Thursday, 2Nov06
Highlights: plans to visit Bali and witness the blessing/opening of a new Hindu temple
$80 got me a round-trip ticket to Bali for the weekend to take my friend Pak Putu Swamana up on his offer to experience a Balinese Hindu tradition. He is the religious leader of a Hindu temple in Tabanan, and will be blessing the new construction of a recent addition to their temple complex.
He is the dad of Kadek Ayu Henni, one of the girls at the front desk of my hotel I was talking to about the cost of school here on my last visit. She’s finished 3 ½ years of college, and couldn’t afford to finish the last year, so she’s been working at the hotel, trying to save money to finish. She wants to be a teacher, like her mom. 2 ½ years at the hotel, and she’s still stuck in a paycheck-to-paycheck existence. Her salary this month was $58; up from the $47 she got in August. Savings = $0.
I decided back then that I was going to help her finish school. $300 could pay for her entire last year of school, or a bad weekend in Vegas. I think the money serves a much better purpose here.
A USINDO friend of mine, Jeff Wolfe, is sending a check to help me support a few more Indonesian friends in need.
Whether helping Kadek Ayu (26) finish college in Bali, keeping little Vita (12) in school in Jakarta, giving her family (Eli, 31) basics like sheets, a fan & clothes, Afif (7) a new bicycle in Bantul, or his family (Dwi, 40) a new TV & stereo… I think the money is much better spent here than on toys for myself. It makes a bigger impact here.
Highlights: plans to visit Bali and witness the blessing/opening of a new Hindu temple
$80 got me a round-trip ticket to Bali for the weekend to take my friend Pak Putu Swamana up on his offer to experience a Balinese Hindu tradition. He is the religious leader of a Hindu temple in Tabanan, and will be blessing the new construction of a recent addition to their temple complex.
He is the dad of Kadek Ayu Henni, one of the girls at the front desk of my hotel I was talking to about the cost of school here on my last visit. She’s finished 3 ½ years of college, and couldn’t afford to finish the last year, so she’s been working at the hotel, trying to save money to finish. She wants to be a teacher, like her mom. 2 ½ years at the hotel, and she’s still stuck in a paycheck-to-paycheck existence. Her salary this month was $58; up from the $47 she got in August. Savings = $0.
I decided back then that I was going to help her finish school. $300 could pay for her entire last year of school, or a bad weekend in Vegas. I think the money serves a much better purpose here.
A USINDO friend of mine, Jeff Wolfe, is sending a check to help me support a few more Indonesian friends in need.
Whether helping Kadek Ayu (26) finish college in Bali, keeping little Vita (12) in school in Jakarta, giving her family (Eli, 31) basics like sheets, a fan & clothes, Afif (7) a new bicycle in Bantul, or his family (Dwi, 40) a new TV & stereo… I think the money is much better spent here than on toys for myself. It makes a bigger impact here.
posted by jonathan adventures at 3:25 AM
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