"Halo, nama saya Rebecca dan saya telah tinggal di Bali selama dua bulan!!"
Hello, my name is Rebecca and I have been living in Bali for two months!!
These two months have been the quickest months of my life so far, yet it feels as if it has been a lifetime spent away from home. My life is now life-living in Bali, and I am so accustomed to living here that it will feel odd to be anywhere but here.
How lucky am I to have spent the last two months with some of the most wonderful human beings ever in such a beautiful place rich with culture?
This journey has been one of the best chapters of my life learning and growing together with the friends I now call my family; we have been through a lot together and accomplished things big and small, through happy and sad times, and everything in between. The support and love I have felt from these people are indescribable; I have found my people and can say I've found some of my best friends for life 🩷
Above left: (left to right) Nicole, Gracie, Riley, Rebecca, and Rylan at Nusa Lembongan after a surf session at "Playgrounds"
Above right: (left to right) Nicole, Riley, Gracie, Ashley, Nora, and Rebecca in Bingin after the program ended
I have grown into who I am as a person here, and I am so thankful for the steps it took to find more of who I am and remember that everything happens for a reason; I am the cultivator of my own happiness and success! ------> ( A good reminder for everyone! )
Based on my reflections I am growing here through the uncomfortableness and unknowns and I am excited to continue this learning process as I travel after this program :)
Aku cinta kamu Bali!
"I love you Bali"
Below:
left: monkeys at Uluwatu temple --- middle: (left to right) Gracie, Hanna, Me, Peyton-----right: feeding some goats at Jatiluwih!
Above: Left: (left to right) Ashley, Nora, Brissa, Michele in Pemuteran walking to lunch---Middle: Headstand time during our five minute class break! no phones, just play <3 -----Right: beach doggies playing at "white sand beach"
Accomplishing this study abroad feels like I can take on anything the world will throw at me, which is something I can easily say I didn’t feel before; the academics have been the most rigorous classes I have taken before with school being 6 days of the week and one day off. On my day off, my day consisted of studying for quizzes, project planning, and researching for my creature feature! I'd throw in a fun activity in there of course like jewelry making, a massage, getting my nails done up for $6 usd, or my favorite: surfing if it was available to me nearby! I never once got bored on this trip; there was always something to do, someone to adventure with, and fun to cultivate by yourself!
"My favorite pastime when I have the time is to make lei! The abundance of plumerias is heavenly here in Bali"
Above: Nicole's Birthday
The place to be for surfing on this trip was Nusa Lembongan, but not too much surf anywhere else on this trip! This time I used wisely was dedicated to school on my days off which paid off in the end to perfect...or try to perfect my craft aka academics!
Here are some pictures from surfing after the Bali Study Abroad ended in my travels in Uluwatu with friend, fellow Californian, and shredder: Rylan! I've been having so much fun traveling and surfing with him! So far we have gone to Bingin, Keramas, and Uluwatu! Our plans to meet up with our friends in Vietnam and Java are coming up on us fast! I cannot wait for what adventures are in store.
Learning in this environment was a way that fueled my passion even more for academia. I have fallen in LOVE with marine biology, and my professor Michelle Paddock was one of the most passionate, exceptional teachers to learn from- her lessons were taught with so much intention and purpose. She instilled a childlike wonder in me again, and now all I can think of is “why is this the way it is?” and “how?” My mind has been rewired in the most magical way imaginable! Thank you to our other Professor Laura England-Krusee for educating me on human geography and connecting me to the Balinese culture; I appreciate the traditions and this place as a whole so much more now that I am a little bit more educated! I have a long ways to learn, but I am so grateful for the introduction to this culture.
^This is what our classroom looked like some days! It changed a lot which I loved!
Although there is a lot of good here in Bali I have also seen quite a bit of bad here. The trash, pollution, and overall disregard to the natural environments here is heartbreaking and it makes me feel sick to my stomach to see the beautiful reefs, mangroves, and rice fields starting to vanish into thin air. I want there to be a future here so people can see the beauty this place has; it has opened my eyes which were once blissful to seeing only the pretty beaches and swaying palm trees. I want to be part of the solution. But how? Keep questioning everything that is out there, why is it the way it is, and should it be? Ignorance is bliss but once I saw the reality and took off the rose colored glasses, it became apparent to see the destruction!
FILM! I shot film on my SZ135 Cannon 38-135mm film camera over the few months studying in Bali. If you don't know how film works here is a run down: Point, shoot, then develop! Not being able to see these photos until now was worth the wait. I got them developed at Ojisan film lab in Denpasar for 50,000K rupiah per roll which is around $3 USD!
In the US it costs around $20 per roll!!! I was so stoked :) The joy of capturing these small moments is so joyous for me! I cannot wait to continue taking film photos as I travel the world.
more film favorites:
Life after studying: The first adventure consisted of a villa in Bingin with seven of my best friends for eight days! The walk to the beach was only ten minutes, we cooked scrumptious meals in our outdoor kitchen, played cards every night, surfed, had pool parties, and shelled to our hearts galore. My cup has never felt more full! I feel so grateful for this time in my life!
I am currently writing this blog on Nov 19, 2024 and I have gone to Keramas; a small surf town on the east side of Bali surrounded by rice fields (pictured below,) and now back to Uluwatu; a wayyyy bigger surf town for the final stretch before I leave for Vietnam to meet up with Sheldon, Nora, Michele, and Rylan! In Keramas there is not much else to do other than surf which is a blessing and a curse; when the surf is good, its heaven, but when it got flat the last few days it was hard to not resist coming back to Uluwatu! I want to go back to Keramas when there is a solid swell and give it another go in the future.
I chased my gut and found myself back in the land of surf, cute coffee shops, pilates, boutique stores, and LOTS of people.
Normally I am not one to chase bigger cities, but I have fallen for this side of Bali. I think I am drawn to the fact that now I am starting to see familiar faces and make friends in and outside of the water in this town! I get so excited when I am on the back of a gojek and see people I know all around town or at my favorite restaurants! Shout our "Drifter" surf shop; they have the best food to fuel and nourish your body, and its behind the cutest surf shop ever! I love how they supply local owned brands inside too instead of only mainstream surf wear. P.s. if you're gluten free/ dairy free/ vegetarian like me they have so many options!
I have met so many people traveling after this trip even in these short few weeks and now have friends from all over the world! The most common has been meeting Australian surfers here and safe to say they know how to have a good time :)
My favorite part about studying abroad here has been the people! I find myself time and time again coming back to this question of why I love it here so much and from the very beginning at the first zoom meeting for the Bali Study Abroad program, the introduction meeting where all of us met at SBCC, the day we all took off at LAX for our journey here I could tell from the start that we had a very special group. Passionate learners who wanted to be here! That's the key; we all came on this trip with a purpose and a need to learn, grow, and experience life in a different light. From the students on this trip, to the professors, our drivers, meeting locals, working with Indonesian school students, and meeting friends along this journey I have grown so fond of learning more about people, their lives, and their stories!
I was so sad to walk away from my peers when we parted ways after our last night in Jimberan together, but I left feeling at peace knowing how much everyone has taken away from this experience and that we will all be there for on another in some form. I know I will remember this for the rest of my life!
This experience has been the best time of my whole life <3
Terima Kasih to everyone along this journey with me, to Bali, and the people who make this world brighter every day because you're in it! You know you you are :)
Love,
Rebecca
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