Click here to jump down to the new posts!
Friday July 14, 2018
Omswastiastu!
Arrival day for the Children’s Education in Action was a success here in Bali! After 20+ hours of travel for most of us, we took a nice beautiful drive through rice paddies and light rain to get to our home base at Madras in the outskirts of Ubud. We are still awaiting the late night arrivals of Addison, Donya, Emma, Josephine, and Natalie, but so looking forward to meeting them all tomorrow!
After the few of us that arrive in the early evening got settled in, we had a welcome feast of a Balinese favorite called nasi campur (rice, mixed vegetables, chicken, noodles, sambal sauce, and corn fritters!) We finished the night with a fresh coconut drink as we played name games and wore ourselves out for the night. Excited to wake up and meet the rest of our little Bali community in the morning!
Selamat Tidur (Goodnight!)
Sunday July 15, 2018
Today we woke up to a delicious banana pancake breakfast! We had an orientation to the program and Bali itself. Our mentors talked to us about the social and cultural norms of the society and how to respectfully act during the program. Afterward, we had a little down time to get to know each other more while playing card games and making friendship bracelets. The mentors split us up into groups, and we participated in a scavenger hunt where we got to interact with the locals to learn more about Ubud. In fact, a local climbed up a tree to fetch us a coconut. During another group’s scavenger endeavor, they visited a rice field and got to see first hand where our rice comes from. We had dinner and played get to know you and fun/silly games afterward. Until tomorrow!
-by Max and Marissa
Monday July 16, 2018
Today we woke up and had fruit, tea, scrambled eggs and toast. Afterwards, we had a language lesson and got the chance to learn some common words and phrases in Indonesian. After a lunch of noodles and chicken, we got to play some games and activities to open ourselves up to each others points of view and learn more about each other and what it means to be a global citizen. After that, we learned to play traditional balinese instruments, how to do traditional dances, and make wood carving of our names. From there we walked through the streets and explored a local market before going to the Prince of Ubud’s Palace in Peliatan and talked to him about his intsagram, Ms.Indonesia, and other stories he had to tell us about his life and his views of tourism in Bali. We had a huge buffet of balinese dishes and took lots of pictures before walking back to the homestead and playing games for our night activity and heading to bed. Early morning tomorrow..so goodnight!
-by Addy & Jojo
Tuesday July 17, 2018
Today we woke up very early at 6:00am to go to a tour of the rice paddies. We learned how the rice is harvested as well as what other herbs and spices are grown in Bali. Our tour guide taught us many herbal remedies for various illnesses and the history surrounding Balinese agriculture. Later today, we were able to buy his herbal products at his store.
We all bought face mask and plan to all do face mask before bed. After, we traveled to the holy water temple where we were blessed and able to bathe in the holy water spring before we entered the temple and learned how Balinese pray. After the temple, we walked around a market. We experienced bargaining and were shocked at how determined the sales people were to make a sale. We finished the day with an amazing buffet with a view of Mt. Batur. Tonight, we are going to see a traditional Balinese dance.
Until next time!
-Emma and Donya
Wednesday July 18, 2018
Today we woke up early in Ubud for breakfast, shortly after we were on our way to Singaraja. On the way we had the spectacular opportunity to stop at the most photographed temple on the island and is certainly one of the most iconic images of Bali. Many had the option to hold exotic animals such as owls, bats, or snakes. After a delicious lunch we settled in to our new hotel in Singaraja. We then excitedly marched our way around town learning the new lay of the land on a walking tour. To wrap up the day, we headed to the beach for a sunset boat ride. Coming to an end of the day we came back to shore for a nice dinner under the stars with live music and fireworks.
Thursday July 19, 2018
Today consisted of waking up for 7:30 Breakfast which consisted of toasts and fruits along with tea. We then headed to the beach for a nice cleanup, we filled two bags with garbage and brought them back to the base. We then went on to have lunch at a local warung (restaurant) followed by some enjoyable free time. At around 2:30 we headed off to the school to meet the kids! Passing through the streets is very interesting because everyone looks at you, smiles or gets a little bit confused because we are almost the only western people they see during the year. It’s during these moments that you realize how much the Indonesians are welcoming and open to new things. When we arrived at the school, all the kids ran to us with a big smile on their face, we felt very appreciated. We then had our first 3 classes today, art, games, and regular class, which were very energetic and exciting. Looking forward to the next 6 days with the kiddos.
Missing friends and family back home!
– Jada and Sam
Friday July 20, 2018
Today we woke up to a nice american style breakfast of cereal and milk and fruit. After, we started preparing for our second day of English camp with the kids at the school. The topic of teaching today was animals, and all of the groups had very colorful and fun activities, including leap frog and crafting snakes and jellyfish. After preparing, we all took on other roles of different cultures to interact and attempted to experience what it was like living and working together despite the differences.
