"Sakit Gede"
This is how to say "shit" in Balinese, which the ladies who tend to our house told us in a sea of giggles this morning. Steve said, "So I can say, 'Selamat pagi (good morning), sakit gede' every day?" The laughter from the ladies indicated that there has never been a more hilarious joke.
As anticipated, my trip thus far has been life-changing ("life-altering" sounds so severe). The people here, I know I am redundant, are beautiful. There is a serenity that is hard to describe - I inherently trust everyone here. It is a remarkable feeling. It occurred to me yesterday that I've never been in a region which didn't have a Judeo-Christian foundation. It has been truly enlightening.
We attended day one of the wedding odyssey yesterday. I commented to Steve this morning (it's amazing how much of a conversation you can have while riding on a motorbike...) that we've been granted an incredible, rare glimpse of this culture thanks to the wedding festivities. Steve's good friend is marrying a Balinese man of an upper caste, and the wedding grandeur bears that out. Yesterday was the family ceremony, for which we had to buy the full Balinese attire. We actually looked and felt remarkably normal, all things considered.
Because she is a Westerner, Tara had to go through the beginning of life ceremonies which make babies Balinese. Balinese baptism, I suppose. The whole thing took 6 hours - amazing, and difficult at times thanks to the 99% humidity. Oof.
Sunday we have wedding festivities scheduled from 9am to 10pm. There will be a Balinese public wedding ceremony at which 800 people are expected (!), followed by a more intimate reception for 300. Amazing, amazing. The guests are upper-caste by US standards, too. We've been thrown into a mix with some amazing artists, non-profiteers, and restauranteurs. Steve and I are feeling lower caste, for sure.
More later, of course... Must go back and take our daily nap!
As anticipated, my trip thus far has been life-changing ("life-altering" sounds so severe). The people here, I know I am redundant, are beautiful. There is a serenity that is hard to describe - I inherently trust everyone here. It is a remarkable feeling. It occurred to me yesterday that I've never been in a region which didn't have a Judeo-Christian foundation. It has been truly enlightening.
We attended day one of the wedding odyssey yesterday. I commented to Steve this morning (it's amazing how much of a conversation you can have while riding on a motorbike...) that we've been granted an incredible, rare glimpse of this culture thanks to the wedding festivities. Steve's good friend is marrying a Balinese man of an upper caste, and the wedding grandeur bears that out. Yesterday was the family ceremony, for which we had to buy the full Balinese attire. We actually looked and felt remarkably normal, all things considered.
Because she is a Westerner, Tara had to go through the beginning of life ceremonies which make babies Balinese. Balinese baptism, I suppose. The whole thing took 6 hours - amazing, and difficult at times thanks to the 99% humidity. Oof.
Sunday we have wedding festivities scheduled from 9am to 10pm. There will be a Balinese public wedding ceremony at which 800 people are expected (!), followed by a more intimate reception for 300. Amazing, amazing. The guests are upper-caste by US standards, too. We've been thrown into a mix with some amazing artists, non-profiteers, and restauranteurs. Steve and I are feeling lower caste, for sure.
More later, of course... Must go back and take our daily nap!
posted by O'Mc Bloggivan at 11:23 PM
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