That night at the Situlembang campsite, I gazed up into the starry sky. I was amazed  being a city girl that I am , I was never pampered with such wondorous beauty . it felt as if I was gazing up at a jewel box full of diamonds upon a black velvet background. The stars were so huge and nearby, it seems as if I streched my arm and reach the sky I could actually catch one with my hands.

I kept on starring at it throughout the cold night and then I wondered about my family. Were they seeing the same sky? Were they also amazed about its beauty? All I know for sure was that under the same sky , somewhere far away my family are all fine and that if just one of them happened to gaze up at the starry skies, perhaps our eyes would see the same sky and the same star if that happened its as if that short momen we had just glimpsed ecah other through the stars.

What I did not realised  is that the sky that I constantly stared at during that bone freezing cold night would be a familiar sight for me every night here in Rote Ndao. The same feeling of amazement and wonder swept past me. 

but this is not about stars. 

its more about a forgotten pandora box that I have discovered in this southern island.  Maybe you would be amazed as well, how could a person neglect a pandora box just like that? Me too I wondered How could that be? Isn't a pandora box has always been a treasure that shoud be protected at all cost? 

The pandora box that I discoveres is the Island itsef and the people within it. there are many charismatic people that I met and talk to, intelligent and charming. Yet, they stayed here in this poor old forgotten place. But inspite of that these people kept on working with their heart and soul for the betterment of their soil and people. Not a second did these people whine for the faith that befall them. They totally dedicate themselves. I wonder, if these peole lived somewhere much better let say in a city, I belive they would be leaders. But faith has a different story for them, they are just some poor country men in a small village in a tiny island in Indonesia. Dreaming of a better Rote and hoping that we could help them ameliorate the condition people. These people that I found here are just like a rare old jewel in pandora box. That's why I said that I found a pandora box full of enogmatic people that constantly inspired me and gave me confidence that inspite of the many difficultes there are still awesome men and women living here doing just the same thing as I. The dfference is just, I will be dedicating myself for a year and them for a life time.