Selamat Hari Raya Galungan (Happy Galungan)

Our street decorated with penjors for Galungan

Today was the last school day before our 6 day Galungan break.  We leave in the morning for Gili Air for 4 days of snorkeling, beach, turtles, and fun.  The trip I have organized has grown to 67 people from the Green School.  The island is very small and has no cars.  Heaven! 

Galungan is a major religious time filled with much ceremony.  During the Galungan period the deified ancestors of the family descend to their former homes. They must be suitably entertained and welcomed, and prayers and offerings must be made for them.

Although Galungan falls on a Wednesday, most Balinese will begin their Galungan 'holiday' the day before, where the family is seen to be busily preparing offerings and cooking for the next day. While the women of the household have been busy for days before creating beautifully woven 'banten' (offerings made from young coconut fronds), the men of the village usually wake up well before dawn to join with their neighbors to slaughter a pig unlucky enough to be chosen to help celebrate this occasion.  We saw and heard evidence of this today.  Delicate combinations of various vegetables, herbs and spices are also prepared by the men to make up a selection of 'lawar' dishes. While much of this cooking is for use in the offerings to be made at the family temple, by mid-morning, once all the cooking is done, it is time for the first of a series of satisfying feasts from what has been prepared. The women continue to be kept busy with the preparations of the many offerings to be made at the family temple on the day of Galungan.  The day before Galungan everyone also puts up their penjor, a long bamboo pole made to decorate the entrance to the family compound. The first day of Galungan people return to their village where offerings are made to God and to the family ancestors who have come back to rest at this time in their family temple.  Visits are made to the village temple with offerings as well, and to the homes of other families who may have helped the family in some way over the past six months.

Owen helping Ketut make our penjor

The day after Galungan is a time for a holiday, visiting friends, maybe taking the opportunity to head for the mountains for a picnic. Everyone is still seen to be in their 'Sunday best' as they take to the streets to enjoy the festive spirit that Galungan brings to Bali.

Hey Monkey, Give Me Back My Hat!

Yesterday we went to the Monkey Forest in Ubud.  There had clearly been talk among the kids at school about it and Owen and Henry had lots of advise about how to act around the monkeys.  "Don't smile because if you show your teeth it is a sign of aggression."  "Don't bring any bananas or food."  "If you sit down, the monkeys will climb on you."  "If the small monkeys bite it doesn't hurt much."  

"Let's just give the monkeys some space. They won't mess with us if we don't mess with them" I replied.

Everything was going smoothly, until we decided that it would be fun to see if any of them wanted to sit in our laps or climb on our heads.  I suggested the boys take off their hats so the monkeys wouldn't think that maybe there was food under them. As soon as we sat down, a juvenile monkey came up to us, checked us out, explored if we had food and then moved on.  Then another one came over and started exploring the boys hats lying in my lap.  Thinking they weren't food and that therefore the monkeys would not be interested in them, I let the monkey sniff and chew a bit on Owen's hat.  Then the monkey decided he wanted Owen's hat.  I offered several trades, but all I had were banana peels from the ground or the sweet potatoes that the staff gives them.  Not too tempting to the monkey.  We finally asked one of the guards for help getting the hat back. Seeing the guard coming with a slingshot, the monkey took off with the hat up a tree.  Several bigger monkeys moved in to get in on the action.  There was a dance for dominance for a bit to see who would back off first.  Although the slingshot was empty, in the end the guard got all the big monkeys to retreat and finally the small monkey dropped the hat and we retrieved it.  


All in all, an exciting trip to the Monkey Forest.

Hash Run

So this weekend we went on our second Hash Run.  When we were first invited we had no idea what it was and you too may be wondering.  Here is how one website describes it..."Hashing is a mixture of athleticism and sociability, hedonism and hard work, a refreshing escape from the nine-to-five dweebs you're stuck with five days a week. Hashing is an exhilaratingly fun combination of running, orienteering, and partying, where bands of harriers and harriettes chase hares on eight-to-ten kilometer-long trails through town, country, and desert, all in search of exercise, camaraderie, and good times. 

