free.spirit.kitty

Bali 8.23.12 - 8.26.12

Hello World!!!

It just started raining … (Caitlin I’m excited to go home and read your card and if you don’t know I’d like to take a moment and praise my sister because her sweet soul has written me a card for not only every holiday but also every other emotion or first experience I might go through while I’m here.. Example being the first time it rains).. :) …as I am beginning to write this next post. Right now I am in Ubud. And I have just spent a wonderful day with my new friend Jean. She’s is the aunt of my friend Heather… Heather if your reading this thank you so much for connecting me with such a wonderful spirit!!!! We had a very nice lunch with amazing food and laughter. Then we walked the main road .. Monkey Forest Road .. to do a bit of shopping … I got a two new blankets for my bed :))) they are beautiful and a wonderful tapestry of the flower of life for my wall. We walked for about 3 hours and Jean is a champ because she’s 74 and didn’t skip a beat!! We check out the monkey forest at the end of the road and I was able to get very close to a bunch of silly monkeys jumping around for the tourists to watch. We ending our day at a bar I’m still at called Cinta Grill and split a beer.

The last couple days have been great. Honestly at the end of my last post I was starting to feel like I was on the edge of a breakdown.. Homesick. Lonely. Stressed. Etc… But just as I thought I was going to fall off the edge of sanity things started to look up. I made a new friend at work. Her names Morgan she’s from Canada. She invited me out friday night to meet her and some friends at a bar in Kuta called Apache Bar. What a fun night!! I danced all night made new friends. One new friend I met who is worth taking note of was a guy named Walldo. He is quite a sight… Kinda looks like jack sparrow but with more piercings… And when I say more I mean at least 25 in his face.. Maybe next time I see I’m I’ll get a photo but he is an very sweet and calm spirit and I enjoyed dancing and drinking with my new friends. At 4 am the bar closed and Krishna and I went to the late night restaurant and ate some very good food with our hands which has now become my favorite way to eat… I now believe forks are only to comb your hair.. ( if that’s doesn’t make sense… Watch the Little Mermaid )

My schedule for work is from Tuesday to Saturday so the next day I woke up just in time to take a shower and go to work… The end of the week I had a lot of training for the online school. Which is way more relaxing then the all the lesson planning and teaching in front of groups of students.

My schedule for the up coming week is not as packed as my first so I’m looking forward to my second week of work.. Maybe go to the beach and soak up some sun or learn how to surf agian. I also have two more days off… I came in at a time of so many holidays :)) lucky me.

I also found a new place to live… It’s closer to work… way cheaper .. A studio so im not sharing anything .. Hot water wifi… and near more of my coworkers… I move in on the 1st and I’m very excited. More to come soon…

Sorry this post is a bit all over the place… But as I always say I love you all for you continuous support and love!!! Talk to you soon… And sorry for the lack of the photos but they take very long to load. :*

And HAPPY early BIRTHDAY to my beautiful sister! I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!

Bali 8.17.12 - 8.22.12

It’s been 6 days since I’ve moved into my new place… Filled with a lot of learning about my surroundings and how to adjust to my new life.  I’ll start with last Friday.

Friday 8.17.12
I checked out of little pond at 11:30 and took a cab with all my luggage to my new home …  I arrived at my new home not to long after and laid in the sun on my front porch and read a book waiting for my roommates to come home.  A few chapters later Yani one of my roommates greeted me to let me in a gave me a set of keys.  I have three roommates Yani is from Sumatra and she works in Seminyak at a clothing store.  Her boyfriends name is Akin he’s French and he is a scuba instructor.  As is my third roommate a friend of Akin, Claude he’s from Switzerland.  So we have a mixing pot of cultures and it makes life and living very interesting.  In a good way :) I don’t go a couple days with out hearing at least 5 languages … Indonesian, Balinese, German, French and of course English. 

My room is pretty big .. Or maybe it just seems that way bc I don’t have much in here.  The walls are at least ten feet tall and I have a huge window that looks out into a small patio area that we are fixing up.  My bathroom is attached… I have only cold water which isn’t a problem because it’s so hot.  You can flush toilet paper so you have to collect it in a bag.. Kinda gross but it’s my new life :))) the house is open air which means that all the windows that border the top of the walls don’t have glass and the patio area i look into from my room doesn’t have a roof :) not sure what that means for the rainy season… But I have 5 months before I need to worry about it.  The floors are all tiled marbled blue I feel like I’m always walking on water.  The living space in nice a shared kitchen little dining area and small living room and also the patio that separates mine and Claude’s rooms. 
I will try and get photos up soon.  Claude is working on getting me a modem for Internet.   My world traveling roommates have been amazing!!!!!

