Friday was our last day in Blimbingsari. It was an overcast day with lots of wind which certainly made the heat more bearable but I also think that we're finally becoming more accustomed to it. We spent the morning "at home" in Negara getting ourselves ready for our departure on Saturday. Pre-packing and just general chilling. Our little group will start to slowly dwindle over then next few days.
We arrived at the orphanage at about 2:00 in the afternoon just in time to accompany the children on a walk around the block. Quite the block. It was a lovely walk looking at the local houses (greeted by all the dogs) and generally enjoying the beautiful surroundings and the serenity of it all - when there we no motor scooters around. The work site is quiet today, no sign of the workers and the rest of the day was peaceful, spending time with the children and generally relaxing. A full roast pig arrived about 6:00 and dinner began shortly afterwords. The entire orphanage assembled; children, staff, workers and their families and our team. The children sang a couple of songs in the form of a round (like row, row, row your boat) with each side obviously competing against the other. It was very rousing and exciting performance, they were obviously having great fun with it. Soon Wayan invited our Team Leader, Tom to make the first ceremonial cut into the pig. We all ate very heartily.
The rest of the evening will be etched in our minds forever, I'm sure. All the musicians and dancers in the orphanage were dressed in traditional Balinese dress for an evening of music and dance. It was just BEAUTIFUL! The children performed with such grace and poise and obvious enjoyment, even while taking it all so seriously, that they left us stunned. When they were in costume they were so quiet and peaceful and respectful that you could tell that it was a very special experience for them to hold such a performance. Yet at the same time there was so much fun and enjoyment in the process. These are happy and loving children. It's impossible to describe what an impact it had on us (I feel myself on the verge of tears just writing this). When the final solo dancer had finished, bringing each of us onto the floor in turn, Wayan asked us to line up in front of the group and asked 10 of the children to line up facing us. The children, in turn, gave each of us a hand made bracelet, a necklace, a handshake and a big hug. It was too special a moment to describe. The festivities over, we broke out the 2 tubs of ice cream that we had purchased earlier in the day - enough to give everyone at least one cone. Gaspar, of course, managed to sneak a second one. And then, all too quickly we found ourselves in the vans and bidding our reluctant farewells. It was a sobering moment but one filled with a sense of satisfaction and love. Many of us found it quite difficult to fall asleep that evening.
That's all for now.
Paul Hope
DWC Participant
Bali, March 2012
Monday, March 19, 2012
Thursday, March 15, 2012
March 15: Our last few days on the project
Well, Wednesday was a pretty quiet day. Rina stayed back of the hotel to nurse a sore hip. No, she didn't hurt herself on the job site - she slipped coming in from the hotel pool in a downfall of rain. All that was left of the gravel was a small pile for making concrete. We cleaned that up in about half an hour or so. That seems to be the end of the gravel - whew! The local workers were just finishing off a couple of rows of bricks (with Jerry helping) and preparing forms to pour the posts. Once the forms were in place we all jumped in to help hump cement up to the workers on the scaffolding (such as it is). I think they were slightly overwhelmed by how quickly the pails of concrete were being replenished. It was soon time for a brick (Balinese pronunciation of break). "Brick time" has become our new catch phrase. When the forms for the top beams were in place we formed a human chair to snake the "rebar" in place. It was kind of fun. Once that was done there really wasn't too much more for us to do. Some of the staff from the orphanage's head office in Denpasar came by to visit us on their way to visit another orphanage. That socializing killed quite a bit of time and soon lunch was being served.
After lunch I headed off down the road to have a nice quiet rest in a bale on the church grounds. A bale is a small raised platform covered with a pitched roof for shade. You see them all over the place in backyards, at the side of the road, used as bus stops - virtually anywhere. While I was resting the fun began back at the orphanage. The boys were playing football (soccer to us) with balls and jerseys donated by a good friend of Developing World Connections from Vancouver. They are all pretty darned good players. On one level the game was a ruse to keep the boys from noticing that the girls were having a ball on the reconstructed water slide. Soon the boys were anxious to have their go on the slide and so it was. The boys just went wild. Soon the end of the slide was a mud wallow and the boys slid way beyond the end. Boys and girls are the same all over the world, it seems. Having finished their time on the slide the girls broke out the shampoo and turned the event into an impromptu shower and a good opportunity to wash their hair. The boys, on the other hand, relished the chance to get down and dirty and just wallow in the mud.
Back to the hotel for pool and Bintang (do you sense a theme here?). We went off to the Palem restaurant for dinner again tonight. It's become our favorite but ordering from the menu is sometimes a bit of a crap shoot. You don't always get what you think you ordered. Ayam Fillet soas Lemon is usually a safe bet for those less adventuresome eaters in the crowd, like me.
Thursday morning and Rina is back in action! She won't be running any wheelbarrow loads though - the hip is still slightly sore. Truth is there are no wheelbarrow loads to be moved. Thursday proves to be even quieter than Wednesday was. The building work is now pretty much in the hands of the workers as there's not much we can do to help with building the forms etc. Their methods are unusual and innovative, to say the least. I'm busy working on the blog, Susan & Lynn were getting Balinese dance lessons from one of the younger girls, Rina and Cheryl went for a walk, Pat is busy somewhere and Wayan has taken Tom and Gino over to the orphanage in Melaya to "divine" for water. Tom has been doing this for years and tries to teach someone in each community he visits how to do it also. Finding water is always a useful skill.
It's been a quiet and peaceful morning and probably very Balinese in its tone but I sense that all us North Americans are feeling slightly guilty about not "pulling our weight" on the job site. Maybe this is our chance to slow down and learn to really enjoy the time we have left in Bali.