Owen and Xochi on the Hash Run

Hashing began in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in 1938, when a group of British colonial officials and expatriates founded a running club called the Hash House Harriers. They named the group after their meeting place, the Selangor Club, nicknamed the "Hash House." Hash House Harrier runs were patterned after the traditional British paper chase. A "hare" was given a head start to blaze a trail, marking his devious way with shreds of paper, all the while pursued by a shouting pack of "harriers." Only the hare knew where he was going . . . the harriers followed his clues to stay on trail. Apart from the excitement of chasing the hare and solving the clues, reaching the end was its own reward . . . for there, thirsty harriers would find a tub of iced-down beer" (or sprite, coke or fanta for the under 21 crowd)  

Xochi and Kayla, Notice the paper shreds

For us it is a fun way to get the kids hiking and to see parts of Bali we might not otherwise. Last weekend we hashed through the rice paddies in an area where the rice was almost ready to be harvested.  The rice stalks were golden brown against the bright green shoots and Mt Agung was in the background.  The farmers were all out in their fields with long bamboo poles with a flag on them shouting and shooing away the birds so they wouldn't steal their harvest.  We learned that some rice farmers sleep in their fields during this time so that they can wake up with the birds and chase them away.  It was gorgeous, fun and MUDDY!

This weekend, we hashed through the jungle, the rice paddies and through a small village where it seemed they rarely see non natives.  We saw coffee, cacao and mangosteens growing and beautiful terraced rice paddies.  The hash run was probably about 3 miles and towards the end, the promise of a fanta kept the kids moving and the search for the next pile of paper shreds kept it fun along the way.  When you see the paper piles, you yell "on, on" to let your group know you are on track.  You never know what you will see or where you will go.  It is a fun combination of a treasure hunt and a hike.  

Thoughts on Life in Bali

Ceremonial dress

Every day so much happens here that I can't take it all in or process it all.  Life is so raw.  Today we were heading to school and we were driving behind a truck with a large three level cage full of chickens and Owen wanted to talk about the treatment of animals and how they are kept.  Yesterday, we happened upon a cremation and Henry had all kinds of questions about death and burials.  Life is also so filled with ceremony and spirituality.  When I was coloring with Henry yesterday I asked him if I should color a part of the butterfly wing blue and he said, "let me see what the wind says.". At snack time today, Owen told me they had a rice ceremony earlier today in class and made offerings so the rice harvest would be good.  These are just a few examples but it happens all the time.

It is great, but I am tired.  It feels full.  I have also discovered that people who move abroad are doers.   At home I feel like we are the ones who are often doing, going places and are full of activity.  Here I have a hard time keeping up.  Some days we just have to stay at home and swim, read and color to recharge for what lies outside our doors.  Next week over the Galungan holiday we are going to Gili Air, a small island off the coast of Lombok, about a 1.5 hour boat ride away.  What started out as a trip with 2 families has turned into a group of 37 people and I wouldn't be surprised if it grows more.  I am organizing the boat trip since our driver is friends with the boat guy and he is getting us a great deal.  I feel like I need a spreadsheet to make sure I keep track of everyone, who is going round trip or leaving early. 
  
Life here is also filled with so much more risk than at home.  Just walking down the street or driving in the car is exhilarating and filled with risk.  Car seats are non-existent and seat belts are not a given. Families of four on mopeds are regularly seen weaving in and out of traffic with a toddler standing in front of the driver and the baby in the moms arms, no helmets on any of them. After you have been here for awhile, I sense you get used to the daily risks and they become a way of life.  What feels risky to me now, is totally normal.  It is wild.

Rock said to me this weekend, "it feels like we are in a video game.". So much to filter through to figure out which path to take both figuratively and literally.

Cremation

Structure holding the body and the priest

Today as we were driving home from dropping Owen off at school, our driver mentioned that it would be busy in Ubud today because there was a cremation.  With promises of dried apricots, we convinced Henry to go to Bali Buddha, a restaurant and natural health store near where the procession of the cremation statues would be.  We had a nice breakfast, colored a bunch and timed it just right so we were finished when the procession came by.  It was a cremation for 2 people. Each had their own cremation statue and then one throne-like statue that held the body and the priest.  These huge structures were attached to bamboo poles that were carried by many men to the cremation grounds.  The statues were followed by men playing the drums, symbols and other instruments and women carrying elaborate offerings on their heads.  The statues seemed very heavy with the teams of men having to put them down every half block or so. One person was also in charge of making sure that the statues didn't take out any power lines by pushing them up with a long bamboo pole (you can see this in the photos). At the cremation grounds the bodies will be blessed and as I understand, put into the statues and burned.  We didn't watch this part as it was pretty hot and Henry was wanting to go home.    