Friday night is Indonesia’s Independence day.  Krishna had a gig at a cafe in Sanur .. We went around 7. What a fun night.  We danced and danced until the cafe shut down.  I met new friends and after the cafe closed we all rode scooters to Seminyak beach for a massive independence day party on the beach.  I brought my hula hoop and danced in the sand for hours while water every once and a while covered my feet. 

Saturday 8.18.12

I slept in for the first time it felt amazing!!! I had a very slow day organizing my things folding my clothes.  I felt at home.. Except for the fact that I didn’t have a bike yet so I couldn’t get anywhere.  Krishna picked me up later that evening to help me get my new scooter.  I was nervous but this was one of those fight or flight moments I had to be confident in myself if I was going to ever leave my house on my own.  So just like that I jumped on followed Krishna and I was riding my first scooter in Bali … On the left side of the road. The wind felt good but I was very nervous.  We stopped to get some of my now favorite food satay … It’s different type of meat on a stick either in a peanut sauce or spices… So far I’ve tried goat, chicken, fish, and my favorite Bali satay which is a mixture of coconut and ground meat.  After our meal I had done enough riding on my scooter which wasn’t much so we went back to my house and watched a movie.  Did I mention that my new best friend Krishna is also my neighbor!! :))

Sunday 8.19.12

Sleeping is slowly getting better.  I’m not sure what it is about this island but my nights have been consumed with to many dreams to talk about.  Sunday I woke up early had coffee and tea with my roommates.  And then met with my friend Adam to go to the beach.  I swam until the sun went down.  The water felt amazing!!!! It’s the season of the Kite because of the strong winds which makes the sky look awesome filled with little and big dots anywhere you look. 
After the beach I went home took a nap and then Krishna showed me another place near my house to get some late night satay.  My new favorite food.. Which will fill you up for about a 1$.

Monday 8.20.12

First off Happy Birthday Tia Val I love you!!!

Monday I was able to sleep in again.  And that afternoon I had plans to follow Yani around our area so she could show me her favorite places to eat, buy groceries, listen to music etc.  She took me to a grocery store called Papaya its a Japanese market but very cheap with a lot of fresh fruit and fish and anything else you would need.  We ate some sashimi there for lunch and yani taught me the indonesian alaphabet which not as easy as i was told.  Then we went to her work and after she showed me this amazing place called Potato Head.  The out side of the building is made out of recycled window shutters and inside there is a huge infinity pool, multiple bars, a restaurant, a grass area to have a picnic on and stages for music.  I’m excited to go here once I make some more friends :)
Monday night I went to bed early because the next day would be my first day of work. 

Tuesday 8.21.12

My first day of work!! I woke up around 8am made my self a bowl of cereal and a cup of tea.  I picked out my outfit and then watched a movie to pass the time.  I left around 11:45 to get to work early .. Krishna had made me a map which worked great I made it to work in 20 mins which I know will get shorter the better I get at riding my scooter.  My work has great wifi :) I talk to my mom and dad and my sister … I love you all .. You too brothers!!!  Time flew and hour had gone by and I had to meet with my boss Ben and another new girl Erin from Miami, Fl… first American :) … My schedule was packed two new classes first day no training or observing.. Ben said he was sorry for giving me so much work but he was confident I could handle it..  I had about 3 hours to prepare for these two classes one I was subbing for and the other will be one of my new permanent classes.

3 hours went by fast.. From confusion and a misunderstanding .. or maybe lack of training :) .. It took me three tries and introducing myself to three different classes before I found mine.  Once I did I was relieved a bunch of sweet middle school boys who were very well behaved.  We finished the lesson early so they taught me a new game sort of like musical chairs. But instead of music one person stands in the middle and says ..”switch seats if .. Your wearing sandals..”who ever is wearing sandals has to get up and switch seats last person standing is now in the middle.  It was fun and a great way to end the class.

Then I had 20 min until my next class… This class did not go as smoothly.. But my students where great and it was there first day also so we got through it. 

