Selamat Datang!

Welcome to Bali everyone!

Though our plane ride seemed endless, I was able to snag a window seat and watch as we flew over the beautiful tropical islands of the Southeast Asian Pacific. As we approached Bali, I could see hundreds of dolphins splashing about below us. My first breath of the humid air was shocking and made me panic a little. The air is so thick here, stepping off the plane was like walking into a sauna. We spent the next 45 minutes waiting in line to get our passports stamped with visas and searching for our luggage. Felice was waiting for us with her driver, Wayan, when we walked out of the airport. Wayan loaded our bags and drove us to the town of Legion to the hotel we would stay at for the next week. This first car ride in Bali was fairly nerve racking. The lines on the tiny, windy roads mean virtually nothing to Balinese drivers. There are no road signs or stoplights. Vans, small SUVs and motorbikes swerve in, out and around each other, honking occasionally to let their fellow roadsters know they are coming. The U.S. road rules would be considered outrageous to the Balinese driver. However, our driver Wayan was as cautious as the come in Bali. HE will most likely be the person to help us out when Felice leaves. We checked into our hotel, the Melasti (which was coincidentally the hotel Linds and Steph stayed at when they visited Bali), jumped in the pool to cool off and then crashed—exhausted from our journey and the tropical humidity.

The next morning, we followed Felice down the narrow, broken sidewalks to a little café where we ordered coffee and bowls of fresh tropical fruit. Both were the best I’ve ever had. The fruit here is unbelievably juicy and flavorful. My first real interaction with the Balinese people was with our servers that morning. They actually tried to buy us off of Felice. “I have one American dollar” one of them offered. However, Felice wasn’t willing to give us up for anything less than 4 sheep and a goat. So, they settled for a picture with us and a few laughs. After breakfast, Felice had to attend to the construction a her villa in Ubud (the reason we were staying at a hotel on the beach), so she dropped us off at a spa and bought us each a two hour massage, a body scrub and a flower bath…talk about living like royalty. It was the perfect remedy for jetlag. Three hours later, we left the spa dazed and decided to test our bargaining skills at the street markets. Talking the vendors down to at least half price for all these authentic Balinese items seemed rather impressive to me. Come to find out, half is too much and I was actually getting ripped off. So, the next time I shopped I was fairly ruthless. I’ve learned to start very low, raise a bit and they don’t like my price, walk away. Almost every time they will call you back and give you what you want. Thought both parties enjoy bargaining, I don’t mind paying a little too much because everything is extra cheap here anyway. 100,000 Indonesian Rupeeah, which is much more than a day’s wage in Bali, is only about 10 U.S. dollars. Quite a significant gap. While we waited for Felice to return, we played in the pool and ordered cocktails at the swim-up bar. We made our first Aussie friend, who apparently adores American accents. Fun fact…I’ve only met one other American in Bali. The majority of the tourists are Australians and Asians. I found out later, the surprising lack of American tourists is due to the two bombings that occurred in Bali in 2002. Considering Indonesia holds the world’s largest Muslim population and Bali is largely Hindu, the island was dubbed a terrorist playground by the U.S. government and is no longer recommended as a vacation hotspot.

When she arrived, Felice took us out to dinner at a little restaurant on the beach. Every time we’ve eaten out it has the equivalent of a gourmet meal in the U.S., but only costs about 5 bucks. Also, the water here is served like a fine wine. The bottle is brought to the table and poured into chilled wine glasses.

The next day, we accepted the fact that the ocean in Bali would be much warmer than that of the Oregon coast and bought surfing lessons. I was able to get up a few times, but I definitely wiped out more. However, we had a blast trying and now we can say we played in the Indian Ocean! I have to say, wiping out was probably one of the best parts anyway. Afterward, Felice insisted on treating us to another spa package. This time it was a twenty-finger massage, reflexology (the belief that every muscle in your body can be relaxed by massaging certain nerves in the feet), a manicure and a pedicure…did I mention Felice has told us we get to be princesses while we’re here? The rest of the evening was spent mastering our bargaining skills and eating another authentic meal.

