The Village

Monday: We left Bedulu around 9 am and headed for a village 2 hours away. However instead of driving all of the way, the drivers dropped us off and we walked for a little over an hour through the rice fields. When we arrived, we met our families and had an afternoon lecture followed by a gamelan lesson. My ibu is named Bu Agung. I never met anyone else in my family, but my house had two other bedrooms. The village is in the middle of rice fields and is made up of one dirt road and about 20 complexes. The complexes have a stone wall surrounding them, between 5 and 10 small buildings and between 3 and 5 families inside them. Each complex shares a bathroom, meals, animals, and responsibilities. I found out very quickly how difficult it is to take a shower when I wanted to with only one bathroom in the entire complex. (Shower= a basin and bucket... No shower heads in the village) 

On Tuesday we decided we would begin showering in the river. It is a 5 minute hike down a steep hill with cold water. They use the river to clean clothes and bathe. I used my natural soap in the water, but others used regular soap. At 7:30 am we met at a neighbors house for a ritual ceremony. It was a 3-month celebration which honors a baby when he is 3 months old. Up until this point the baby has never touched the ground. Hindus believe the child will be sucked into the earth if they touch the ground before this ceremony.The entire village was in attendance. The celebration included a gamelan, lots of food, and lots of offerings. It lasted all day and into the night. We stayed only part of the day and then had a lecture followed by a trip to the rice fields. We were given a hoe and a rice hat and were asked to hoe the muddy ground. For some of us, work quickly turned into play. We rolled, raced, and dove across the mud. We also had coconut milk at the rice fields. The rice fields reminded me a little of home and playing in the mud bowl. 

Wednesday:

We started the day with a lecture on Balian healers. We then took a hike through the woods and across the rice fields to find plants that we could use to make traditional healing remedies. I broke both of my sandals pulling my feet out from the mud. Luckily, it was easier without shoes to conquer the rice fields. We then headed back to the village and made sambal, a sauce put on rice, ginger tea, and another remedy used when someone is sick. After lunch we had free time and a bath in the river. We then gathered and cup open coconuts, shredded, and milked the coconut in order to make coconut oil. That night we took a trip to a Balian healer because our Academic Director had a sore leg. It looked like a painful massage but she claims her leg is better. She also purchased the female puppy from the healer because his wife was going to kill her. They said they drown all female puppies because Bali has  too many dogs. Wednesday night we returned to the gamelan lessons. 

We had Thursday morning off to conduct our village interviews. Mine is on the animals in the homes. I asked who takes care of them, their use, and their profit. Thursday night was our last night in the village. At 4 pm a big truck pulled through on the one road in the village and stopped. We all climbed in with several of the village children and rode for over an hour to a temple called Tanah Lot. It is located on the edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean.  Here we watched the sunset. It was a lot of fun to ride through the villages, and town in the back of a big truck. On the ride back we sat down and looked up at the stars. 

On Friday morning we packed up and headed out of the village for the north side of Bali. 

Sampai Nante,

Kak Shelly

Elephant Safari Park

Just some pictures from the latest adventure at the Elephant Park. We went on a  30 minute elephant ride and played with  lots of monkeys that wanted to hold our hand and play with our hair! 

Its 1935 in Bali!

We have been back in Bali for a week now. We have been working on our art projects and working on our Indonesian speaking skills. I decided to make batik for my art project. I spilt a lot of hot wax on my hand and canvas. However, the teacher was able to melt the wax off.

We are enjoying being close to Ubud again. There we can have a little western food and visit the market. Our favorite restaurant is a Mexican restaurant of course!

We also visit a spa where we stuck our feet into a tank and the fish ate the dead skin off of our feet. It was incredibly weird, but my feet were much smoother afterwards.  

We visited the south side of the island and went to dreamland beach on our free weekend. I swam in the Indian Ocean for the first time! I must say I miss the beach of South Carolina. The beaches of Bali are polluted and covered with salespeople. Since it is the rainy season the rivers are overflowing and pouring into the ocean all of the trash. I see tourists and locals throw trash on the ground all of the time. I didn't like swimming with trash all around me. The Salespeople range from toddlers to great grandparents selling massages, bracelets, jewelry, ice cream, baskets, just about anything you can think of. I recently learned that the children selling on the beaches are often forced to sell instead of attend school and receive a lot of abuse from tourists, parents, and bosses. I admit I was annoyed when I was awoken from my nap to buy a bracelet, but for these people, it is the only lifestyle that they know. They feel they have no other choice than to travel beach chair to beach chair asking for business.  