I ended my day following Krishna home because it is a different way then getting to work.  We stopped for some roadside satay.. This time fish, and then went home … Krishna drew me a new map so hopefully tonight I can make it home on my own..

Now it’s Wednesday morning.. 8.22.12

I won’t bore you with my lesson plans every day.  But keep reading I’m sure I will have some fun exciting adventures coming soon!!!!

Thank you again to all my friends and family who support me I love you all more than words can explain.
 
PS sorry about the grammatical errors and spelling etc… After writing for so long I’m to tired to correct it :)

Bali 08.15.12 

What an amazing couple of days I have had!!! So I left off arriving at the airport.  Nothing special happened that evening I fell asleep as soon as I checked into my home stay called Little Pond at 7 pm.  Little Pond is sweet and quite a very nice place to start out.

my temporary pool

my temp front porch

my temp bed

dad i took these for you the plumerias are amazing here!!!

some bird eating the offerings the set out 3 times a day.. ill explain more later^^^

I woke up the next morning at 5 am to a dream that a wave of water came rushing through the small complex of rooms, right up to the doors… I wasn’t scared and everyone else in the dream acted like this was an everyday occurrence.  I walked to the door to feel the water and then I woke up!  I took it as a sign and immediately was out the door on my way to the beach to see my first sunrise over the ocean.  The streets were dark and quickly turned to light and there it was right as I arrived at the sand I could see the bright orange sun cresting over the horizon! 

my first sunrise!

^^^ if you look to the left you can see the largest volcano on Bali

That afternoon I met my new friend Krishna… he is so awesome! Not only is he an amazing musician and graphic artist but he has been such a blessing in my life here driving me every where I need to go to get anything from a phone to a good meal.  My first Balinese meal was amazing we sat in a little hut .. drank milky fruit drinks and tea and had fish, chicken, vegetables and rice we ate with our hands with spices and flavors that would blow your mind. Oh and the check for this wonderful meal that could fill a king.. 13$ … not each but for both of us!!! 

Krishna ordering our meal

Yum

After our lunch he took me to meet my new boss… sorry no photos yet I didn’t want look like such a tourist on my first meeting with my new boss and co workers. Everyone was very nice.  After my tour of the building.. I found out I arrived at a funny time because not only was Bali’s Independence Day this weekend but it was also the end of the Muslim fast.  So Ben (my boss) smiled and said see you next tuesday at 2pm… which will be my schedule everyday.. 2pm to either 7pm or 9pm… Monday through Friday… pretty nice huh? One of the girls saw the shock on my face to have so much free time and she laughed and said don’t worry you’ll learn to sleep in.   

After my meeting Krishna dropped me back at home and I unpacked and repacked some of my things and then fell asleep by 7pm.  

Sadly my cab is almost here to take me to my permanent home :) as soon as a get internet I will post more photos from my adventure and new room and roommates!! 

Love you all thank you for all your love and support!!

pictures 8.12.12 - 8.14.12

eating beef and noodles in tokyo

kate hoopin

kate and i

singaporean cab driver and i

swanky scarlet hotel

entrance to our 3am snack

not very busy

kate and her dad tucker

small shrine we found while waiting for food

freshly showered for our 3am adventure

amazing raw fish salad… those peppers kicked my ass!

buddhist temple that we were summoned to because of the early morning drum beating for the call to prayer

oldest hindu temple in Singapore

empty china town

you steal they will probably hang you 

super trees in the dark

skyline

huge ferris wheel :)

super trees ^ at dawn

ferris wheel at dawn

dragon fly pond

fun feet

super trees and skywalk

mushrooms garden

only real mushroom we found in the mushroom garden

a lovely tree

more city

boat ride in the singapore river

watching a temple set up for a celebration

something sweet

henna :)

colors every where

indian veggie food

buffalo road in singapore!!

welcome to bali!!!!

Bali Beginnings 8.12.12 - 8.14.12

Halo friends and family!!!

