Supporting Peace

Gentle Birth

Checking a baby postpartum

The cell phone next to my head rang at 2 am, I was needed at the clinic.  I kissed my child sleeping next to me on the forehead, jumped out of bed and started the short walk down the dark quiet road.  Along the way I gathered some pink and yellow frangipani flowers from the side of the road, to cover the placenta and hoping for a water birth.  I arrived to find the second time mom in active labor.  She had come to Bumi Sehat and to Robin Lim for a more peaceful birth than her last; a hospital c-section where she was separated from her baby for hours and was charged an exorbitant amount of money.  She was pacing the room while the birth tub was being filled.  Once it was full, she slid into the warm water and relaxed, the flowers floating around her.  While she labored her older child slept in the corner of the room and her husband rubbed her shoulders.  We poured warm water on her belly with each contraction.  Soon enough it was time to push and the midwives began to sing a Hindu prayer.  Her baby was received under the water.  The mother quickly gathered her baby into her arms, smiling with joy and relief.  Indeed, it was a gentle birth.  The water was drained and the placenta delivered and kept attached to the baby.  They moved back to the bed and she settled in and nursed the baby for the first time while we all quietly tidied the room and got her a meal.  She and her family set the tone for the birth and postpartum.  The family was able to enjoy a few days in a postpartum room while the mother took time to heal and have quiet time with her baby.

A placenta still attached to the baby.
Adorned with flowers and honored for its great work.

Erin and a Bumi Baby

Sometime in mid-August, my business partner Katherine sat me down and asked me if I’d be willing to go to Bali as a preceptor to the student midwives at the Yayasan Bumi Sehat (Foundation for Healthy Birth), leaving in 6 weeks.  It had been my dream to go to Bali as a volunteer with my family at some future date.   Now I was faced with a difficult decision; we hadn’t done the 2 years of fund-raising we had originally planned to do, but here was a need that wasn’t being met, on the other side of the world, right now.   James and I gathered our family and prepared to meet the challenges and amazing opportunities Bali had to offer. 

We have been here just 2 months, and I am still in awe of the services that YBS provides for the community.  YBS is a clinic founded by Robin Lim who still works here with an incredible Balinese staff.  Why do they need volunteers?  The amazing and endless work they do is supplemented by volunteers like us.  While I have been here I have supervised several students and supported the local midwives as well,  in all attending over 40 births since we arrived.   Unique in Bali, Bumi Sehat offers compassionate and thorough care; all mothers leave the clinic healthy and nursing their babies successfully.   A young mother was in this week and her mother in law was trying to tell her formula was better.  Robin and the midwives were in every hour to support her to nurse and give information to the family on the importance of breastfeeding babies.  In Indonesia if a baby breastfeeds, they are 300 times less likely to die in the first year of life.

Fat and healthy breastfed baby

The clinic is not just a birth center, people who have nowhere else to go come here everyday for help. Today, a man came in with his 7 month-old son, who is having a respiratory problem. We were able to offer him medical advice as well as acupuncture and homeopathy.  He would have been unable to pay for the care his baby needed elsewhere.  No other clinic in Bali offers so much help and alternative medicine for free.  

Staff getting ready for prenatals

Checking a mothers belly at a prenatal visit

Everyday our decision to come to Bali is reinforced by the extraordinary care we see given to families in need.  Being a part of such an organization has been eye opening and a wonderful learning experience for our whole family.  I am grateful for the opportunity to learn and share my knowledge as well.  I hope the lives we have touch have benefited as much as our own

No donation is too small. Bumi Sehat has survived all these many years, because we have a world-wide community of partners in service to humanity.

Ibu Robin and Erin relaxing after a birth

Dr Bobbi teaching volunteers about acupuncture.

Hope with Ibu Maria.  Most midwives work a second job in addition to Bumi Sehat.

Ibu Robin with Bumi babies. 

Erin, Ibu Robin, Ibu Wayan (president of the midwives in Indonesia) and Bridget Lynch of ICM.  Midwives working to change the policies of maternal health recommendations

The snack shack outside the clinic.  A great place to get a drink or catch up on the news

Bumi Sehat Logo.  I see it everywhere in Bali!