The Monday and Tuesday after our free weekend were very eventful. Monday was the last day of 1934 in Bali. Yes, you read that right, 1934. They know it is 2013, but as Hindus they also recognize the year 1934 or 1935 now. On monday afternoon everyone dressed in the sarongs and headed to where their village was meeting. There are 6 villages in Bedulu. We met up and paraded through the streets to a lot. In our parade included a gamelan, and too ogoh-ogoh. These are made out of styrofoam and are huge demon looking like statues that are carried by men. Young boys carry the small ogolo and the older boys or men carry the large one. Each village processed through Bedulu one at a time to the lot. The Ogoh-ogoh are intended to scare off the bad spirits. That night the ogoh-ogoh processed back through the town where fire blowers and music was blasted. The entire village and some from other villages joined. Over a loud speaker someone told a story while the ogolos spun in circles and were swung around. It was a sight to see and lasted for hours. 

Tuesday... 

Tuesday marks the first day of 1935! However, at 6 am, all electricity is turned off. No one is allowed to leave their family compound until 6 am the next day. This marks 24 hours of no cars, no motorbikes, and no lights throughout Bali. Police patrol the streets and fine locals and tourists who break the rules. This day is meant to convince spirits to leave. There are also no flights coming in or out of Bali. 

So what do you do all day?

Well i slept. Literally ALL day. I woke up feeling sick and stayed in bed all day. The day is meant to spend with your family and just get a break from your everyday life. My Bapak went to work at 4am on Tuesday and had to stay until after 6 the next day. He works at a hotel and tourists still eat even when everywhere else is silent. 

Now what do you do if you are sick and need to go to a doctor? 

Well I would have liked to go to the doctor... I couldn't swallow and I was too dizzy to walk. But there is nothing open unless you are literally dying. There is an emergency transport to the hospital, but other than that... Everyone is stuck.

The night of the Nyepi, the rat that lives in my room decided to make an appearance. I saw him climb into my closet and on the floor. When I opened the closet door he ran across my room. I later discovered he has eaten some crackers that were in my purse. He won't be living with me much longer especially if I find some holes in my clothing. 

The rest of the week is full of classes, art projects, and preparing to move into the village next week. 

Dah-Dah (bye bye) for now. 

Lots of love, Kak Shelly

Saying Goodbye

On Thursday we had an inter-faith discussion with the Indonesian students. There was a huge turnout. They had many questions and we attempted to answer them un-biased and fairly. Thursday night was the last night with our families. My cousin, Nysa gave me a little cat figurine. I had told her about Charlie and the cat that I played with at the Pesantren. She also gave me a beautiful bracelet. My mother gave me some batik fabric to make a shirt or clothing once I returned to America. 

On Friday we packed our belongings and headed to UGM for our midterm. Since our final month is spent doing independent projects, we only have one more month of group classes. The midterm was on everything we have experienced while we have been in Java.

Saturday was a lounging day. We slept in and enjoyed the air conditioning in our hotel. 

Saturday afternoon we headed to the village to get ready for our dance performance at the final party. We looked ridiculous with the drawn on eyebrows and dark makeup. However, our families loved every second of our dancing. 

I passed my mom in the car on the way to the restaurant and she ran up to the car to shake my hand. 

At the final party of Java, students, faculty, and family members from Java ate, danced, and sang together. It was very difficult to say goodbye. Tears streamed down my cheeks and my mother and cousin told me they loved me. They wanted me to stay at their house one last time.

I hope to visit Java again before I leave Indonesia. They have offered me their home and their family. 

Tomorrow we head back to Bali and our Balinese Families. I look forward to seeing my little sisters, but I already miss my family here in Java. 

Dah-Dah (bye bye) for now. 

Lots of love, Kak Shelly

From Left to Right, 

Nysa (Cousin), Ibu, Me, Novan (brother), Bapak

Far Right

Kindi (brother)