I’m finally here in Bali and what and adventure it’s been!!!! I left for the airport on August 12th to catch my flight at 3:45 pm Los Angeles time. My sister hasn’t sent me photos of all the tears but trust me when I say it there were a lot… I love you family and I know those tears were a mixture of every emotion a human can feel and I thank you all so much for your never ending support. :*

I ate my last meal Panda Express I know ironic .. But took my time which made me one of the last people on the plane. When I arrived at my row there was a girl in the isle with the two seats next to her empty. I had the window seat. I dont think that other people have as good of luck as me on international 18 hour flights because Kate Hohenstein from San Diego, Ca and I hit it off right away and there was no one that came to sit between us. We also shared a common interest in not staying awake through the flight so we both took our sleeping aids and cuddled up and slept the whole flight!!! We arrive in Narita, Tokyo where Kate, myself and her dad Tucker shared a bowl of beef noodles and edamame and got to know each other better. What a small world it is. Tucker grew up in Palos Verdes and went to Miraleste High School and graduated the same year as my mom. His wife grew up in Manhattan Beach and they later met in San Diego where they still reside and also where they raised Kate… Anyways Kate and I chowed down on the noodles and then hula hooped for a while taught each other some new tricks and then boarded the plane to go to Singapore.

We were to arrive in Singapore at 3 am on August 14th and Kate must have read my mind because with out even asking her dad she said .. “you should just stay with us tonight!” Which was awesome because I didn’t have any plans… except to stay in the airport until the sun came up and explore the area around it. We exchanged money and caught a cab to their very swanky hotel called the Scarlet. We all took showers and I began to make a small bed on the floor and then we all laughed because we had no intention of going to sleep. We hit the streets found food market ate some raw fish salad and then when strait to the closest 7-11 which are all over the place so I could down some milk after attempting to be adventurous and eat a pepper that was way to hot!! Burning not only my mouth but also my fingers and anything I touched.

The hotel was by china town and we were all pulled like bugs to a light when we heard the drumming of the morning prayer call at a Buddhist temple … The guards allowed us to peak inside it was beautiful.. We then walked down the street though dark alleys that would soon be filled with many colors and plenty of fun Chinese souvenirs. But Kate had a rule never walk down the same street twice :)) we then caught a cab to the Sands a massive hotel hoping to catch a sunrise from the roof top infinity pool.. It was only 5 am at this point..So the pool wasn’t open.. You also couldn’t enter the pool without a room key which was not enough to kill Kate’s spirits yet. Behind the the hotel were magnificent gardens that produce solar energy just from the growth of plants.. And I apologize for my descriptions being so vague but I had no idea that I would be seeing this much in Singapore in the 12 short hours I was there. Kate, Tucker and I walked through the gardens until the sun came up… We were hungry so we walked to a very fancy mall across from the Sands hotel and ate some dumplings and fresh fruit juice. Kate had made this layover in Singapore with a plan :) so our next adventure was a relaxing boat ride around the Singapore River learning the history about different areas and architecture. It was about 11am after the river ride so we decided to go back to the hotel so I could pack up my things and we could take one more adventure.. I often talked about how bad I wanted to go to India so Tucker made sure that I would get to see Little India before I left for Bali. We took a taxi to a famous temple in Little India called Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple which is one of the oldest Hindu Temples in Singapore. We sat and watched a shrine be put together and a women came and offered us what looked like a cross between rice and oatmeal with nuts when we asked her what it was she said, “something sweet”. It was sweet I enjoyed it very much and then we had to leave because they were closing to prepare the temple for a celebration later that night. We walked the streets and Kate and I found some fun Indian trinkets like bindi’s and charms to dangle down our foreheads… But we couldn’t leave with out getting some henna!! So Kate and I stopped into a shop and received beautiful designs on our hands. We walked in hope to see one more temple but they were all closed due to preparation for whatever celebration they were having that evening … So with our last hour together we stopped at a vegetarian Indian restaurant pointed to some dishes we saw people eating and enjoyed a yummy meal we washed down with the best mango milk shake I’ve had thus far. We were having so much fun we realized time was getting very close to my departure to Bali … They were leaving the next day… But the adventure wasn’t over yet .. We thought why not take the MRT which is the name of there subway system we are only two stops away from the hotel… Which were were but we got off on the wrong side and had to make a huge circle and got fairly lost but in the end everything worked out and I made my flight with no problems … I even made it before boarding time:))) I slept from pure exhaustion all the way to Bali and arrived at 7pm Bali time on August 14th. I made it through customs no problems and the driver from EF was standing out side with my name on a white sheet of paper :) and a letter from Emma one of my co workers from EF which made me smile since it was the first time that had happened… Before we left the airport I asked him to take it out of his pocket so I could snap a photo. I hope you enjoy the pictures and there will be more posts soon but I need to start preparing to meet my new boss Ben. I love you all very much!!!