Well, how can I capture my internship in 200 words? Cant really I suppose. So here is an attempt to share pieces of what it was like:
My internship was a homestay and internship combined. I lived and worked with Emmeth (said “Emmet”) Young, who is a djembe master. He makes, plays, teaches and is totally passionate about djembe.
I lived in a little wooden shack up on stilts, which had a balcony with a hammock on it. On exceptionally windy nights on our narrow lagoon-framed peninsula of Gales Point (serisously narrow! Only 200ft wide where I was), my shack would rock back and forth in the breeze.
Instead of feeling like I was doing a formal “internship,” my time felt more like I got to live with and experience the life of the Young family in all that it entailed for two whole weeks. It was a beautiful privelage to share it with them. By the end I had gained a huge respect and love for Emmeth and his family. They truly are amazing, love-filled people who want to be a positive influence on the village.
So here is what the internship looked like for me:
DRUMS. Making them, playing them..learning tons!
Random tasks: sweeping, raking, dishes…etc.
Learning new recipes: Sere (traditional Creole dish with coconut milk, cassava and fish), and learning and helping make grape fruit wine.
Eating good food, including A LOT of fresh fish.
Maping out a football field and putting in goal posts. Rallying the youth then to clear it…then playing some barefoot matches with all the youth of the village (all ages).
Beautiful deep conversations over squeezing grape fruits (to the point of having citris wrinkled hands).
Other good conversations over 500ml sprite bottles at the local restaurant (“gentles cool spot”).
Roasting cashews on an open fire.
Sunrises and sunsets, both over water (we were on a peninsula in a lagoon, remember?). all of which left me thinking of the psalm that says that truly only a fool says there is not God.
Trash runs in a boat.
Seeing manatees.
Existing barefoot.
Breathing life in.
Missing friends.
Being rooted more in who I am as a child of God.
Learning about what it means to love people.
Being immersed in a new culture.
Starting new friendships.
And so much more…I could go on and on, but am well over 200 words now. But here's a picture instead.
It was an incredible experience!
1 comment:
Citrus-wrinkled hands, djembes, and hammocks.
All of these make me think of you and miss you.
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