Volunteer Opportunities in Indonesia

For the curious, here are some of the organizations I'm looking at volunteering for in Indonesia:
*Most of these I found using the Volunteer Abroad website http://www.volunteerabroad.com/search.cfm

4th World Love - Lombok, Indonesia
http://fourthworldlove.org/

Sumatran Orangutan Society - Ubud, Bali
http://www.orangutans-sos.org/

International Humanity Foundation - Buitan, Bali
http://www.ihfonline.org/

Please also check out the Ubud library - this is wonderful!. I explored it this evening and booked a class there for Balinese dancing. The library provides books for westerners as well as for the Indonesian people. There is also a specific children's library though. Yayayayay!

Pondok Pekak Library
I'm including the link to an article about the library...
http://www.baliadvertiser.biz/articles/nonprofitnews/2005/pondok_pekak.html

It was founded by Laurie Billington (American - I think they said Montana?) about 13(?) years ago. WAY COOL. I enjoyed browsing their books - they actually have a nice selection of English books! They also have a program for travelers like myself to check out books. They are of course always in need of donations so I will probably leave a couple of my books here.

I'm also checking out an organization run by Steve who I met bicycling... I'll post the link later - he runs a program that works in collaboration with hospitals and clinics helping AIDS victims. He works to promote healthy gardening so that individuals with AIDS get proper nutrition. I hope to visit his program in Cambodia later this year - he formerly ran his program in various countries in Africa. I don't know that he needs volunteers but I am interested in his work and hope that some of you find this information helpful.

What I'm finding is that there are a large number of organizations that need help - much like the U.S. There are people in poverty, animals that are endangered, waste management issues, legislative issues, children needing better education and opportunities and so many more ... not that unlike the U.S. The difference being that some of the countries I'm in are not as developed as the U.S. I wouldn't call Thailand a third world country and I'm not sure where Indonesia as a whole ranks with development and competition in the global market. Much of what I'm seeing in Ubud is tourist driven and not poor. While the images of poverty or need are different than what I'm used to they may be very similar to the needs of some individuals and populations that live within the U.S., a very developed country. I find irony in this. We need to help our own populations as well as those abroad. I found this in Thailand too though. Many of the poorer individuals I met thought westerners were incredibly rich in comparison to Thais - and yes - they are right - the individuals they meet traveling through or settling there are very rich in comparison. However there are many wealthy Thais too. Especially in the urban areas.

What I am looking for in this trip is experience working with organizations that are working hard to find sustainable solutions to the problems they are addressing. I can find this in the United States. However I'm also looking for the intercultural experience and exposure to other people and other ways of thinking. I also get to play tourist when I'm in between stints and I happen to be in some of the most beautiful areas of the world. But that's not what I'm here for. I resist the tourist front that I'm living in right now in Ubud. I like it but I also want more of the culture. I want to live with families. The modern world is creeping into villages and distant regions and some of the cultures it touches, it changes. In some ways this is good yet in others it's sad. If there are ways to bring help and funding from the western world without as much "western" impact I want to promote this. So many of the cultures I'm encountering are so rich in comparison to my own. They are absolutely beautiful.

I found a lovely cafe here in Ubud (I won't name it because it is lovely and doing good things), but it's also very western. I felt as if I was back in Seattle in a cafe listening to Seattle-ites and islanders discuss their yoga and art and craft and their thoughts on world and US politics. There's even a pro-Obama hanging. (And there were a few people from Seattle at the next table over!) This cafe promotes various organizations here and does some very good things - they are even asking that individuals not use straws in an attempt to find one more way to decrease waste - BUT... it needs more Bali flavor. Then again, I am in the center of Ubud in a place most tourists choose to stop to enjoy the art, food, dance and culture.

Anyways, take my thoughts as they are, just my opinions. There is good and bad in all places and all things and both should be accounted. The Balinese make offerings to many gods but they also place daily offerings on the ground and sidewalks to appease the bad spirits. I kind of like this philosophy - I don't know enough about it or the history but I like it.

I miss home and I miss my friends - both here and in Thailand. I miss being able to say hello to the other teachers and staff at Yaowawit. I miss being able to go to coffee or lunch with my friends in Seattle. I miss my kiddo and our jokes and laughs. You all enrich my life and I'm sad to not be closer. I hope all of you are doing well and that life is treating you kind.

Much love and hugs,
Joyann

More pics

A day of bicycling

On Monday I took a half day bicycle tour. There were five in our group plus our guide. On the drive up we stopped at Amertha Yoga gardens where we were taken on a small tour and shown some of the things they grow.

Avocado tree









Rambutan tree or maybe it's mangosteen... hmmm...