Climbing the Volcano

Gede, our guide, Hope and Clare

 O.k., so besides the fact that it probably seems insane to even think about climbing a volcano when there have been 4 eruptions on an island not too distant I will admit that I was not in fact following the news that well and had not known of the three subsequent eruptions since the original one.  Suffice to say, we are not that close to the island off the coast of Java where the eruptions have been occurring and we figured they would have canceled all trips if there had been any danger.  Really.  And this was the time we had planned to go because Clare was leaving in three days.  

On Bali there are three volcanos and I think you can climb them all.  Gunung Agung, the mother volcano, is the tallest at 3,143 m. (10,000 ft) and that was the one we were going to climb.  We had been warned off of climbing Batur, as our guide at the elephant temple (Goa Gajah) informed us that the people at Batur were not very nice and a tourist there had lost all her money.  Imagine our surprise as we began our hike and saw the sign that clearly read 'Mt. Batur'.  My heart sunk momentarily, though Clare and Hope both started laughing, so I decided to let it go and accept the moment for what it was.  If we were meant to hike Batur, then so be it.  Well, any disappointment I might have had quickly wore off about half an hour into our hike as Clare was having gastro-intestinal issues from the food she had bought on the streets of Ubud the night before and we were having to pause now and again to let her stomach calm down.  I should also mention that we had begun our 'day' at 2 a.m., departing from our village in the van we chartered at 2:30, arriving at the volcano an hour or so later and beginning our hike in the dark at around 4 a.m. to hopefully catch the sunrise on top of the mountain.  Given all of this, I'd have to say we were all actually quite grateful to be climbing the lowly Batur (1,710 m, or 5,000 ft.), knowing it was still going to be a slog to get to the top, up narrow switchbacks at times on sandy volcanic terrain.

When we finally arrived at the warung (cafe) at the rim, we were given the option of continuing to the very top or stopping there to have our breakfast, which our guide Gede was to prepare.  Needless to say, this was where pretty much everyone else was stopping to watch the sunrise, and Clare was in no mood to hike any more, so we perched ourselves on some jagged rocks and faced east to take in the view. 

Sunrise over Agung - farthest in the distance - seen from Batur

Tea on the volcano

From where we sat we had a great view of an adjacent mountain which was part of the same area we were in and just beyond it, looking like a shadow of the first mountain, was the majestic Agung.  Breakfast consisted of hot banana sandwiches and 4 boiled eggs for the three of us to share.  The sunrise was quite serene, though there was fog along the lower valley floor and this obscured the coast somewhat and we did not see the golden orb clearly until it was up in the sky well above Lombok, which was just visible beyond the fog and clouds.  The fog did move though and we were able to catch glimpses of the ocean and neighboring islands, as well as the large lake at the foot of the volcano we were sitting on.

Clare meets a monkey

A monkey on the rim

 There were probably 50 of us all together, tourists and guides as well as the warung proprieter and his 11 year old daughter who had sped past us up the mountain, in order to get up in time to open shop.  Hope pointed out the group next to us whose Indonesian guide spoke perfect German and offered his group cappucino's.  Following breakfast, we became aware of the many monkeys starting to assemble around us.  Our guide pointed out a blue nylon rope that was supposed to be the line the monkeys couldn't cross, then proceeded to feed them beyond the same line.  The monkeys were much less aggressive than the ones in monkey forest who seem to have no fear of humans.  Our guide told us they live just below the rim of the volcano where the rising steam helped them to keep warm in the cooler mountain air.

Balinese Snow

Feeling refreshed after breakfast, we decided to continue on and see the rim and other various smaller craters and such points of interest.   Our Guide procured an egg that he was going to bury in one of the steam vents to 'boil' for us, and off we went.  Along the way he informed us that four months ago a tourist had fallen into the main crater and died.  Then he showed us the sites of previous smaller eruptions and finally we reached the edge of the Western rim where we got to cook our egg.  12 minutes.  It was delicious.  On the way down our guide told us we were going to descend through 'Bali snow', soft volcanic sand that was quite a bit like snow actually.  I'm pretty sure he was weaving through it with mock ski poles, turning his hips at the right times as he deftly dropped down the 'slopes'.
The trip down was considerably faster than the trip up, and once at the foot of the mountain, we were treated to a stunning view of the crater we had just been on.  By the time we got back to the van, we'd had quite a day, the sun beating down on us, quickly erasing the memories of the cooler temperatures of the predawn.  We were shocked though to discover though that it was only 9:30 a.m.

