Family Adventure

As part of my job, I get to go to the outer islands at least once a month. It is a lot like camping and I love camping. A lot of sweat, mosquitoes, cold showers, no showers, more sweat, dirt (sand) and lots and lots of down time are just a few of the things that make up the island life. We (our whole family) just spent a couple of days at Nasra's grandmother's island. We took a local fast ferry for four hours north. We left our atoll, crossed another before reaching Raa. It is always hard to believe that people really live in such remote places and with so little comforts. Nasra's grandmother is 97. She lives with Nasra's aunt and mother. They live in a coral stone house with no air conditioning, an outdoor toilet, and a separate structure for a kitchen. Their hospitality was beyond wonderful. As we were saying good bye today, they loaded us up with food that is only found on the outer islands and walked us to our boat. We took lots of pictures and had a great time. It is truly a privilege to be invited to an islander's family home. Although this country sees more than 600,000 tourist per year, only a few get the honor of seeing the genuine hospitality of the islanders. We are so thankful for our friends who have invited us into their lives and allow us to experience their culture in the rawest form. We first met Arey when he came to our rescue as a police officer when we were first robbed. Later, he arranged for a speedboat to take Angie to a private hospital when she had dengue fever. He introduced us to Nasra as his girlfriend and now wife. Our kids were in their wedding as if we were part of their family. Friends like Arey and Nasha, are a rare find and we are so thankful to be able to share life in the island with them.