Bonnie goes to Bali: Week One — 101 Ways to Save The Planet

I have officially survived my first week in Bali. Everything is new, everything is different, there is so much to learn…but it’s all made ok by the fact that this island seems to be populated by the nicest people on Earth.

I got here on a Monday evening, and was picked up at the airport by a driver arranged by my Airbnb host. I’m staying at a beautiful Villa in Berawa Beach with 5 bedrooms, a pool, and a shared kitchen and living space. Each bedroom is rented separately, and I have very sweet housemates from Mexico, Lithuania, Poland and France. We find each other in the mornings and chat over coffee, which is how I learned how to rent a scooter, the best spots for food nearby, and the best places for a mani pedi (I want to look nice for my first day of school next week!)

I worked from home this week on request from the school. On Wednesday a coworker swooped me up in the morning to head to Ubud, in central Bali, where she was meeting with our school principal. She wanted me to have an opportunity to explore that part of the island, and see if I might want to live there. I was grateful not only for her thoughtfulness, but for our conversations during the 40 min. drives there and back, during which she told me about her previous 8 years living in Bali pre-pandemic, and all that she learned in that time. We got to a place called Monsieur Spoon for her meeting, and after enjoying a delicious almond croissant I took off on foot to explore. I did a little loop around Ubud, and passed the monkey forest. Despite being warned that sometimes monkeys jump on passers-by, I only encountered super chill monkeys this week…thank God. Still, I’ve had a number of people warn me that they can sometimes jump on you, grab your jewelry or purse, yell at you…Needless to say I won’t be looking for a home near the monkey forest.

Sunset from my terrace, with a baby moon smile in the sky

From there our driver took me up to the rice paddy walks, an amazingly lush area north of Ubud with beautiful paths through the rice fields. Unfortunately, the paths were a bit overgrown and obstructed from lack of use due to COVID travel bans, but I still enjoyed several peaceful moments in a place that can normally be overrun with tourists. On the drive back I chatted with my driver about Balinese culture, practicing some of the words I’ve learned and learning a few more from him. We picked up my coworker and headed back south to Berawa. On the way we jumped out at a small shop to buy fabric for our ceremonial sarongs, which we’re required to wear every Thursday at the school.

On Thursday I enjoyed a quiet sunset from my terrace home, and the next day my housemate’s scooter rental connection, Kedek, came and dropped a scooter off for me…even after I told him I’d never driven one before. My previous experience is really just the week I spent riding on the back of a friend’s scooter when I visited him in China. Apparently, all you. need to get a scooter here is about $40 US / month plus a bit more for gas. God help me. I was grateful that Kedek and his brother gave me some lessons in the alleyway, and later a friend of mine came over and gave me a few more. Don’t worry, I plan to practice for another week or so before I take to the streets.

After the scooter lessons my girlfriend, Kim (who I originally met through Instagram and until this week had only talked to online) gave me a ride to dinner by the beach at a place called The Lawn, which had just reopened after being closed for several months. We had a lovely dinner and even lovelier chat - two single, entrepreneurial girls reveling in our freedom to move about the world while also wondering what that long-term love might look like.

This morning I meant to walk to a gym, but got lost along the way and ended up at a vegan cafe called Good Mantra, which as it turns out serves delicious smoothies and reusable straws - no single-use plastic in site! I think it lives up to its name. At first I felt like a silly newbie for getting lost, but had to just remind myself this is just part of it. This is how you learn. This is part of the mess of living life courageously…stepping into the unknown with nothing but a bit of faith in yourself (and a working cell phone).

Tomorrow is my first day of school, I can’t wait to meet my coworkers who up until now I’ve only seen through a computer screen (minus my friend from the states who took me to Ubud earlier this week). I can’t wait to finally see the campus I’ve talked about and written about so much in the past year. It’s a place where lifelong learning is not just encouraged but celebrated, a good place for me to be at this time in life.