Steiner Families

[New Shell]

Hi, my family are moving to Bali and we were hoping to find a Steiner/Waldorf kindergarten or Playgroup. We are based in Ubud, I have done a bit of reasurch and it seems a few groups (Pelangi, Green School) are Steiner based but I would love to find something that is solely Steiner. Any suggestions would be very much appreciated. Even homeschool groups if they exhist.

I would also love to meet like minded families, my daughters are 9 months and 4 years. We are moving in 5 weeks and are from the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria, Australia.

 

[Markit]

I am always interested to find out what peculiar type of egotism motivates people like you to expose the things you should love the most, your tiny children, to arguably one of the worst education systems going at a time when they are at their most formative?

You write "I have done a bit of reasurch". If it was me and I was landing in Ubud in 5 fecking weeks I would have done more than a "bit of reasurch" into something that will dictate the future of my children and their lifelong well-being.

Have you really thought this through?

Oh, and before you say it - yes, I am an asshole.

 

[potto]

Hahaha Markit
I know that the truth hurts, but I think you just beat her with it.:eagerness:

 

[ferdie]

Markit : I never met someone who's so proud being an as*hole :icon_e_smile: but you get straight to the point

For me the development of a child is more about the parents nurturing them before their kids go to elementary school, so I didn't really know the big deal about kids going to school at such early age

I think both school is the best options in Ubud, unless you would live a little bit down South.

Both are good enough, only green school is more expensive, don't rush enrolling your kid to school, let them settle for some time in Ubud while you get to know the people in Ubud and learn their experience with the schools here

 

[SHoggard]

@ ferdie;
I think markit was (in his own inimitable way) questioning the entire validity of bringing children of that age (daughters, 9 months and 4 years) from Australia to live in Bali where the Western creature comforts...such as scrupluious (or even basic) hygiene in cafes/restaurants, malaria and all the other air & water-bourne diseases that exist, odd bugs & plants that cause raw weeping rashes, lack of immediate access to medical care and legitimate (not knock off-medicine), sensible traffic regulations & drivers (think kids crossing roads) etc etc... are taken for granted.

I think that whether it is a Steiner, Montessori, Green or whatever colour & shade of School you can think of is really immaterial, these types of post crop up here on a regular basis & I just don't get it.

What on earth possesses these people to bring babies to live (not holiday in western-style hotels splashing gleefully in the pool)... but live, grow-up, be educated in Bali and somehow expect them to then readjust to Western normality - if they survive.

Bali is a great place, but its a place for grown-ups and the late-teenage discovery years not for babies.
(& before I'm misunderstood, yes Balinese & Indonesians also have babies, but they also 'know the basic life-support systems' and have extended families to fall back on which the OP won't)

Markit got the word right 'egotism' possibly I'd add the word 'self-centered'

 

[Natasha]

What on earth possesses these people to bring babies to live (not holiday in western-style hotels splashing gleefully in the pool)... but live, grow-up, be educated in Bali and somehow expect them to then readjust to Western normality - if they survive.

I think there are far worse places in the world to be raising children than Bali. Ever been to an inner city school in the USA?-- metal detectors, school shootings, drugs, gangs, and abnormally high drop out rates...

 

[SHoggard]

I think there are far worse places in the world to be raising children than Bali. Ever been to an inner city school in the USA?-- metal detectors, school shootings, drugs, gangs, and abnormally high drop out rates...

Absolutely right, Natasha, thre are worse places in the world than Bali, try bringing up a kid in Kabul, Bagdad, Gaza strip, the Gorbals in Glasgow or any other inner-city urban jungle - the people who live there tend not to be there by choice, but circumstance, and even there they have the infrastructure & family support network to get them through.

But that's is not the point: The OP is choosing to bring a baby and a toddler from (what looks to be) the decidedly middle class Mornington Peninsula in Victoria to live in Ubud based on "a bit of reasurch'
I could be wrong it might be a ghetto on the outskirts of notoriously violent Melbourne with metal detectors, school shootings, drugs, gangs, and abnormally high drop out rates... in which case I can understand the need for a Steiner school... I wouldn't know having never been there myself, but from this website it doesn't look like it: Visit Mornington Peninsula - The Official Website of Mornington Peninsula Tourism

 

[Natasha]

Absolutely right, Natasha, thre are worse places in the world than Bali, try bringing up a kid in Kabul, Bagdad, Gaza strip, the Gorbals in Glasgow or any other inner-city urban jungle - the people who live there tend not to be there by choice, but circumstance, and even there they have the infrastructure & family support network to get them through.

