I experienced my first, Nyepi or Balinese New Years, one of the most revered days of the year! It starts out with weeks of preparation from all the villages on the island. As I was going to and from school, I could watch the progress of the Ogoh Ogohs. Usually the building of these giants is left up to the young men in the Banjar (or village group). Originally they were made from paper and bamboo, and now mostly foam. They are made to capture the demon sprits on the eve of Nyepi, paraded through the village and burned as purification ritual. Again, I resort to the internet for more specific details.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ogoh-ogo
The island the next day, from 6am to 6am, is quiet and dark. Everyone is to stay inside their homes and essentially rest, meditate and fast. Each village has patrol that keep people inside their homes. The idea being that if the island is dark and quiet, the demons will be tricked to go away. And another year starts out with a purified and demon-free island. Lovely!
Of course many tourists either leave the island or stay in hotels that offer Nyepi "black out" specials, since the idea of a quiet island is no fun for some. They put blankets and paper on the windows to black out the light, so people can still watch tv, go on the internet, have lights on, and such. I opted to stay at a friend's house and play with his family for two nights. It was great! We played games, ate by candlelight, talked, etc. Because it is a larger house then mine, we could be outside and swim during the day with little worry since the walls block out neighbors. Very buleh (tourist), but quite nice too. I had fun and am very sad to see my friends leave island and go back to the states soon. I am trying all I can to get them to stay, but of course, life moves on.
Now it is spring break and I am opting for a "staycation." I love where I live and I am excited to just be home. I am volunteering for the big Bali Spirit Festival next week. I think I get a pass to the events once I finish my shift at the information booth. Should be fun to meet new people, get my yoga on (finally!), and hear some world beats.
http://www.balispiritfestival.com/
That's all for now!
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Friday, March 23, 2012
Saturday, March 17, 2012
The Sky is Falling!
**Editor's Note** I wrote this a few days ago. The wind has ceased!
Okay, not really but it was so windy at school today, my classroom was falling down. I sit up on the 3rd floor of the Heart Of School (HOS), and the breezes just blow right on through my room. That and the thatched roof drops debris to the point of needing safety googles. I eventually searched out an empty classroom for my next two classes. Unreal.
Okay, not really but it was so windy at school today, my classroom was falling down. I sit up on the 3rd floor of the Heart Of School (HOS), and the breezes just blow right on through my room. That and the thatched roof drops debris to the point of needing safety googles. I eventually searched out an empty classroom for my next two classes. Unreal.
The last time we experienced these types of winds, there was a cyclone off the coast of Bali that circled and wound its way towards Australia. It was incredible how windy it was. And today in school you could hear the white board crash in a nearby classroom (mine is tied to the railing), kids yelling over the din trying to be heard by their teacher (who lost all control), the occasional "whoa" from someone downstairs in the Mepantigan (our thatched auditorium), the palm trees blowing so fiercely they look like they might just topple over. You get the idea.
I actually had a planning period this morning and couldn't write in my classroom with so much debris falling and blowing that I went downstairs to the main floor (right in the entrance area) and found a stable ceiling to sit under. But then I was wide open for every one to say, "sorry to bother you but..." I did accomplish my task but the interruptions were constant. Interesting and important as it always is catching up with your colleagues, but distracting nonetheless.
Then it was lunch. Imagine all the food in big serving dishes, with the wind knocking over everything not held down: spoons, plates, tickets, cups, food, etc.The dishes were covered by banana leaves that inevitably blew away. I patiently waited for my dish of taco fixings and went to find a decent place to eat while cowering over my plate so as not to swallow roof splinters. Forget about filling a water glass! I threw mine out immediately since more debris was inside than water. Where is my water bottle anyway? I can't believe when packing I only brought one water bottle. And I use it so much, it has to be cleaned out daily or it will smell funny. Mold, the friends that stays so close!
But I digress.
By the end of the day, there was a huge piece of black roof plastic sliding into the classroom from the nearby roof (it is a three-roofed building), put up there to stop the leaking thatch roof into the other adjoining classroom. It looked like a giant plastic monster wanted to take over my classroom. Good times!
