T-MINUS! (All caps. That's right. I'm shouting.)

Four more working days at Greenschool. I started an insanely fun project yesterday. Visualizing the word "Greenschool" using materials from the land, within the land and photodocumenting it. My first attempt was stomping the letterforms into a muddy trough inbetween where bamboo will be planted. SO. MUCH. FUN!! It was two hours of pure, happy, and childlike pleasure squishing mud and earth between my toes and splashing muddy water up to my knees. Of course, I also dug my hands in the dirt, filling in a few counterforms and negative spaces with more mud and loose dirt. And to finish off, I took a hose and filled in the stomped-down letterforms with water. It was the most fulfilling design project I've done to date at the school. I felt so true to myself and how I want to practice design. I'm planning on doing one of these nature projects a day...what a way to end my time here.

Today was a mostly-day-off. A bunch of us went rafting on Telega Waja (or something like that). Our team, or "Majuh" as we dubbed ourselves consisted of myself, Mokoh, Ami, and Meliana. We had a lot of fun yelling and joking around.

Well, that's it for now. No, profoundly philosophical, deeply introspective thoughts tonight.

See you soon.

T Minus

Three-and-a-half weeks. The final countdown to April 14th, my last day as an intern at Green School. Things are now really in full swing - Alex and I have got identity etc and it's all rolling along.

On a more personal note, THREE-AND-A-HALF WEEKS until I get to relax. Until Satyan arrives here. Until I close another chapter.

That's it. Short post this time. See. You. Soon.

The Necessity of Contrast

Over the past few weeks, a theme has emerged from my adventures here in Bali. The necessity and inescapability of contrast. As some of you know, my internship here has been challenging at times but it is in those moments of outside frustration and chaos that I have felt an inner sense of calm and confirmation. A reassurance regarding what kind of design I'd like to do or be a part of in the future. I will leave it vague to you, my dear reader, for now. Perhaps I can share the specifics with you over a future half-sweet, extra hot, soy mocha and gingersnap cookie at JJBean.

But back to Bali. Another, more obvious contrast is the being here in Bali itself. Although I do love it here - the scooter rides through rice paddies, the cleansing heat and sweat, the friends I've made - I miss home. I guess it's a common experience for a traveller to compare home and away and realize how special home is.

Last weekend, a group of us, Meli, Kristen, Yulianto, Foucoult (sp?), Noemie, and myself, did a sunrise hike up Gunung Batur (Mt. Batur). Definetly an adventure, starting at 3 am and trying to sneak through private fields in order to avoid the gang-like Trekking Guides. In the end, they hunted us down and would not let us go a step further unless we hired one of them. The hike up was a workout, imagine doing a very rough Grind for two hours at 4 am in the pitch black with only a flashlight. At the top, the sunrise was short, I blinked and missed half of it but the view in its entirety was amazing. My camera died after the first photo but I've been promised photos from the others. After stopping to witness the dawn, we hiked along a spine-thin ridge with deadly drops on both sides to view two craters. Scary enough as it is, but more scary when Yulianto in front of me kept saying how dangerous it was, how a misstep meant death. Ak! Stop it! Just let me focus and block that part out!

Doing the hike made me appreciate the landscape beauty of Bali in even more. There is the lush greeness of flat and terraced rice paddies, the dense jungleness of coconut trees, ridges and rivers. There is white sand beaches and warm, blue ocean. There are towering volcanoes in an otherwordly landscape of green brush, deep lava sand and tumbling black rock. We even walked through a sparse forest of evergreen trees at the end of our hike. Bali pinecones. Who knew. See? Contrast.

Yesterday was Nyepi. A holiday in which one is to be silent for 24 hours, not use any kind of light during the day and the night, and stay at home. The streets are empty. The shops are closed. The point of this seclusion is to trick the bad spirits who were released the night before during the burning of the ogo-ogo into thinking that there are no people in the town or village and thus, move on. This is a Balinese holiday and being a foreigner I don't have to participate if I am in a hotel but I decided I'd give it a go and stay at home. I sat on my porch all day and read, napped, ate. Watched the resident duck family quack, sit, waddle around. I think the white one with the mohawk is the leader. I listened to several rainstorms approach and watched them soak the world around me. And when it grew dark, I watched the last light in the sky fade away behind the clouds.

In darkness, I prayed. I tried to sit still and listen. I breathed. And when I was tired, I went inside, groped my way to the bathroom and then to my bed. I closed my eyes to imaginings of the dark, empty streets of Ubud, with only a few "patrolmen" wandering silently about.

This morning I awoke to a brilliantly sunny day. It felt like a fresh start. Maybe the bad spirits that had been dogging me followed the pack out of here. Light. Darkness. Sunshine. Rain. Night into day.

