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!