Whammo!

 

The funny thing about expat life is that there is a constant reset button being pushed on your life.  You think you have your feet firmly under you and then Whammo! Things change:  Small things, big things, good things, bad things, homecomings, departures, friends coming, friends going.  I've been philosophically thinking that this kind of life is going to offer me a lesson in rolling with the punches....and generally speaking, I've never been very good at that.  I like to plan and prepare, and the surprise aspect of Whammo! doesn't leave a lot of room for either of those things.   It's important to note that I  don't always handle change with grace and dignity.  Crying and screaming and sulking aren't particularly graceful, are they?  So.  Life lesson for this fall: Learning to not look too far ahead and enjoying the life that exists right now.
Part of this post comes from the fact that we went home to America for the summer and came home to (in some ways) a very different landscape.  We see empty spaces where dear friends were, and we watch as other friends prepare to say goodbye.  On the other hand we see welcome new faces coming in and see a new beginning unfolding.  As I say, the expat life is one that is built on the unifying force of transition.
Transition is a word used often over here - it describes the in-between state of change that you live in as you move your headspace, literally and figuratively, from one place to another.  Jetlag Transition. We have been home for two weeks and I think we are finally turned around.  To go from a body time of 12am to 12pm in 36 hours of travelling and expecting to cope with it comes with very real physical drawbacks.  Though we were normalizing after a few days, it takes nearly two weeks to work out all the kinks.   Culture clash Transition.  We are putting on our Indonesian eyes (as opposed to the American eyes that we wore all summer), and it can be hard to shift from one to the other easily.  You have to adjust expectations and remember the things that you love most from each place (and believe me this goes for transition to and from both countries) so you don't end up angry and irritated all the time.  End of summer Transition.  As I write this - we are grappling with the end of our summer freedom.  School has started and it looks quite different from last year.  There are positives and negatives and we just have to wait out the introductory weeks, accustom ourselves to a new schedule and new expectations, and fall into the school routine.
Hmmmm.... the whole reason I started writing this post was to talk about how the expat life is one of constant change but honestly, I suppose that's true across the board.  I've had a lot of conversations lately, with people in every situation from America to Indonesia and all places in between about one's ability to "control" the circumstances of your life.  Illusion.  Damned comforting illusion, but still illusion.  So you open your eyes and are aware of all the lurking changes that have come, and will come, and you get on with it.  Getting on with it means doing things for the joy of it.   Enjoying the moments you have without thinking about what next. Making sure you explore the opportunities today has, because tomorrow can look very different.

A love letter to Bali

 

 For the rest of my life I will have Frangipani blossoms and scent as the simplest and most complete memory of Bali.  They fall off the tree and drift down all during the day and evening and their smell is a low sweet constant.  You tuck one behind one ear, one behind the other.  Your kids wear them as pixie hats, and spend hours swimming and collecting them to build flowery altars to the perfect day.

 

It's a place where you go and have a different experience every time.  There are the beautiful volcanic highlands, jungles full of gnarled trees and liana vines, lush rice paddies and the water canals that support them, the beaches which can be sandy or rocky cliffs, and the bright tourist shopping areas with very western food, clothing, and attitude.  On one hand, one can go for a relaxing and beautiful beach trip with all the amenities, on the other, one can head into the center of the island and find temples, monkeys, and a wild secret beauty. 

 

 

The thing that ties it all together in my mind is the beautiful mystery that is Balinese spirituality - an interesting combination of Hinduism, Buddhism, and animism.  Offerings are found everywhere, from the sidewalk to the dashboard of a car, at the cashier desk in the store to the temple.  This is the visible thread of Balinese devotion that you feel everywhere.  In Bali, the people strive for balance, good and evil, demons and gods, and they live their religion as they breathe through their daily lives.  One is moved to please the gods through music (like gamelon, an amazing percussive tonal display), dancing, and drama.  It makes for a culture that offers great beauty to the onlooker, and it is shared freely.

I will totally admit to you that this particular trip was not a pursuit of deeper spiritual enlightening.  I have also never read Eat, Pray, Love.  I went for a beautiful weekend of delightful friends and food and swimming and ease, but you can't help but observe the very real beauty of and the earthy connection to some deeper mystery.  Perhaps a connection to a life that is lived in the beauty and the danger of paradise.

Bali Again?!?! A Justification

So, sometimes my facebook feed may look a little self indulgent.   Selfies on a coastal cliff;  Hat, Sunglasses, and the perfect Frangipani blossom.  And I often wonder if people at home look at that and say, Aaargh!  Those jerks!  Bali again? Ugh.
Ok.  Yes.  We are fully embracing the ability to travel and see the world.  It's why we came.  But I'll also tell you that life in camp can be pretty confining.  You can't really separate your work life, your school life, your public face, your private challenges from the rest of camp.  In a sense here, it is "love me for EXACTLY who I am", warts and all, because you are going to see each aspect of me, good and bad, and you are going to have to tolerate it. In a way it's rather freeing, in another it can get a little raw and overexposed. 
So you balance yourself out with travel and broad horizons.  This weekend's broad horizon happened to be in Bali, and yes, with lots of lovely familes from our expat comminity in Rumbai,who we begin to consider a large extended family.  Does that seem counter-intuitive?  Hell, maybe we were just looking to go and have a really fun party in Bali.  That seems reasonable too.
But I find I have come home with a clearer head on my shoulders.  A better view of what life is all about here in camp.  And a much more patient attitude toward the small challenges.  Like the absence of bacon... Did I mention that Bali is a paradise of pork and pork products?

Sharing the Experience: Javanese Tea Party

A very overdue post that I wasn't going to put up, but realized that the pictures and the experience were so lovely, it would be a shame not to share.  I was fortunate enough to be invited to a formal Javanese Tea held here in camp in early December.  It was an extraordinary and beautiful experience.  I've been pretty bad about writing these posts and not including pictures, but I can't do that for this tea. I've spent many hours upgrading, moving, cloud-ing, and forcing myself to get pictures in a place that is easy to post. Obviously,  I very much want to convey to you the beauty of the day and of the women attending, the graciousness of our lovely hostess,  the gorgeous display of food, and the blooming orchids everywhere.  It's too much for my vocabulary.... Pictures should help a lot.

 My friend Zineb and I with our lovely hostess, Meike Harris.

 I look like a tourist, but the traditional dancers are so beautiful and it feels so special to be able to meet them and have a picture made.

 Even the littles enjoyed the tea!

 Gorgeous plantings everywhere.

 Orchids hanging from all the walls and overhangs.

 Grass jelly in coconut milk.  Deelicious.  Cool and gelatinous.

 

 So many foods and delicious garnishes.  Peanuts and chiles and fried shallots and sambals.

 Trying on many different styles of sarong tying.

 Beautiful dancing.

 This is a version of gado-gado. Lightly cooked vegetables and tofu served with rice and a spicy peanut sauce.

 Sweets made of glutinous rice flour and cassava flour.  Sprinkled with coconut.  Delicious. Banana leaves make lovely and biodegradable plates.