The beat goes on

So it's been a while since my last post.  A few noteworthy things have happened, I've just been lazy in setting them down here. I'll start from the latest thing first. This past weekend, I went to Jakarta to visit my family. I was able to see my three Aunts and one Aunt-in-Law, my Oma, and a few cousins. I hadn't seen three of my Aunts, Tante Essie Tante Enny, and Tante Kiki, since I was four-years-old so it was a blessing to visit with them. I also hadn't seen my Oma since 1994 or 95 so it was nice to see her too. I was only able to stay for a weekend and this small taste of family has made me want to come back and spend more time with them. Perhaps I will visit again at the end of my internship, after mid-April. The visit was a good excuse to practice my Indonesian and after speaking so much for two days and being more immersed in it than I am at Green School, I feel I've progressed a lot! I've decided that I will speak Indonesian here at work whenever I talk to Putu Eka as she has encouraged me to practice with her since day one. I think now I will take her up on it. For this reason, I will now attempt to write a bit more about my visit with family in Indonesian.

Saya datang di Jakarta Jumat malam.Hari Sabtu, kita pergih ke Taman Safari Park di Puncak. Belom kita ke Safari Park, kita makan siang di restaurant, namanya Merimba. Restaurant itu di atas gunung. Kita makan dulu belom ke Taman Safari karna hujan banyak kapan kita datang di Puncak. Sambil makan, kita menununngu hujannan berhenti.

Taman Safari Park ada banyak  binatang. Favorit saya monyet-monyet. Ada keluarga monyet, orang tua sama anak kecil, duduk rapat bersama-sama. Juga ada monyet yang mama membawa anaknya di perut sambil jalan kemana.

Hari Minngu, Tante Meity, Daniel, sama saya ke mall. Saya belih bajuh-bajuh dan kita makan di Pepper Lunch.

Saya datang di Bali Minngu malam, jemputin sama driver namanya Bebas. Bebas tau Meliana. Dia ada dtiga anak perempuan. Satu, yang pertama, ada anak laki dua taun.

Ok, saya pusing sekarang dari bicarah bahasa...

And, I have a headache so it's best to sign off now. More soon...

A Day Like Me

Since being here in Bali, I have always taken trips to Ubud with other people. A few of us on our scooters or myself and Kristen doubling on one. But, on Saturday, I went into Ubud by myself and just spent the time at my own pace, choosing my own adventures. On the ride there, since it was around 1pm, there were droves of schoolchildren walking home from school. It is a beautiful and precious thing to ride by groups of kids in their uniforms walking along a narrow road between rice paddies.

When I got to Ubud, the traffic was pretty congested (there's nothing like sitting behind a bus and directly breathing it's exhaust) but I finally made my way to Periplus, an english bookstore. One of the books I ended up buying is a series of short stories that all take place at the beach.

Later on, I met up with Dagmara and Juan Carlos and we rode to Dagmara's property. It has a lovely view across to a ridge. I think Juan Carlos has designed an amazing house for her. My favourite thing was the grove of young papaya trees. I'd never seen a papaya grove before and it is so interesting how the fruit grows out of the trunk, kind of zucchini/eggplant shaped. I unfortunately did not have my camera but will go back soon.

We also visited a while with the family - Pak Luki and his family - that gave Dagmara the property. We sat in their bale for a leisurely visit and were presented with coffee and ice tea, and many, many snacks.

The day ended with a trip to Kuta in which we got lost going there are on the way back. Long story, but kinda funny.

Hospital Part 2

This past week, my father sent me an email that said my mom was in the hospital getting her appendix taken out. And don't worry, he says, she ok.

Well, since my dad was in the hospital a few months ago, the word hospital in relation to my family can put me in a bit of a panic. Even though everything was fine, it was a simple procedure, I was still a bit shocked. Fortunately, it got my mom on skype and we heard each other's voices for the first time since my being in Bali. Due to the surgery, she's taking a few weeks off. Something that is well-deserved even without the appendix removal.

New Year's Eve

So today is the day before Chinese New Year here in Bali. Since I wrote last, there hasn't been too much adventure worth writing about though I would like to mention a few everyday occurances that are very unique. One is the insect chorus that serenades us jungle-dwellers every evening from 6:55 to 7:07 pm. For those few minutes, we are surrounded by a mad buzzing of cicadas and other insects. A buzzing so loud and overwhelming you can almost slice through it. Another unique daily event is the bringing of breakfast to my tent (and the other interns' tents). Every morning, Pak Nyoman carries a large bamboo basket from his house to our campsite filled with breakfast food. I wake up every morning to his alus (bahasa for quiet, elegant, smooth, almost feminine to western ears, and the Balinese way) "Hello Angie, breakfast." I feel somewhat uncomfortable with this serving of food because it seems to me to support a Balinese to Foreigner servitude which is uneccesary. A third daily occurance is the muslim praying/chanting that I hear from our campsite at 5:30 am and about 10:30 pm, both for about an hour or more. The sound carries across the trees and into our campsite, into my tent, into my ears, into my headspace. The rituals seems so out of place in this predominantly Hindu island. Apparently, our neighbours are a happily mixed community of Muslim and Hindu Balinese. Rare I've been told.