The following evening we decided to check out the Balinese night life and went to our first foam party. When we arrived at the bar, we ordered some drinks. I think my favorite part of the night was when a maybe 12 year old Aussie boy pulled up next to me at the bar and said “hey, how’s your night going?’ Beer and cigarette in hand. Most people around me found that entertaining as well. We left the bar for a table and were immediately bombarded and severely harassed by an old Aussie fart. I have to say, I’ve never been harassed like I have been here—though more so by foreigners not locals and only in major tourist areas. That alone has opened my eyes a bit. Anyway, the bouncers got involved and we finally finished our drinks in peace and left for the foam party.

A foam party basically consists of a small room that is continuously filling with foam, drunk, soaking Aussies dancing and a few shysters on the side ready to dive and take you out when you’re not looking. I left with what felt like a busted knee and a broken elbow. Katie broke her toe and Meg walked away fairly clean. But the night was an experience and pretty fun on top of it all.

We spent the next day snorkeling. From the boat, the water just looked a green and little murky, but as soon as I put my face in the water I was surrounded by beautiful tropical fish. I saw schools of colorful fish, seastars, seasnakes, eels, etc. a scuba diver gave Katie and me some bread and the fish just swarmed. That was probably one of the most majestic experiences I’ve ever had. When we finished snorkeling the boat took us out to Turtle Island where we got to play turtles, seahorses, a giant fruit bat, an iguana some birds and a monkey. That evening, Katie and I went out again, made some friends and danced all night.

The following day, which would be yesterday, Wayan picked us up and we drove to Ubud. We will be staying here in Felice’s villa—Villa di Sawa—for the remainder of our trip. I like it much more here than at the beach. It is quieter, more traditional, we are further into the jungle/surrounded by rice fields and there are very few tourists and tourist attractions. However, it is way past my bedtime and I need sleep before I can continue.

Wam fuzzies to you all!

Meg

Adventuras mexicanas

SUP SUP!!!!111!1
Not-so-breaking news: I´m in Mexico. Ahorrita, en Sierra Norte de Puebla. But I´m not going to write about this because I´ve only been here for 3 days.

I flew to Mexico City from Puerto Vallarta, where I stayed for threeish weeks. I was living in Bucerias actually, which is located 30 minutes north of Vallarta in Nayarit. I spent my time there volunteering for PEACE Mexico, a spectacular organization with which you should all get acquainted. I lived in the house of two California surfers who have lived in Bucerias for 20+years. They still don´t speak very good Spanish. It was pretty plush, a cute old-Vallarta cottage with a little pool in the backyard (yes, I hosted many pool parties).

I came to Vallarta to help with the women´s coop, but, funny how things change, I spent most of my time working at the free spay and neuter clinics. For 4 days at a time we would set up a clinic in either a house, store, or government building in one of the little pueblos close to Bucerias and spend the days operating on local cats and dogs. My job usually consisted of the pre-op, giving the patients tranquilizers, and then anethesia, antibiotics, and painkillers. I also got to use my dog grooming skillzzz (I never thought those would come in handy!) to cut the hair around the incision areas. But I did get to help with a few operations and let me just say that the machos (males) are a lot easier. Less parts. I thorougly enjoyed myself at the clinics and made some really good, and silly (SCORE) friends.

I did work with the women as well. Some locals get together and craft 3 days a week together and do solo projects at home for extra money because they are all housewives. They can bring their kids to the workshops, and I think most of them participate primarily for the gossip. They like to gossip about each other from across the table, which is always fun. There were 2 business minded ladies I got to know as well, and they want to start small businesses with future microloans from PEACE. They make picture frames, jewelry, newspaper bags, pottery, etc. The list goes on. PEACE sells their products at the store in Punta de Mita and its kiosk in the Vallarta airport. I liked getting to know the women and it was interesting for me to see how much child-bearing was a part of their lives. Practically all of it, that is. Some of them were 25 and already had 3 kids. It makes me thankful that in the States it isn´t unheard of to be single at 30.

Hmm I have a lot more to say but I have to go. I wanted to fill you guys in a bit though. Don´t think I´m not thinking of you because I am, all the time. Paz y amor friends!

Elsa

OCF

Go to the fruit salad booth by main stage! I worked there the last three summers.

Frisco burger's are awesome too.

I hope you go!

turtles and sea lions!