Nutmeg tree












Rambutan, Mangosteen and Snake Skin fruit - all delicious!












Coffee bean tree (think I got the picture right...)














A woman roasting the coffee beans









Three stages: ground, roasted, green (pealed)









Coffee is manually ground








And then there's special coffee, Kopi Lewak...











Kopi Lewak... yes that's monkey poop!













We drove on to a cafe at the rim of the crater overlooking Batur volcano and Batur lake for a "brunch" of coffee/tea and fried bananas. Then our group was outfitted with helmets and bikes for the ride down.
Batur volcano - view from our starting point









Our group









Yours truly... the helmet was seriously for decoration only. It was so big I eventually ditched it as I figured I'd get injured worse wearing it!









Children along the road would hold out their hands for us to slap as we rode by yelling "Halo!"
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We rode about 40 km - all of which was downhill (with the exception of two small STEEP hills). We stopped in a village and visited the home of a family. Communal style living with two or three generations living in one housing "complex." Each family home has its own temple, kitchen, storage area, garden, one or two cooking areas and various buildings/houses for each of the families. (Ie grandparents and parents would probably have their own houses).


Rice field along the way












Part of a temple














Towards the end we had torrential downpour - AWESOME and then had lunch in Pejeng not far from Ubud.
A view from our table








A nice ride and our guide Marcel was great!

More pics...

This was posted in the Biker Bar in Khao Lak where Dylan and I rented the truck. YES... I DROVE IN THAILAND! For TWO DAYS! HAHAHAHAHH! Wonder how I'll do returning to having the steering wheel on the left side and the driving back on the right!













Dylan on the beach in Khao Lak













These boats are in the harbor where the diving boats pickup and drop off people to take diving.
















Fiona and I - night out with Dylan and our friend Steve














Tsunami memorial in Nam Khem near where Fiona lives

Catching up... Dylan's visit to Thailand

These pictures are completely out of order and I'm posting before the internet crashes again. Hopefully I can upload more later. And yes Sherri - I hope to upload you and Michael's trip soon too! :-)

Ever the photographer... check out Dylan's photos of Thailand at

http://dylanalamode.com/2009_02_01-Thailand/index.html















Dylan went scuba diving... I chilled on the boat and did some snorkeling...













Dylan and I stayed one night at Art's Riverview in Khao Sok (Bob - thanks for the tip!). It's a beautiful place and I was sad we only had one day there. Beautiful and romantic too.

Our room was upstairs in this house at Art's Riverview













Aww! :-)












Walking up to one of the waterfalls in Khao Sok National Park.














View from Cream & Kim's restaurant - sunset








Sunset in Khao Lak











A night out in Khao Lak... my friends Fiona and Steve joined us.

Pictures

I finally found a WiFi location so I can upload! And my computer is having serious issues... hopefully it will last a little longer!

Hmmm - self shot on timer of me at the Hong Kong airport in one of the reclining chairs I slept in... I love airports - mostly for all the people watching and there are SO MANY people to talk to... and so little time! OMG OMG OMG! :-P Yes Sherri - I still talk to everyone!










Picture of my yummy hot tea at Nomad restaurant, where I'm at now not only because they have delicious food but also because they are the only place with WiFi that I can find. I'm sure there are others but I can't seem to locate them! Anyways, this tea is probably the best I've ever had. The stick is lemon grass and I don't know what the leaf is. The chunk you see in the middle is ginger and there are cinnamon sticks and cloves in it as well.












Rice field I walk by on the way to Narasoma Homestay.












Door entrance - at first I thought entryways like this were to temples or special places... this is probably the entrance to a house.












Rice fields on the drive from the airport












Small statues for sale at a local vendor

Ubud, Bali

Hello all,

I'm officially in Bali, Indonesia now in a small town of Ubud. From first glance I'm thinking this is a tourist town. So far the foods been excellent and my guest house is nice.

I'm staying at Narasoma Homestay. http://www.narasoma.com/

You know me... inexpensive but clean and nice.

I'm sick with some kind of chest/throat cold again. I'm hoping that not working directly with 4-7 year olds will decrease the number of cold/flu bugs I've been getting!

I'm still actively looking for volunteer opportunities in Bali. For the moment I'm playing tourist though and enjoying it here.

Ubud is absolutely beautiful. The stone work, carvings and temples are gorgeous and intermixed between houses and businesses are rice fields and statues... and somewhere around her is a view of a volcano but I've yet to find it. I did find a restaurant above one of the canals last night... very pretty.

I have a new Bali phone so please e-mail me if you want the number.
Hugs,
Joyann