TANTE (AUNT) KATHY

To a group of young children in a small Acehenese village in Indonesia, I am now known as Tante Kathy (Aunt Kathy). I recently visited Keude Unga, a village of 109 homes, to oversee the official handover of houses to residents. The day before the ceremony, during the set-up, I had a chance to spend quite a lot of time with a group of girls, all about 8-12 years of age. A few boys also ended up joining us after seeing all the fun we were having. They first honoured me, one by one, by grabbing my right hand with theirs, and touching it to their forehead. It's a respectful gesture for elders here in Aceh. Then we got into the fun stuff.

They wanted to know things like if we have strawberries in Canada, and could I please bring some the next time I visit. They wanted to know if I was married, and almost fell off their chairs when they heard I was 42 years old! I asked if they had boyfriends (knowing full well what their reaction would be), and they didn't disappoint. Cries of "ewwww" echoed all around, both from the girls and the boys!

They would all start talking at once, all of them trying to get my attention. Now, you have to remember they're talking to me in Bahasa, so, for the most part, I have no idea what they are saying. Thank goodness for my coworker Dewi who acted as translator! I taught them how to sing If You're Happy and You Know It. They reciprocated by bursting into Happy Birthday, even though it was no one's birthday.

We got our pictures taken together, before the children had to go on stage to practice a traditional dance they were going to perform in the ceremony. I'd catch their eye and they'd break into large smiles. They seemed so proud.

And then, before leaving for the day, they asked if they could call me Tante Kathy. I tell you, my heart just about burst. I am an aunt to 5 nieces and nephews back home in Canada and I love them all dearly. I also miss them terribly. But having these little ones wanting to be my friend, well, it reconfirmed for me that I made the right decision in coming here. I am part of a much larger family, an international family. I hope that I can have as good an impact on them as they are having on me. Although I don't know these little souls very well, perhaps years down the road they will remember me and smile. And the next time I visit Keude Unga, I will try to remember to bring some strawberries!