Selamat Tahun Baru!

or.... Happy New Year!

Since I am working tomorrow and will no doubt need every minute between work and party to get ready, I thought it best to blog in early. I don't really have all that much to talk about, except perhaps a few of the great things that have happened this year.

Let's see... 3 of my closest friends in the world all turned 21, which made me feel old, but was spectacular fun anyway. I have grown even closer to them this year than last and am so excited to get stuck into 2011 with them (Jess and Ali in Bali, and Steph in Melbourne to start with!). Dave and I made it 3 years this October, which also put into perspective the fact that we will be apart for 21 days straight next Feb... something we haven't come close to doing in well, over 3 years. I'm pretty sure I'll be ok, with my visitors and being in a foreign country and all, but I can tell he is getting worried. Chin up love! Two of my other close friends got engaged this year! Again, making me feel old, but I am so thrilled for them! I got to spend majority of the year in a fantastic job at my old primary school with some of the greatest friends/co-workers, and then was given the fantastic opportunity to change into my new job and make amazing friends there as well. I think I've really had some good karma this year...

It's kind of hard to remember all the stuff that's happened this year, hell it still feels like June to me! But I couldn't be happier that this year has flown (for obvious reasons, ahem...). I've taken a huge leap of faith this year by organising this trip. I think all of next year will hang in the balance of whether it goes well or not. And there are still plenty of ways it could go wrong (none of which I will actually write/admit to because i'm too superstitious like that...). But at the end of the day, this is my last probably chance to take an adventure like this. I'll be too busy doing things to make a living. Next year is my last year to do things to tick off those little boxes on my own personal to-do-list. After all that, it'll be about other people too. Which isn't a bad thing, I am just utilising this window of opportunity. Hopefully, I am utilising it well.

I have exactly 32 days until I fly out. So tomorrow night when everybody is celebrating the New Year, I will also be celebrating my one-month mark to departure! Hoorah!

Happy New Year!

Happy Proclamation Day!

I've been looking forward to today for quite a while. Nope, not the 25th. I mean today, the 26th- Proclamation Day in Adelaide, Boxing Day in the other states. And no, I hate cricket so that is not the reason I promise. But I doubt I'm alone in saying that today is definitely a winner of a day.

Sure Christmas is great. Catching up with family and friends, having some drinks and eating tasty food all day- it's almost always a good combination for my family anyway.But the 26th is the day we can all just relax, sleep in, nap on the couch get over the hangover, eat left overs, get out the gifts and really enjoy them... Yup, it's just as good as Christmas only without the stress of driving and remembering everything and making sure everything runs smoothly. The pressure is over, and now we can all just veg out. There is a resounding "ahhhhh" throughout the house.

Now that New Years is only a matter of days away, my trip is also approaching very quickly. 36 days to be exact! I think I might spend these couple of days off organising some of the smaller stuff so that it doesn't all creep up on me at the last minute. I got a great tip from one of my Mum's best friends (I might as well call her my second Mum really) which is basically a whole drawer dedicated to "Bali Stuff" so that when it comes to packing the luggage, you can just empty the drawer in and you're all done! I reckon I have a spare drawer that I can use... thanks Inge! :)

The boyfriend and I also just bought ourselves a brand-spanking-new camera for Christmas and thanks to the tips my fantastically talented Aunty Paula has been passing down (and the recommendation for the camera itself) I'm starting to feel kinda confident behind the lens. I hope I can keep learning about it so I can take some decent pics in Bali, and you'll all be able to see them on here. 'All' pretty much meaning you Mum...

All for now. I hope everybody had a really great Christmas and stay safe for the rest of the holiday season! xx

It Ain't So Different...

Weather-wise today. Lightning, thunder, rain...and it's not that cold. Increase the humidity and add some of that 'rotting blessings' smell and I doubt it'd be much different in Bali right now... or so my dashboard tells me. It also tells me I have 55 days. :)

The Silly Season

Surely I'm not the only person who is starting to wonder where the year has gone, right? Geez, it only feels like a couple of months ago we were celebrating the new year, and now the year is almost out! And there is no need to explain just how crazy things get in December... Something I had slightly forgotten during my hiatus from retail. Something I can see becoming an issue in the not so distant future.

