One Whirlwind of a Week

Everyday in Bali seems to get busier and busier, but I absolutely love it! Last Wednesday night, a group of us went to see a Kecak dance, which consists of over 100 performers. A large group of men wearing black and white checkered sarongs form a circle and provide a beat during the entire performance. The beginning was a dance with several people telling a story about a monkey, deer, and other things we weren't really sure of. The costumes were incredibly intricate, as were the masks/dances. After the story, we saw two trance dances. One with two little girls, I'd guess less than 12, that danced with their eyes closed the entire time while a group of women sang behind them. In the second trance dance, a man in a horse costume kicked flaming coals around in bare feet! It was really interesting. after getting caught in the rain and going to a free trade, organic cafe called kafe for dinner, we went home.

On Thursday, we had Bahasa Indonesian, and then went to visit a topeng maskmaker, which was beyond gorgeous. Maskmaking is a really intricate process. From a block of wood (in between hard and soft, so it is easy to carve, but very strong). The make uses an ax to cut to the exact width, lenth, and depth of the mask. Next he uses a carved tool etch out the approximate design. After that, he smooths the entire thing, while holding it with his feet. After sanding, he applies appx 40-50 layers of paint to emphasize the color. The masks are used in traditional dances/ceremonies. The maskmaker we visited in incredibly famous throughout Bali, so we were really lucky.

Later we made Balinese offerings by weaving leaves, holding them together with toothpicks and adding flowers. Afterwards, we visited a dalong (performer) of Wayan Kulit (shadow puppet theater). He, in essence, is the same rank as a Balinese priest, because his performances can purify those that watch. He speaks high, mid, and low Balinese for the many different characters. While there, we saw hundreds of different puppets, all of which he has different voices for, and the musical instruments used. He didn't speak any English, however, so we had Ari translate.

On Friday, we had a Bahasa Indonesian quiz and then visited a nearby museum with hundreds of ancient Balinese artifacts. After that, the group went into Ubud to see one of the only women's art galleries in Asia. We met with the founder, had a tour, and had the opportunity to ask a lot of different questions. It was fascinating. Later we were treated to lunch at a fancy restaraunt named Nomad and definitely had our fill of good food. As soon as we got back to Bedulu, we quick packed and were on the road to southern Bali to the beach city Semanyak. We spent the weekend on the beach, learning to surf, and hanging out for my friend's birthday. It was fun, but was overrun by tourists. Most of Bali that we see is pretty well preserved from tourism, so seeing more Australians than Indonesians was strange.

On Sunday, we made the trip home, and I spent some quality time with my family. My Bapak taught me how to play gamelan music, and my Ibu taught me how to dance. A.) I am not very good and B.) I found out that she'd been a dancer for 30 years! I also had over four hours of homework to do, ugh.

Monday was a pretty laid back, but long day. We had BI, then a lecture from the dean of the University of Udayana on archaeology, and after lunch, went to the famous Neka art museum in Ubud for a tour from the curator. We saw a lot of famous pieces, and we were really fortunate to have such a knowledgeable guide. After bathing, dinner, spending time with my family, and playing Rummy 500, I was exhausted.

Yesterday, we had class, and then I was able to take a ceramic lesson from a local teacher. We started by sifting special soil until it was very fine. After adding water, we kneaded it until it was very dougy and broke it up into chunks. Next I put the mixture onto a hand wheel, and with the help of my teacher, I made almost 20 pieces (bowls, plates, and star/heart/flower containers). It was awesome! After dinner last night a couple of us went into Ubud to listen to both Gamelan and Reggae music, it was a blast.

Today I had a BI tutorial and have since been in Ubud taking Batik lessons. Batik is essentially cloth designed with wax and dye. It is a really intricate and time consuming project, but is very interesting and fun. I worked on mine for about four hours today and am no where close to being finished! I will hopefully go back soon to work on it.

I am going to do my best to update my blog every Wednesday, so please keep looking for posts! Thanks and please email me at kdsawatzke@gmail.com to let me know how you're doing!

Kristal
Anak Agung Mirah
(the Balinese name my Ibu gave me. Mirah in Indonesian means Ruby...and she had no idea how important that name (of my great grandma) is to me and my family!!