At Home in Idaho

In four days, I am going to get on a plane and fly off to an adventure which I have been planning since May. I will go to Bali; I will work in an orphanage; I will learn about myself; I will learn about the world around me. It is quite a simple adventure, with quite simple goals.

But to tell the truth, as I sit here in Idaho, composing this blog, I am absolutely terrified. Whenever I share that I am going to Bali, everyone is always so excited for me. They tell me it will be “awesome” and “amazing” and lots of other really exciting words. Their eyes light up with a bit of a fever as they imagine the beaches, the surfing, the diving, the monkeys. But when I think of Bali, from here in my chair, I think of an orphanage with 73 teenage girls; I think of a language I had been determined to learn before I left until I was advised not to because it is so complicated; I think of a huge city, filled with poverty and filth and millions of people, and yeah, that is exciting, but at that same moment it is terrifying.

Most of my friends are in college right now, and I imagine that they experienced something similar to my fear and excitement, but when they were apprehensive about moving to school and making friends, they didn’t need to be concerned about malaria or salad (I won’t be able to eat raw, unpeeled anything for a long time, if at all) or what the toilet will be like. They knew that when they left for school everyone would speak their language, that there would be programs and classes to help them assimilate into their new world.

From what I understand, I am the first foreigner who has worked for and lived with this orphanage, this foundation, for such a long period of time. What I am doing, is not only new to me, but also new to them. Together we will create a relationship in which we will both help each other. And this relationship is what calms me, because I believe that while the outside of things will be different, (a different language, different customs, different city) the insides are the same. We all share a basic need to be valued and to be accepted. What I am most excited about is not the beach or the diving or even the monkeys, but finding a familiar thread which binds all humans together.

When it comes down to it, the most concrete thing I know about Bali is that right now it is 72 degrees Fahrenheit (although it feels like 78). There is mystery, excitement, and adventure in the air, and I invite anyone to follow me as I discover Bali, its people, its cities, its customs, and myself. It’s quite simple, really.