Then arriving home, I found yes, the debris was everywhere, and I have windows and walls and the wind ripping through the night. My own thatched roof left a mess as a well as all the things that blew like mad in under the doors and through the open bathroom. I later found out we had a tornado warning for Bali the next day. Which wasn't any better at school. My classroom was wrecked. When I was helping a a Grade 8 student with her homework, the wind was whipping past us so fiercely that papers were flying, books knocking over and we were yelling so loudly it was silly. And quite comical except for the crap flying into your eyes.Then later, when I took my little sixth graders around school looking for a decent classroom to teach in, I settled on Grade 5 since they were on a field trip. But alas, coconuts were falling like mad (we were chastised for walking on the trails) and the roof had blown away.
Then arriving home, I found yes, the debris was everywhere, and I have windows and walls and the wind ripping through the night. My own thatched roof left a mess as a well as all the things that blew like mad in under the doors and through the open bathroom. I later found out we had a tornado warning for Bali the next day. Which wasn't any better at school. My classroom was wrecked. When I was helping a a Grade 8 student with her homework, the wind was whipping past us so fiercely that papers were flying, books knocking over and we were yelling so loudly it was silly. And quite comical except for the crap flying into your eyes.Then later, when I took my little sixth graders around school looking for a decent classroom to teach in, I settled on Grade 5 since they were on a field trip. But alas, coconuts were falling like mad (we were chastised for walking on the trails) and the roof had blown away.
Forget riding your motorbike with any ability or speed...the sensation of being blown over is extreme. And the reality of being blown over is scary. Thank goodness for my carpool. Which is the topic of my next blog. Stay tuned...
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Lovely Sunday.
Truly a day of rest and relaxation. This morning I slept in, read my book and lounged between the early am kitty pounces. And I made the phone calls with my sister, brother, and favorite little man, Kellen. I love Sunday Skype calls. They have been too few and far between, so look out if I haven't called recently and answer if you see an "unavailable" number. Other than that, after a cup of coffee, I have the day free. I stopped going in to work a few months ago, so I have no excuse but to relax. Wayan just delivered a green coconut, which she now does every day. I am quite addicted to them. There is the option of a massage and spa, but I think I will just hang out here with the furry ones and the swimming pool right outside my bedroom doors upstairs. I haven't been home for a few weeks, so to relax here is a must.
It is slightly overcast with a touch of sun and as usual quite hot and muggy out. I bought another fan last night at the grocery store, so my downstairs has three fans that push the air around attempting to make it seem cooler. I have these beautiful large glass doors downstairs (which is my kitchen/living room) but I am not opening them too often, so not letting the kitties outside much. The little one (Ginger) is so little (3 months) and cobras, monitor lizards and the neighborhood dog still freak me out. Still traumatized from losing my last kitty. Being hyper sensitive but I guess I am allowed at this point.
In a few hours close to 3pm, I will jump on the motor bike and head to Ultimate, near the Monkey Forest. We have a Sunday game on a patchy dry field, and hopefully can play an hour or so before the neighborhood kids come out with the soccer ball. There is a Bali tournament in a few weeks, and our team has just scratched together a roster. I think I need to get in shape, seriously.
And then it is dinner with a friend of a friend that I haven't seen in years! She called and said "I am on island". Lucky me. So I chose a favorite restaurant to meet at and catch up. Decadence.
Then the week starts all over again. The weekends are so relaxing, I forget for a few days how draining the school days are. But we are almost at spring break, and I will be staying on island, saving money and volunteering at the Bali Spirit Festival. I will write more closer to the day, but Bali New Year's Day (Nyepi) falls before our break and it will be a hoot to experience. More on that later.
I wrote this next passage a few days ago, and decided to include it as part of my documenting the experience of living in the tropics.
The past two weeks of intense heat rash on various parts of my body make me think we are changing seasons again, from wet to dry. (I say this as it is pouring outside!) If you haven't had a heat rash before because you don't live in 98% humidity near the equator, let me just say, it's no fun. The constant urge to itch leads to immediate relief which then lends to extremely itchy and bleeding skin. I have learned that instant relief comes in really really scalding hot water, which you can imagine then burns the hell out of your skin. My poor neck, arms and legs have been so red and blotchy from the heat and scalding showers, that I was stopped more than once with, "are you okay?" I thought I was going crazy. Is it just in my head? Is this real? But it is real and I just dealt with it.