First of all I am so happy for you Meg, how cool that you are in Bali already!!! Please keep us posted.

I am at the Galapagos which has been so good. I have been working here for a week translating for a group of journalism students from U of O. They are really good people and talking to them just reminds me of the awesome/crazy times we had in Eugene!

Translating has not just meant that but also to join them in all their trips so today we went to the "kicker rock" close to San Cristobal where I am and we snorkelled and swam with sharks, sea turtles, colorful fish and very very playful baby sealions... it is really good! I was getting tired of the city already.

This adventure however is very short, I arrived last Sunday and will go back to Quito tomorrow. On Monday I will be working for a teacher that just started "community tourism" and I will be teaching some spanish for students that come from the U.S and then we will go to the subtropical forest for a couple of days (to Mindo). After that, which is a week, I will start a formal internship in Quito, I just got accepted in one that I applied. I wish I coud stay in Galapagos for longer though...

I really wish we could all be here, I am serious, we should organize a trip to the Galapagos, we can do some volunteering and also visit and have a great time!!! Ok, please keep that in the back ( or really present) of your mind!

Send you all a big sea lion hug!

BREAKING NEWS!

I'm in Bali!

More on this story later....

a million ways to be COOOL

Dinosaur Day

I am on the' special day' committee at camp.

So obviously I am creating "Dinosaur Day".


All the best,

Hales.

Don't FORGET the small stuff..

My superb friends,

I've just caught up on reading all your blog entries (I had very limited access to the internet on the rural Oregon coast) and I am so happy to see everyone's summer has had one adventure or another already.

Life at the coast has been simple. So far, every day has consisted of either working at Wanda's Cafe as a line cook, or in the garden with my mom. Most often, I spend the afternoon on the beach (rain or shine) running, meeting shoobies (a local name for the tourists), walking around and taking the bus. One day I met a guy from Texas on the beach. He told me he just dropped what he was doing at home and took off by himself to see the Northwest. It was a journey of personal discovery, I believe. He described the Oregon coast as a mix between Jurassic Park and the Garden of Eden. As he put it, he was just "waiting to see Adam ride out of the dunes on a T-rex." I have never heard anyone describe the coast that way. A couple friends have come to visit me. It was great to spend time with some of my Bearcat buddies. Home is always much more interesting when you have a new face to show it to.

Besides living simply, I have been working on finishing up all the details before I travel abroad. After much confusion and several phone calls to the Danish Consulate in New York, I finally got all the paperwork in order for my residency permit application and sent it in with my passport. What a load off my chest! The "details" were over....

Or so I thought. This past Saturday night (about 1 in the morning), a week before I leave for Bali, I was dreaming peacefully. Suddenly I opened my eyes and said "oh, shit." My realization? I sent my passport to the Danish Consulate in New York. This is required, because they have to issue the permit in the original passport. Well, I can't go anywhere without a passport, so at 1 in the morning that Saturday night, Bali seemed like a scary impossibility. Naturally, I called a few people to call me down and, though they were half asleep, they did so a bit. Monday morning I called the Danish Consulate and the staff was very helpful. They overnighted me my passport and even issued me my residence permit! That process usually takes 2 to 3 months, but they did it for me in 2 weeks. At the end, everything worked out perfectly. The moral of the story, my friends, is don't sweat the small stuff...but don't forget it either.

Presently I am visiting a few friends and family members around Portland and Salem before my flight on Sunday. Now I really feel like I can be excited!

I will most likely have access to the internet in Bali, so I will try to keep you all updated. I also have an email list for those who are not on the blog. Let me know if you'd like to be on that too.

Safe travels, happy adventures and warm weather!

Love Meg

Home could be more welcoming

...but then again, everybody reports that and misses Willamette. The first thing I noticed was that prices of groceries have risen fifty per cent on average. There went one thing I was happy about in Estonia! One of the first days, after already having witnessed way too many people quarreling or drunk or both on the streets, I ended up in a "stand" -- a confrontational situation with the potential to develop into violence. The opener for this was, of all things, my cowboy hat. As it most often happens, the situation dissolved peacefully -- the opposites are close to each other in the Russian psyche. It is probably unnecessary to mention that this was the last I wore the hat.