For lunch Gita treated us to some pasta and garlic bread which varied from Alfredo, Pesto, and Bolognese. After lunch we packed the vans and left to teach at the school. It was a long hot day teaching, but we still had fun with the kids. We said our goodbyes and went back to home base for dinner and a night in. For dinner we had rice, noodles, chicken, tempe,eggs, and fruit. Later, we’re preparing for our performance at the orphanage for tomorrow.
– Marissa and Hannah
Ps. Hi mom and sean -Marissa
Hi parents and Cam -Hannah
Sunday July 22, 2018
Hi Everyone!
Today we woke up to cereal treat for breakfast and started right in on our lesson planning for todays service. After planning, we played a team building activity at our hotel which focused on leadership styles and working together. We were able to take on different roles (speech, sight and action) and perform a task working against other teams. Later we took a leadership test which told us what kind of leader we were and what our strengths were.
For lunch, we had mie goreng with chicken, egg, and chicken sate with peanut sauce. After lunch, we headed to the school for service where our theme was food! It started pouring rain so the games group was moved inside where we played hangman and a ball game. After coming back, we had downtime before dinner and finished off with a documentary called minimalism and discussed afterwards.
Yesterday, after our service we got to visit the kids at Nayaran Sava orphanage. We were told about their orphanage and what daily life is like. After we watched performances of dance and yoga from the kids. We also got to show off our moves with a dance performance from all of us, which put smiles on kids faces all around.
-Donya and Addy
Monday July 23, 2018
Today we took a much needed break from volunteering and had a beach day. It started with a presentation about coral restoration and what we need to do to keep the coral safe when we go scuba diving later in the program. We also learned about the organization bio rock which creates coral reefs out of metal that draws specific minerals in the water that propel coral growth. After that we headed to snorkeling where we saw the coral reefs which bio rock created. Some of us struggled at first breathing through the snorkel then got a hang of it. After snorkeling we got to sit on the beach and enjoy some wifi and sun. We also got to order food which all of us enjoyed pasta, french fries, desert and smoothies. Afterward, we had time to tan by the beach and swim in the pool. Once we got back to home base we enjoyed some pizza and garlic knots while we played heads up and spoons. Excited for tomorrow!
Selemat Tidur (goodnight)
Jojo & Emma
p.s. (We were having so much fun that we didn’t get any pictures today for the blog, sorry! We will definitely get some good ones for tomorrow!)
Tuesday July 24, 2018
Today we woke up early for breakfast consisting of cereal and toast. We spent the morning prepping for school, then we were off for a morning full of fun at the beach. Some of us enjoyed delicious bowls of pasta at the beach cafe. At 1 we left and headed to our 5th day of service at the school. Today’s topic for the kids was classroom objects. The students at the school were more hyper than usual which called for some extra control on our end. After that we enjoyed a dinner of pasta, chicken and fries followed by our evening activity where we discussed our various goals and dreams.
-by Max and Sam
OK OK really we promise more pictures tomorrow!!!
Wednesday July 25, 2018
After breakfast today we planned our lessons for our day at English Camp. Then, we loaded the buses to the Bali Mandara which is a government run high school we visited. We arrived at Bali Mandara and were greeted by our “buddies” for the day. The welcome was followed by a short presentation which included a general introduction session about the school and how it was founded. Our buddies proceeded to give us a tour of the school.
We stopped for lunch while our buddies answered many of the burning questions we had about Balinese culture and the school. We parted ways after lunch and packed the vans once again to head to English Camp. The school day was long and tiring, but we persevered to eat dinner and more evening activity fun. The evening activity was kept a surprise until revealed after dinner when we found out we were going to an indoor court to play futsol against each other! Overall, it was a longer, jam packed day filled with fun!
Hannah and Dante
(Yes I’m okay mom and dad lol -Hannah)
Thursday July 26, 2018
Today we woke up and had cereal. Shortly after, we as a group preplanned our last day of teaching at the school. Following, we hiked up a mountain and had the opportunity to view the breathtaking sights of Bali’s beautiful waterfalls. After the hot long walk, it was very enjoyable to swim in the cool clear waters. There was a slide made from natural rock that our group had a blast sliding down. For lunch we were all thrilled to eat our favorite lo mien, chicken satay, and vegetables. We then headed to the school for our last day of service with the kids. It was hard to say goodbye but in return they gave us gifts and letters to never forget our experience here in Singarja. As the sun was setting we ate dinner at a beautiful beachside restaurant. Today was a perfect day to wrap up our service and lifelong memories that we were lucky enough to experience here in Singaraja.
