Too much Sun?

I really should be writing my grade reports right now but the teaching day just ended and I am fried. So what to do? I still have another 1/2 hour before my carpool heads home, leaving just enough time to walk downstairs to the warung (our little outdoor snack shack) and order a coconut. It is like a student store but run by Balinese staff and a few students help out here and there. After school it is a mayhem of course being near the entrance to school: parents, kids, teachers, visitors, drivers, staff and such. The marimba band is practicing, floating their beautiful sounds through the campus and there is a buzz of kids playing soccer on the field. I know there is no quick trip at 3:30pm to the warung but I really want a green coconut. I go. I run into a few parents, who inevitably want to chat about their child but I try to look like I need to go somewhere really important, while holding my big green coconut, smiling and sipping through the lemongrass straw. All very green.

 I really can't explain how good a coconut makes you feel in this climate. After sweating all day and drinking a few coffees, no matter how much water I drink, I am always dehydrated it seems. And as most teachers know, leaving the classroom to fill up your water bottle let alone go to the bathroom never really happens. Drinking coconut I sense a strange elixir of energy liquid coursing through my veins. And with my nagging cough and depleted energy from teaching middle school students all day in an open air classroom, it is magic. I need it. And today caught me completely by surprise at one point.

I was nearly finished eating our Indonesian lunch of rice, tofu/tempe, vegetables and salad when I realized I couldn't go back up to my classroom. I had had enough sunlight. Period. I feel really hypocritical writing this since most of North America above the 45th parallel is in darkness but it's true. And I apologize because I know very well the sense of despair when you leave your house in the dark and return in the dark. Dark and cold. But truly I am in the exact opposite situation. I leave with a walk through the rice fields, sunlight in my eyes and teach all day in bright sunlight (unless thunder clouds rollin) and leave to a walk home in the light. My classroom has a skylight that almost looks plastic but I am sure it's some recycled or renewable product. But with that directly above me and no walls, I think I am experiencing sensory light overload. Which all this seems odd since it is the rainy season.

So while composting my banana leaf plate, I looked around and knew I needed a dark place, immediately. I sat under a nearby bamboo stairwell, eating the mango sweet rice dessert when my co-worker's Indonesian daughter, Veronica, came up to me to say hi. We carpool together and play on the weekends too. She is a sweetie in Grade 2. She said, "what are you doing Ibu Mary?" I said I need to sit in a dark place. (Irony there). And she said, "oh we played hide and seek yesterday. I can show you a place." She took me to the other bamboo stairwell (there are three here). Very cute. Now mind you, this is the bottom floor of the Heart of School and everyone is eating lunch at the same time, all around us. Very dynamic environment to hide in.

Alas there was a teacher working there at a nearby desk so I looked around and found another place that was a little dark: a building next door with a metal roof from old containers, that has been thatched over. It houses some administration folks. I walked in, again there are people everywhere and sat down right near the opening at a table. Said my "hellos" and right next to me was a guitar, missing a string. I tuned it, started playing and immediately found myself instantly relaxed. Ahhhh, no sunlight, calming music and relative peace. The other Grade 2 girls came over as well as people stopping by to say,"oh I didn't know you played" but for the most part I had about 10 minutes of dimly lit relaxation. As the gong chimed (no bells here) I watched the last of the Grade 6 kids peel themselves off the playground and head up towards my room. One stopped and said, "don't we have English Ibu Mary?" I had to go. But for a moment, I had relaxation here.

My carpool is almost ready to drive home, so I must go. But I did run just into my Pembantu, Ani, at the warung and she is going to take me to her temple this Saturday for a blessing. I was told to get blessed last week from a local priest for security and health. Many spirits on Bali. It is a full moon so an auspicious time. I just need to wear the traditional sarong, cloth belt and long-sleeved lace shirt. More on that later but I think I can try the holy water and get some medicine. Who knew? When I think a year ago that I had absolutely no idea I'd be here, living in Bali. Wild!

Yoda & The Dude by Candlelight

Power Outage: Last night after a quick swim in our now full swimming pool (yeah!) after a really looonnnnggg day at work, my landlord Denny came by and said the electrical power could be out for some time. No big deal, I thought. It was just getting dark, which happens very quickly around 6:30pm. I love the consistency of the daylight and temperature here on the equator. Not much change in sunset/sunrise, no daylight savings time, no drastic shifts in temperature.

