When I went to get my social visa at the Indonesian Consulate the day before yesterday, the lovely man at the desk who was helping me asked such questions as “You’re going all by yourself – no friends or family going with you?” I explained that I would be working with a non-profit and and they had an extremely great reputation and that the founders were very good with orientation and so forth. But, he insisted with a look of incredulity and almost awe “That’s a long time to go someplace where you don’t know anyone. Do you have any background in the work? Or know anything about the safety?” “No, but I’ve volunteered a lot and I have a big heart and want to help. And yes, I have schooled myself in the safety and will be getting a safety briefing from the non-profit when I get there. I’m just excited to help, so I’ve read a lot about personal safety and how to teach disabled children and how to be prepared.” He smiled at this, and then asked me “Do you know what to expect within the culture?” I dutifully answered yes, but I don’t know everything I could know; I’m leaving that to the mystique of it. Of course, I’ve educated myself on what’s considered appropriate dressing, what is socially appropriate behaviour, the greetings, etc. But as for the rest of it and some of the history and quite a bit about the country’s religion (Islam) and Bali’s main religion (Hinduism, but also a ‘vanguard of Buddhism’ which I plan to see for my own eye when I’m there, seeing as I’ve been interested in Buddhism for years and study it when I can), I know quite little. And that’s what makes it an adventure – a nerve wracking one, but one that will truly test my strength and force me to adapt in the most extreme sense of the word.
I’m a little worried that I’ll be lonely, but I’m sure that will change very quickly as I meet other volunteers and of course the homestay family and the children I’ll be volunteering with. I’m not there to party, and I’m most certainly not there to find romance, like Julia Roberts in that awful movie Eat, Pray, Love where she sails off into the sunset with some hot Spanish hunk in Bali. Romance isn’t for me right now; what’s for me is volunteer and to hopefully be able to make these childrens’ lives a bit better in some way – to be a good teacher and friend to them, and to show them how special I already think they are. I don’t know a soul there that I’ve met in person, but have been acquainted with a few who are doing different programs than me (within the same organization, but 10 KM or so away), so I will be sharing a room with a complete stranger in a strange land.. But I couldn’t be more excited. It’s just what I need after a very trying year. I opted to extend my trip to December 14, because my birthday is December 7, and my last birthday was far from kind to me in many ways that I won’t get into, so I thought what better way to celebrate life than to spend it in Bali with people I know I’ll grow to care about immensely after all that time teaching the children and working with the staff?
An ex-boyfriend told me that he thought I was trying to escape reality when I told him about my plans to go to Indonesia to teach disabled children back in when I first applied April. I wanted his input, because naturally as his girlfriend, I cared what he had to say and what he thought about me being gone for over 2 months. But regardless of what he said, I was going to go, mostly because I expected him to be supportive. He floored me. I think you’re trying to escape. My life was going swimmingly at the time: why escape? Needless to say, he and I aren’t together anymore, because anyone who thinks I’m trying to escape doesn’t understand my wanderlust spirit and my desire to see the world and to experience things and be with another who always has that viewpoint. I’m not trying to escape; I’m trying to live. And I’ve existed long enough. My time is now and this is what I’m going to do. It’s only two and a half months, and I’m escaping nothing. But maybe I should escape you now. I wasn’t that callous in my farewell, but those were the words that I used to describe my shock at the lack of support from someone I thought would be the most supportive.
And the truth is, I am a lone wolf and always have been. I’ve had a few brief love affairs in my day, but my love is travel. Perhaps one day I will meet my match who also has adventurous heart and lives to see foreign lands and experience new things, but for now, it’s the furthest thing from my mind. My heart is with this journey.
I plan to take advantage of the active lifestyle that the countryside has to offer and the yoga, as well as the raw and vegan diets and cleansing rituals. This year has been a very tough one for my family and I, and I want to leave that all behind and turn over a fresh leaf in Bali and bring it back home to Canada and start 2014 off in the best way possible after arriving home from a trip where I hope to both heal children and heal some part of myself in the process.
Plus, I am doing an interview for a website that will take me on an adventure – riding an elephant! Quite soon into my trip, so that will very much help me settle in. Or at least get me in the adventurous spirit.
I’m ready to fall in love with you, Bali and the wonderful people that I’ll meet and the children I’ll teach. It’s going to be a rough road with lots of learning curves for us, but I believe in fighting for love.
Related articles
- The art of being lost, part 1 (yourflightisdelayed.wordpress.com)
- Why I Do What I Do… (trekkingforeducation.wordpress.com)
Postcards and reveries 