-Natalie and Donya
Sunday July 29, 2018
Yesterday we started with a breakfast at East Bali Immersion (EBI) which is located in east Bali, with a breathtaking view of the valley. Then, we took the bus for about an hour and a half to go to our beach bungalows in Amed. Some of us enjoyed massages and tanning and swimming by the pool. We had dinner by the beach with an amazing view of the ocean and could admire the sound of the waves. After dinner we did a scavenger hunt, human knot and cards, then later we headed back to the restaurant and ordered smoothies, dessert and fries.
Today started with our delicious banana pancakes with bunches of sides. After an early breakfast we headed off to the pool to test out the waters in scuba diving. Many of us had the rare exotic and amazing opportunity to scuba in open waters. Most saw the incredible views of coral fish and much more that many don’t see from the surface. Some were even able to have a second dive into more exotic waters with turtles, sting rays, and many more sea animals, while others were able to have an amazing time at the gorgeous beachside pool that overlooks miles of ocean sea. We wrapped up our long exciting day with the worlds most amazing burgers and fries that we all devoured in seconds.
Love to everyone at home!
Sam, Jojo, and Natalie
Monday July 30, 2018
Today we said goodbye to Amed, and headed back to Ubud! We had a very long bus ride but finally made it back with a bathroom break and some room for lunch! Once we got to home base we had a GLA session to discuss the effects of large sporting events like the olympics on children in that area. We tied this to the tourism here in Bali. We ended the night with a nice dinner and a closing evening activity where we played a game called Guess Who. We didn’t do to much that was active today so we don’t have any pictures.. but we’ll be sure to make up for it tomorrow! We also watched a movie and are getting rested up for a good day of laughing yoga tomorrow!
ps: love you Mechelle
-Jada and Emma
Tuesday July 31, 2018
Our first day back in Ubud we woke up to Comong’s famous banana pancakes and tea. Soon after we were on our way to laughing yoga with Kadek Suambara. His contagious laughter, guided meditation, and yoga practice left the group feeling relaxed, centered, and goofy all at the same time. The group could not get over Donya’s random laughter and the instructors awkwardly hilarious approach to laughter. We then made our way back to the home base to rest up and get ready for the trip to Tanah Lot, or the “Land and the Sea” temple. The temple is located on a rock just offshore with giant waves constantly crashing into it. After being educated on the important spiritual and mythological purpose of the temple the group then dispersed to the market that surrounded the area. The group made last minute purchases for family and friends and got their choice in food for dinner. We all reconvened later in the night to drive back to Madra Homestay. See you tomorrow for white water rafting!
Jojo and Dante
Wednesday August 1, 2018
Our day started with an early breakfast which consisted of fruits and toast with egg, tomato, and cheese. We first visited a coffee plantation. We got to taste many different types of teas and coffees, including the famous luwak coffee. All of the coffee and sugar went straight to our heads as we waited in anticipation for white water rafting. We put on our life vests and helmets and set off on our two hour raft ride down the white water river. We stopped halfway at a beautiful waterfall. We then went back to home base and began to pack our bags for our soon return 🙁 After lunch we all met together to talk about how we can take our experiences back home with us. We all began to write a vow for what we will do at home to continue to be a global citizen.
-Sam and Marissa
Thursday August 2, 2018
Omswastiyastu!
Our final day here in Bali, so bitter sweet! We woke up early to have breakfast on the road in order to get to surf day before the tide was too high to surf. So glad we did because even the small waves were a challenge! But we did our best and just about everyone stood up on their boards at least once! We spent the rest of the time lounging on the beach, drinking smoothies, and doing some last minute shopping. When we got back to home base we had our final dinner of rice, potato curry, vegetables, and chicken. After dinner, we wrapped up our last evening together presenting our commitments to our communities, sharing an appreciation web about each other, and watching a cute slide show of pictures from the entire 3 weeks! It’s going to be a lot of travel for the next 24+ hours so it’s off to bed now. See all of you in the states soon!
Selamat Tidur (goodnight!)
Today was the last day of the program. We said goodbye to one student early on, with a 4:00am drive to the airport. Back at home base everyone else slept peacefully, not quite ready for their last day in Bali. We sent off the rest of the group with one last banana pancake breakfast and some much loved hot tea. The group enjoyed their last morning sharing stories and opening notes they had all written to one another. We headed to the airport in the afternoon to send everyone off. A few tears were shed but not too many because we knew we would make it a point to all see one another again.
We all felt the emptiness of the home base today when we got back. Honestly, it is just not same without you all. We loved having you all here on this journey with us and wish you the best of luck in the future. Get home safe.
Om Shanti Shanti Shanti Om.
Much Love,
Yanti, Gita, Lena and Nicole
