Back in Bali

Holy moly it’s March. When did that happen?

I meant to write a few posts in January in February, but the time ran away from me, so here are a few general updates:

1. It rained. A LOT. 
2. I didn’t travel at all for work, which was a huge change from the fall when I was on a plane almost every week. I got into a routine of office monotony.
3. I spent every weekend pursuing my Divemaster certification. I’ll eventually write a proper post all about my dive adventures!
4. I went home to Canada from February 14 – March 4!

I was so excited to fly home and see family and friends that I started counting down from January 1st (six weeks before I actually left), and I started packing my bags ten days before my flight. I can’t remember the last time I packed more than a day or two in advance of a trip (even when I’ve moved across the country!). Clearly, I was really looking forward to being back in Canada!

My other stints working and studying abroad were limited to 5-6 months, so this was the first time I’d visited home briefly and then left again… and I wasn’t expecting how fascinating an experience it would be to return to a [temporary] home abroad. I was bracing myself for all of the things that can make life in Indonesia a bit overwhelming – the heat and humidity, being harassed by taxi drivers, the frustrating disorganization of travel, the unexplained extra fees, etc… but I found myself slipping back into my comfort zone much more quickly than I’d expected. After all, I’d been living here for sixth months already, hadn’t I?

It has been a curious few days since I’ve been back, and I still can’t quite place my finger on the feeling in order to describe it well. It’s not like coming home – Canada will always be home – but maybe it’s sort of like putting on familiar summer clothes that have been stored in a closet all winter.

The smells seem so vivid yet familiar – Bali really does have a very noticeable scent that seemed particularly palpable after breathing fresh mountain air for two and a half weeks. I’m not sure whether it’s the incense from the offerings, pollution from cars and motorbikes, food being fried in roadside stalls, the heavy perfume of tropical flowers, or all of these odours combined; but I was definitely more aware of it than when I’d left!

Hopping back on my motorbike was as easy as walking, and driving on the left hand side felt natural [and I had a punctured tube within days].

Soon I was using my limited bits of Bahasa Indonesia (the nation-wide language) to communicate and order my favourite treats [and of course, back to my regular bouts of Bali belly].

Digestive issues are not pretty so here's a stormy sky as a metaphor.

I was back walking along beautiful stretches of the beach, watching brilliant sunsets unfold [while miserably picking at the piles of garbage washed up onshore].

All the ups and downs of life in Indonesia, every single day.

It’s good (and a bit weird!) to be back.