This summer break my brother and I went to Indonesia to visit our grandparents and cousins. During our trip we had seen a lot which made us learn more about the country. Since this time we didn’t go with our parents, we were way more aware of our surroundings as we weren’t familiar with the place. When we arrived in Indonesia we first stayed at a hotel in a busy area in the capital city of Jakarta for two nights. Even inside the hotel, you could hear all the loud cars and motorcycles from the heavy traffic. The smell of cigarettes filled the air as well, and it was hard to breathe as it was super humid during July. It was the same at night, as I looked out the window, I don't think there was a time I saw the roads were clear.  As we walked around the next day, we saw just how poverty was a major issue in this country. However, just seeing Jakarta isn't the only area where you see this. After a few nights, we had made the decision to stay at our dads side of the family first, and since we were only staying in Indonesia for one month. Two weeks after that, we stayed at our moms side of the family for the rest of the two weeks before going back to Jakarta to visit Japan for a few days. Since our grandparents both live in a village, some things aren’t as accessible as it would be in the city. As we arrived at our dads side of the family, we were warmly greeted by our grandparents and some people from around the village who were curious to meet us ‘Americans’. We were immediately introducing ourselves to everyone who was there, then proceeded to eat all the food that was prepared for our arrival. The air filled with the aroma of delicious home cooked traditional Indonesian food.  While eating, my brother and I were asked many questions because we are the only people in the area who were born in another country(America). However, since it is a very tight-knit neighborhood, everyone knows each other as if they were all a family which is very different from the city, and if anyone needed help with something, they would go next door and ask without hesitation. The next morning, we were woken up by the bright sun shining into our room, we start to make connections to New York.  The city there is slightly similar to how it is here in New York, everyone is minding their own business and everyone is busy doing their own thing. Seeing that the city was crowded with a lot of people, we also saw individuals who weren’t as fortunate as some others. Some were asking for money, entertaining people on the streets, cleaning car windows, and even had their kids helping to earn something. Something that my parents told us before we left the states was to, “Always give a little money or food to people who need it, even if it's just a little bit.” My brother being the person he is questions, “what if they want to spend it on harmful things like drugs mom?”  In a situation like this, it’s better to try and not assume the worst. Afterall, it's not like we know their lives or pasts. So even if there was a person selling miscellaneous items, taking a good look through them wouldn't hurt at all, and who knows, you might even end up purchasing something. From these experiences I was able to learn how to be more thoughtful because it finally started to sink in that a majority of people there do this to make a living. According to statistics, 9.36% of people in Indonesia are in poverty. While that percentage may seem low, that's equivalent to about 25.9 million people! Moments like these make me realize how blessed I am to be living the life I'm living currently. Especially seeing kids trying to make money while they should be out playing with their friends, it makes you think about the other millions of people who are in poverty. Living conditions for those who live in poverty can be very dangerous as well, however, because the government doesn't actually pay attention to these parts of the country, no one has really done anything about it. In the villages, most of the people are used to these conditions as they are also more old fashioned, many grow the food and raise the animals that they eat. In some of the more reachable villages like my grandmother from my moms side of the family, there's a motorcycle that visits each neighborhood carrying groceries, snacks, food, and things that you may need to cook with. The lack of accessibility in other villages is what makes it much more dangerous as it becomes more difficult for people to be able to find food, therefore leading to many deaths by starvation. As the government fails to assist those in poverty, consequently, deaths are the result of it. Although they may acknowledge it, doing nothing about it doesnt help solve the problem. However, a small plan that was established by the government a few years back provided vouchers for people so they wouldn't have to rely on waiting for the government to send bags of food to villages who needed it the most. The older method of distribution had many flaws and had very little benefits at the end. During our stay, there were some days where a large group of people gathered to cook food and hand them out at mosques after the second to last prayer of the day. My brother and I had helped and even held a gathering at both sides of our grandparents house that were made possible by our aunts and uncles. It was so rewarding to see everyone enjoying their time together while eating and talking to each other and having such a great time. It was also very fun for us because we improved speaking in Indonesian with all of the locals there. We got aksed many of the same questions like, “Lahir nya dimana?” (Where were you born) Or even, “Kalau di Amerika, pake bahasa apa kalau ngomong sama temen dan orang tua?” (In America, what language do you speak while talking to your friends and parents?)

 Although we only had one month, my brother and I learned a lot about life in Indonesia, and even got to experience what locals do on a daily basis which was a valuable experience to me.