Live In Rural Community Delegate.

As part of my school's program, I participated in a "Live In" activity where we spent a full week living in a rural village that still relies on traditional farming and agriculture. Assigned to a team of four, we stayed in the home of a local host family. We were not there to just act as tourists or guests; we were there to fully integrate and live exactly as the locals do. Starting from early in the morning, we jumped into their daily routines, helping out with cooking, sweeping, mopping, organizing the house, and even tending to our host family's small shop (warung).

Our responsibilities went far beyond household chores. Every day, we went out to the fields to help the villagers plant crops, clear the land, and maintain their gardens. I learned entirely new practical skills on the spot, from simple tasks like properly plucking dry leaves to keep plants healthy, to the hands-on experience of bathing livestock. During our free afternoons, we easily bonded with the local children, playing football, running around, and playing hide and seek. There was no awkwardness at all, we genuinely became a part of their community.

On our final day, as a gesture of gratitude, our team worked together to deep clean the local mosque, scrubbing every corner until it was completely spotless. Saying goodbye the next morning turned out to be incredibly emotional. Seeing how genuinely happy the villagers were to have had us, and how sad they were to see us leave, made me realize how quickly a deep connection can form between people. This experience gave me a much deeper appreciation for hard work, the beauty of a simple life, and the true meaning of community.