Just wanna make the world dance..

Courtney and I have finally arrived at Tenghilan, the village where we are staying for two months! We have been here about a week. We live and work in a place called Asrama Gereja St. James Tenghilan. Asrama means hostel and gereja means church. Our little hostel home is behind a church. Girls ages thirteen to seventeen come here to live so they can go to the schools here in Tenghilan. Most of their families are farmers and live in villages without schools thirty, forty, fifty minutes away.

I'd like to introduce the girls. I was so excited about this, because at other placements, including last year, I didn't feel like I could share the residents' names or stories as freely. But this placement isn't secret. The community very much knows they live here and there are other hostels for students in Tenghilan.

Anyway, I've already fallen in love with the girls and am so excited to tell you about them. Courtney and I have been/will be spending so much time with them, which makes me feel less sad that we only have two months here. We all have our rooms on the second floor of the hostel and even share the bathroom with them, dorm style. But I'll get into the fun details of life in a village hostel later. For now, it's all about the girls:

Emilianie: Goes by Nani. She is one of the younger girls and can be a little sly I think. But I think she is also a really good listener and friend to the other girls. Courtney, me, and our director are going to do a home visit to her family's village this weekend.

Shantey: I love her very upright posture and serious demeanor. When she talks to me, she is so sweet, which always takes me by surprise because sometimes I think she's judging me :)

Clara: Was excited my name is so similar to hers. Wears glasses. Has a really sweet smile. The girls often refer to her because her English is good. Not afraid to speak in front of a big group.

Loka: Seems like one of the cool girls (not in a mean girl kind of way, but in a leader of the group kind of way). Same birthday as my sister, September 16. Went home to her family this weekend.

Arzyella: Goes by Lala. The glamorous one of the group. Tall and skinny.

Bernadeth: One of the oldest girls. Loves talking to Courtney and I and asking questions. Courtney has done a great job already tutoring her in math. She had a boyfriend but broke up with him to concentrate more on her exams! Good cook.

Jiana: Pronounced Janna. Also one of the older girls. She loves to dance.

Martina: Little rebel of the group. She's one of the older girls. She's amazing with the guitar. Also singing and dancing. She has this punky short hair do and likes to wear black clothes and lots of eyeliner! Underneath the cool girl is a really sweet girl.

Sylviana: Goes by Emel (pronounced EEmel). So little and so sweet. I love how she always says, "Good night! Larrr-a!" or "Good morning! Larrr-a!" Gave me some Malay lessons the other day.

Sabrina: One of the older girls. Very mature and very responsible. Also always sharing her snacks!

Denisteca: Goes by Denis. One of the younger girls. She is the most zealous about learning English and is not shy at all about practicing with Court and I. She is very playful. And I love her laugh! It's kind of rumbly.

Agatha: One of the younger girls. She likes to keep to herself, a lot. But whenever I smile at her, she smiles back. And the other day, I was playing a game with her and some other girls and her mischievous, sarcastic side came out a little!

Eva: One of the youngest girls but I thought she was one of the older girls! Played badminton with me over the weekend. Has a boyfriend who calls her Yoyong for no apparent reason.

Sheldry: Always on her laptop during study time (apparently the government here gave underprivileged students a laptop - one of the staff was telling me it was interesting because it seemed like a cover up for other issues not addressed). Her English is better than she lets on, I think. I like how she walks, kind of duck footed.

Shenny: Shantey's younger sister. I love her chic haircut. She plays the guitar and sings and dances really well.

Michelle: Also went home this weekend to see her family. Told me she helped her parents "rubber tap". A lot of people here in the villages do that for income.

Clay: One of the younger girls, but also one of the leaders of the group. Everyone seems to like her. She is super small but is SUCH a character. She has an amazing voice and is awesome with the guitar. She is a runner at school (as in track and field).

Elah: Shantey and Shenny's aunt, but is in the same class as Shenny. Very mischievous, which I love. In a game where they had to write names of people or characters, she made one up called Walen Turia Fone, because I told them it was better if they were obscure figures.

Evyliana: Goes by Coro, which means small in Malay. Has her tongue pierced. When she is around the other girls, she is one of the cool girls. But when she is talking to us staff, I can tell she is very curious and eager to help. She wants to leave here when she is done with school to maybe work as a graphic designer in Kota Kinabalu or Singapore or New York City!

So those are the nineteen girls here, in very small nutshells (I've quickly learned the word for nut, which is kacang pronounced ka-chang). I feel very lucky to be able to spend time with them. They love to talk and sing and dance. Courtney and I always hear them singing in the kitchen while they cook meals or in the bathroom while they shower. Someone is always playing the guitar. Over the weekend, I hung out with some of them in the grassy area in front of the hostel, playing guitar (well listening for me), singing, playing badminton, just talking. I told Courtney the other day that it kind of reminds me of Little House on the Prairie, except in the tropics.

Because of their culture and where they have grown up, they are more connected to the environment around them. And I have so much to learn from them and their way of being! Like one of their favorite songs to sing and play on the guitar goes, "Why is everybody so obsessed/ money can't buy us happiness/ can we all slow down and enjoy right now/ guarantee we'll be feelin alriiiight."