I quickly assessed the scene: shower soon, check on candles and flashlights, get kitties inside to avoid scary prowling snakes, etc. After my shower in the dusk, I was making an icy coffee drink, which led me to realize how quickly the fridge and freezer will lose their temperature if I keep opening them up.  Silly me. I then opted to skip making dinner, throw the real perishables in the freezer and a tray of ice in the fridge and watch a movie instead under the lovely protection of my new mosquito net. I feel like a princess under my new net. The geckos can't poop on my head, little midnight biters can't get me and the caterpillars can't easily fall on my pillow. I can sleep. Of course I discovered very quickly that the kitties love their new toy: they pounce up and down on the net, which I tie each corner in a knot in the morning to expose the bed to air flow. Air flow=less mold on pillows/sheets.

After I lit various candles, I nestled under the net, (was thankful I had powered up my computer at school) and saw all the perforated scratch marks from those incessant claws! I won't tell my landlords about this too soon. It took a month to have it installed! But the ever-present squirt bottle helps remind the fur balls what they can and can't play with. Like that will help. 

I still have a couple movies downloaded from a co-worker and happily finished Return of the Jedi and started The Big Lebowski. Bliss. I didn't care how long the power was out. I clearly couldn't do the grade reports (all 70 are due by Monday) or edit the papers I brought home, or even check email. It was just me and Yoda, Luke and The Dude. Loved it. 

Kitty Tales: Before all went completely dark (I only have a few candles) I made sure my tall plastic mug was nearby too. I keep it handy now even though my wonderful Pembantu, Ani, keeps putting it away when she cleans. The reason for the plastic mug is because you never know what the cat will drag in, literally. Or what will hop, crawl, skitter, slither, or scamper in. The other night I saw my orange kitty, Felix, playing with something but jumping away each time he got close. My sensors went up immediately since he normally doesn't jump so high after poking some critter. I got the cup, grabbed a flashlight and pulled him out from under the chair. I covered the whatever and slid a card underneath and pulled it out to look. I shined my flashlight on a little brown scorpion, tale flexed in ready position. Great. For a moment the thoughts that swirled in my head were worrisome: did Felix get stung? is it a deadly scorpion? are there more? will I be able to sleep? is the kitty still breathing? And the answers I could gather were: Felix is fine, I have no idea if there are more (yes is my guess) or if they are deadly. I am sure I will sleep but damn. Now I have to really be aware where I step.

And this morning I quietly tiptoed off to the bathroom early, trying not to disturb the kitties that were soundly sleeping in my arm pit. But they woke up and followed me into the bathroom, which I keep shut at night since it is open air. I taught them other day how to jump up to the sill and then jump down outside where I placed a chair for easy access. (I am trying to encourage them to go potty outside but they refuse. I then take the litter box garbage by hand down the rice field path and motorbike to the local dumpster about 10 minutes away. Good times).

Anyway, I know they wanted to jump out this morning since they started to ramp it up and run around. It was still dark so I quickly shut the door and kept them inside since I am still unsure about cobras and vipers outside in the dark. But the kitties decided to do cartwheels and run chase races all over my little upstairs, bed and head. The mosquito net was getting a few new scratches as well. After more squirts with the water bottle and tosses off the bed, I was wide a awake and pissed. It was only 4:30am. But then I heard it. A huge "thwump".

My little tabby girl had done it again and I freaked out. She fell downstairs onto the tile floor, about 15-20 feet below. I raced down the steps and she was in shock. I know there is no quick trip to the vet, so I just held her and slowly checked for broken bones, labored breathing, etc. She didn't move. Then I smelled it. Upon impact she had pooped herself. Cats don't do this so I knew something was bad. But after a quick wash, another 1/2 hour of holding and petting, she began to get antsy and want to play with her brother. I left for work a few hours later at 7am and she was already outside, climbing the banana tree.  One can only hope she is okay.

This happened one night a few weeks ago leaping off the railing towards the ceiling after a gecko, but she landed on the stairs, not so far down. And there was no poop involved. I figured she has used up two lives? And I really hope she is okay when I get home today. I am totally attached to those two crazy, mosquito net-loving, spastic, purring fur balls.

More pictures as soon. 

