On our final day, we woke up before dawn for a morning Saprahan, sitting on the floor to share a delicious meal with the governor’s wife also The Mempawah Regent, Ibu Erlina. She was so inspiring, sharing stories about her various community projects and give us some wisdom for our early 20s lives.
After that, we dived headfirst into the Robo-Robo festival, a massive celebration honoring the arrival of Opu Daeng Manembon centuries ago. The dancers were impressive, but the marching band was epic—the drums were so loud you could feel them vibrating in your chest.
At the afternoon after some formal goodbyes with Pak Ismail the Mempawah Regional Secretary and Pak El Zuratnam, we got to relax and just be kids at Pasar Malam Kuale Mempawah. We went thrifting, hit a local carnival, and I somehow won a water ladle and a plushie dinosaur (the best prize ever, obviously). We ended the day at a haunted house that was so unscary it became the funniest part of the trip, leaving me crying with laughter.