But I also notice the beautiful things. Summer nights that should properly be called prolonged twilights, for it only goes dark for an hour or so, nights that invite you to walk out with friends and have some deep conversation. The fountain of kissing students at Tartu Town Hall Square has gotten some new and prettier lighting.

shhh.... I'll tell you a secret

I finally got a job!

As those of you who I have been talking to via telephone lately know, I have been searching high and low for any type of employment in the Rogue Valley and have been shut down too many times to count. But, thanks to the mother of all things sexy and volumptuous, Victorias Secret just hired me as their new sales associate.

Now this job may not seem like a great fit for me, the girl who hasn't shaved her legs in a year and a half and often goes braless under cotton shirts, but in a way it falls in place behind the couple years I have been involved in women's issues. I have been an active participant in SHE and am a SARA at Willamette, so if a bra is helping to hoist up tits and a woman's self confidence then I guess I'm doing a great service.

So here's a funny little antecdote about my interview. It was a "group" interview, but really it was just me and one other girl. We were waiting around to go in the back room to be interviewed and this other girl, Leticia, was very feminine, all dolled up and wearing LOTS of make up. We started to chat in the store, and I asked her if she had any retail experience. "No, I work at a salon right now...but I haven't done anything like this before. Do you?" "No," I responded, "I have only had jobs in food service." "Oh? That's cool, like around Medford?"
"yeah...I worked at Cold Stone in Medford, and then last summer I worked in a restaurant in England."
"OOOhhhhhhh.....! wooowww.....coool...," she breathed in a syruppy sweet high pitched voice. "Thats so cool...so did you like, learn the language?"

....

"uhh....English?.... I was in England..." I clarified, confused thinking maybe she didn't hear where I had been.
"yeah...or ... wherever you were...?" she continued to look at me questioningly, waiting for my response to "did i learn the language."

"uhmm they speak English in England. I was in England."
"ooohh yeahh, huh?... but like, with an accent or something..."

Just then we were called in for our interview. We both got the job.

It's going to be a long summer in retail. Later I think I'll tell her I know what Victoria's Secret is. She's a lesbian.

baja or edinburgh?

I was planning on going to Baja for a NOLS course this Fall - a lot of you have heard me rant about this already. The NEW news is, I found out this week that I got accepted to a really rad program through the University of Edinburgh, a program from which I was certain I would be rejected. Basically, I would be interning with a member of Scottish Parliament for the semester. Students take five weeks of classes, basically a crash course, on Scottish and European government systems, then get lined up with a parliament member that matches their interests. The next 10 weeks are spent on an independent research project with the aid of an MSP. They even have two Green Party members right now...

It's a really tough decision, so if anyone has any wisdom to unload on me, pleeease do so stat. ASAP. pronto. Because for one, I need to decide soon, and two, fish may come any day now, and when that shit hits the fan, my life will be just shy of hell.

PS- Connections

Oh, I forgot to mention- I met a Willamette alum the other day who had Bill Duval right after he started teaching! We both talked about how great he was for a while on the tour. I also met a lady from Helena, Montana who knows Hilde's dad!! Sometimes the world feels so small...
Love to all of you! Hope your adventures & summers are going well- I love reading about them!

Antarctica?

One of my challenges at this job, since the tour is very much the same every single day, is to learn one new thing or be exposed to one new perspective on the world each day. This usually comes from talking to some of the hundred or so people that come through each day, to the captain or crew I'm working with, or from reading at night when I'm off work.

The other night, I had a crew of friends over to my campsite as a late birthday celebration. I ended up having a really interesting conversation with one of the guys who works on the island where our boat stops every night for dinner. He had just finished working in Antarctica for the winter (their summer) and then traveling around in New Zealand before coming up here. New Zealand! I've always wanted to go there! I had never met anyone who's been to Antarctica before, so I was really interested. If anyone's looking for an adventure for about 6 months, a job down there would be quite a choice of employment. Hey, that sounds like me. Anyways, Kevin was telling me about his time down there and it sounded- well, cold for one thing- sometimes down to 20 below before wind chill, which can be significant- but also amazing. The adventures, experience, people and opportunity to travel sound unreal. It was really neat to spend a whole night talking about a continent I had never even thought twice about before.