After lunch our "girls" organized another craft session for the kids. They have been working on this for days, organizing the materials, making sure there are enough pencils, glue etc. As expected some chaos ensued but all seems to have had a great time. These kids are very artistic.
We learned, this morning, that the gardener's brother died last night. We will be finishing our day a little early so that the staff can attend the funeral this afternoon. Another quieting moment. Tomorrow, Friday, is our last day. We are happy that the hard work is over but will miss the children and the happy routine of the peaceful lifestyle at the orphanage. Big things are planned for tomorrow but you'll have to wait, as so do we.
Paul Hope
DWC Participant
Bali, March 2012
After lunch I headed off down the road to have a nice quiet rest in a bale on the church grounds. A bale is a small raised platform covered with a pitched roof for shade. You see them all over the place in backyards, at the side of the road, used as bus stops - virtually anywhere. While I was resting the fun began back at the orphanage. The boys were playing football (soccer to us) with balls and jerseys donated by a good friend of Developing World Connections from Vancouver. They are all pretty darned good players. On one level the game was a ruse to keep the boys from noticing that the girls were having a ball on the reconstructed water slide. Soon the boys were anxious to have their go on the slide and so it was. The boys just went wild. Soon the end of the slide was a mud wallow and the boys slid way beyond the end. Boys and girls are the same all over the world, it seems. Having finished their time on the slide the girls broke out the shampoo and turned the event into an impromptu shower and a good opportunity to wash their hair. The boys, on the other hand, relished the chance to get down and dirty and just wallow in the mud.
Back to the hotel for pool and Bintang (do you sense a theme here?). We went off to the Palem restaurant for dinner again tonight. It's become our favorite but ordering from the menu is sometimes a bit of a crap shoot. You don't always get what you think you ordered. Ayam Fillet soas Lemon is usually a safe bet for those less adventuresome eaters in the crowd, like me.
Thursday morning and Rina is back in action! She won't be running any wheelbarrow loads though - the hip is still slightly sore. Truth is there are no wheelbarrow loads to be moved. Thursday proves to be even quieter than Wednesday was. The building work is now pretty much in the hands of the workers as there's not much we can do to help with building the forms etc. Their methods are unusual and innovative, to say the least. I'm busy working on the blog, Susan & Lynn were getting Balinese dance lessons from one of the younger girls, Rina and Cheryl went for a walk, Pat is busy somewhere and Wayan has taken Tom and Gino over to the orphanage in Melaya to "divine" for water. Tom has been doing this for years and tries to teach someone in each community he visits how to do it also. Finding water is always a useful skill.
It's been a quiet and peaceful morning and probably very Balinese in its tone but I sense that all us North Americans are feeling slightly guilty about not "pulling our weight" on the job site. Maybe this is our chance to slow down and learn to really enjoy the time we have left in Bali.
After lunch our "girls" organized another craft session for the kids. They have been working on this for days, organizing the materials, making sure there are enough pencils, glue etc. As expected some chaos ensued but all seems to have had a great time. These kids are very artistic.
We learned, this morning, that the gardener's brother died last night. We will be finishing our day a little early so that the staff can attend the funeral this afternoon. Another quieting moment. Tomorrow, Friday, is our last day. We are happy that the hard work is over but will miss the children and the happy routine of the peaceful lifestyle at the orphanage. Big things are planned for tomorrow but you'll have to wait, as so do we.
Paul Hope
DWC Participant
Bali, March 2012
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
March 13: Beautiful sights, hard work and a visit to Melaya Orphanage
Well, Monday was quite the day. It's been the first sunny day since we've been at the orphanage. Although hotter today, everything just seemed to come alive. The foliage is stunning, it glitters and shimmers in the bright sunlight. The roosters are crowing more often, the hens are clucking like crazy, the ducks - well, what a cacophony. Even the pigs seemed to be grunting more. Speaking of pigs there was a new litter born just yesterday so we all had to go down and greet the new arrivals. The children also seemed noisier at lunchtime today. The sunshine seems to give the place new life. Only the dogs seemed unaffected. They just laid in the shade and slept as usual, only rousing themselves to bark when a car or scooter arrives in the driveway. They are the doorbells of the orphanage. The grounds looked just spectacular all day.
The work today was much like Friday - move the rubble pile to the build site. I have a sinking feeling that the rubble pile runs into the next county but it's marginally easier than moving that 4" down gravel. It was hotter work in the sun than before but somehow seems more satisfying today. Thankfully the path is mostly downhill. Pat, as usual, is putting us all to shame by spending hours bent over in the gardens weeding and planting. I don't know how she stands the heat of the sun and that bent-over working position.
We left the orphanage shortly after lunch to stop at a sister orphanage not far away. That orphanage Widhya Asih V in Malaya (ours is Widhya Asih II in Blimbingsari). It is for older children aged between 13 and 19 years old. Our arrival was greeted with great enthusiasm. What seemed like hundreds of children seemed to appear from everywhere, all wanting to shake our hands and ask us "What is you name?, My name is .... Nice to meet you." They became slightly perplexed when we asked the question first. They had to stop and think about where they were in the sequence of the exchange. Some of them spoke quite good English. They all assembled nicely for a welcoming message from the Orphanage Director Frankie, and gave us a short concert on the gamelan along with a Balinese dance, the chicken dance. No! Nothing like our chicken dance. Then we were each surrounded by a small retinue of young people eager and proud to show us their home. It was a remarkable and enjoyable experience.
