Journal of Ina Nasution

I began my journey to Aceh on a Wednesday, June 21, 2006 morning. I have with me one small luggage with four boxes containing school bags for the orphans & disadvantaged children of two dayah orphanage boarding schools in Aceh. I was a little anxious about the whole trip. This is my first time going to Aceh. I remembered my last trip to Aceh 10 years ago (when I was working at Sampoerna) was cancelled because of instability in Banda Aceh as a result of on-going conflict with GAM (Aceh rebels).

The four boxes were 12 kilogram overweight. However the person at the check-in counter let me go without charging overweight fee (Bless her heart).

I am accompanied by Elly Risman, the founder and Education Director of Dayah Subulussalam orphanage boarding school, a school located at Singkil, south of Meulaboh.