Bat in the classroom

The other day, I had the ultimate teachable moment: a little fruit bat hanging in the thatched ceiling (all open air classroom and very outside). The kids noticed her in the morning and she stayed all day. It was quite beautiful. I could guess it was a fruit bat based on the shape, size, coloring and epithets. Once long ago, I did get really into educating about bats a while back (while caving and working for OMSI) and it made my day. All the classes came in and said, "look at that!" It was really fun, except the part of trying to calm them down and refocus towards the lesson on hand. But here we are at the Green School and these are the moments that count.

A few other noteworthy moments in other people's lives here involve a cobra eating a rat in a backyard, a baby monitor lizard attacking a rat appearing in a kitchen before breakfast, a unidentifiable snake slithering in a classroom, (unidentifiable since the facilities guy was smashing it before the kids could really see it), and a rather large spider and large bee having a dual near a whiteboard while a youngster is getting his lesson one on one. The bee apparently wanted to sting the spider and then lay its eggs in the spider for safe keeping.

But all is well. I have taken the weird caterpillars thingys that constantly drop, along with gecko poops on my bed and head, as just part of having a natural, thatched roof. Annoying but they only bite when caught up in your clothes. I discovered this the other morning when I jumped on my scooter ready for work, with my helmet, computer, bike bag full of essentials (bug spray, money, phone, throat lozenges, headlamp, first aid kit, slicker, umbrella, lip balm, license, sunscreen, etc.) and my garbage. I rode to the dumpster and as I was tossing it in, something was really biting my neck. I tried to ignore it whilst I was maneuvering my bags and garbage in front of the rubbish collectors and I finally threw it all down, flung off my slicker (it was raining) and found a stinking caterpillar thingy from my house biting my neck. Arghhhh! The rubbish collectors and the old men who sit in the bale (open air, raised, covered platform) on this street corner, just watched me. "Silly Buleh" (white person), is I am sure what they were thinking.  Well, I have learned you just smile and laugh at as much a possible. And try not to slide out on the motorbike while making a hasty exit.

I did go see a cranial-secral healer the yesterday after work. A fellow teacher went to see him and I thought why not? after getting this deep cough that settled in just two days. I decided to jump on the healing wagon. Apparently Ubud is historically a place of healers, from ancient times to today. So I heard about him and thought maybe he can relieve this stuck energy and give me some wisdom on how to deal in the tropics. So after work I scooted my way across town, through crazy Friday afternoon traffic to find his office, at the infamous Yoga Barn. And with absolutely no expectations other than wanting to relieve myself of this awful cough, I walked into his little open air, thatched roofed office.

After an initial consultation, and kinesthetic work finding my organs and systems all healthy, he worked on my cranial-sacrum connection. I was a little out of alignment. And it was wild. I closed my eyes and at one point felt like I was floating and doing somersaults. It could have been because finally I was lying down after a super long week of intense heat, being sick and being really excited about the weekend but you never know. Afterwards he suggested that I start taking Colloidal Silver, swim to counter the heat in my body, take a special mushroom concoction and find a local priest to connect with. He said I am going through a spiritual awakening and need to align myself with the good spirits on the island. I know this but it was good to hear too. Bali is so full of spiritual energy, being the island of the Gods and generations of priests and healers. And with all the ceremonies, I would like to be connected to a local temple. I need to connect with a local priest and get blessed, he suggested. I am working on that now. I got my feelers out there. And since Bali is a petri dish of bacteria, it is good to be healthy physically, spiritually and mentally. Since we are so close to the equator, things never go dormant and settle. There is always bacteria waiting to move in...so my healing appointment was worth it.


I bought a big bottle of Colloidal Silver at a health food store today while out on the Saturday errands which after a few Skype calls, included: cleaning my house, figuring out internet connection here, motorbiking to the bank across town, buying a mosquito coil box (kitty proof), dodging the heat by drinking fresh juice twice, shopping at the grocery store, eating a lovely healthy meal out, finding an air-con machine in a random store and standing in front of it until it was obvious I wasn't buying anything, paying the bill for the appointment yesterday, etc.  I showed up at the appointment and said I couldn't make it to the bank in time, and had no cash. He said, no worries. Pay tomorrow.  Despite the big tour buses, crowded streets and thousands of people, Bali still feels like a little town. Or at least Ubud. I ran into so many people out and about today as I scooted around doing my errands. A good Saturday to say the least.

But did the Ducks win??