Forget the name, remember the feeling

By Trevor Smith ‘25, Syiah Kuala University Fellow

It is nearly noon. My co-fellow Yana and I have already been driving for nearly six hours through the sloping roads of rural Aceh. Overhead, the gray sky only makes the dense tangle of flora that lines the mountainside even more vibrant in its greenness. It's all new to me. The high hills that peer out over swaying palm leaves. The tiny street vendors with dust caked signs. The odd monkey or two who dash across the pavement with their wide eyes and long tails.