I hope all of you are learning or experiencing something new every day too, even if it's something small! I have a day off tomorrow, so I'm going hiking on Fox Island (where the snow is finally juuuust melting on the hilltops and mountains). Can't wait. Days are long but the wildlife has been amazing lately. We've seen at least 3 groups of 4 or so humpbacks cooperatively feeding the last few days, and they've gotten pretty excited about all the food they're finding. They've been tail-slapping, barrel-rolling, doing headstands and waving their pectoral fins at us. Today I saw one breach (jump all the way out of the water) for the first time!

Anya and Michal's Strawberry adventure

Hi friends
Michal and I have made it nearly across the country in the past four weeks - we have just two weeks left before he gets on the plane to Poland.
Our time has been well spent. Because all of our money is spent on gas (4.23 in Cali!!!), we have been dumpster diving and busking and downright begging for food in the last month. Michal is a wonderful travel companion. He's not afraid to talk to anyone. We were driving through the back roads of Arkansas. "U-pick Strawberries" announced a hand-painted sign, but it was after 6 pm, and the road was blocked by a big CLOSED sign. (Note: Michal is a sucker for Strawberries - we dumpster dived two boxes of them in Arizona and he ate so many he was sick the next day.) I wanted to keep driving, but Michal said, "Come on, we might meet life-long friends in this place." So we traipse up the dirt road, and I'm fearing shotguns and hound dogs at any second. This is Arkansas. The lady who met us in her driveway was so delighted to meet a Pole - her husband is a Russian immigrant, and she said Michals' accentwas very similar to his. Then she took us to the field and told us the story of her marriage as we picked four pounds of fruit, and then she called her husband's cell phone so that Michal could use the three Russian words that he knew. Then she gave us an Arkansas shot glass for a souvenier, and a tupperware full of her husband's special chilled brined cucumbers, and said "God blessy'all" about fifty times. And the strawberries were free, ofcourse. Everyday is filled with wonders and miracles, if only we are open with this attitude of meeting a lifelong friend around the corner...
Love to you all from Anya and Michal

Quality Control

Friends,

First off, we hope you are all doing well; your blogs are all rad, and it is great to hear about all the diverse experiences you are having this summer. We can't wait to see you all again, be it at the end of this summer or far into the future, and hear more amazing stories, which we are SURE you will all be dying to share with us. We are of the opinion that stories are, in general, better told in person than via a blog, so what we have to offer is a brief outline of our past and future experiences in Alaska. Remind us when we see you next, and we will certainly have more specific stories, exaggerated and embellished over time not unlike a finely aged wine.

We arrived in Anchorage about three weeks ago with vague plans to search for employment in Valdez. We tied up loose ends in civilization - bank accounts, yellow fever shots, the usual - then drove 300 miles to the fishing town. We found that, contrary to everything everyone had ever told us, Valdez is not the land of opportunity. We spent an entire afternoon seeking out employers (maybe just a couple hours... with a population of 4,000, there wasn't much to seek through), and found just about nothing. So, we decided to head back to Anchorage, where we could do more research before heading out on another wild goose chase.

Well, we struck gold. Not literally - but we DO hope to do some prospecting later in the summer. We applied for work on the slime line in Naknek, AK. That means gutting fish for sixteen hours a day, seven days a week, throughout the four or five week peak season for Red Salmon. The interviewer, after setting eyes upon our legible handwriting and noting our basic computing skills, put our applications into the Quality Control department. Basically, we got promoted before getting hired. So we leave tomorrow morning at 7am on a tiny plane to Naknek, where we will read manuals and learn how to... control quality, I suppose... for about two weeks. After that, we will work SEVENteen hours a day, every day through the peak season. This also means that it will be essentially impossible to get in touch with us until the beginning of August. However, we would encourage y'alls to send us snail mail at Ians home address -

2911 Captain Cook Estates Circle
Anchorage, AK, 99517

We truly hope you enjoy your summers - if you're ever feeling down, just think of us, and rejoice in the fact that you aren't working 100+ hour weeks.



