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After a weekend in Amed, back to biznatch
Can you imagine not being able to get an education due to lack of accessibility?
For example, I live in a town without a Junior High. I have no ride to the nearest Jr. High, which is 30 minutes away. Since I can’t get there, I drop out of school, stay in my village, and end my education.
The Group 1 DAAAWG’s say this ain’t ok.
We are currently using our brilliant problem solving powers to analyze the problem and come up with an innovative, creative, and sustainable solution. The saga continues tomorrow, as we face our 2nd field research day.
Today, our social entrepreneurship guru, Ryan, consulted us on our project, challenging our assumptions and future plans. Tomorrow, we have a lot to due.
The Agenda:
- Visit rural school that don’t have Junior High schools and onward
- Talk to the students and their families
- Talk to school authorities
- Visit Singaraja’s Junior high school
- Visit the Bus depot (or “bemo” depot)
- Write a mission statement, vision statement, and goals
- Anything else that comes up, because it will
Wish us good luck!
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I’ve been nicknamed “Lady Gaga”.
Thank you, Balinese men that play chess in the same location every day. I will never wear leggings again.
So, the Global Corps possy visited Amed this weekend (aka Paradise). I felt like I was in a Sandals commercial, without the corny rendition of “I’ve had the Time of My Life”. The beachfront bungalow, hammock, bonfire, and sunrise were all included.
I managed to catch up on my sleep, “tan”, swim, snorkel, read some of my book, and drink 5 chocolate milkshakes.
I slept in a hammock Saturday night. Which was on the porch of my beachfront bungalow. AND this was no ordinary hammock. When you lie in it, it wraps around you like a cocoon. You fall asleep and wake up like a butterfly. Too perfect.
Prior to my “cocoonification”, Saturday was luxurious to say the least. We departed from our EduHotel at 8am (to my dismay). We drove along Bali’s northern coast to the East.
After our 2.5 hour trek, we arrived at Good Karma Bungalows. The day consisted of a 7 hour cycle of swimming, reading, sleeping, tanning, eating- the better things in life. After lounging all day, we were treated to BBQ Balinese style.
For those who do not know, Balinese BBQs involve being Arak-stars, fire dancing, and lots of nasi. Like true college students, we all passed out by 12 am….
Before you judge us, we had to wake up at 5 am for the sunrise. Nothing like seeing the silhouette of sailboats against the tye-dye horizon. Truly surreal.
After watching that amazing display, we set sail to a coral reef near Good Karma. There, we snorkeled till exhaustion/ seasickness got the better of us.
After the 5 am wake up, sleep was needed. With the exception of a brief game of Apples to Apples, I slept, read, & ate all day. I couldn’t script a more perfect day.
Good Karma, I will miss your Chicken Burgers, black sand shores, scary gnome heads, and cocoon hammocks.
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I like to plan.
Here’s my plan for my first day back in ‘MURICA.
- SLEEEEEEP in air conditioning
- Shower in hot water without flip flops
- Use the toilet (that will flush without a bucket of water, have a seat, and have a roll of toilet paper next to it).
- Brush my teeth with faucet water
- Eat New Jersey dinner food. (e.g. french onion soup, a cheeseburger, a fully cooked omelet)
- Wear shorts and a tank top
- Use my wifi and my laptop
- Say hi to my family?? LOVE YOU, MOM!
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Balinese wisdom
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Today I bought a water gun.
Best purchase of my trip so far??
I don’t remember what it feels like to be pampered.
Reminisce sometime:
Is it possible I got paler?
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Om Swastias Tu!
Yesterday was #WEIRD.
Walking home from class.
Man with large gun.
Man to Grace: “I’m gonna shoot your heart.”
Grace: …
Later
Grace chilling in the hotel, reading a book.
Bat: ey ey ey! fly fly fly!
Grace: Please don’t bite me. I didn’t get my rabies shot.
Other students: I have bed bugs!
Balinese man come upstairs and Barry Bonds’s the sucker to the ground with a broom with bug spray can at hand.
…Like a boss.
Much later
In the car, on the way to dinner in Lovina.
Balinese driver: Balinese men are handsome and strong, strong, strong!
Confidence.
Later in the evening.
Boston (my dog friend) and I snuggled by the bond fire. It was quite romantic. I ate some scrumptious pasta on the beach and went for a dip in the ocean. Don’t worry- I waited 30 minutes after eating to swim. Fire dancing and Bintangs were involved.
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Our favorite Balinese song. Listen to it, it is beautiful and addicting! Sabar, sabar!
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In a land where Crocs are still in style….
Where the idea of walking promotes sympathy,
Where fried rice is a breakfast food and pancakes are dessert,
A group of American students research the issues bringing trouble to this foreign paradise. Our journeys bring us all over Singaraja, looking for anyone with information or the desire to assist us.
Today, my group cruised around the city in true Balinese style: motorbikes (with helmets). We talked to a professor at Ganesha, who graciously shared inside on her study of child labor.
Child laborers from Bali, specifically Lovina, are mostly young girls, ages 5-17. They sell jewerly made by them or bought from retailer and resold for profit. They target the tourist on the beaches and use the funds to finance their education (which is not paid for by the government).
After speaking to the professor, Winny, 2 members of another group, and I traveled back to Lovina. There, we spoke with child laborers, asking about their day to day lives. Surprisingly, the workers did not miss school to work on the beach. The main aspect of their lives compromised by their employment is their after school studies and much needed downtime.
As time goes on, the differences between cultures emerge.
Although the Balinese students we work with claim gender inequality isn’t an issue , many inequalities are apparent. Today, my friend Winny asked if women smoking cigarettes is illegal in American, since it is frowned upon in Bali. LGBT issues also highligh cultural differences. Where the American students want to work towards bringing equality to society, the Balinese seem to think the issue is “trying to make them heterosexual”. This is not due to lack of morals, but a complete difference in culture norms and taboos.
