Indo, Let's Go

The days are long and the years go fast. Isn’t that the old adage about parenting? Well, it applies to our year in Bali so far as well.

We cannot believe we are halfway through our year long adventure. As a family we would give the journey an A+, but that does not mean it has not been without its challenges.

So what have we loved……

Our time together has been number one. One of the primary reasons for this journey was to spend quality, non work interrupted, time together as a family before Lyla started Middle School and sports ramped up for both kids. Boy have we had our time together, ALOT!

The children have exceeded our expectations. They’ve been dragged on 7 mile hikes through Vietnamese jungles, asked to ride an hour long bus in a strange country to school, slept on a boat with strangers, and so much more. Through all of this, they’ve never stop smiling. It’s been fun to watch Lyla and Jack become even closer as siblings. You can tell they have each other’s back and are in this journey together.

Amanda and I have also had our first chance to date. Our days consist of getting the kids ready for school, going to the gym and or beach. Then we have a nice date lunch together everyday, it’s so fun! Some days we find cultural experiences to do such as our regenerative rice class, breath work seminar, day of mindfulness. Some days we sit by our pool and a read a book. Being mindful, connected, learning how to be bored were our goals coming into this.

We’ve also made some great friends. We enjoyed Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas parties with friends from around the world. Amanda has a great group of ladies that hit the town for girls nights. I’ve found some surfing buddies and guys to go out with. These friends are from the US, UK, Australia, Singapore, and the Netherlands amongst many others. It’s so fun creating friendships people from all over the world.

Some of the challenges……

Upon arrival we thought Jack was going to catch malaria and we’d lose him. Every mosquito in Bali seemed to flock his way. At one point his head swelled up like a beach ball. Ugh, poor fellow! We’ve resolved that situation and he has been thriving since. His classmates all happened to be on his soccer team so he is in 7 year old boy heaven now. Sports, birthday parties, outdoor adventures…..it’s good to be Jack!

We panicked over Lyla for the first two months at school. Her enthusiasm for Green School and finding new friends was quickly crushed. Turns out 5th Grade kids can be shits all over the world. She was having issues with bullying and started having little interest in school. This is not the Lyla we know! Thankfully, around October it turned around for her. She was selected as the narrator in her school play, captain of her volleyball team and starting making friends. We are so proud of her and are convinced the sheer force of her personality over came her challenges.

There are also times where the post card beauty of Bali doesn’t jive with living here full time. Chasing hornets, water monitor and spiders out of your house gets old. Battling rats for 2 months was disgusting. Traffic is terrible. It takes 1-2 hours to go the smallest distance. Congestion creates exhaust and it feels like you are sucking smoke into your lungs every time you are on your scooter. Finding simple things at stores feels like an act of Congress sometimes. We’ve learned to have patience and embrace it all, but there are moments one yearns for the first world experience.

All in all, it feels like we are hitting our stride as a family going into our final six months. We have adventures lined up internationally and throughout Bali. Family and friends are coming to visit. We know our way around and have a pretty firm list of what we want to accomplish and do.

Bring on the second half.