We woke up when it was still dark. The sound of rain was overwhelming. The thunder shook the whole house, while the lightning lit up the sky. Tori and I went out to the open-air community area to see the rainstorm. I'm amazed to say that I was completely awake at that point. It was 5:15, and the wifi was working, so we posted our blogs and caught up with Facebook.
We started getting ready, and before we knew it, breakfast was ready. The pastor's wife had made a lovely breakfast for us. We had pansit, fresh pineapple and rambutan, crackers, bread with chocolate peanut butter and bananas, and hot chocolate made with Milo, which is like our Nesquick.
After breakfast we helped clean up, and got more completely ready for the day. They boys had been assigned the work of working in the food fields today, and fishing. We were encouraged to watch what the other women seemed to be doing, and follow their lead. Not many people were awake yet, so we sat in the community area waiting for signs of activity as the boys headed to the river for their boat ride to work. Just then, Dr. Perumal came running back saying that there were three extra spaces in a boat for any girls that might want to go work in the fields instead. Tori and I immediately volunteered, and Ashlee decided to come too because she speaks a language that is very similar to what the Iban people speak. We went down to the river and got into a long skinny boat with an outboard motor attached to the back. It was like an Asian canoe. The woman driving us didn't speak any English, but she communicated with us using signals and Ashlee's translations. 
We drove quite a ways, then walked across a small sandbar while the woman pushed the boat upstream, and past the sandbar before we got back in and she started the motor again.
I was impressed with how easily she lodged the boat between two tree limbs so that it was secure along the riverbank. We got out and walked up a steep embankment to a sort of plateau on the hill. They had cleared a large area of jungle foliage, and planted small crops of various plants to sell at the market. They had burned a patch of stalky, corn-like plants that they wanted to replace with a new crop. Most of them were already on the ground, but the woman in charge chopped the rest of the plants down with her machete. Our job was to pile up all the charred stalks, clearing the field for its next purpose.
The four of us worked quickly, and soon we were finished. It was manual labor, but not difficult. It was misty outside, so we didn't have to deal with the heat either. Everyone here is very relaxed. The woman working in the field told us that we would all work as long as possible in the cool weather, but that she would leave it for later if it got too hot.
We went exploring after we had finished, and she led us to a 50 gallon drum full of water for us to wash our hands. We were a mess!
We went back to the village after that, and I was astonished to discover it was only 9:30 AM. So much had already happened!
We were able to relax a little bit in the mid-morning, which was so nice. The downpour started up again, which is some quality entertainment. I am always on the edge of my seat waiting for the next lightning bolt to light up the sky.
We helped make lunch, which we were told to eat with our hands. We had some of the leaves that the women were preparing yesterday when we arrived. They were sautéed with eggs. We also had The most amazing tomato and pineapple stir fry. I'm going to try to recreate it when I get home! We also had durian, and it was the best I've tasted yet. That being said, it's still not my favorite.
The afternoon was spent visiting an older, simpler longhouse and a local government elementary school. We drove to the longhouse first. It was built entirely of wood, and the rooms were much smaller than the rooms of the longhouse in which we are staying. The people were very hospitable, and welcomed us into their community living area.
After that, we went to the elementary school. We had to cross a suspension bridge over the river to reach it. I think it would be a pretty fun way to commute to school every day!
We walked through a forest of rubber trees before reaching the main campus. Everyone made a big fuss that we should all sign in, which surprised me. We were out in the boonies. It's good though, because it means that they have a secure school, which hopefully means a safe school for the kids.
The kids were so sweet. Some of us played soccer with them while Jenna and I made up a game where they stood behind a stick on the ground and tried to throw a rock into a square made of sticks. They LOVED it! Then Jenna got super creative and made a hopscotch game out of sticks. I thought we would have to teach them how to play, but they already knew how, and were pros at it.
They brought out a volleyball, and we started passing it around. It was so fun to play with the kids. They kept saying that I was SOOOOOO tall, and asked me if I played "ball in hoop" after some confusion, I realized they were asking if I played basketball. Usually, I don't. But today I answered, "Sure, why not?" I have a significant height advantage, even if my skills are nonexistent.
After that, we drove back to the longhouse village. We went down to the river to bathe, which is so refreshing! The river's current is very strong. You cannot just tread water on the edge of the river without floating downstream. We had fun splashing around with the kiddos who were also swimming. They are strong little swimmers! They can swim all the way across the river without much difficulty.
They also happen to be adorable. One of them is my favorite because all of her teeth are missing and she looks like a little grandma. She is very sassy, which I can understand despite the language barrier. It's fun getting to know all of the kids here.
We ate dinner outside tonight, on the back porch overlooking the jungle. We spread out hand-woven mats and sat on the ground around the food. The pastor's wife prepared this amazing fried eggplant. All of the food here is too delicious.
We all keep eating too much here. Every time we finish our plates, the chief scoops us another spoonful of rice, despite our protests. We don't want to be rude, so we finish our plates, and then the chief will offer MORE rice. Dr. Perumal clued us in on a technique to avoid awkwardness at meals. Apparently it is part of the Iban culture to make sure all their guests have enough rice. Rice is very important to them. However, if you finish your plate and they scoop you more rice, you don't have to finish it. That's not considered rude here. It would be considered rude to refuse the rice or to not take it to begin with. I'm so glad someone is explaining all of this to us, because otherwise I would be lost and constantly stuffed with food.
We had a worship service tonight, and sang some songs with the kids. They were so cute! We taught them to clap along in rhythm for our first song, then the second song didn't require any clapping, but they kept going. Each had their own beat. Some fast, some slow, some just spastic. The whole little group of them just clapped away. I was laughing too much to sing.
Tomorrow morning we will be working with a woman in a different longhouse. I didn't catch what we would be doing, exactly, so for now it's a SURPRISE!
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