Banda Aceh is the capital city of Aceh province of Indonesia, located at the very north tip of Sumatera island. It is one of the oldest Islamic city in South East Asia. Therefore, girls and women are expected to observe and adhere Islamic dress code, i.e. covering their legs and arms.
On December 26, 2004, tsunami hit Banda Aceh shore and reportedly killed more than 90,000 people, some said that more than 140,000 people were killed, I am not sure which number is correct. Wikipedia lists its population as 260,000 per 2006. A small town indeed by anybody's standard.
My No.1 has been fortunate enough to get the opportunity with some of her friends to spend a week in Banda Aceh to teach English in a local high school over there. Not only teaching that she experienced, but also the joyful and happy life of the youngsters over there, how welcoming and kind they were to the visitors. The hosts were kind enough to take them around to see their city and their beautiful beach.
Teenagers going to school in motorcycle seem to be a familiar scene over there, like in many smaller cities in Indonesia.
Aside from cars, becaks (rickshaws) are commonly used as public transport. Pizza Hut and KFC apparently are there already along with some other western food vendors, I am quite certain that there are quite a number of foreigners living there, helping the rebuilding project.
No tall buildings, everything look descent and stress level doesn't seem to be as high as in big metropolitan cities. School buildings look new and apparently they were built quite recently.
Unexpectedly, despite some hiccups prior to leaving for Banda Aceh, No.1 truly had an experience that she won't forget easily and she carries on her friendship with many wonderful students there. I believe she still keeps in touch with some. I am not sure if she is willing to admit, it is very likely that she had a great time there.
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