Tuesday brought another overcast day. Thankfully we seem to be finished with the rubble pile. I spent most of the day working with the local workers. The walls are getting higher and as I'm taller than they are it seemed logical that I be the one to pass the bricks and lolu (mortar) to the brick layers up on the scaffolding. The others were obliged with 2 new piles of gravel. This time, though, it is clean, screened gravel much easier to shovel if not to carry in the wheelbarrow. The children here are becoming increasingly at ease with us and they seem to be interested in everything we do. Especially the younger ones who don't go to school yet and so are here with us all day. I'm being closely "assisted" as I write this. Lunch today was a particular hit with the seafood lovers in the crowd. Jumbo prawns - Rina said there were the best she's ever had. After lunch, an impromptu concert for another visiting group, our crafting project will have to wait for another day. Oh well, off to the pool and Bintang!
Paul Hope
DWC Participant
Bali, March 2012
The work today was much like Friday - move the rubble pile to the build site. I have a sinking feeling that the rubble pile runs into the next county but it's marginally easier than moving that 4" down gravel. It was hotter work in the sun than before but somehow seems more satisfying today. Thankfully the path is mostly downhill. Pat, as usual, is putting us all to shame by spending hours bent over in the gardens weeding and planting. I don't know how she stands the heat of the sun and that bent-over working position.
We left the orphanage shortly after lunch to stop at a sister orphanage not far away. That orphanage Widhya Asih V in Malaya (ours is Widhya Asih II in Blimbingsari). It is for older children aged between 13 and 19 years old. Our arrival was greeted with great enthusiasm. What seemed like hundreds of children seemed to appear from everywhere, all wanting to shake our hands and ask us "What is you name?, My name is .... Nice to meet you." They became slightly perplexed when we asked the question first. They had to stop and think about where they were in the sequence of the exchange. Some of them spoke quite good English. They all assembled nicely for a welcoming message from the Orphanage Director Frankie, and gave us a short concert on the gamelan along with a Balinese dance, the chicken dance. No! Nothing like our chicken dance. Then we were each surrounded by a small retinue of young people eager and proud to show us their home. It was a remarkable and enjoyable experience.
Tuesday brought another overcast day. Thankfully we seem to be finished with the rubble pile. I spent most of the day working with the local workers. The walls are getting higher and as I'm taller than they are it seemed logical that I be the one to pass the bricks and lolu (mortar) to the brick layers up on the scaffolding. The others were obliged with 2 new piles of gravel. This time, though, it is clean, screened gravel much easier to shovel if not to carry in the wheelbarrow. The children here are becoming increasingly at ease with us and they seem to be interested in everything we do. Especially the younger ones who don't go to school yet and so are here with us all day. I'm being closely "assisted" as I write this. Lunch today was a particular hit with the seafood lovers in the crowd. Jumbo prawns - Rina said there were the best she's ever had. After lunch, an impromptu concert for another visiting group, our crafting project will have to wait for another day. Oh well, off to the pool and Bintang!
Paul Hope
DWC Participant
Bali, March 2012
March 11: Our weekend excursions...
The weekend is here - NO GRAVEL!! Our first day off finds us getting up for breakfast as usual at 7:00am - no sleeping in, but we're all keen and raring to go - snorkeling, that is. We were expecting alternate drivers this morning as the wedding is today, however Wayan and our other regular driver appeared to take us to the snorkeling site at Menjangan Island (Deer Island). Wayan and his team have been remarkably generous and helpful with their time. We really didn't expect to see them this morning.
We have found many things here that have amazed and fascinated us but a common theme keeps arising - traffic! At times it's absolutely unbelievable. This morning, on the way to Menjangan Island we were trucking along a bit of a bend in the road, a slight hill and a solid line on the road. We looked up to see a huge truck coming towards us in his lane and a bus (Greyhound size) coming straight at us in our lane, we squeezed over, and I mean squeezed, to allow him by only to find 5 more of the same size buses, interspersed with various and sundry scooters, motorbikes & cars, following right behind. Nobody stopped, everyone kept moving. The only thing out of the ordinary was that no scooters were passing us on the inside! I've come to believe that the Balinese (and now us) are part feline. They/we must have 9 lives. I'm afraid there aren't too many left. I've also figured out the rules of the road here. Drive on the center line, keep no more than 18-24 inches away from the vehicle in front of you, pass other vehicles at every possible opportunity and scuttle over to your own lane only when absolutely necessary. Not much snoozing in the van!
Once we got to the site we arranged for the boat ride to island and rented snorkeling gear, surprisingly good quality gear. We headed off in two boats with two guides. The skies were quite overcast and that combined with the ocean breezes made it the most comfortable day we have had so far. As soon as we docked we were greeted with the sight of a deer grazing near the beach completely unfazed by our presence. Soon we were in the water gliding over the reef surrounded by gorgeous fish. Dale and Gino are seasoned snorkelers, Lynn, Tom and Pat have had some experience and Jerry and I haven't snorkeled since we were in our early teens. Rina and Cheryl were the newbies. The guides were terrific, holding the girls' hands and guiding them along. It was a fabulous experience. In Rina's words "Boat ride to Deer Island: 155,000 Rupiah ($17); snorkeling gear rental: 40,000 Rupiah ($4.50); the experience and a guide to hang onto: priceless. Totally against Balinese culture, Rina gave the guide a kiss on the cheek when she returned to shore.
During our picnic lunch on the beach we noticed 6 or 8 boats arrive full of Hindu people all dressed in their finest. We were curious to know what was going on. We had about an hour to kill before to boats headed back so Dale and Gino went off snorkeling again while some of the rest of us decided to explore along the path that the Hindus had taken. We came across a small outdoor temple where a Hindu ceremony was taking place. After a short and respectful pause to watch the ceremony we continued along the path. We found ourselves at the head of the procession going to the next temple. At that temple there was a group of 3 large deer sitting just outside the gates. The worshipers quickly whipped out their cell phones and cameras to take pictures of the deer before heading into the temple. Tourists, just like us! We were told that we couldn't go further down the path (I think we weren't dressed appropriately) so we turned back. Jerry and I stopped again at the first temple to watch the ceremony with another group of worshipers. We lingered quite a while and were quite moved by the experience especially the chanting.
