Resilience
by javajive
A preview of an upcoming series on an Indonesian community that lives in absolute poverty on re-claimed swamp land. I visited their community numerous times before taking attempting to take any photos.
Their entire village is built on rickety structures supported by worn wooden stilts. Their makeshift homes constructed by scraps of wood, sheet metal and various other found objects. All surrounded by tremendous amounts of trash and garbage floating like miniature icebergs in the surreal teal swamps.
Within a 1km radius is one of Southeast Asia's largest malls, a housing development with multimillion dollar mansions and demonstrations of absolute wealth; a shocking and stark reminder of the disparity that is so prevalent across many parts of Southeast Asia.
As cliche as it sounds, there were smiles and a welcoming nature to each person I met. For the most part, this is true across all economic levels of the country. I feel so fortunate to have spent so many years immersed in their culture.
Indonesians are, in my opinion, amongst the most friendly and resilient of any people I've known.
