volunteer work in Bali

I have volunteered so many places with so many different projects but this is the longest that I have stayed anywhere and I definitely feel more involved with the longer stay. There is a huge opportunity in this organization at this office for creativity. As I look at the amazing group of people, tourists, that come into the office to talk with me about conservation from all over the world, I am strengthened by their desire to help the planet. Encouraged. A man from Columbia and his wife have no children and want to give money to groups that help wildlife. He doesn’t know if its not too late for the earth but he can give money. A man from Italy wants to organize a fundraiser for us. A young full of hope student from Atlanta works with a network of concerned students at home and will see how they can help us. A man from Ca. is going to see about doing a documentary about the need to develop eco-tourism in Sumatra. Let’s see who else? A teacher from MI has a grant to interview people working for conservation all over the earth…so that she can go home and reinspire her students that they really can make a difference. She taped an interview with me. Aussie woman who picks a new NGO each year and donates to them, gives their items to her family and friends as gifts and educates the young children in her family. Almost every day someone comes into the office to ask about what we are doing and how they can help! Dewi,the young woman who works at the office, says there are more now…because I am friendly people like to talk.:) We also worked on the outside look of the office, a German volunteer Volker, helped us design a cool banner and encouraged us to make the outside more inviting. Dewi and our new volunteer from Oz, Sophie, hung orangutan photos, got another new banner, put out a display for out t-shirts and sure enough he was right…more people, more t-shirt sales. We have a woman who will sell our t-shirts back home. I bet there are some shops you know…eco-friendly …that would carry our t-shirts as well.
I am still writing articles about conservation and eco-tourism and we’ll see if they work to wake up people to the issues. All of this work has been rewarding for me, challenging and at times frustrating. Maybe even more than frustrating is a better word! We visited our first school last Friday to do an orangutan conservation talk to 10 yr olds. From the days of Discovery Toys, I made a matching card game with orangutan photos and facts. It’s a hit.There is a ton more we could do there. I wish I spoke Indonesian. We need to find someone who can do these short talks at the schools here in Bali. I think the office here could use an education volunteer as well as a fundraising volunteer and then an organizing campaigns volunteer. Learning learning learning….the beauty of volunteering…learning.
As life here in Bali continues,..my goodness its my 4th month Madge!...I’ve gotten into a rather nice weekend rut. I go to Ari for my foot massage that is the most healing thing I do. She is the size of a peanut with hands of steel and slowly works through all the reflexology points. Yesterday I went to a new salon…all Indonesians go there…for a crème bath. That is the hair shampoos with massage and crème on your hair. They give the most amazing head massages…indescribable. She worked on all the points on my head with pressure and those same fingers of steel. Head to toe. The middle just takes care of itself with yoga. But this place only charges 17,000 Rupiah. Oh, my gosh, that is about $1.70! I was embarrassed to have it be so little. The spa in town that caters to tourists charges 80,000-110,000.

An Aussie family told me that you can live in Bali like a millionaire and that is true. There are things that I could never afford to do at home and here they are weekly. Makes for a lot of expats! Today is manicure and pedicure as it is time for a change from the gorgeous green toenails--but what color now I am deeply appreciative of the library which has an amazing group of Asian books that I would never get to at home. I love that every night I read. Now reading The Becoming of Madame Mao…absolutely so good. All of this stuff, the smiling people, the being in the day, walking home and having my neighborhood…Penglategan…kids out playing badminton on the street…it is a really good environment to balance the weekly problems of how to get more people involved in caring about the planet. What now seems so obvious to me about taking an active role in helping the environment wasn’t always so. So how to bring more people on board. This is my weekly frustration at the office when I read about cruelty to orangutans, I just have to breathe and think of how to change that. Humans can bring it up a notch and do more than we are doing. It’s awareness first and then action.
I read this thing that China has finally passed us in the US in carbon emissions but then I read the find print. Per person China emits 5.1 tons…..India is just 1.8 tons and then the next number made me gasp. The U.S. is responsible for 19.4 tons for each person! 19.4 tons each? The EU is only 8.6 tons. It’s just too much. Especially because when I ‘m home I don’t even KNOW how I am emitting these damn Carbon Emissions. Alright my car…but what else? Is it all my car or is there something else that I am doing that I need to at least be AWARE of? No more closed eyes living for me. Dang! I just can’t stand that I am screwing up the environment more than 2 times as much as my friends in Europe and I am doing it out of ignorance.
So, there you have it. Awareness first. Very few of us really want to hurt the air, the rainforest, the orangutans but ignorance is bliss and apparently also really hurts. So, now that I am aware………..it’s kicking my ass into action. And that is what I want to do here with this great NGO…..bring awareness first and then follow it with action. It is intense work. I care so much. I really want orangutans to catch a break and live on. Extinction is so fucking final. So I’m in….hoping that my drop in the ocean of caring adds energy to the cause.
Of course I want to do that in between foot massages, crème baths, cooking classes, yoga classes, batik classes, meditating and watching kites fly. (It is kite flying season and the sky is full of simple, beautiful kites).
And we are coming up to cremation time as well. Every 5 years each village cremates their dead that have been buried for the last 5 years. Yes, they bring up their caskets, wash the bones and then cremate them. We are coming up to July cremation month. It’s a big time deal. It is expensive and elaborate to create this ceremony and the every 5 years is the way villages afford it. Every temple is busy on the weekend making the most amazing things….I saw bamboo horses yesterday being made, a 3 story high bamboo structure getting built for the prince this month, everyone is making massive numbers of offering baskets. There are enormous things that need to get done. I have no ideas what to expect. Today is a day off i am getting a new flashy color on my toes, I am buying a sarong and sash to get ready!
So, there you have it. Let me know how you are doing…and do check out your carbon emissions...where the hell are those things coming from!!