Time for the return to the mainland. The ride was choppier and we got wetter but neither Lynn nor Rina had any motion sickness problems. Then back to the hotel for pool and Bintang. Dinner at the local Muslim restaurant was interesting but not outstanding - oh well!
Sunday found us all sleeping in and then heading off in different directions. Not surprisingly we all bumped into each other in downtown Negara shopping at the only large supermarket but also exploring lots of smaller shops and the outdoor "everything" market. Lynn and Dale managed to take the pony taksi in both directions but I pity the poor pony - Dale is bigger than I am. I bet the pony was running on 2 legs not 4.
Guess what? Back to the hotel for pool and Bintang! A bunch of us spent some time preparing craft projects for the kids next week. All in all, a lovely relaxing day was had by all. Back to the gravel tomorrow morning.
Talk to you soon.
Paul Hope
DWC Participant
Bali, March 2012
We have found many things here that have amazed and fascinated us but a common theme keeps arising - traffic! At times it's absolutely unbelievable. This morning, on the way to Menjangan Island we were trucking along a bit of a bend in the road, a slight hill and a solid line on the road. We looked up to see a huge truck coming towards us in his lane and a bus (Greyhound size) coming straight at us in our lane, we squeezed over, and I mean squeezed, to allow him by only to find 5 more of the same size buses, interspersed with various and sundry scooters, motorbikes & cars, following right behind. Nobody stopped, everyone kept moving. The only thing out of the ordinary was that no scooters were passing us on the inside! I've come to believe that the Balinese (and now us) are part feline. They/we must have 9 lives. I'm afraid there aren't too many left. I've also figured out the rules of the road here. Drive on the center line, keep no more than 18-24 inches away from the vehicle in front of you, pass other vehicles at every possible opportunity and scuttle over to your own lane only when absolutely necessary. Not much snoozing in the van!
Once we got to the site we arranged for the boat ride to island and rented snorkeling gear, surprisingly good quality gear. We headed off in two boats with two guides. The skies were quite overcast and that combined with the ocean breezes made it the most comfortable day we have had so far. As soon as we docked we were greeted with the sight of a deer grazing near the beach completely unfazed by our presence. Soon we were in the water gliding over the reef surrounded by gorgeous fish. Dale and Gino are seasoned snorkelers, Lynn, Tom and Pat have had some experience and Jerry and I haven't snorkeled since we were in our early teens. Rina and Cheryl were the newbies. The guides were terrific, holding the girls' hands and guiding them along. It was a fabulous experience. In Rina's words "Boat ride to Deer Island: 155,000 Rupiah ($17); snorkeling gear rental: 40,000 Rupiah ($4.50); the experience and a guide to hang onto: priceless. Totally against Balinese culture, Rina gave the guide a kiss on the cheek when she returned to shore.
During our picnic lunch on the beach we noticed 6 or 8 boats arrive full of Hindu people all dressed in their finest. We were curious to know what was going on. We had about an hour to kill before to boats headed back so Dale and Gino went off snorkeling again while some of the rest of us decided to explore along the path that the Hindus had taken. We came across a small outdoor temple where a Hindu ceremony was taking place. After a short and respectful pause to watch the ceremony we continued along the path. We found ourselves at the head of the procession going to the next temple. At that temple there was a group of 3 large deer sitting just outside the gates. The worshipers quickly whipped out their cell phones and cameras to take pictures of the deer before heading into the temple. Tourists, just like us! We were told that we couldn't go further down the path (I think we weren't dressed appropriately) so we turned back. Jerry and I stopped again at the first temple to watch the ceremony with another group of worshipers. We lingered quite a while and were quite moved by the experience especially the chanting.
Time for the return to the mainland. The ride was choppier and we got wetter but neither Lynn nor Rina had any motion sickness problems. Then back to the hotel for pool and Bintang. Dinner at the local Muslim restaurant was interesting but not outstanding - oh well!
Sunday found us all sleeping in and then heading off in different directions. Not surprisingly we all bumped into each other in downtown Negara shopping at the only large supermarket but also exploring lots of smaller shops and the outdoor "everything" market. Lynn and Dale managed to take the pony taksi in both directions but I pity the poor pony - Dale is bigger than I am. I bet the pony was running on 2 legs not 4.
Guess what? Back to the hotel for pool and Bintang! A bunch of us spent some time preparing craft projects for the kids next week. All in all, a lovely relaxing day was had by all. Back to the gravel tomorrow morning.
Talk to you soon.
Paul Hope
DWC Participant
Bali, March 2012
March 9: Gravel, pancakes and slip and slide fun
We were picked up promptly at 8:00am as planned, but Wayan decided to take us to work via the scenic route. Taking a round-about route to the orphanage, we drove, first through a Hindu neighborhood and then into the Catholic neighborhood to see the Catholic cathedral, certainly not what cathedrals look like at home or in Europe but very interesting. There are 3 primary neighborhoods in this area. Our orphanage is located in the Protestant area, there is another orphanage in the Catholic area, but I don't know if there is one in the Hindu area. Apparently the communities get along very well together. From there we went on to the local dam and reservoir. This was better than it might seem at first. There area was stunningly beautiful with mountains in the background and terraced rice fields opposite. The reservoir provides irrigation for the rice fields.
