Steiner Families

[spicyayam]

The general expectation of Balinese here : if the husband come home from the overseas and have a "bule" wife, they will come in and support the big family financially not the other way around

I think this is so true.

If they met in Bali, and she took him to the USA, the extended family will assume she is bule kaya, and the husband will lose face if he (meaning his wife) cannot provide financial assistance to the rest of the family

My wife is Indonesian and she has her own business. People often ask her why she works since she is married to a foreigner. Fortunately I have never been asked to provide financial assistance for her family.

This is not just about foreigner/Balinese relationships, but I have some Balinese friends who have had success in their business and now they have personal problems of their own by getting involved with the wrong people, lending money out - money that was their client's money and then not getting it back.

 

[SHoggard]

@ BJ (post from the other thread:

I think I just found a line of business for my Balinese son-in-law that will need a way to make a living once he returns to Bali... Any takers? Mother-in-law needs nice place with A/C and other western amenities like a refrigerator with lots of ice and diet coke.

I have had this feeling that hubbie & daughter are living with you and I know you're joking in the above thread

I think Markit is wrong when he says " your enemy may be a long term family member" - I suspect in the situation you describe your 'enemy' is your daughter - who is still trying to break free of the nest (hubbie is probably an innocent party & quite confused by the conflict rarely experienced in Asian culture)

Does your son in law have a job in the US, or does he sit around all day bored out of his brain?
Is he quallified in anything?
How good is his English?

Those questions go a long way to solving the problem about how he might feed His family... its entirely possible that he might have beeter job prospects back home than in the LOTBAF

 

[bjbjrowe]

Shoggard, you might be hitting the nail on the head on the "daughter breaking free of the nest" thing. They did live with us for a time when first coming back to US. They have been back in US for 6 years and purchased a their own home - 3 miles from mom & dad, not long after arriving here. According to daughter, it was unbearable living with mom & dad. But I believe she likes a "safety net" close by.

Son-in-law has had a job almost from stepping foot on American soil. I am VERY proud of him because I know that punching a time clock 5 days a week and having a boss has been hard for him. But I know that he is a very hard worker at his job. He is a mechanic at a Vermeer dealership (they deal with construction type equipment such as trenchers, tree shreaders, etc. Was hired to sweep floors but is quick learner and now works on the equipment.

He is also a great badminton player and plays weekly. Has won lots of area tournaments and even started a small coaching program for those that he plays with that wanted him to teach them to be better players.

His English is remarkably good for not speaking English when first meeting my daughter in Bali. In fact, his English is a lot better than you come across when dealing with Mexican employees here that work at McDonald's, etc.

My son-in-law is definitely not perfect but he is a good man. I just know how different the two cultures are and I have major problems trying to figure out the whole workings of Bali's economy when land is so expensive and the wages they earn are so little. Also, and my son-in-law has to see this fact now being out of Bali is the education opportunities for my grandchildren are so limited in Bali.

I could go on and on with all the issues I have but in mainly comes down to the health and welfare of my grandchildren.

 

[Lovegrove]

Sorry to butt in BJ, it sounds like your daughter needs to also take responsibility for her choices in life - she married & started a family with a Balinese partner, if they move back here, of course his obligations/expectations will be entirely different to when he met your daughter "pre" raising the children/grandchildren in a western country. You spoil her, time to grow up daughter - you sound like you already know that!?

 

[Rangi]

Just hope the Husband never dances like this with his western wife

 

[Natasha]

Shoggard, you might be hitting the nail on the head on the "daughter breaking free of the nest" thing. They did live with us for a time when first coming back to US. They have been back in US for 6 years and purchased a their own home - 3 miles from mom & dad, not long after arriving here. According to daughter, it was unbearable living with mom & dad. But I believe she likes a "safety net" close by.

