A Few Reflections on Life in Nyuh Kuning Village

when we were walking down the street yesterday, i commented to hubs about how things that happen here are just so rad sometimes and they would never happen in our homecity. here are a few examples of the things i love about where we live right now.

1. A friend and I went to the tailor so i could pick out fabrics to have some clothes made. The friend (and the tailor) liked the skirt i was wearing so much that they asked me to leave it there. "What will I wear home?" Oh, any of the sample clothes that you like. So, I left my skirt there with them to copy and walked back to the birth center wearing a different skirt than the one i left in merely an hour earlier. Everyone laughed when I got back to work.

2. Hubs says, "I'm gonna go see W and take him some music." I reply with, "I don't think he is home." Immediately, we hear W playing his banjo from across the rice patty!

3. Toddler E wants to walk to Monkey Forest and she really wants her best friend, A to join us. A's grandad sees us walking near their house on the way to Monkey Forest and ushers E into the family compound; A is sleeping though. E cries loudly when she understands this. A stumbles out of her room, ready to go after a quick pee. We all head out to Monkey Forest together. We had a lovely time together.

4. Hubs and I scheduled full body massages at a sweet spa just down the road..but then I fell down the rock stairs and my body is all bruised and scratched. So, we switched our massages to just head massages that also involved lots of hair cream under a steamer. We got to wear robes while they shampoo'ed our hair, rubbed our necks, heads and shoulders and arms. Then lots of cream that looked like really think yellow pudding. We sat under dryers that only emitted steam. Soft, relaxing music played, incense burned and no one spoke. Then, they rinsed our hair and massaged it more. Lastly, a conditioning oil was applied to our scapls and combed through our hair, turning hubs into a Miami Vice cast member complete with his floral kimono. They brought us hot lemon tea with plum sugar and a cookie then headed to the corner where they spoke to each other quietly. We were so calmed by this brief get away. As we were finishing up our time, our two attendants asked where toddler e was. She was with us when we booked the massage originally. We told them that she was playing with her best friend and her best friend's parents were hanging out at our house with them. They then asked, "Why didn't you bring her with you?" They were inviting a 22 month old toddler to come to a massage at a spa! Can you imagine?

5. The last one leads to the thing we probably love most about Bali. People care for children here. They respect them, hold them and trust them. Adults are with children all the time but not overbearing or interfering. We have been told more than twice that child abuse is unheard of here. Gentle births, respect for the placenta and breastfeeding are necessary...not alternatives. This way that life begins is continued on for toddlers and is so evident in the contentment, curiosity and joy of the children. Certainly, we are foreigners observing but some things are just undeniably clear. Children are people here.