When we finally arrived at the orphanage (to the mild dismay of Nenden, the assistant director - she was worried, she hadn't known that we were stopping along the way) we noticed that 2 loads of sand had been delivered since the previous day. The lack of a new pile of gravel was gratifying but our relief was short-lived. Not 10 minutes later a new load miraculously appeared. Heard of quarter-down gravel? Well, this is more like 4" down!! We got to work humping the gravel down to the work site. After buckets of sweat and numerous rests and spelling each other off, the pile had disappeared. As we rested in the shade, patting each other on the back for our great morning's work the gravel truck arrived with a new load - RATS! We sat and watched in amazement as the crew (a middle aged woman & a younger male sidekick) unloaded the whole truck in bare feet with shovels in about 15 minutes, never stopping for a rest. Had we tried to help we would have slowed them down and been in their way. Talk about feeling humbled! Luckily, after a few wheel barrow loads, it was time for lunch - whew.
After lunch some of us continued to move gravel while others spent some time with the children talking about things Canadian and explaining where Canada was in relation to Bali. Lynn had brought several small rubber globes and we made a game of finding Canada and Bali on them. Stick-on Canadian flags adorned virtually all shirts in sight. Shortly after, we retired to the hotel for a much needed dip in the pool and more Bintang. We again had dinner at the Palm restaurant - the lemon chicken (ayam fillet saus lemon) is to die for.
Thursday morning Tom was delighted to have his favorite breakfast - pancakes. It really wasn't too surprising, he'd bought a package of pancake mix at the store and left it at the front desk the night before (subtle hint!). I sat in the front seat of the van for the drive to the orphanage which was as exciting as ever (mildly hair-raising). The work site didn't look too different from a distance but lots of work had been done on the structural aspects of the building. Jerry and I were a little distressed to see some of our bricklaying handiwork been knocked out with hammers. We were relieved to learn that it wasn't because of our poor workmanship but because windows will be installed. Our hunch is that the "architectural drawings" have changed ;-) . Our morning began as most others so far - gravel, gravel & more gravel (thankfully the gravel truck didn't reappear). When that was finished, back to the sand.
After lunch the fun really began. Tom had brought a large tarp to be used in providing us shade, if we needed it. It has found a new and improved role - portable water slide. Tom and Gino, with the help of a couple of the older boys, found a nicely sloped area, tied the tarp to a couple of trees and set a hose to it. The younger boys could hardly wait to get at it. The first few trips proved less than exciting but a bottle of liquid soap appeared out of nowhere and the fun really began. The boys hogged the slide for the first little while but, when asked, quickly stepped aside to let the girls have a try. All the children are amazingly well behaved, well mannered and obedient, there were no complaints when the boys were asked to stop. After a quick wash down of the slide (clean off the boy cooties?) the girls had their time and went just as wild. I think we had almost more fun watching the kids than they had sliding - although that seems almost inconceivable.
Thursday night we invited Wayan and his family along with Nenden and her husband to join us for dinner at the hotel. It was a lovely evening and we all learned much about each other and our cultures.
It's Friday! We've been here a week already, we're half way through our work here. The day again began with pancakes for Tom, I think he'll run forever as long as he has his pancakes. I had the front seat in the van again this morning - my knuckles are just now regaining their colour. Thankfully the pile of gravel hasn't reappeared (are we living in fear of gravel?). Mornings at the orphanage are relatively quiet as most of the children are at school and don't arrive back until lunchtime - it's a very short walk from the school to here. The morning was sunny for a while and hot but mercifully the clouds returned. At the work site the workmen were busy installing window frames so some of us lent a helping hand. Then it was back to moving the sand for mortar and hauling fill from the bush to fill in the floor areas. It was a relatively quiet, slow-paced morning, the sun playing a major role in that. It was also a short day. We left at 12:30 as the orphanage is preparing for a wedding. One of the staff members is getting married tomorrow and all sorts of preparations need to be made. The children will be playing the gamelan at the reception and I expect they will be attending the ceremony at the church. It will not be a tradition Balinese wedding - the bride will be wearing a North American-style white dress and the ceremony will be Protestant. We have been invited to attend but have decided not to. We feel that our presence will likely dampen the festivities somewhat and as we are reliant on the orphanage staff for transportation will just be added interruption in their party time.
We have Saturday and Sunday to ourselves. Most, if not all, of us plan to go on an excursion to a nearby seaside area for snorkeling and beach time. Sunday will likely see us exploring town and plain old R&R by the pool. That's all for now, more to come next week.
Paul Hope
DWC Participant
Bali, November
When we finally arrived at the orphanage (to the mild dismay of Nenden, the assistant director - she was worried, she hadn't known that we were stopping along the way) we noticed that 2 loads of sand had been delivered since the previous day. The lack of a new pile of gravel was gratifying but our relief was short-lived. Not 10 minutes later a new load miraculously appeared. Heard of quarter-down gravel? Well, this is more like 4" down!! We got to work humping the gravel down to the work site. After buckets of sweat and numerous rests and spelling each other off, the pile had disappeared. As we rested in the shade, patting each other on the back for our great morning's work the gravel truck arrived with a new load - RATS! We sat and watched in amazement as the crew (a middle aged woman & a younger male sidekick) unloaded the whole truck in bare feet with shovels in about 15 minutes, never stopping for a rest. Had we tried to help we would have slowed them down and been in their way. Talk about feeling humbled! Luckily, after a few wheel barrow loads, it was time for lunch - whew.