The store has been reasonably busy, but you can always tell when the silly season is approaching by the carparks. On the one hand, they are usually maxed out, and the only spot you can get is really far away or you drive around in circles waiting for somebody to leave. It hasn't quite got to this stage yet, but I'm sure it will. I did see a different kind of indication today though- or lack of indication it would seem. I went to get my lunch today, and a guy with his young daughter went to cross the road. A four-wheel-drive pulled out from a side road and turned even though he hadn't indicated and, although he was going slow enough to let the man and his daughter across, the dad came back out onto the road to abuse the driver. Nice parenting champ.

Yep, the silly season has definitely begun. But I've never really hated the whole Christmas thing, in a working sense. In retail the days are so busy that your days fly by, and besides the crazies who think you can perform magic and fulfil all of their half-assed, last minute requests, most of the customers are happy enough because, hey... it's Christmas. And in OSHC Christmas was always fun, as you'd expect, because of the kids. If anything, it made me realise that Christmas' at home are now a little bland. We, the 'kids', are no longer kids by most of the classifications of the term, so the hype of the day is kind of lost. But the plus is we can all drink together, and it's days off for all of us this year. Can't complain at all.

Christmas also means extended hours and additional shifts for casuals like me, which is doing the Bali savings account a lot of favours already. I paid for the bond/deposit of my villa last week, which was very exciting. Besides actually getting there, most of my trip is organised now! And with 57 days to go still. I've probably forgotten something really important... murphy's law (refer to post last month).

Dave 'shared' my blog on facebook today while I was at work, which was really sweet, but I thought it best to repeat this: I do not expect anybody who stumbles upon this blog to find it interesting. Awesome if you do, but at this point in time, its just another outlet for me to be excited and write lists and stuff. I expect the better postings will actually come while I am in Bali (here's hoping), or at the very lease, and I quote, "so that my mum and dad know I'm still alive". Depending on the internet connection and how often I can be bothered, I will try to upload photos and write about what I'm doing so that people who want to know don't have to wait for personal emails and stuff.

Well, that's it for now. :)

Curriculum and stuff...

So I'm flicking through some old textbooks I found at the library about ESL frameworks and whatnot so that I can get some good ideas for the school once I arrive. But curriculum planning is sooooo hard! I don't really even know where to start. Everything is justified before its even stated. I know it's important to plan long term, now tell me what to plan!! This is going to take a bit longer than I had anticipated...

Another photo to keep me motivated...

Pretty-ing Things Up

I just realised how much nicer this all might be if I added some pictures. Even just one or two between posts. Here's a little something to get the ball rolling. :)

Experience, Experience, Experience.

So, the last few weeks have been some of the best ones of the year. I've been in my new job for 3 weeks now, working around 35-40hrs a week, and it's brilliant! I'm loving close to every second of the day, from the simple stuff, to the customer stuff, and then there's the other staff/friends stuff. Everybody there is so much fun and really nice! Not that I didn't love my old job, because I did- and the staff there became very good friends of mine. I think the difference is that we are more like-minded at JB's. I mean, I'm still the geekazoid who tries to crack stupid jokes or knows just a little too much about ancient history, but rather than feel like a complete outcast, I just feel a bit quirky. Maybe even in a good way. Work is fun, and I am loving going there every day, even if it's filled with crazy red pill customers (traffic light 'pills', a little trick I picked up from my old, old work to describe just how painfully awful a customer is).

But wait, this isn't a "Rave about how awesome my new job is" kind of blog. It's about Bali, and my going there more to the point. Don't think for a second that I've forgotten about that in amongst all my work shifts. Nope, it is right there in the forefront! This week has been an especially important week as well with two pretty landmark moments occurring. First of all, I got in contact with the owner of the Villa in Ubud and settled on a cost and...wait for it... I have made my deposit! Yep, Villa is now firmly confirmed. Well... I hope. Please refer to blog titled "Murphy's Law" to remind yourself of my own superstition about jinxing myself and whatnot. Plenty can still go wrong, and I am totally aware of that. As is my mother, and that is another story all together, but for the most part she is very supportive. Now.

