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??