After lunch some of us continued to move gravel while others spent some time with the children talking about things Canadian and explaining where Canada was in relation to Bali. Lynn had brought several small rubber globes and we made a game of finding Canada and Bali on them. Stick-on Canadian flags adorned virtually all shirts in sight. Shortly after, we retired to the hotel for a much needed dip in the pool and more Bintang. We again had dinner at the Palm restaurant - the lemon chicken (ayam fillet saus lemon) is to die for.
Thursday morning Tom was delighted to have his favorite breakfast - pancakes. It really wasn't too surprising, he'd bought a package of pancake mix at the store and left it at the front desk the night before (subtle hint!). I sat in the front seat of the van for the drive to the orphanage which was as exciting as ever (mildly hair-raising). The work site didn't look too different from a distance but lots of work had been done on the structural aspects of the building. Jerry and I were a little distressed to see some of our bricklaying handiwork been knocked out with hammers. We were relieved to learn that it wasn't because of our poor workmanship but because windows will be installed. Our hunch is that the "architectural drawings" have changed ;-) . Our morning began as most others so far - gravel, gravel & more gravel (thankfully the gravel truck didn't reappear). When that was finished, back to the sand.
After lunch the fun really began. Tom had brought a large tarp to be used in providing us shade, if we needed it. It has found a new and improved role - portable water slide. Tom and Gino, with the help of a couple of the older boys, found a nicely sloped area, tied the tarp to a couple of trees and set a hose to it. The younger boys could hardly wait to get at it. The first few trips proved less than exciting but a bottle of liquid soap appeared out of nowhere and the fun really began. The boys hogged the slide for the first little while but, when asked, quickly stepped aside to let the girls have a try. All the children are amazingly well behaved, well mannered and obedient, there were no complaints when the boys were asked to stop. After a quick wash down of the slide (clean off the boy cooties?) the girls had their time and went just as wild. I think we had almost more fun watching the kids than they had sliding - although that seems almost inconceivable.
Thursday night we invited Wayan and his family along with Nenden and her husband to join us for dinner at the hotel. It was a lovely evening and we all learned much about each other and our cultures.
It's Friday! We've been here a week already, we're half way through our work here. The day again began with pancakes for Tom, I think he'll run forever as long as he has his pancakes. I had the front seat in the van again this morning - my knuckles are just now regaining their colour. Thankfully the pile of gravel hasn't reappeared (are we living in fear of gravel?). Mornings at the orphanage are relatively quiet as most of the children are at school and don't arrive back until lunchtime - it's a very short walk from the school to here. The morning was sunny for a while and hot but mercifully the clouds returned. At the work site the workmen were busy installing window frames so some of us lent a helping hand. Then it was back to moving the sand for mortar and hauling fill from the bush to fill in the floor areas. It was a relatively quiet, slow-paced morning, the sun playing a major role in that. It was also a short day. We left at 12:30 as the orphanage is preparing for a wedding. One of the staff members is getting married tomorrow and all sorts of preparations need to be made. The children will be playing the gamelan at the reception and I expect they will be attending the ceremony at the church. It will not be a tradition Balinese wedding - the bride will be wearing a North American-style white dress and the ceremony will be Protestant. We have been invited to attend but have decided not to. We feel that our presence will likely dampen the festivities somewhat and as we are reliant on the orphanage staff for transportation will just be added interruption in their party time.
We have Saturday and Sunday to ourselves. Most, if not all, of us plan to go on an excursion to a nearby seaside area for snorkeling and beach time. Sunday will likely see us exploring town and plain old R&R by the pool. That's all for now, more to come next week.
Paul Hope
DWC Participant
Bali, November
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
March 6: The project, hard work and fun with the children
Well, here we are on our second day at the Widhya Asih II orphanage, in Blimbingsari, Bali. I would have started this last night but I was just too darned exhausted after a day of hard work in the heat. The temperature & humidity are both in the 90s, thankfully we have had clouds the past 2 days so we're not working in the blazing sun. I think none of us has ever sweat this much before.
We started our adventure about 8:15am Monday morning when Wayan, the orphanage director, arrived with a couple of vans to take us all to the orphanage. It was a lovely 30 minute drive passing some interesting sights along the way. We had a quiet arrival as most of the kids were in school. As Wayan showed us around the facility we became increasingly impressed with the cleanliness, organization and entrepreneurship of the place. The orphanage has it's own farm (chickens, ducks, goats, pigs, a few cows), water purification system, bio-gas production, fish farm etc. What is not consumed by the children is sold to help support the orphanage.
Our project, here, is to help build a small building to house equipment to produce animal feed. As with everything else, excess feed will be sold for profit. We were impressed and pleased with the progress the group before us had made. The foundation (the real grunt work) and the rear and side walls were completed. Most of the actual construction work is being done by the orphanage workers, we are the bobcats (shovels) and the dump trucks (wheelbarrows) of the crew. We moved a pile of gravel to make a floor base inside the foundation walls then switched to moving sand to make mortar. Of course where there is mortar you need bricks, so we started moving those too. Through all of this we were constantly "helped" by some of the children who weren't at school. Wheelbarrow rides and swing rides seems to be the favorites.
It was a hot tiring morning and we stopped about noon for a much needed rest and some lunch. The ladies provided a nice lunch of rice, chicken and vegetables. The children had arrived for lunch as well. They seem to be a very happy and well cared-for group. They speedily changed out of their school uniforms (they sure look nice all dressed up) into more familiar garb. They quickly assembled for lunch, all of them very well behaved without any sense of being regimented. They are delightful! Some extremely friendly, even affectionate other more reserved but all with lovely, open smiles.