But that's is not the point: The OP is choosing to bring a baby and a toddler from (what looks to be) the decidedly middle class Mornington Peninsula in Victoria to live in Ubud based on "a bit of reasurch'
I could be wrong it might be a ghetto on the outskirts of notoriously violent Melbourne with metal detectors, school shootings, drugs, gangs, and abnormally high drop out rates... in which case I can understand the need for a Steiner school... I wouldn't know having never been there myself, but from this website it doesn't look like it: Visit Mornington Peninsula - The Official Website of Mornington Peninsula Tourism

I agree with your concern about OP planning to move her toddler and child to Bali and has only done 'a bit of research!' A lot of people have dream's and expectations that don't always match the reality of the situation, and things do need to be thoroughly thought through and planned. But in your original comment, quote:

"What on earth possesses these people to bring babies to live (not holiday in western-style hotels splashing gleefully in the pool)... but live, grow-up, be educated in Bali and somehow expect them to then readjust to Western normality - if they survive."

I feel this is quite extreme, and personally, I take offense to your statement. My husband and I live in Bali and are expecting our first baby soon. My husband is Indonesian so obviously we do have the 'safety-net and support' of his huge family here in Bali, but I am a westerner, with western values and western standards and expectations and want to give our child(ren) every opportunity possible! I have to say I'm really looking forward to raising our child(ren) here. Bali is an amazing place! Ya, the school system isn't great here, and therefore it's up to the parents to take responsibility and get involved with participating in their children's education and development. School systems aren't great in western countries either! I feel there are a lot of strengths to Bali and it being a safe, wonderful, magical place for children to grow-up and develop.

 

[SHoggard]

I feel this is quite extreme, and personally, I take offense to your statement. My husband and I live in Bali and are expecting our first baby soon. My husband is Indonesian so obviously we do have the 'safety-net and support' of his huge family here in Bali, but I am a westerner, with western values and western standards and expectations and want to give our child(ren) every opportunity possible! I have to say I'm really looking forward to raising our child(ren) here. Bali is an amazing place! Ya, the school system isn't great here, and therefore it's up to the parents to take responsibility and get involved with participating in their children's education and development. School systems aren't great in western countries either! I feel there are a lot of strengths to Bali and it being a safe, wonderful, magical place for children to grow-up and develop.

Please don't be offended, I don't see any connection with the OP's plan and your experience - you moved to Bali with your husband and have many many valid reasons for living and bringing up your children in Bali, it's your husband's home, for one.
And I agree with absolutely everything you've said about the school system & parental responsibility & the 'safety-net and support' of his huge family here in Bali will be there when you need it.
Your children, like my daughter, will grow up stradelling two cultures, they'll have older cousins to play with and look out for them and help navigate the more complex aspects of Balinese culture, and if all else fails they can ask daddy.

BUT to relocate 2 babies (well 1 + toddler) from the Melbourne suburbs to Bali on the back of a 'bit or resurch' seems a risky venture indeed.
I simply have to question the parent's motives.

 

[Markit]

I seem to have "lit blue touch paper" here and I really did not mean to bow out or "stand well back" to belabor the firework metaphor but I really can't think of much to add to Shoggard's explanations except that I agree with them whole-heatedly. Having raised a baby I try and imagine it getting sick with something common here such as ohhh say Dengue fever. I take it to the the Indonesian doc who speaks shit English, why should he speak better we are in his country. We then try to start the diagnosis with a baby that can't tell us what it's got anymore than we can tell the doctor. Following the story so far? Sound possible? Sound like it will have a happy ending? No, me neither. And all this because that poor kid has a flaky parent that thinks it would be soooo cool to live in Bali and raise the kids there. It will be so enlightening! Boy, I wish someone had told the parents it might not be such a brilliant idea and to perhaps go back to the drawing board. Someone who doesn't wear the blinkers of mindless liberalism and chooses to ignore the salient points in the argument to present an altogether different case as if it were the same.

Natasha lets talk again after you've given birth shall we? Most of us here are working on the grand children so might have a bit more of an idea about the whole bringing up kids BS. Or?

 

[spicyayam]

Balinese love kids and you will get a lot of attention where you go. I find it a lot of fun and I think it will certainly have a positive influence on your kid's growing up. For sure there are risks like dengue, but you just need to take extra care. Markit you have a point about doctors and health care in general and it is something you need to think about, but dealing with general illnesses is manageable. I don't know about the latest conditions, but Frankston has its share of drug problems.

 

[ferdie]

I think the whole focus has changed from the school to the health

Bali has a lot to catch up on a lot of issues, but why with the attitude?

