“Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and I took the one less traveled by.” Those classic words by the American poet, Robert Frost define my years in Bali. It has been one amazing adventure. It has been satisfying beyond my desires. It has fulfilled me in ways I could never have imagined possible.
Bali gives life in such extraordinary ways, and in each case, those ways are seemingly customized to suit each individual. Bali is without doubt the most powerful, magical, and mystical place I have ever lived, and I could not imagine living anywhere else in this world.
The greatest gift bestowed upon me is my Balinese wife. In our marriage, we have been blessed with three sons. It is her love, understanding and patience for me, absent of any pressure that most accounts for my happiness. The second greatest gift is my wife’s family who have embraced me as their own and guided me to be finally accepted in my village. Then there is my Guru, my Balian, half Dutch, half Balinese who himself is plagued by being in between two cultures. Without him, this transition to re-think and understand my cultural past while trying to absorb and assimilate into a completely opposite culture would not have been possible.
This road I have traveled was not without its challenges and pitfalls. Bali…she is paradise and she is hell. Bali nurtures, Bali destroys. Bali is life, Bali is death. Bali is erotically intoxicating, and brutally sobering. Bali is the extreme of what would be right and what would be wrong, what is pleasure and what is pain. Bali is the source of the ultimate lessons to be learned in life, and the ultimate source of punishment and agony. For certain, Bali is never to be taken lightly, nor will she be ignored.
Over the years, I have known many expats that have come and gone, like the ebb and flow of the tide. The overriding reason for their failure was in not understanding that as Bali gives, one must give back. How one gives back is entirely a personal decision and should never be influenced by the suggestions of others. The answers to the question, “how to give back” eventually becomes crystal clear to each and every individual. Beyond that advice, there is no way I would presume to offer suggestions on how to make it in Bali. Each person is unique, and each expat’s experience in Bali is also unique.
As for my boys, they are being raised as Balinese, which is just what I want. My desire is not to see them grow in an environment which is threatening, dangerous, suspicious or non spiritual. Moreover, in Bali, children are essentially raised by the village, as well as the parents and grandparents, and I like that. The sense of community is largely gone in my home country, but it thrives here in Bali.
My only regret is that I didn’t move here sooner, but then again, perhaps I wasn’t really ready until the time I did move here. For certain, I’ll never know, but I don’t really care either. I’d rather savor each day and keep looking forward to many more.
Bali gives life in such extraordinary ways, and in each case, those ways are seemingly customized to suit each individual. Bali is without doubt the most powerful, magical, and mystical place I have ever lived, and I could not imagine living anywhere else in this world.
The greatest gift bestowed upon me is my Balinese wife. In our marriage, we have been blessed with three sons. It is her love, understanding and patience for me, absent of any pressure that most accounts for my happiness. The second greatest gift is my wife’s family who have embraced me as their own and guided me to be finally accepted in my village. Then there is my Guru, my Balian, half Dutch, half Balinese who himself is plagued by being in between two cultures. Without him, this transition to re-think and understand my cultural past while trying to absorb and assimilate into a completely opposite culture would not have been possible.
This road I have traveled was not without its challenges and pitfalls. Bali…she is paradise and she is hell. Bali nurtures, Bali destroys. Bali is life, Bali is death. Bali is erotically intoxicating, and brutally sobering. Bali is the extreme of what would be right and what would be wrong, what is pleasure and what is pain. Bali is the source of the ultimate lessons to be learned in life, and the ultimate source of punishment and agony. For certain, Bali is never to be taken lightly, nor will she be ignored.
Over the years, I have known many expats that have come and gone, like the ebb and flow of the tide. The overriding reason for their failure was in not understanding that as Bali gives, one must give back. How one gives back is entirely a personal decision and should never be influenced by the suggestions of others. The answers to the question, “how to give back” eventually becomes crystal clear to each and every individual. Beyond that advice, there is no way I would presume to offer suggestions on how to make it in Bali. Each person is unique, and each expat’s experience in Bali is also unique.
As for my boys, they are being raised as Balinese, which is just what I want. My desire is not to see them grow in an environment which is threatening, dangerous, suspicious or non spiritual. Moreover, in Bali, children are essentially raised by the village, as well as the parents and grandparents, and I like that. The sense of community is largely gone in my home country, but it thrives here in Bali.
My only regret is that I didn’t move here sooner, but then again, perhaps I wasn’t really ready until the time I did move here. For certain, I’ll never know, but I don’t really care either. I’d rather savor each day and keep looking forward to many more.
