Seeing the NEW library

Yesterday we went to the library in the morning. Our official first visit was to be in the afternoon, but we got to Sigli earlier than anticipated and couldn't resist going over in the morning.

It is hard to describe the combined effect of the many changes that have happened since January. First of all, the outside of the library is a marvellous, eye catching bright lime green. (And we mean bright lime green). There is now a new sign identifying the library and welcoming people. Upon entering the library, the first thing you notice is how packed it is with people. AND there are people of all ages...the regular students, but also adults and children.

The new shelving is in place and the collection is starting to get organized by Dewey, not as before where it was filed by size. (They had always catalogued by Dewey but they shelved by size of book, with little nod to non-fiction, fiction or adult and children's collections.) The library now has an internet room, with public access internet stations. The 3 workstations have been available for a week now; already there are some people viewing inappropriate material....so we will work on drafting an internet use policy together. Net Nanny was installed yesterday.

Distinct spaces have been added for children and youth. Currently the youth area is housing a lot of the new equipment and furniture. The children's area was painted with a wonderful mural, depicting local cultural dances and the community. The mural couldn't be more appropriate.

Mr. Mukhtar's office has been upgraded with new furniture too. Hard to know how to react to it since it is very regal and puffy vinyl. It made Katherine think of 'Beauty and the Beast' and the dancing grandiose chairs. They seem happy with it. The famous washroom with the 'If you unplug, it will blow up.' sign has been upgraded too. No more sign.

The staff were so proud of the changes and eager to hear our responses. We just kept conveying to them how wonderful everything looked and we applied a new Bahasa Indonesian word...jelita which means beautiful.

We returned in the afternoon for a more formal visit and to set the stage for the rest of the mission. The big focus is on the preparations for the VIP visit with the Canadian ambassador at the end of June. We will also work on an Environment Day celebration that will be held while we are here. At first, the idea of a community based program was hard for them to figure out but once they got started talking they were very engaged. We brought over paints and prizes and will make a fun day of it.

Last night we had a wonderful meal, cooked by Daisy, Simon's wife. It was a feast of tuna and beef and our favourite Tom Yum soup. It was a nice meal to share with Darrell and Caroline on their last night in Sigli.

A little sidenote on Darrell: on Friday he had the misfortune of jamming his hand into his suitcase and rupturing the tendon in his finger. It now bends all by itself and looks kind of weird. He had to go to a clinic and then the UN Dr. in Banda. The clinic Dr. didn't have a splint so Darrell was able to use a wooden ice cream spoon to set his finger.