Cremation Statue

Ketut, the pembantu (help) at the villa is currently at the funeral for the son of his cousin who died last week.  He told us that cremations are very expensive so his family will bury the body and then wait 3-5 years until there is a big public cremation at which point they will dig up the bones, prepare and bless them and then cremate the bones.  I believe this is followed with several other ceremonies with the ashes and many, many offerings in which the ashes are brought to the sea and the spirit is eventually free. It was quite a sight to see today and hopefully, some day when the kids are at school we will happen upon another cremation and get to experience more of it.  They happen regularly and close down major roads as the procession goes to the cremation grounds.

Villa Satori

Pool with the guesthouse

When we first arrived at our house, Villa Satori, we really liked it.  Now that we have been here for a couple of weeks, we have learned to love it.  First and foremost, I was spot on in wanting a house we could close up.  The mosquitoes aren't awful, in fact they aren't bad at all and really only come out around 5pm for a couple of hours.  However, if there is one mosquito within 1 mile of Owen, pretty soon it will be sucking his sweet blood and leaving him with massive welts.  After he got about 3 bites and we had several nights of disrupted sleep due to them, we learned to put up the mosquito net over the bed the boys sleep in (and I join them  at some point in the night).  This, along with closing up the house around 5, has worked great.  We turn on the AC in just the boys' bedroom for a couple of hours and by bedtime it is all ready for us.  Some other things we love about our house are that it has an oven (very rare here), it is quiet, we have a coconut stand across the lane, the view is spectacular, the pool is deep enough for jumping and diving, $15 massages are just a 5 minute walk away, we are at the beginning of a path that takes you on an epic adventure through the rice paddies and rainforest with an organic cafe along the way, town is only a 10 minute walk away and we seem to have one of the best cooks in town.  Our house is also set up and decorated to western standards which we may take for granted and probably haven't learned yet all that that means in a good way for us.  The house has beautiful statues throughout the garden and interior. 

Fun in the Mud

Yoga in the mud

The tallest mud tower

Horse races in the mud

Owen's class had his first mud pit class.  First they did yoga in the mud, getting particularly messy with the Cobra pose.  Then they did a tag game where the way to be unfrozen was to have someone crawl between your legs.  Next they broke into twos and tried to build the tallest mud pile.  Lastly, they had a relay race pretending to be horses.  Everyone who brought an extra set of clothes got pretty muddy and  afterwards they showered off and then changed into their extra clothes.  Fun for all.

Women Do the Hard Work

Everyday for the past week we have watched a group of about 10 women carry pail after pail of rocks, gravel and cement on their heads up the hill from where the road to our house becomes a footpath to a construction site in the rice paddies up the trail.  We found out recently they are working for the our neighbor Paul who is building a couple of villas.  He said that when there isn't something to carry they are upset.  I wondered to myself what they are getting paid (probably about $10/day) and think how impossibly hard it looks. We often say hello to them and I want to express what hard work it looks like and how strong they are, but don't know the words and not sure how it would be taken.  Instead I just stand in awe.

Not in Kansas Anymore

We were walking home after school today on the path just before our house. Owen was up ahead while I was stopped to talk with our local coconut seller, Nyoman, and his wife, Nyoman. I am not making this up. Suddenly, a group of about fifteen Balinese men came down the path holding a bamboo pole the size of a telephone pole with a squealing pig hanging from it by the legs (sorry, this happened too fast to get a picture). The pig was pony-sized, and a little upset. I ran ahead to find Owen and make sure he handled it well. He reported the sight, was awed by it and also dismayed. "I'm a little sad, Dad. They're not gonna hurt it, are they?" (Okay, should I tell him the truth and risk jeopardizing bedtime with a trembly-lipped boy or go with a white lie?) So I told him they were probably taking him to the pig doctor, as they would have gutted him at home if they were going to eat him, to avoid carrying all that weight. He took that in stride and we went home for a swim. As Owen hopped in the pool and I sat on the veranda eating a bowl of cereal, gathering my troops for the evening tasks of parenting, the air was abruptly filled with the haunting death screams of the pig from across the rice paddy adjacent to our villa. Owen didn't notice, but it went on and on for what seemed much longer than reasonably possible. All that and the damned Packers lost to the Giants. I was all set to watch a Niners/Packers game in Bali. We're finding our way, and more happens in each day than I can process emotionally. The kids seem to be settling in and figuring out the rhythm of our days. We're pretty wrung-out by the time we get them to sleep.  

