Orientation

We finally have internet! We have been staying at Puri Agun Karangasem which is a palace in Karangasem. It is beautiful and huge. The palace is composed of many buildings and covers more land than Wofford campus. 80 people live on the palace grounds and they are all members of the same family. There is not currently a king. The owner also owns the water palace that we visited.

 The Water Palace

During orientation i shared my room with a girl named Alex. She attends Beloit in Chicago. It was her first time out of the country and she is amazed by the palm trees. Our room as two hard beds, a drying rack, two side tables, and one outlet. The outlet is used mainly for the fan. Our door doesnt close all of theway and the windows are only screen. The bathroom is considered a wet room. It is constantly wet. The squatty potty has ridges where you place your feet. There is a big basin where the water flows in and you poor water on yourself with the bucket. We are expected to "shower" twice a day because it is so hot. 

Squatty Potty

Orientation Room

We have been studying Bahasa Indonesian for about 5 hours a day, discussing the many cultural differences, and interacting with local Balinese. I struggle with not pointing and I know I will forget hugging is not normal. 

Unfortunately, my body does not agree with the food in Bali. I have been eating mostly white rice and fruits. I do live the fried bananas though. They are amazing. 

We have visited several markets and purchased our Pakian Adat which is typical temple attire. Bargaining is expected. I purchased my Pakian Adat for 280000 Rp. or about 28 dollars. The most expensive part is the top. 

One day we were taken to a village and literally dropped off. We were stranded for an hour at a Wayang (convenience store) and expected to practice our Bahasa Indonesian. Luckily i found children in the village I was stranded in. I also befriended a woman who helped me with my Bahasa Indonesian and introduced me to her family. She showed me around the village. The children loved being photographed. Unfortunately I was not careful with my money and 10000 Rp were stolen out of my purse. Translation... 1 dollar. (I hope the little boy at least spends it on something good. like ice cream.)

Village of Drop off

We also visited a public swimming pool. It had a gravel ground and slimy sides. Fish were also swimming in the pool. The children swam in their underwear, but we swam in shorts and a tank top to be respectful. 

On our last day in the Palace we dressed in our Pakian Adat and set out to climb a mountain to the temple at the top. It was an hour drive followed by a mile walk uphill and then a two hour hike upstairs. I didn't think I was going to make it. My legs trembled the entire way down. About halfway down the mountain the monkeys swarmed our group. They wanted our food. One monkey sat on a post where I was supposed to walk and when I tried to scare him away, he jumped towards me. I swang my bag at him and he held on. He tried several more times to jump at me but my bag protected me. Eventually our guide scared him away with a stick. The hike up the mountain was a one time thing. I am glad we made it, but I don't have to do it again.

As a treat we spent the afternoon at the beach. Most of the group was dehydrated and needed the break from studying. We enjoyed some coconut milk and relaxing on the locals beach. 

I have already realized how friendly the Balinese people are. They adore talking to us and want us to help them with their English. Some of them even ask to take pictures with them. We instantly gain respect when we tell  them we are "mahasiswa" (students). They are then very forgiving of our ill pronunciations. 

Now to describe the program itself. The SIT staff is absolutely amazing.  Bu Ary is our Academic Director. She rubbed a special cream on my stomach when I was sick and gave me a hug when I felt bad (even though it is against her culture). She is from the village of Tabanan and tells us about her love of fried bugs all of the time. She also has a pet monkey that a student bought last semester and she then adopted. 

Mira is the assistant academic director. She is hilarious. Mira went and purchased me vitamin C drinks and tablets when I had a cold. She helps Bu Ary and looks after all of us girls. 

De de, Yudi, and Arie are the language teachers. They are all very understanding. De de and Arie are both 25, but Yudi is older and has several children. 

There are more members on the SIT staff that we have not met yet. They are always laughing and after only a week already care about our wellbeing and safety.