I made it! Three days of trekking through remote jungle terrain, staying with a hill tribe village, all while carrying a 20 lb pack and I made it back to civilization in one piece!! I am a little sore today but it was well worth the experience of a lifetime. I don't want to get ahead of myself because I have done so many things during a short amount of time. I have joined a new group and we have started the "getting to know you" process. I think days of not showering and hiking through mud has helped expedite the [View Full Entry]

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I think the transition from volunteer into backpacker only took about 24 hours! As much as I hated leaving Bali, the nomad life of Thailand has been a nice change of pace. After finishing some last minute shopping in Bangkok the next step was an overnight train to Khao Sok National Park. It is the oldest evergreen rain forest in the world. Just driving to our accommodation was breathtaking. You could tell you entered the jungle when the rain started. I knew it was going to be rainy season but I had no idea that by rain they meant torrential sheets [View Full Entry]

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Tuk tuks buzzing by, the bells on food carts jingling, the chatter of the streets filled with tourists are just a few of the changes I have encountered over the past week. Being in Thailand is absolutely wonderful, but getting used to the fast paced way of life is something I haven't being looking forward to. But if I have to do it, I guess Bangkok isn't a bad way to go! I have joined a tour group of 9 other backpackers ranging from 19 to 55 years old. I had been so preoccupied in Bali that I barely had any [View Full Entry]

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It is difficult to believe my stay at Bumi Sehat is over. As everyone warned, time flew fly! As I look back on the past six weeks, I have no regrets about my experience. I have been able to see birth at its purest form and have my heart open to these women in such a way I didn't think possible. Volunteering not only helped enrich my knowledge of the field and allowed me to share my trade with those who haven't experienced what a doula and massage therapist does, but I have learned so much about myself as a person. [View Full Entry]

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One of the great things about Bali (which is about the size of Delaware) is that you can see many of the tourist highlights in one day! Being in one place for several weeks allowed me to see the Indonesians in their day to day life and get a true perspective of the islands culture. It also allowed me to make some Balinese friends, one of which offered to drive me and a few other volunteers around Bali for the day. We started off the morning at 9am by attending a traditional Balinese Barong dance. There are several different dances, each [View Full Entry]

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I've been here now for over three weeks so I feel like I can give you a pretty accurate description of what I have been doing here at Bumi Sehat. I wanted to wait to write about my clinic life until I had immersed myself into their daily routine and really blended in. Before I go any further I wanted to thank all of you who have supported me though out this journey. Without your love and generous donations I would not have been able to do or experience any of this! This is such a life changing trip and I [View Full Entry]

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Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. Have you read it? If not, then you will have no idea what I am talking about. If you have, then you might appreciate the fact that I went and saw Ketut Liyer! I started reading Eat, Pray, Love back home but I decided to hold off and read the part about Bali until I was here. I am so glad I did! It is amazing to live in the same town that she was in, and walk through the amazing places she described. There have been many times I feel as though I have [View Full Entry]

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I'm starting to get into a routine at the clinic. The midwives have been wonderful, we spend much of our idle time practicing our English and Indonesian translations and pronunciations. I am even picking up a few words and phrases here and there, but I still don't leave the ashram without my Indonesian phrasebook! Over the past week I have begun to familiarize myself with the area (I live in the Nyung Kuning Village in Ubud) and started to do a little exploring. It is only about a 20 minute walk through the Monkey Forest (I will explain more about that [View Full Entry]

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Life in Bali definitely takes some time getting used to. It's not so much the rustic style living, or the cold showers or small reptiles crawling in your room- it's learning how to slow down your pace of life! I thought, I am a pretty adaptive person and I would have no problem adjusting into island time. But here in Bali, it is the epitome of island time! I walk into clinic (which is across the road from the ashram) ready to dive in head first to help out any way I can. I quickly learn that it is impolite to [View Full Entry]

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Where am I again? Can I really be in Bali?! It's hard to believe I made it to Indonesia in one piece, with no travel delays or lost baggage. I hope this is a good sign for what is in store for the next 10 weeks. I settled in my seat on the plane with full intention to optimize my 12 hours of not being able to move with some much needed sleep! Eight hours into the flight I am awake as if I had 5 cups of coffee. The excitement of the months ahead must have finally set in! The [View Full Entry]

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