The second most amazing thing that has happened this week is the even more firmly confirmed addition to my "Bali Visitors" list. One of my oldest friends who I have happily kept in contact with for quite a while now has made the decision to come to Bali while I am there and she will be sharing the villa with me for a week! I am so excited that she is coming, and as an overview of my month, I will literally only be alone for 7 days! Considering I was at one point looking at doing 21 days straight with nobody from home, this is quite a difference. Perhaps all those conversations I have had with friends that I've come out of thinking, 'I just bored them to death with all that shit about how connected to Bali I am', yep, perhaps those conversations aren't quite so boring! At least not to everyone. But obviously not all the credit goes to me and my innate ramblings, the country itself has a bit to offer. The spa treatments seem to do quite a bit of pulling in this case.

One of the other main reasons why I am so excited to have people coming to stay (besides the fact that my friends/the boyfriend are just super amazing people who I love spending time with) is because I love experiencing places with difference people. I have been to Bali with the boyfriend twice already, as I may have already mentioned, and it's been great both times as I'm sure it will be again, but I am especially looking forward to seeing Bali with my other friends too- just to see what they enjoy, what they really take out of there experience and thus alter my experience. Maybe it sounds like I'm a bit of a sheep- you know, I'll enjoy what ever they enjoy, but that's not really how I mean it. I enjoy seeing other people enjoy things. It's simple in many ways, and I guess it's why I really love kids and teaching- without the satisfaction of making a difference, teaching would be an impossible gig. But that's the honest truth; I know I am going to enjoy eating at some really great restaurants, and drinking some amazing cocktails with the twins, but I also know I'm going to enjoy some great sights and enjoy a lot of culture and art with Elise, then really relax at the end of my trip with the boyfriend. And you know what, having just said that, even if none of that actually happens I'm sure each of these amazing people' will give me a different memory of my time spent in Bali. And THAT is what I'm looking forward to. Yes. I finally got my point across. Now I've kinda forgotten where I was going with this post in general.

I have just 64 days to go until I leave. All the work I'm doing is definitely helping with the Rupiah-saving, and with Christmas around the corner I know what is going to happen- busy busy busy at work, followed by too tired to go out and spend money. Best recipe for saving money. Just like getting dog-sick is usually the easiest way to lose weight. ;) So here's hoping that I can reach that goal I have set and really enjoy my trip rather than constantly stress about finances. Hoping.

Now that my accommodation is sorted, the list I mentioned way back in an older post is getting pretty close to finished. Flights, accommodation, insurance, smart traveller and even a decent amount of research for my teaching has already taken place. I still need to organise my visa, but other than that and saving I'm all set to go! Packing will be fun.

Anyway, this was kind of a shit post, I apologise. There is no structure today, most probably because I've spent a long weekend working and staying out late, followed by an evening today spent reading my friends incredible blog to which I have given up on even trying to match. It's amazing, and mine... well.

Adios amigos!

No Vacancy? (A Quick One)

Only a week or so after actually confirming my villa in Ubud and it looks like I might only have the place to myself for a fraction of the time! Which is great! I have a potential 5 or 6 people coming to visit, all at different times throughout the month. And what a perfect excuse to go and see all the fun touristy stuff again and again! hehehe.

On a side note, I have been lucky enough to get a fantastic new job at the new JB HiFi store opening later this month. I'm super excited to get started there, but it also meant I had to resign from the OSHC- something that was very difficult for me to do! I loved, loved, loved being at the OSHC and will miss it so much, but moving into this new opportunity is the right thing for me right now. And a year off from kids before starting to teach will be exactly what the doctor ordered! ;)

Now I just have to get through the Christmas/New Year period with some of my health and wealth intact, and Bali will be just around the corner! 85 Days until I leave!

Murphy's Law.

It was kind of a coincidence that I brought up my anxiety of Murphy's Law last week. Although 'coincidence' doesn't really align itself with Murphy's Law. For those who are lost in the expression...

"Murphy's Law" 

- noun

- the facetious proposition that if something can go wrong, it will.

So, in the past week I have had two examples of such phenomena. One is just plain upsetting, and the other has the potential to be heartbreaking. I'll let you decide which is which, but I suppose it's pretty obvious.