After lunch we were treated to a short concert by the children on the traditional Balinese instruments the angklung - somewhat like a xylophone with 5 notes ( Do-Re-Me-Sol-La for you musicians out there, pentatonic scale?) and the jegog, another hammered instrument made of bamboo trunks. We were very impressed with the children's musical abilities. Just as impressive was a group of about 9 young girls performing traditional Balinese dance. A thoroughly enjoyable apres-lunch entertainment. We then went back to the "salt mine!" Again moving bricks and gravel.
As the children headed back to school for their afternoon classes (3:00 - 5:00 pm) we climbed into the vans for the ride back to the hotel. We quickly headed for the beautifully refreshing hotel pool with snacks and excellent Bintang (the favorite Balinese beer). After showers, rests and dinner at 7:00pm we all headed back to our rooms and quickly crashed in exhaustion.
On our way to the orphanage this morning (Tuesday) some of us stopped to visit the local school where most of the children go. It was a very interesting to see the similarities and differences in school systems. When we got to the orphanage we were pleased and impressed with how much of the wall the workers had raised in our absence. Of course they couldn't have achieved so much work without having all the necessary supplies close at hand. Work, for us was more of the same - bricks and gravel however Jerry and I had a chance to lay a course or so of bricks - something I've always wanted to try. By lunchtime the piles of gravel and bricks had been obliterated. Feeling pleased with ourselves we enjoyed a nice lunch and then spent some very gratifying time doing crafts with the children followed by fresh coconuts picked by one of the boys. Having been delivered back to the hotel we now find ourselves once again sloshing in the pool and drinking Bintang :-) .
That's all for now, I'll try to write again in a day or two.
Paul Hope
DWC Participant
Bali MArch 2012
We started our adventure about 8:15am Monday morning when Wayan, the orphanage director, arrived with a couple of vans to take us all to the orphanage. It was a lovely 30 minute drive passing some interesting sights along the way. We had a quiet arrival as most of the kids were in school. As Wayan showed us around the facility we became increasingly impressed with the cleanliness, organization and entrepreneurship of the place. The orphanage has it's own farm (chickens, ducks, goats, pigs, a few cows), water purification system, bio-gas production, fish farm etc. What is not consumed by the children is sold to help support the orphanage.
Our project, here, is to help build a small building to house equipment to produce animal feed. As with everything else, excess feed will be sold for profit. We were impressed and pleased with the progress the group before us had made. The foundation (the real grunt work) and the rear and side walls were completed. Most of the actual construction work is being done by the orphanage workers, we are the bobcats (shovels) and the dump trucks (wheelbarrows) of the crew. We moved a pile of gravel to make a floor base inside the foundation walls then switched to moving sand to make mortar. Of course where there is mortar you need bricks, so we started moving those too. Through all of this we were constantly "helped" by some of the children who weren't at school. Wheelbarrow rides and swing rides seems to be the favorites.
It was a hot tiring morning and we stopped about noon for a much needed rest and some lunch. The ladies provided a nice lunch of rice, chicken and vegetables. The children had arrived for lunch as well. They seem to be a very happy and well cared-for group. They speedily changed out of their school uniforms (they sure look nice all dressed up) into more familiar garb. They quickly assembled for lunch, all of them very well behaved without any sense of being regimented. They are delightful! Some extremely friendly, even affectionate other more reserved but all with lovely, open smiles.
After lunch we were treated to a short concert by the children on the traditional Balinese instruments the angklung - somewhat like a xylophone with 5 notes ( Do-Re-Me-Sol-La for you musicians out there, pentatonic scale?) and the jegog, another hammered instrument made of bamboo trunks. We were very impressed with the children's musical abilities. Just as impressive was a group of about 9 young girls performing traditional Balinese dance. A thoroughly enjoyable apres-lunch entertainment. We then went back to the "salt mine!" Again moving bricks and gravel.
As the children headed back to school for their afternoon classes (3:00 - 5:00 pm) we climbed into the vans for the ride back to the hotel. We quickly headed for the beautifully refreshing hotel pool with snacks and excellent Bintang (the favorite Balinese beer). After showers, rests and dinner at 7:00pm we all headed back to our rooms and quickly crashed in exhaustion.
On our way to the orphanage this morning (Tuesday) some of us stopped to visit the local school where most of the children go. It was a very interesting to see the similarities and differences in school systems. When we got to the orphanage we were pleased and impressed with how much of the wall the workers had raised in our absence. Of course they couldn't have achieved so much work without having all the necessary supplies close at hand. Work, for us was more of the same - bricks and gravel however Jerry and I had a chance to lay a course or so of bricks - something I've always wanted to try. By lunchtime the piles of gravel and bricks had been obliterated. Feeling pleased with ourselves we enjoyed a nice lunch and then spent some very gratifying time doing crafts with the children followed by fresh coconuts picked by one of the boys. Having been delivered back to the hotel we now find ourselves once again sloshing in the pool and drinking Bintang :-) .
That's all for now, I'll try to write again in a day or two.
Paul Hope
DWC Participant
Bali MArch 2012
Monday, March 5, 2012
March 5: Exploring Negara
Well, we're in Negara, our home base for the next 2 weeks. Our few days in Seminyak were a pleasant mix of hectic (the town & traffic) and wonderfully peaceful & relaxing (our villa). On our final night our lovely "housekeeping" ladies cooked us an exceptional Balinese style dinner, (including fried bananas with ice cream, one of my favorites). The next morning they spoiled us again with a great breakfast before we left for Negara. Once all packed & ready to go we had lots of time to relax & chat as our drivers arrived 1.5 hours late - that didn't seem to phase anyone. We needed 3 mini vans to carry all of us and our luggage! It was quite the drive - very busy roads all the way, even when we hit the more rural areas. The driving is so "animated" here that a couple of us actually had some problems with motion sickness.