We did it!

Postscript: according to which source you may want to check the volcano has been officially closed to tourists since either the 3rd, 5th or 6th of November.  We climbed it, along with about 40 other various groupings of tourists, guides, etc. on the 7th and there was no mention of it being closed, or about to close.

PPSS.  What were the rest of us doing?  Well Erin and the boys jumped on motor bikes with Devon and ventured out to a beach.  It should have been about an hour drive but somehow it took 2.  Vaughn has perfected sleeping on the bike.  The beach was on the east coast.  We had to hike in and it was worth the long ride and walk.  Simply breath taking.  We drank fresh coconuts and played in the warm blue waters.

Petulu's Heron

 A few of you know that the Herons were a part of our coming to Bali.  This past summer I noticed an unusual number of Herons about.  They become more and more obvious until I had to admit that they were bringing me a message.  After hearing my comment on their presence for about the 50th time, my friend Devon implored me to look in to the meaning of the beautiful birds.  As a water creature the heron is a symbol of going with the flow, and working with the elements of Mother nature rather than struggling against her.   It seems they have incredible vision and precision or seeing what they want and getting it.  I took this message seriously and took the time to get clear on what I wanted.  James and I talked and agreed that our collective vision was to travel with the family.  Once we agreed it was incredible how fast the opportunity and reality unfolded.  Within 8 weeks of our talk we on a plane to Bali.  The week before we came to Bali, we drove to North Carolina the herons continued to present themselves in person, on signs and even t-shirts.  Once in Bali I didn't expect to see them anymore.  Imagine my surprise when I saw a poster that said "keep Bali clean" with a beautiful heron.  I learned that there are many herons in Bali.  They spend their days in the rice fields and their nights in Petulu...

Devin following the birds

Local legend is that there were no herons near Petulu until one afternoon inthe fall of 1965. On September 30, 1965, an attempted communist coup led to the downfall of founding Indonesian president Sukarno and the emergence of General Suharto, who ended the coup.  Afterwards, the communist party was outlawed, and an anti-communist witch hunt swept over the nation. In Bali, the national political differences were bound up with existing tensions over the caste system and land reform.  Religious traditionalists led the search for communists, and many people were brutally murdered, often clubbed to death by mobs. Exactly one week after one of the worst of the massacres, thousands of white herons, said to be the souls of the slaughtered, appeared in Petulu, where no herons had been seen before. They have been coming every afternoon since.

When I heard about these birds I knew I wanted to see them.  Devin, Clare, Sarafina and James, Finn, Harmon, and Vaughn Hawk and I all jumped on bikes one evening and raced up the road.  The map made it seem like you couldn’t miss the turn to Petulu.  So we kept going and going and going.  We went through the painting village, the mosaic village, and basket village and on and on until it was obvious that we were headed into the mountains.   We turned around and started asking around.  Just as we were learning that we had way over shot the turn, I saw some herons flying overhead.  Our journey became one of chasing birds and asking locals how much farther to the turn.  We got to Petulu just in time to see a few birds land in the trees.  Then they started coming by the hundreds and more.  I am not sure we could begin to capture it on film but here we tried.  Watching these stunning animals land one after another after another left us all giddy and speechless.  It was a beautiful quiet ride home.

 

 

waiting on the wire for a chance to get a good spot in the trees

we are still here...

Sorry for the delay in post. We are ok and the volcano and tsunami were not on this island.   We have been busy with fun life affirming adventures.  Finn celebrated his 9^th birthday on the 26^th.  He planned a lovely day for himself and our Australian friend Jesse returned from her travels just in time to be there too!  We had Finn’s favorite breakfast- black rice porridge, then open presents, play legos, lunch then party.  We had planned to go swimming but it rained all afternoon.  The festivities were so lively no one noticed that we didn’t go swim.  Delicious still warm chocolate mud cake (still warm) drew quite a crowd.  Finn really likes having so many adults and kids around to interact with all in his own home.  Its like a social homeschool situation?  He has gotten very close to 2 of the other volunteers and he spends lots of time talking and snuggling with them.  