The hot water relief is almost orgasmic, a shuddering sense of release, no more pain, no more itch, just a wonderful tickling, scratching sensation. Lovely. Since I only have a solar shower, my hot water lasts a few minutes. There I am sticking each arm, elbow, craning neck and shins to reach the water. One night I took three showers between 8pm-3am and tried as many as 8 different ointments/powders/solutions on different body parts to see what worked best. I finally found a brilliant solution: hotel room. So last weekend a posse of us went to the beach and stayed at a beautiful hotel: pool, beach front, pool bar, spa, etc. But for me the beauty was the hot bathtub (imagine the sensation there!) and cold air conditioning while languishing on a bed watching HBO. I have no bathtub, AirCon or TV, so I was on vacation! I only went outside to the pool at 1pm because the hotel called and said, "it's time to check out." Then I ordered a dry cocktail and stayed in the pool.
Cheers.
It is slightly overcast with a touch of sun and as usual quite hot and muggy out. I bought another fan last night at the grocery store, so my downstairs has three fans that push the air around attempting to make it seem cooler. I have these beautiful large glass doors downstairs (which is my kitchen/living room) but I am not opening them too often, so not letting the kitties outside much. The little one (Ginger) is so little (3 months) and cobras, monitor lizards and the neighborhood dog still freak me out. Still traumatized from losing my last kitty. Being hyper sensitive but I guess I am allowed at this point.
In a few hours close to 3pm, I will jump on the motor bike and head to Ultimate, near the Monkey Forest. We have a Sunday game on a patchy dry field, and hopefully can play an hour or so before the neighborhood kids come out with the soccer ball. There is a Bali tournament in a few weeks, and our team has just scratched together a roster. I think I need to get in shape, seriously.
And then it is dinner with a friend of a friend that I haven't seen in years! She called and said "I am on island". Lucky me. So I chose a favorite restaurant to meet at and catch up. Decadence.
Then the week starts all over again. The weekends are so relaxing, I forget for a few days how draining the school days are. But we are almost at spring break, and I will be staying on island, saving money and volunteering at the Bali Spirit Festival. I will write more closer to the day, but Bali New Year's Day (Nyepi) falls before our break and it will be a hoot to experience. More on that later.
I wrote this next passage a few days ago, and decided to include it as part of my documenting the experience of living in the tropics.
The past two weeks of intense heat rash on various parts of my body make me think we are changing seasons again, from wet to dry. (I say this as it is pouring outside!) If you haven't had a heat rash before because you don't live in 98% humidity near the equator, let me just say, it's no fun. The constant urge to itch leads to immediate relief which then lends to extremely itchy and bleeding skin. I have learned that instant relief comes in really really scalding hot water, which you can imagine then burns the hell out of your skin. My poor neck, arms and legs have been so red and blotchy from the heat and scalding showers, that I was stopped more than once with, "are you okay?" I thought I was going crazy. Is it just in my head? Is this real? But it is real and I just dealt with it.
The hot water relief is almost orgasmic, a shuddering sense of release, no more pain, no more itch, just a wonderful tickling, scratching sensation. Lovely. Since I only have a solar shower, my hot water lasts a few minutes. There I am sticking each arm, elbow, craning neck and shins to reach the water. One night I took three showers between 8pm-3am and tried as many as 8 different ointments/powders/solutions on different body parts to see what worked best. I finally found a brilliant solution: hotel room. So last weekend a posse of us went to the beach and stayed at a beautiful hotel: pool, beach front, pool bar, spa, etc. But for me the beauty was the hot bathtub (imagine the sensation there!) and cold air conditioning while languishing on a bed watching HBO. I have no bathtub, AirCon or TV, so I was on vacation! I only went outside to the pool at 1pm because the hotel called and said, "it's time to check out." Then I ordered a dry cocktail and stayed in the pool.
Cheers.
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