Pantai di Serangan (Beach in Serangan)

Warung Karina

Today we hung out with a family from Owen's class that is originally from El Cerrito.  We drove with them to a surfing beach that is off the tourist track and got to see the contrast of a more local and surf beach with the tourist beach in Sanur that we went to yesterday.
 
The beach today had small warungs that were much more basic vs. the restaurant with tables on the beach, lounge chairs that were free of charge, ladies still offering massage and souvenirs, but not with uniform like shirts as in Sanur, an ice cream man selling popsicles from his bike vs. the gelato stand and less trash.  The area is also called Turtle Island.  It is officially an island, but you can drive over a bridge to get there.  It is a nature preserve that used to be a turtle breeding ground with coral reefs frequented by divers. Years ago there was a plan to build a resort and casino and a mixture of sand and limestone was dredged up and dumped there to create more land, doubling the area of the island which was basically a sandbar. This killed much of the mangroves and the turtle breeding habitat.  


While here, Owen got to play around with Johnny's surf board (Xochi's dad) and I can tell we are going to have to try to find some lessons for him.  He was fired up about the idea of surfing and seemed eager to learn. 

Day at the Beach

The lounge chairs where women come by and give you a
pedicure, manicure or massage right on the beach

Today we headed to Sanur, the closest beach to Ubud.  Gede, our driver knew of a quiet beach that was perfect.  There were almost no waves, there were lounge chairs you could rent, a small restaurant right on the beach, a nice bathroom and a gelato stand.  The boys enjoyed playing in the sand with a British boy and a local boy making dribble castles.  There was also a small man-made island that we swam to that had a couple of pagodas to hang out in.  It was great to swim in warm water and play on the beach.

After heading home, we ended up walking through the rice paddies over to Sari Organik, a restaurant and organic farm located in the rice paddies about 800 m from the closest street.  This fixed a major calorie deficit that was causing a case of extreme grumpiness in the boys.  On the walk home, Henry said to me, "Mom, if someone who smokes asks you for money, you should never give them money because they might buy Tabasco Sauce."   

Green School

Henry's Classroom

The boys seem to be enjoying school.  Henry is in Pre K and he goes 3 full days a week.  The school day is from 8:15-3:15, a long day for him so we decided to just do 3 days a week.  This also gives us 2 days with just him which are rare and we have been enjoying.  After his first day, he said that he gave it 103 million thumbs up.  There are about 15-18 kids in his class with about 3 teachers and an intern or two. It is a play based program with different areas set up around the class.  They also have music time, library time, green studies and maybe more.  Time will tell and we are still learning.  He told me that he traced his body, went to the library and that his class will soon have their own offering boxes for the daily offerings that are made in Bali.

The swings made out of old tires with Henry's class in the background

Owen's class. They have garden beds in front of their class,
lemongrass growing along the walkway and it is open air.

All the furniture is bamboo and the whiteboard is a car window

Owen is in Grade 2B.  There are a lot of second graders so there are 2 second grades.  He is in the class that is boy heavy, currently with 8 boys and 3 girls but 2 twin girls will be coming in February and one other girl may be returning while we are here, but they just found out that the mom has lung cancer so they may stay in Australia for medical care.  Initially, I was bummed that he ended up in this class given that Owen tends to connect with girls more, but he has made friends and likes his teacher a lot.  When I asked what he thought of his class after the first day, he said, "Ibu Sara (his new teacher) is great".  They just started a unit on "Saints and Sages" that is built around fictional stories and the lives of a selected number of saints and sages taken from Christian and Hindu traditions.  The intended learning will be around the values these people lived by that made them such respected and honorable citizens. 

The Honey Pot, the circle time area of the classroom

 

 

All of the classes at the Green School have at least one Indonesian teacher and one other head teacher that may or may not be Indonesian.  In addition, there is a large specialist staff for PE, Green Studies, Performing Arts, Indonesian Studies, Music, Outdoor Games, Computer Lab, Library and Visual Arts.  

The rice paddy that Owen's class is in charge of.  They haven't
harvested the rice that was planted last semester.

