Yes, No, Maybe

One of the highlights of our stay at Kebun was working with the Indonesian couple Sam and Luthie on the farm. They are responsible for most of the daily farm work at the Kebun. Our first task was to take apart the old goat barn as this is going to be converted into classrooms and sleeping quarters for future wwoofers. This will be a nice addition and make volunteering on the farm more enjoyable. As it was now we felt at times we were in the way and the farm owner, Adrian, and particularly his family, didn't like having us share the same space, but there really was no alternative. The new area for volunteers to stay apart from the family and other guests should solve that problem. Most days we set out to work with Sam. He would get started on current project and work with us until he had to let the goats out to pasture. We helped make a new goat run, plant terrace, and hang a net that will be used to create a canopy of tall growing vine plants. We also planted some fruit trees and some vegetable seeds. Sam and Luthie were very nice to work with and in the evening we could here them singing along to Indonesian music videos on the T.V. or talking to their six year old daughter who they left behind with Luthie's Mom in Indonesia. They didn't speak a lot of English but often understood what we were saying but found it difficult to respond in English. Sam would often respond to us with an emphatic YES when we were talking to him. If we looked confused he would change his answer to NO. If we still looked confused it was probably not a yes or no question and he would say "I don't know". One evening Sam sat with us and showed us how they cook chicken over a wood fire barbecue. We will be trying this at home as it was delicious. There are a lot of interesting projects on the go at the Kebun, and compared to some of the other farms they were very organized. We really enjoyed the work that we participated in here, and once the volunteer quarters are completed I'm sure they will do a great job of hosting future wwoofers.