Selamat Datang ke Klungkung, Bali!
I arrived in Bali after an 8 hour flight from Sydney and a brief re-fuelling in Darwin. The local time was 10:40pm Monday night, but my head was still on 1:40am Tuesday morning, and I had to convince myself otherwise as I sat chatting to the driver for the 1 ½ hour drive from Denpasar to Klungkung, where I would be staying for the next 6 weeks. I arrived at about 3am ´head time´ and managed a few words of small chat with the coordinator of the Bali Travel to Teach organisation before crawling into a bottom bunk and falling sound asleep. I was woken up at 5am promptly by the call to prayer, where I am sure the loudspeaker points directly into the back of the orphanage, where my room is!
This would come to be a continuous morning routine, and one I would simply have to get used to. Now 2 weeks in, the early morning wake up call intertwines with my dreaming in a much less intrusive way – to the point of being almost peaceful.
Bali is a mix and match of a variety of religions and traditions, the predominant culture being that of Hinduism, with a much smaller minority Muslim, followed by Christianity. There are ornate statues and temples on every street and in the most unexpected places, (20 foot creations towering in the middle of roundabouts for one) and every household has a temple or shrine in their home, and place colourful baskets of offerings outside their shops and houses, and cradled in the arms of the statues of Krisna and other reincarnations of the deities.
Religion is an integral part of daily life here, and from the 4th floor we do not only hear the call to prayer echoing from the 2 mosques 5 times a day, but the Gamelan music and drums tinkering from the Hindu temple on special days, such as the day of the full moon and new moon when offerings are made. A quick glance at the Balinese calendar, however, will highlight that on almost any given day throughout the year (which in the Hindu timeline actually makes the year 1920) it is fairly certain to be a day of one kind of offering or another. The houses, I am told, are not built higher than the tallest palm trees out of respect for the trees themselves. This is a very respectful culture.
Waves of perfumed incense fumes capture your senses as you wander along the streets or whizz past on the back of a motorbike.
I am staying in Panti Asuhan Kristen 400 Baith-el, a Christian Orphanage in Klungkung which now houses 200 children, from 6 to 18 years old. Myself and the other (currently) 4 volunteers all live on the 4th and top floor, which has an incredible view over the cluttered roof tops of Klungkung, and in the distance the island of Nusa Penida on the horizon.
From the minuteIi sleepily stepped out of my room and gazed on the view, I knew this is exactly why I wanted to come back to Indonesia, and why I had picked Klungkung and the orphanage as my choice of residence during my volunteer teaching work. On every level since then I have been reminded again and again of the beauty and hospitality of the Balinese people, the breath-catching landscape of their island, the depth of their religious awareness, and the most genuine and infectious smiles I have yet to see the like of.
Klungkung is more famously known as the original capital of the Balinese kingdom, yet today it sees very few tourists, and acts more as a stopover where foreigners can quickly snap some photos of the only tourist attraction in Klungkung, the courthouse of the period, kertha gosa, and then continue on their way. There is nothing in the way of pubs or clubs, and no cinema or restaurants, but I am very content to be in Klungkung nonetheless, and this has not been an issue in my mind at all since arriving.
This is an experience I know I am lucky to be part of, and the chance to see something of the true Balinese lifestyle, even be welcomed into the homes of the people who live here.
I teach English to 6 nursery classes, divided between 2 schools, where some groups of children are as young as 3, others as old as 6. I have also been doing some conversation lessons with the teachers in one of the nursery schools, and myself and the rest of the volunteers all put our heads together, and prepare afternoon classes within the orphanage a few days a week with primary and secondary school pupils.
In practice this just means I start my day every morning with at least one rendition of ´If you´re happy and you know it clap your hands´ (sung an average of 2-4 times a day), say the word Bagus (´good´) encouragingly constantly, and get my dose of exercise from ´heads, shoulders knees and toes´… simple enough, but positively exhausting at times, and it has increased my admiration for nursery teachers tenfold!
Much to tell, and will keep you updated on more anecdotes, sights and sounds. Sedikit demi sedikit (little by little) I will tell you more of Balinese life. (at least as much as a foreigner like me is let in on..)
love, Becca xxx