Son-in-law has had a job almost from stepping foot on American soil. I am VERY proud of him because I know that punching a time clock 5 days a week and having a boss has been hard for him. But I know that he is a very hard worker at his job. He is a mechanic at a Vermeer dealership (they deal with construction type equipment such as trenchers, tree shreaders, etc. Was hired to sweep floors but is quick learner and now works on the equipment.

He is also a great badminton player and plays weekly. Has won lots of area tournaments and even started a small coaching program for those that he plays with that wanted him to teach them to be better players.

His English is remarkably good for not speaking English when first meeting my daughter in Bali. In fact, his English is a lot better than you come across when dealing with Mexican employees here that work at McDonald's, etc.

My son-in-law is definitely not perfect but he is a good man. I just know how different the two cultures are and I have major problems trying to figure out the whole workings of Bali's economy when land is so expensive and the wages they earn are so little. Also, and my son-in-law has to see this fact now being out of Bali is the education opportunities for my grandchildren are so limited in Bali.

I could go on and on with all the issues I have but in mainly comes down to the health and welfare of my grandchildren.

I have to say your son-in-law has done really good! I've known many who have moved to western countries with their wives or girlfriends and done absolutely nothing! They are stay-at-home husbands and use the excuse that they don't have working papers so they can't work, or their english is not good enough! They just freeload! Your son-in-law has been able to find himself work, move up the ladder, get new skills, and taught himself english! If they are stubborn about their decision to move to Bali, then perhaps suggest they save some money before going to start a business here, that way he'll hopefully at least make a better income than the average person, especially if he is already used to the wages and lifestyle he's had in the States, it'll be hard to go back to the minimum salary here in Indonesia. I think most would agree the only way to make a decent living in Indonesia is to have your own business, there's no way of making much money here if one is working for someone else.

 

[spicyayam]

They are stay-at-home husbands and use the excuse that they don't have working papers so they can't work, or their english is not good enough! They just freeload!

Sounds a lot like me now.

 

[Markit]

I'll join that club too Spicy.

 

[ghuddo]

Hi New Shell

Did you ever get an answer from anybody re: playgroup/kindy or have you managed to find any?

We are from Noosa. We live in Bali on and off and really love the Steiner education. Our little girl is 4. If you are there and would like to catch up we settle again in March this year. We haven't confirmed a school yet though we love Sunrise so any advice would be helpful.

We are doing at home school and nanny for a little bit and then will decide but would love a playgroup.

Anyway I hope it all went really well for you )

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.

 

[New Shell]

Hi New Shell

Did you ever get an answer from anybody re: playgroup/kindy or have you managed to find any?

We are from Noosa. We live in Bali on and off and really love the Steiner education. Our little girl is 4. If you are there and would like to catch up we settle again in March this year. We haven't confirmed a school yet though we love Sunrise so any advice would be helpful.

We are doing at home school and nanny for a little bit and then will decide but would love a playgroup.

Anyway I hope it all went really well for you )

We have just arrived back in Australia last week! As far as Steiner schools go there is not an authentic one, but there are a few that say they are Steiner inspired (looking into them I was really not sure what part of Steiner they were finding inspiration from). We chose not to attend any as the kindergartens were all 5 days a week for a full day which would have been too much for my little girl. I was going to start a homeschooling group and and started a FB group called Ubud Family Steiner. There are quite a few families on it. I am happy to keep it open so you all can meet each other.

Also if you visitStarseed Children's School Ubud on facebook, this lady is in the planning stage of opening a Steiner school so I would suggest contacting her.

I hope you and your family enjoy the magic of Bali, and good luck finding a kinder that suits you.....also it's a good idea to join the fb page creative playdate Ubud. :icon_smile:

 

[Gurkha]

Steiner system?? The only Steiner I know of is Rolf Steiner who led the mercenary revolt in Bukavu.

 

[alohazoe]

Hi there,

Are you around Bali? I would like to meet up for playgroup. My son is 5.

Cheers and aloha,

Zoe