Green School Warung

After dropping the boys off at their classrooms, we usually hang out for a bit at the Green School Warung (cafe) and get a coffee and a snack and socialize with other parents.  Some parents seem to hang out here much of the day using the wifi and socializing.  The older kids also come here at snack time to buy a snack if they have been given some money.  Owen insists that we give him 10-20K rupiah (1-2$) a day so he can get snack.  The pre K class stays at their classroom and eating area for both snack and lunch. 

In the foreground is the 4th grade and a bathroom, in the middle
are the solar panels and in the background is the Heart of School
building that houses the library, a couple high school classes,
the administrative offices and the lunch area.

Settling In

We have now been in Bali for one week and it feels like a lot longer than that. The first couple of days were filled with the feeling of overload, so much newness to take in and so little knowledge about how things worked.  We had yet to meet other families and were parenting 24/7 with little time to figure out how to get things done.  Now that school has started and we are starting to settle into life here, it feels less overwhelming now than it did just 3 days ago.  


Living the expat life has been a trip.  The shared common experience seems to bring people together very fast and people put all their cards on the table.  We have already been invited to dinner at a friend's house, are planning weekends away and one of Owen's friends already wants a sleep over.  So far we have been hanging out the most with a family from Mendocino that just moved here after selling the bed and breakfast that they owned there, a family from Bend, OR who have been here for 2.5 years and the dad works at the school and a family from El Cerrito who have been her for 2 months.  We have also met families from England, Australia, DC, Moscow and more.  Many of the families at the Green School have lived elsewhere in Asia before coming to Bali and are familiar with the life of an expat that is unfolding for us.  

Our neighbor is Paul, a Canadian who lived in the house we are staying in for 7 months before building his own place next door.  He was the one who set up the wifi for us, introduced us to who he claims is the best masseuse in Bali and who let us babysit Abby, his dog this evening to give the boys a dog fix since they have been missing Luna.  

Wired and settling in

We arrived in Bali on the night of January 6th.  It wasn't until the next morning that we realised we were living in a great spot.  Owen woke up and said, "I love Bali".  This was a huge switch from his fairly constant moans about going to Bali and his numerous schemes on how to derail the trip.

The picture above is the view from our house.  We live at the end of Jalan Kajeng, about a block up a hill from where it becomes a walking path.  It is a great respite from the bustle of town and the traffic noises of lots of motorbikes and cars.   Instead, we are serenaded nightly by frogs, cicadas, geckos and the sound of the wind through the palm trees and woken up in the morning by the crowing of roosters and the barking of dogs.  

We just got wifi at the house so now that we are connected, I imagine we will be able to give you more frequent updates and more pictures to come when Henry isn't asking me to play with him.

Hong Kong

We are now in Hong Kong after 14 hours on the plane.  The boys were fantastic, but sleep was limited.  We arrived in our room at the YMCA just in time for the light show on the Victoria Harbour and then fell fast asleep until an early wake up at 2:30 am.  We watched the Rose Bowl from 2:30-5 am and were happy to find out that the swimming pool opened at 6:30 am. The rest of the day we spent walking around, playing at Kowloon Park, more swimming and Rock telling stories about Earl and Ray, two fisherman in a small row boat in the harbor that had multiple close calls with ferries, tug boats, barges and cruise ships.  The boys were laughing up a storm and luckily this was enough entertainment to keep them awake until dinner time. Hopefully we will post a picture of Ray and Earl's boat (really only a speck on the water) once we find the cord to the camera since that has been the highlight of the day so far.

We are looking forward to seeing our friend Heather tomorrow who happens to be in Hong Kong right now and sleeping past 2:30 am.  

One Day to Go!

Here we go.  We are all packed, moved out of our house, renters moved in, clothes for the plane set out and movies for the plane loaded.  It has been a whirlwind of holidays, packing and cleaning to prepare for tomorrow, but it is finally here and our adventure begins.  4 large bags, 4 carry ons, 15 hours en route to Hong Kong, 3 nights in Hong Kong and then 6 months in Bali.

We will miss you all and cherish the family and friends in our lives.  Saying goodbye, although only a temporary goodbye has really brought to light how wonderful our community of friends is and how lucky we feel to have you all in our lives. 

I am feeling too exhausted right now to write more, but it felt like a monumental day that need to be documented on the blog.