Bali Talk

When I was in high school I always dreamt about traveling. I had heard about
exchange programs, but they were not available in my school. Unfortunately, I was
very ignorant when it came to the world outside of New Mexico. I was not culturally
educated or experienced. The majority of the population at Capital High School was
Hispanic, meaning that I had no experience with people outside of my own culture. I
had only left the state 2 times for weekend vacations with my family. I would have
never imagined that I would be lucky enough to travel to a foreign country.
During my junior year, I heard about a non-profit travel program called Bali
Art Project. This program organizes a yearly trip to Bali, Indonesia in order to
encourage young students to travel and experience the world. The program was
started and funded by world travelers Zenia Victor and Gaylon Duke. The purpose of
the trip was much more than just a getaway vacation, but an opportunity for
students to become aware of the world outside of their own borders. In the words of
Gaylon and Zenia themselves: The Bali Art Project was created in 2000 to permit
young Americans, with limited financial means, to learn about the world outside of
the boundaries of their own country (1).
When I found out about the program, I did an interview and was luckily one
of the 8 students selected to travel to Bali. I was very excited but I had no idea that
my life, my values, my wisdom, and even my personality were about to change. My
Departure date finally arrived and after 2 days of traveling I was finally in Bali. I was
in a colorful new world; surrounded by fruit trees, rice paddies, monkeys, geckos,
and plenty of insects. There was art on every surface whether it was carvings on the

streets or giant statues of Balinese Gods. The islands beauty and friendly locals
enchanted me, I felt right at home.
After a couple days of relaxing we began our Art Classes. They consisted of
playing Gamelon (a musical instrument), Balinese painting, puppet making, and my
favorite: learning a Balinese dance. Our dance teacher explained: You are going to
be performing the welcoming dance, but in order to welcome outsiders we show our
Balinese nature. We smile and use every part of the body to give the sense of being
welcomed. At first I didnt understand what she meant, but after learning the dance
I realized that the way in which we moved gave off certain feelings. We were using
our bodies and the beautiful music to communicate our welcoming. If you moved
slowly, you gave a more calm and relaxed feel. On the other hand, smiling and
moving fast gave a happy and excited feeling, which is what we were aiming for.
Not only did I use communication through art to learn about Balinese culture,
but I also realized the power of communication in imagery when I was in a
homestay. I was put in a home with a family consisting of a mother, a father, and two
daughters of the ages 16 and 10. My 16-year-old homestay sister was taking English
classes at her school so she knew English pretty well. I would tell her stories about
living in America and what New Mexico was like. However, it was harder to
communicate with my younger homestay sister. I still wanted to talk to her though,
so I had to figure out a way of communicating. I figured that the best way to talk to
her was through drawing. I would draw a picture and we would each pronounce the
depiction in our native tongue. This created a silent conversation between us two.

Both my homestay sisters taught me a lot about being humble and happy regardless
of wealth.
Because Bali is a poverty-stricken island, some small luxuries found in
America were absent. For example, Zenia and Gaylon would only allow us to drink
bottled water as our stomachs were used to clean, filtered water. This was not the
case there. However, some residents did have access to digital devices. Even in
poverty, Bali is digitally literate. Some of the native high school students that we met
became our friends on Facebook. Many Shops and restaurants had Wi-Fi; some
residents had smartphones and tablets. Indonesia was still up to date as far as
electronics and digital communication devices. This is important because being
digitally literate allows for the country to stay in communication with the rest of the
world. This also allows for better awareness, which can hopefully lead to a decrease
in poverty.
Being aware of the world outside of our borders helps eliminate cultural
ignorance. This can improve communication between different cultures. Doctors
without borders helps about 70 different countries. It is important for volunteers to
be conscious of the cultural values and customs of the country they are assigned to.
Art is the best way to learn about a country because art expresses culture. Although
speaking and writing are the main ways of communicating, an unlikely or less
known form is Art, it can provoke a memory or thought, send a message, and even
tell a story. We can use art to help teach languages and ease communication. Doctors
without borders can use other methods to communicate with patients.