This morning, Margret asks the three of us to do a special task for her. She wants us to clean out the trash down at the river that lines the back of Jiwa Damai. Jiwa Damai’s neighbors would dispose of their trash in their backyards. Yes, it was within their property, but often the trash would spill down the hill into Jiwa Damai’s little river, especially when it rained. Today, Max, Catherine and I would clean the neighbors’ mess.
Luckily boots and gloves are provided for us, because this chore is pretty gross. Each with a giant black trash bag in hand, we climb down to the river. At first, it isn’t so bad. We make our way through the water, grabbing plastic bags and little colorful wrappers with foreign words sketched onto it. Then, it gets interesting.
Our trash bags grow increasingly heavier. The trash we collect is often sodden with mud and water, making it harder to carry. Catherine comes up with an idea to float the bags along side us so that the water carries most of the weight. Genius! But this great idea has its downfalls. The plastic bags drag against rocks and sticks that hide in the river, which then poke little holes in the bags, filling them up with water.
While lugging these bags around, collecting trash, we have to watch our footing and even start dodging logs overhead and spider webs. I duck under one of these huge low logs when my bag suddenly snags unto a bundle of sticks poking out between some rocks. It tears open the bottom of my bag. The scene becomes comical. I hurry to catch pieces of trash that is seeping out from the bottom, laughing at the ridiculousness of it. Then I lift the damaged bag onto the ledge beside me, abandoning it. I’m not sure what to do with it. Luckily, at that moment, Gede appears from around the corner. We ask him if he can grab us a new bag. Gede ends up bringing reinforcements as well.
Before our reinforcements arrive, the three of us find ourselves at a thick patch of spider webs over the water. The webs take over the entire space in front of us, crossing every which way between logs. We start to guide each other under the webs, as if they were lazer beams and we were doing mission impossible. Then, Gede, Kadek and Lana come to save the day. They lower down new bags from a little bridge that sits above us. Gede and Kadek fetch our old bags and send them back up on a string held by Lana. The guys start helping us pick up trash, making the work go by faster. They chuckle at us whenever we squeal at spider webs and gigantic jungle spiders. “They’re not poisonous,” they say. They instantly make work more fun.
At one bend, the water gets deeper and the mud sucks in our boots. Gede pretends an animal in the water grabs him. I almost fall for it. The guys lead us up on the ledge along the river and we pick up trash along the way. I feel like I’m actually trekking through the jungle, seeing the thick plant growth up close and personal. I feel like I’m in an episode of Indiana Jones, except for instead of fighting bad guys we’re picking up trash. At one point we spot a bunch of vines hanging down from the trees, just like what you’d see in Tarzan. Kadek slashes them with his machete, then decides to jump up and swing on it, smiling his toothy grin and chuckling a little Weeeee.
When we finally reach the end, the guys lower their string again to carry up our last trash bags. They joke to Max that they can carry him up with it. I love these Balinese workers. The three of us climb back up from the river and instantly throw off our boots, dumping out all the water. The first thing we do is put our boots away, take off our plastic gloves, and take showers.
Feeling refreshed, I walk into the computer room and happen to find my mom online. At last, I get to skype my parents. It’s nighttime for them, due to the time difference (Bali is 16 hours ahead). Catherine and Max happen to be in the room with me, so of course my mom wants to snap a picture of all of us over the video chat. Every time the picture blurs, she tries for another one, and another one, until we’re all laughing and can’t sit still.
Today we’re lucky and have lunch early. So after we’re finished eating, the three of us decide to go on a walk to see the rice fields. I bring my camera with me. It’s hot out. I can feel the sun beating down my back as we walk along the fields. But it’s beautiful to see it all. There’s just so much green everywhere, and hundreds of tall palm trees loom around the far edges. We spot some workers out, even in this heat. Some are carrying baskets of harvest on their head, walking back and forth. It’s such a different world here. Catherine tells us about her knowledge on agriculture (she studied it in university after all). She tells us how in 2000, a group of farmers in India drank pesticides to make a statement against their use on crops. I’ve found that Catherine always has some interesting insight to share. I love it.
We’re lucky and don’t have much watering to do today. Kadek does most of it for us. The Balinese workers do so much. Yet they are the happiest, friendliest people I know. It’s funny how easy it can be to become friends with people whom you have a language barrier with. Gede doesn’t speak a lick of English but is great at playing charades. He finds a stick that looks like a cane and starts to hobble around like an old man. Max teases him and we all laugh. I instantly feel lucky to be here, to be a part of this. Even though I had to pick up trash out of a river today.
Tonight Max, Catherine and I go on a mini excursion to the Mambal Market, a night market. It’s about a 20 minute walk down the road. During our outing, many people say hello. A man even pulls over on his motorcycle and asks us where we’re going. I assume that he wants to offer us a ride, wanting money. Catherine explains that this is sometimes the case, but it’s also part of Balinese culture for locals to want to know where you’re going. It makes them feel safer. Everyone here has a certain purpose. She motions around us and says, “You never really see people just wandering around like us.” Everyone in the community has somewhere to go. It’s interesting to think about. I ask Catherine how she knows so much about the culture and she says she’s had about three weeks of hanging out with the Balinese workers. She tells me they’re not shy and like to interact, and are very funny. I’ve already got a sense of that from our experience today.
On the way to the market we reach a main road. All of a sudden the peace and quiet of Jiwa Damai’s neighborhood transitions into the busy noises of street traffic. I realize that I’ve gotten so used to the serenity of Jiwa Damai. It’s strange seeing so many cars at once! The market ends up being located on a busy crossroads so it’s interesting trying to cross to the other side (you don’t have the right away as a pedestrian in Bali). The market is small and is an array of greasy street food. Catherine purchases a couple (it’s so cheap!) and offers us bites. I”m still full from dinner so I don’t buy anything. But I am on the hunt for chocolate, which is nowhere in sight.
It’s strange being stared at. I realize afterward that it’s not only because we’re white, but because Catherine and I aren’t covered. Especially me, wearing short shorts. Usually the Balinese don’t care, but Catherine notices a couple of women wearing muslamic garb, which means more Muslims lived in the vicinity.
Even though I don’t get get anything at the market, it’s exciting having gone on a night outing. It’s interesting seeing how the Balinese lived, outside of our little world of Jiwa Damai. On the way back, we spot a bunch of guys playing Badmitten in an open area that looks like a temple (but then again most of the buildings here look like temples). It’s also interesting finding all of these mini markets on the side of the road. Motorbikes would just pull over and purchase something from their seat, then drive off again. I feel like our outing serves as a preparation for Ubud tomorrow. Max and I have the next two days off. We’re paying Agung to borrow his motorbike, so we’ll be one of those drivers on the road tomorrow. I’m kind of nervous, but Max already test drove the bike and said we should be fine. I’m excited to see what’s in store for us in Ubud tomorrow. Hopefully I can find some more shampoo and conditioner. I’ll be stoked if I can find some dental floss. And of course chocolate. Gotta have that chocolate.
