Bali week 1

Hi all here is a update of some snipits of a intense first week- I apologize if it seems kind of all over the place I have just been compiling thoughts and emails ... I wish I could upload some pictures because this place is truly beautiful! Love and miss you all....

SO i finally arrived in Bali on Thursday night which was actually Friday night here. Friday to Sunday I was in a rural village in Bali- it was beautiful and relaxing and fun to get to know the group and our hosts were so gracious and we all had a good time laughing at ourselves and the language barrier...we watched a traditional cock fight and hiked through the tropical forest to a beautiful waterfall. On Sunday we drove to Denpasar to Taman 65 the community I am working/learning in and around. We all were dropped off at our homestays after this..here comes the intense/fun part... My homestay is the farthest away from Taman and the most "rural" and when i say rural i mean I pea in a hole and to shower i dump a bucket of freezing cold water on my head. The plus side of this is that I have the nicest father and sister that speak very good english and could not be nicer but it is definitely going to be a challenge. Last night becca a friend here dropped me off on her motor scooter at the wrong house, i was so lost and discombobulated i had to go to a house and nock on there door and ask where i was it was one of the scariest things i have ever done especially because my indonesian is pretty weak (upon returning to my room i broke down)... did i mention i found bugs in my bed and had gotten lost earlier that day trying to walk to my house and was found by the sister wandering on the side of the road? it was a really long day and it is hard because i am so far away from the rest of my group.

Last night was my first night there and it was interesting....i was awoken multiple times by there roosters which live right outside my room...this i expected because we had this over the weekend but i did not expect the 4am prayer that blasts over a loud speaker. Thankfully my father and sister (this is what they insist i call them) woke me up at 5 to go see the sunrise and "get some fresh balinese air" the father explained to me as we watched the sun come up how the white caps on the waves are white horses that come and go and sang a prayer to bless my family and his uniting as horses. It was truly beautiful... this is a beautiful place but the culture shock has me totally exhausted and overwhelmed.

Since then Everything has been good here. my host family i am so lucky to have. My father has 9 brothers and sisters so there are always people around trying to talk to me. Last night they thought it would be really amusing to try and make me get drunk...picture me sitting on the floor with 5 men older than 35 drinking... it was so funny/ interesting. I am starting to get better at asking questions and am finding out so much about this culture and my host family... The mother has passed away so the father is also constantly asking me questions about how to raise his daughter well :) so cute...we sat up on top of the house yesterday morning (because he told me i was to white and needed to get some sun) and prayed and listened - he is really a sweet sweet man, he likes me and thinks i am very funny -
Today i am going to study. Tommorow we meet our NGOs and I really want to be ready to do the best i can to understand and help them. Saturday we are having a 4th of july celebration on the beach and i will miss you all greatly! Then sunday Pugu (fisher boy part of extended host family) wants to take me to the "real" dreamland which is a secret but famous/ best surf spot here in bali!