Most of the people who join the forum also lives in Bali and has a loooot of complaints about the situation here, but just like what my father said about me :"You always complain about how "ndeso/primitive" is Ubud, but yet every time you go to Jakarta, you missed Ubud??"
I guess I can't really say anything about the OP plans to move to Bali since a lot of people including me also had the same idea, so the best thing is just be supportive and gave them heads up about the situation nowadays.

I think the ones who has more health concern is the elder generations, no offense intended, the kids are resilience and has a tremendous ability to adapt to the environment, the parents has to put extra effort concerning hygiene and safety, but just like natasha's post, its up to the parents to make it works and its do-able.

 

[SHoggard]

Of course you're right, Ferdie, the OP will do what she(or he) wants to do, I just hope that this thread serves as a reminder that Ubud is not a northern suburb of Darwin

 

[Rangi]

Food allergies - how to deal with in Bali?

I'm wondering if anyone on the forum has food allergies that they've had a challenge dealing with in Bali, and how they've managed to handle it. We're planning to move to Bali in July 2013 and our ten-year-old has a severe allergy to several kinds of nuts (most severely to peanuts). We...

balipod.com

This was one of the most concerning threads about someone wanting to bring their child to live here with peanut allergies. The mind really dose boggle what some people are thinking.

 

[SHoggard]

Agree Rangi.

Here's a scary fairly recent blog post by a Balipoder (pollyanna) Thankful, Hopeful, Here and Now | Bali Hai

 

[New Shell]

What was intended to be a little "hi there" to other like minded families has turned into quite a heated topic. I am very familiar with Bali and it's ways. My family have been involved in businesses over there with a very close relative being a resident, so I can assure you I do know what I am getting myself into, but I appreciate you concern all the same. My daughter is not of school age and will not be so until 2 years time. A few people seem to be quite concerned that I have only done "a little bit of research" into my daughters kindergarten. As much as I think kindergarten plays an important role in a child's life I don't think it warrants stressing over if I have not found "the one" before I arrive in Bali. I have however done extensive research on all aspects of living in Bali for my family and I feel confident that we will enjoy a healthy and happy time in Bali.

My invitation still stands if there are any groups who are interested in catching up once we are in Bali.

 

[ferdie]

Food allergies - how to deal with in Bali?

I'm wondering if anyone on the forum has food allergies that they've had a challenge dealing with in Bali, and how they've managed to handle it. We're planning to move to Bali in July 2013 and our ten-year-old has a severe allergy to several kinds of nuts (most severely to peanuts). We...

balipod.com

This was one of the most concerning threads about someone wanting to bring their child to live here with peanut allergies. The mind really dose boggle what some people are thinking.

I met this kid going to Pelangi school in Ubud, he has a severe allergy to peanut and he brings his medicine shot anywhere he goes and he warned every new acquaintance that he met about it and very cautious about his food, its heartbreaking for me to see a small kid living so cautiously about his food like a catwalk model:love-struck:.

I think a year has past and he live a colorful and happy live in Ubud and his friends also looks out for him, so I think some people has their own problems and they have to manage to deal with them, its a pity I haven't join this forum earlier because I would have told the OP about peanut allergies to contact the boys parents for more info.

 

[SHoggard]

Maybe it is the OP's kid you met

 

[Markit]

Hi, my family are moving to Bali and we were hoping to find a Steiner/Waldorf kindergarten or Playgroup. We are based in Ubud, I have done a bit of reasurch and it seems a few groups (Pelangi, Green School) are Steiner based but I would love to find something that is solely Steiner. Any suggestions would be very much appreciated. Even homeschool groups if they exhist.

I would also love to meet like minded families, my daughters are 9 months and 4 years. We are moving in 5 weeks and are from the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria, Australia.

You are probably a sweet, youngish woman with 2 lovely children and since I've already outed myself as an asshole and gotten the agreement from the rest of the forum to that fact let me compound my sins by referring to both of your mails and say:

Whatever you do, do not, I repeat DO NOT, move with your Indonesian husband back to Bali. I have now met upwards of 50 women (actually lost count) that have done the exact same thing.

Would you like to take a stab at how many of them have a happy story to tell of their experiences?

Let me spell it out. In your country your Indonesian husband is probably attentive, helpful and loving. In his country he will turn into an obnoxious, self-centered, I-am-king asshole. His family will own the kids and you get to pay the bills.

Please don't believe me but ask other women who have trodden that same horrible path.

Unfortunately there are many.

 

[BKT]

Where does it say she has an Indonesian husband?