I definitely had it coming, and I was talking about it today with my boss who agreed. You see, it's when everything else is going fine- that's when Murphy's Law can be a real bitch. Take my situation for the last month or so... Uni and studies were cruisey. Even though I'm overloading my study and should be drowning in readings and assignments, I have mostly found myself floating on the surface. Go figure? Next, I was finally in the swing of balancing work and uni, something that takes me a little longer to get used to. But, in general everything seemed to be going fine. I was also on an amazing 2 month high of having saved much much faster than I had anticipated. I was imagining all the amazing things I could buy in Bali, all the things I could send back... even contemplating a trip to Java for a day or two to see Borobudur and Prambanan... and then, during one fateful drive along the Parade, Murphy hit me like a shovel in the face.


My car all but died right there on the spot. I begged and pleaded with it, and managed to coax it to Julia's where the RAA man told me it was a mystery to him what was even wrong with it. I felt like I'd dodged a bullet though when he told me he could organise a free tow. Sweet, maybe it wouldn't be such an ordeal after all. That was until the next working day (so a weekend of waiting around later), when I received a phone call to tell me that my usual mechanic couldn't figure out what the hell was wrong with my car either. Uh oh.


Well, the next mechanic did find the problem, but that is basically where the good new finished. One part, transferred from Melbourne, and installed, is costing me about two-thirds of my savings. Damn you Murphy, and all your stupid laws!! Why did I have to feel so smug? Thankfully, I do believe I have solved the issue of saving, and I am lucky that I saved so much prior to this debacle, because it leaves me with enough time to save back up again. So that brings us to our next issue...


I guess it all started a couple of weeks ago. The Big Day Out line up was released, and to be honest I was a little disappointed. But once I realised that it was scheduled for Friday the 4th of February, rather than the late January date I had originally planned for, I wasn't all the upset after all. Who cares, right? I'd be in tropical paradise, with a cocktail in hand, swimming in my own infinite pool. Big Day Out comes around every year, and this was a line up I could handle missing... Or so I thought. It's still a long shot, but I'm a little worried with the possibility. The boyfriends band, Lyla, were short listed. The line up I could handle missing just became one of probably 3 reasons why I should not be loving life in Bali. If they get named... shit is going to get difficult. But, I'm not the only person this has affected. Two of my closest friends (including Stuecke of the infamous "Stuecke and Kando do Melbourne") had planned a trip to Europe at this time, and have had to change their flights not once, but twice, for this change in BDO date. So for their sake, I hope Lyla get named... and for Lyla's sake of course. :)


If you'd asked me last week how I was feeling about this whole thing, I would probably have given you a weak smile and said, "Yeah, I'm fine". But truth was, I was seriously fretting. But now that I can see it will all still go ahead the way it's meant to... well... this whole ordeal has just made me even more intent on going. I mean, I have had to go through a bit of crap to get where I am right now and once I'm in Bali (which is in 104 days by the way!) it will be all the sweeter.

124

The number of days until I leave. And it would also be close to the number of things I need to do before I leave. But it's all ok, I am getting through them all one day at a time. Today, for instance, I made photocopies of my passport- pretty important since it is Indonesian law to carry identification with you at all times, and you'd have to be mad to take your actual passport around with you! I also registered with Smart Traveller (smarttraveller.gov.au) which I thought would be the 'smart' thing to do since I will be overseas by myself for some time.

I think the biggest and most pressing item to get sorted though is still my accommodation. I feel like I'm quite close to arranging something, and I'm not going to say anything here yet because I don't want to jinx it! Yep, I'm just that superstitious- or I am a believer in Murphy's Law at least. Once that is sorted though, I think there will be a big weight off my shoulders. I've already organised most of the other important parts- flights, travel insurance, budget etc... Next thing to look into will be vaccinations. Eeeeeek.

The other thing I wanted to include in todays post is the soon to be released in Australia, Eat Pray Love. I read the book last year, partly while on a holiday in Bali, and really enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to the movie, but I've heard the book has had many adverse effects on Ubud. I'm an avid reader and occasional poster on the Bali Travel Forum, and word there is that Ubud now resembles a beach-less Kuta, with horrendous traffic and dozens of Liz Gilbert wannabes searching enlightenment from one of the characters/people in the book- Ketut Liyer. I've only spent a day in Ubud previously, and I really hope that on my next trip it is still a bit more cultural and untouched as opposed to Kuta and the likes... I hope. But hey, I'm still looking forward to a nice night out with the ladies to see the movie. :)

Happenings...