One news note: I've booked a flight to visit my extended family in Jakarta from February 22-24. I'm so excited to see those I haven't seen in years and haven't seen ever.

Day 15: This is Bali

Another week's gone by here in Bali and there are a few tidbits to share. On Monday, we had a going-away party - another one - for Joerg, our master bamboo architect. He's leaving for two months. At the party, a bunch of us tried the zipline that goes over the river and back. Fun times! The night was also filled with bottles of Bintang, music blaring from Aldo's ipod, and a bit of salsa dancing. Wow, Joerg can really move those hips!

On Wednesday (Jan 23) it was Galungan, a Balinese celebration that marks the beginning of a Hindu story about a battle between Shiva (or is it Vishnu?) the Destroyer, and evil forces. I think. Someone correct me if I'm wrong. Anyways, because it was a holiday, there where many celebrations at temples and in villages so Ben, Kristen, and myself rode our scooters to Kintamani to a large temple there. (The name of the temple I have temporarily forgotton but will fill it in when I find out.) It was a great long ride, starting with a stop in Ubud where I burned my leg on Ben's exhaust. This kind of injury (usually on the inside of one's leg on one's own motorcycle) is called the "Bali Kiss". The temple was a unique experience, with pools of fountains where you dip your head under to purify your thoughts. It was quite busy and at intervals, a parade of women balancing huge baskets of fruit offerings on their heads would walk through, accompanied by men playing beautiful and intricate purcussive music.

On the way back, we were met several times by groups of Balinese parading a Barong character (similar to a Chinese Dragon at New Year's) along the street. At one point, we rode by a huge mass of men sitting in their white shirts and sarungs during a ceremony. There were so many of them, they had spread out onto the road and motorists were directed as one-way traffic. Such a slice of the spirituality that distinguishes Bali from the other islands. In the dimness of dusk, it was beautifully eerie and haunting, and holy.

Another flavour of Bali of course is the beaches. And it was yesterday that at Pantai Legian, I tried surfing for the first time. I have to say, it was a successful day since I stood up on the board quite a few times and really enjoyed being out in the water. I feel a bit of a burn coming along my forehead but it's a small price to pay for a new adventure.

And now, as I sit in the office, there is a torrential downpour outside. Ah yes, rainy season in Bali. Just another spice that gives Bali its flavour.

Day 8: Collecting Adventures

Today being Sunday marks a full week of being in Bali. I've had a few small adventures so far. Drinking Bintang and dancing spanish-y with Juan Carlos and Hanno on my 2nd night. Ant invasion in my tent, scooter riding, buying clothes at the Sukawati Market. Having a cold. And now having a cough. Reading by the Ayung River and looking up to see many Balinese men bathing down river close enough to see that they are indeed naked.

(Sorry. Not sure why the above is linked to a photo from the Sukawati Market. Dagmara, Ben, Kristen in linked photo.)

Day Six

It's Day Six in Bali. I was thrown into work immediately and though the campus is a beautiful jungle, I have been less than relaxed. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. It's just that the identity work I've been doing as my first project is not all sunshine and mangoes. Anyway, some good things: I'm happy that Alex and Kristen are here from Emily Carr. Alex especially, as a 4th year comd student has been key in setting things on course. Also, I feel very welcome here and all the staff are really friendly. Richard is one of my favourites because of his salty humour. Ann is really caring and has such a listening ear.

I rode my scooter on the road for the first time last night. Scary but ok.

I've been sick for the past few days, not fun, but it's getting better now. I also had a crazy ant adventure in my hut last night. Yuck. Oh well. That's life in the jungle.

Gate 42

Sitting here at HKG Gate 42, I have a few moments to reflect before I board the plane bound for Bali. I'm starting to feel it, that I'm actually doing this. When I travel, I usually don't feel that deep-in-my-stomach excitement until I actually set my feet on the soil of my destination, but it's beginning. Aaack!!!

Travelling by myself has for the most part, been fine, though yesterday, as I rode the shuttle bus to my hotel with two other families, I really wanted them to talk to me. To ask me where I was going. And I wanted to talk to them, and ask them where they were going. I was really looking for that entrance point into the conversation but there really wasn't one. I hadn't had an actual conversation with anyone since I left Satyan at YVR. It's a weird feeling to hunger so much for some meaningful human connection when I'm usually quite content with my party of one.

I'm also feeling a bit anxious about the work I'm going to do. Through meeting with our intern coordinator and the other interns these past weeks, I get a sense that what we're launching into something that is larger than we think. That's a bit intimidating. But also exciting! I would say this adventure is akin to jumping out of a plane. Really. So here. it. goooooooooooooooeeees.