Negara is not what we expected. I think most of us thought that it would be a quite rural town. Not quite! It's another hopping place full of contrasts just not quite as hopping as Seminyak, although there are VERY few Caucasian people here so we really stand out. We spent the day exploring the town and scouting out potential spots for dinner. We can always eat at the hotel as our dining experience here, last night, was a very pleasant surprise. We have discovered that the local Balinese beer, Bintang, is excellent and cheap.
As we explored the town in small groups today we have all had different experience. As Rina & I were walking along we were offered a ride in the local taksi (Balinese spelling). The picture below will tell the whole story. Apparently, today is Mohamed's birthday - who knew! Susan, Lynn, Gino & Dale stumbled across the celebrations and were invited in. A local school teacher with excellent English escorted them and explained much of what was happening. Others found the fascinating market area, a local department store (surprisingly well stocked with everything).
We've just finished a lovely dinner at the Palem (Palm) restaurant and are all ready for bed now. Tomorrow at 8:00 am, we head off for the ride to the orphanage and our first day of real work. Wish us luck. More to follow as time/energy allows.
Paul & the gang
DWC Team
Bali, March 2012
Negara is not what we expected. I think most of us thought that it would be a quite rural town. Not quite! It's another hopping place full of contrasts just not quite as hopping as Seminyak, although there are VERY few Caucasian people here so we really stand out. We spent the day exploring the town and scouting out potential spots for dinner. We can always eat at the hotel as our dining experience here, last night, was a very pleasant surprise. We have discovered that the local Balinese beer, Bintang, is excellent and cheap.
As we explored the town in small groups today we have all had different experience. As Rina & I were walking along we were offered a ride in the local taksi (Balinese spelling). The picture below will tell the whole story. Apparently, today is Mohamed's birthday - who knew! Susan, Lynn, Gino & Dale stumbled across the celebrations and were invited in. A local school teacher with excellent English escorted them and explained much of what was happening. Others found the fascinating market area, a local department store (surprisingly well stocked with everything).
We've just finished a lovely dinner at the Palem (Palm) restaurant and are all ready for bed now. Tomorrow at 8:00 am, we head off for the ride to the orphanage and our first day of real work. Wish us luck. More to follow as time/energy allows.
Paul & the gang
DWC Team
Bali, March 2012
Friday, March 2, 2012
March 2: We have arrived in Bali!
Well, here we are in Bali. We left Canada on Monday, today is Friday but only our 2nd full day in the country - how does that work!!??!! The flight from Canada was fairly uneventful and surprisingly comfortable. I, for one was dreading the 13.5 hours on the plane to Honk Kong but it really wasn't too had. After that length if time in the air the next 4.5 hours seemed like a stroll in the park.
Our Team Leader is Tom Fair, accompanied by his wife Pat from Kamloops, B.C.. The person who had "dragged" the rest of us (all Manitobans) into this adventure is Susan Fair, Tom's sister. The rest of us are: Gino, Susan's husband, Lynn & Dale, Cheryl & Gerry and Rina and I.
After taking a stroll around the streets of town yesterday, we were quickly abused of the notion that all of Bali is quiet peace and tranquility. I have never seen so many motor scooters in my life - all driving on the left, "hell bent for leather" and passing anything and everything in sight. Seminyak (where we are staying a few days before we start on the project) is far from a sleepy backwater town. Quite the hoppin' place!
Today we has a driver drive us around the area. We visited 2 temples which were quite interesting but just as interesting was the drive through rice fields, orchid farms, statue carving "factories" - all sorts of fascinating sights.
The exchange rate here is $1Can = about 9000 Rupiah. That sounds great but you have to carry hundreds of thousand, even millions of Rupiah around with you - the numbers are staggering and we're having a tough time figuring out what things are really worth. Despite the huge numbers the prices here are very reasonable. We went out to a great restaurant, last night, had great food, beers etc. and after we calculated the huge bill figured out that it has cost us approximately $10 per person!
Tomorrow morning we head out to Nagara, our home base while we work at the orphanage. We're looking forward to seeing the rural (and hopefully more peaceful) part of the country. We begin our real work here on Monday. Wish us luck!
Paul Hope
DWC Participant
March 2012 Team
Our Team Leader is Tom Fair, accompanied by his wife Pat from Kamloops, B.C.. The person who had "dragged" the rest of us (all Manitobans) into this adventure is Susan Fair, Tom's sister. The rest of us are: Gino, Susan's husband, Lynn & Dale, Cheryl & Gerry and Rina and I.
After taking a stroll around the streets of town yesterday, we were quickly abused of the notion that all of Bali is quiet peace and tranquility. I have never seen so many motor scooters in my life - all driving on the left, "hell bent for leather" and passing anything and everything in sight. Seminyak (where we are staying a few days before we start on the project) is far from a sleepy backwater town. Quite the hoppin' place!
Today we has a driver drive us around the area. We visited 2 temples which were quite interesting but just as interesting was the drive through rice fields, orchid farms, statue carving "factories" - all sorts of fascinating sights.
The exchange rate here is $1Can = about 9000 Rupiah. That sounds great but you have to carry hundreds of thousand, even millions of Rupiah around with you - the numbers are staggering and we're having a tough time figuring out what things are really worth. Despite the huge numbers the prices here are very reasonable. We went out to a great restaurant, last night, had great food, beers etc. and after we calculated the huge bill figured out that it has cost us approximately $10 per person!
Tomorrow morning we head out to Nagara, our home base while we work at the orphanage. We're looking forward to seeing the rural (and hopefully more peaceful) part of the country. We begin our real work here on Monday. Wish us luck!
Paul Hope
DWC Participant
March 2012 Team
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