So, I have been going about my normal life and trying to organise my trip at the same time. It's good though, because I have this amazing trip as motivation to do everything else. I've also been talking to/boring my friends to death with my trip details and going-ons. I've had so many positive responses from my friends, and I have to say thank you because at this point, it's still quite new and I'm a little unsure of myself. Anyway, I've already had a few people approach me for details about my placement so that they can look into doing it themselves. I thought this was just fantastic, word of mouth is just so amazing sometimes! So I thought I'd do this post to get some of those websites and details out there. Perhaps you'll find something you like. Whoever you are...

Global Nomadic is the company that scouts all the volunteering positions (and some paid/internship style positions too!) and then works as your 'customer service' type operation for anything and everything to do with your placement. There are so many countries available, and they are constantly adding small NGO's to the list, so you should definitely check them out. All the fees are commission free and go directly to the NGO... plus it's a fraction of the cost of some of the volunteering positions I've seen elsewhere.

Starfish Language Centre is the service I'll actually be teaching in. It's small, and run in a classroom in Ubud which is in the hills of Bali. There are 55 children enrolled, who learn English there for free. There are also a large number of adult enrolments which are paid for and offset the cost of teaching the local children for free. The centre also offers language courses in Bahasa Indonesia, Japanese and French, and is open for expatriates and locals alike.

Obviously I can't say I know everything about these two companies/services, because I am yet to complete my placement, but at this point in time I am so happy with all the support all the co-ordinators have given me. Anyway, that's enough.

Frustrations!

I have, yet again, wasted an entire weekend (or close to it) looking endlessly at accommodation websites. It's really getting frustrating, and it's not only getting to me either! I'm so sure my friend Julia will actually slap me if I complain to her again, especially since she helped me with a significant culling of options in my oversized favourites album... Sorry Jewelz!

The other person getting a little peeved is the boyfriend. And he has good reason as well, being that I'm actually trying to accommodate him too! He'll be in Bali with me for my last week, but at this rate, we'll be waking up to the smell of balinese offerings being placed next to our heads on the footpath!

It's not that I'm super fussy or anything, I'm just one of those people that waits for a vibe. You know, I do it when I'm clothes shopping, or well... doing anything with my money really. And searching for a place to stay when I go overseas is kind of the epitome of this obsession. I literally have about 200 different places saved in that unholy folder above my task bar. And for every one of those, I have probably rejected at least another 20- each! I've been searching for so long that I've started clicking links that I've already looked at, and not even realising it. Seriously. Driving. Me. Mad.

On the other hand, I'm a lover of lists. Anything that calls for a list, I have probably already made it. Heck, even if it doesn't call for a list, I've probably secretly made a list and hidden it somewhere so you won't know my dirty secret. Finding accommodation for Bali is one of those less shameful excuses for a list, and have written a few. Trouble is, I start writing and then get frustrated that nothing is jumping out and me, then I stop. Correction, I have a few unfinished and completely scrappy looking lists. Hmmm, seems this is even getting the best of my list writing ability.

I will find something. Soon. Only 155 days to go... :)

The Lowdown, and the Countdown.

When I was creating this blog, I was faced with a minor dilemma. What to name it... I tried to be witty, and play around with words that could include my name- but then it all just came out sounding tacky. Which, actually, if you know me probably would have suited just perfectly. But then I thought about why I was writing this blog.

Bali.

Yep- I am leaving my hometown of Adelaide, Australia, to live (just for a month, don't get too sad Adelaide) in a small, mountain village in Bali. There, I am going to be spending my days teaching English to children at a newly established community language school called "Starfish Language Centre".

Now, I am by no means claiming that this trip (or specifically, this blog) will be interesting to anybody reading out there in cyber space. Nope, this is simply about giving myself something to do. I like being around people, so I am sure that some point in time during my trip I will get lonely/bored and I hope this blog gives me something to do. Oh, and perhaps my Mum and Dad will check here to make sure I'm still alive. :)

So, that's basically it for the time being. I still have exactly 162 days until I leave, and any other blog postings I do before then are likely to be about planning the trip, or simply procrastinating from uni studies.

Ah, and to answer that question- Why frangipani and clove? Well... I thought about my last two trips to Bali, and one of the lasting memories was that sweet and enchanting smell. So unique to bali, that I can easily smell it on pieces of clothing worn by people when they get back. Or sometimes just a waft inside of my luggage. Perfect!