to remind ourselves that it's well meant, and in fact quite harmless.
Being on the beach, in fact being anywhere in this country has the potential to be quite exhausting for a white guy, even more so if you have little children. We are a spectacle to most people, and wherever we go we'll be stared, pointed, and laughed at. At the beach there was a crowd of people just watching us swim. A few would at all times get in the water and stand/swim very close by us so those on shore could get a picture of them next to us. It's something we're getting used to still, even after 18 months in the country. We just try to remind ourselves that it's well meant, and in fact quite harmless.