It's been real, civilization.

i-town and timmrobb

Farm and Wilderness Camp

To friends,

I am off to work at a Farm and Wilderness camp in Plymouth, Vermont. My job: teach girls ages 9-14 “outdoor living skills”, such as… how to use an ax, build a fierce fire, and use a compass! Confession: I have done none of these things before. New experiences….

Along with teaching outdoor living skills during the afternoons, I will be a full time counselor to a cabin of 8 girls. This is another new experience for me. I have never been challenged to be “on” so to speak for a full 24-hours a day, every day. But I figure it is possible to adjust to anything.

 

Fun facts about Farm and Wilderness camp: 1) my mom worked there when she was 19, and at the time the camp was clothing optional. Wahoo! (today they make occasional exceptions for skinny dipping) and 2) the camp was originally founded by a Quaker. As a result the camp continues to uphold the Quaker ideals of living simply and building strong community. One strong Quaker tradition that they do at camp is the “silent circle” which takes place every morning before activities start. This consists of standing/hopefully sitting quietly in a circle to "reflect and meditate" for 15-20 minutes before the day starts.  AND 3) There is an organic farm at the camp where all of the camp food comes from. The kids are able to participate in the farming process and learn about where there food comes from.

Soooo….I will be at camp from June 5^th to August 18^th. I plan to stick around for a while afterwards and explore the east coast, so if anyone is in the area, let’s play.

Hugs and lots of knife skills, (.. something else I will to be teaching at camp)

AND (Address at camp)

Hayley Weed

Indian Brooks

263 Farm & Wilderness Rd.

Plymouth, VT 05056-9434

 

Perseverance Pays Part Time!

Does that subject line make any sense? Basically, after applying to what seems like every small business in the Portland Metro Area, somebody wants me! I will be working at the Industrial Cafe and Saloon, which is this chic yet industrial small restaurant and bar in NW Portland (26th and Vaughn).

The position is only part time, 3-5 hours a day, but I can choose to work 7 days a week. I am trying to figure out my work schedule and I am very open to suggestions. I have to work weekends, but I can choose what weekdays I want to work. If I do not choose to work them all, my employer will hire someone else and we could potentially pick up each other's shifts. This way, I could have a couple of days off at a time and I could be more open to supplementary employment. However, the job market in PDX is terrible right now, and I could foresee myself not being able to find any other work, so do I want to give up the opportunity to be working every day?

Ideally, I want to be working 40+ hour weeks, but I also want some free days to visit Salem and the coast and maybe even the bustling metropolis of Medford...and Eugene! So...should I commit to 7-day weeks with very short shifts each day or should I optimistically save a couple of days for more hours somewhere else (and a couple short road trips)? BEARCATZ, what should I doooOOooOoOo?!1!1

Yours in the City of Roses,

Sars

Valley Life

Dear friends,

I have been in Davis for the past few weeks workin’ hard for the money. I work at Ink Money Wearable Graphics as the production assistant. I wash squeegees, tape screens, mix ink and just do whatever the printers tell me to do. I rise a 5 am to get to work at 6 am and work until 2 pm Monday through Friday. I always smell like artificial orange cleanser and I am always covered in ink. It is the good life.

Davis is pleasant this time of year. It has been 75 degrees with a light breeze and the cherry trees are ripe (and it never rains in the summer). Davis is located in the California Central Valley (think Steinbeck and Cesar Chavez) and has amazing local fruit and vegetables. The neighborhood that I live in was designed with built in orchards and fruit plants that ripen at all times of the year. If you are interested in sustainable development, this is a very good place to start. Although the weather is pleasant now, it will not last, as the temperature will quickly climb into the 80s and 90s.

I have been listening to Fairport Convention non-stop. If you like 60’s folk rock I suggest you check them out. I highly recommend their self-titled album. I have also been listening to the music of Philip Glass. If you are going on some epic adventure and need a sound track, this is it. I have been attempting to do some reading about the Beat Generation and Beat Galleries in San Francisco, but have not made much progress. A gallery owner in Davis gave me a book about them when I asked him if I could work at the gallery. He told me that I could possibly be an intern, but I would have to read the book and come back. I do not have time to be an intern, but I have been enjoying the book. It has made me want to open an underground art gallery for amateurs, someday perhaps.

Yours,
Claire