Jesse home for the birthday!

Zion and Finn enjoying ice cream.  Good to eat ice cream with one of your heros.

opening presents. and lots of laughing.

"gate" you often see at the entrance of temples.  they represent the mountains

monkeys at kakek dance

The next day we went with Jesse to the Kakek and Fire dance.  It is a dance that was created in the early 1900 for tourist that incorporates many elements of a traditional ritual in the temples.  Almost 100 men sit and chant like monkeys though the whole dance.  Really entertaining and fun.  The boys like the “monkeys” and of course the fire dance at the end is pretty impressive.  A man in trance dances on hot coals for a long long time.  He is brought out of trance by a priest and then people give him tips (or as Jesse said $ to go to the hospital to treat his feet!)  When we went up he grabbed Vaughn Hawk and was very curious about where he was from and where he was living here.  When he was done with his inquiries he told me very solemnly that Vaughn Hawk must stay in Bali.  Ending with “please, please stay”.  Hmmmm.  Vaughn gets lots of attention here from all the locals.  Even young hip taxi drivers are drawn to him.  Could be is crazy red curly hair, blue eyes or wild spirit.

Halloween. We woke up Halloween morning and 2 pumpkins had appeared.  Was this the doing of the great pumpkin or could this have something to do with a party Chloe and Clare went to.  Would they?  Could they... jack pumpkins??
We had an American style Halloween.  We carved pumpkins, kids wore costumes and Chloe and Clare organized a haunted house!  Even a few pieces of candy.

Chloe on left.  New volunteer.  She is great live in Hatti for 4 years! Yes she was there for the earthquake.

Clare- pumpkin theif?  This sweet girl from Iowa????

the Blueberry, German Tourist (complete with sunburn) and a Bali Taxi driver

After a few days rest we were up for another adventure.  Off to a famous ancient temple....

boys with Madeh our self trained and self employed tour guide

Our trip to the Pura Goa Gajah was .  The elephant temple.  Now don’t be fooled.  No elephants are indigenous to Bali.  It is named for the Ganesh, elephant statues, uncovered in the 60s by archeologist.  This is a very old temple site that has been used by both Buddhist and Hindu.  It was lost for over a century to be rediscovered by archeologist in the 60s.  Locally it is still used as a Temple by Hindus and tourist are welcome anytime to visit.  It’s a very popular site and so we went on the day the King was being cremated in town knowing that everyone would be there and we could have the place to ourselves.   Why didn’t we go to the cremation?  Locals said taking little kids in the heat would be a foolish idea.  I have learned to listen to the locals.  Cremations are not uncommon and we will see a smaller one when the opportunity arises.

washing our faces in the sacred fountain.  takes away years!

Rocks on right are the old Buddhist temple that fell in the 62 earthquake. 

So no one was really at the temple and as luck would have it there was a lovely man named Madeh there who offered to be our guide.  Turns out he dated a women from Vermont a few years back and had planned to come visit but couldn’t get a visa after 911.  He was very open about his life and religion as well as the history of the site.  We learned so much. 

Market on the way back to the bikes.  We almost made it our without a purchase...

 We learned alot about Hindu from Madeh.  He explained some basics better than anyone else so far.  Hindu religion and how it’s completely inter meshed with the culture.  And how it is  combination of Indigenous beliefs, Hindu and animism  The most striking aspect is that Hindu first prays for the universe and work their way down to themselves.  That is so obvious that the individual is not prioritized.  Bali Hindus (much different than say Indian) are non-violent.  I also appreciate that there is no missionary work done but they love when others come in dress to pray b.c God can hear and understand all languages.  There is sweetness and a beauty that pervades the peoples and earth here.  Of course the daily offerings are an amazing acknowledgment of gratitude something I want to take home and incorporate in my own life.

Mouth of the elephant cave. Rediscovered in the 60s by archeologist. 

 After a wonderful afternoon, walking in the sun we drove home on the bikes.  I am working to perfect the Balinese car seat which consist of a sarong tying the child to the mother.  I did ok on the way back.  Vaughn Hawk was so comfortable he fell asleep! Once  I perfect it I will post a picture.

love to you all