As per usual, a lot has happened since my last post. And as it turns out, today is the last official program day of GIEU - it flew by! Don't worry though, I'm staying in Bali for another week to hopefully have some more (mis)adventures so the fun isn't over yet. But the official program bit has come to a close after 4 exciting and eventful weeks...I can't even believe it. We've seen and done so much here and yet it feels like just yesterday we were all getting over our jet lag from the bazillion hour plane ride it takes to get here. Oh nostalgia...

To cap things off in proper form, I made some mock elections for our last lunch today. They've all been earned earnhestly with the help of nonsense and tomfoolery throughout the duration of the trip and I thought the students deserved recognition for them. Some of the better ones include: Most likely to still look fierce while having an allergic reaction, Most likely to survive a kiss from a cockroach (two-way tie for that one), Most likely to still look fabulous (and better than you) while planting rice in a padi, Most likely to scare a vendor away with her amazing bargaining skills, and Most likely to seduce a driver (or hotel worker, or busboy, or whoever...) . Can you get a feel for the type of comrades I have here in Indonesia? Needless to say, the trip has been awesome thanks to my counterparts in crime.

Although I'm looking forward to being home and seeing everyone I've missed for a month, I think I'm really gonna miss these people who I've spent every waking moment with for the last four weeks. It's an odd thing to embark on a trip like this knowing virtually nothing about the 14 other people you'll be going with, and then forming such a tight bond so quickly. And then you have to leave them right when you feel like you've really made some steady friendships. Story of my life, more or less. Go on an adventure where you meet amazing people, then part ways and start the next adventure. It's pretty bittersweet but it's worth everything to have that short period of time with people, bonding like only people who travel together far from home can bond. Sap, sap, sappy McSapperson, okay I'll stop. Just had to get it out of my system. :)

My final thoughts on Ubud, Bali where I've been staying are these: I'll miss looking out the window during long drives and seeing endless fields of rice padi, and peeking into all the colorful shops on Monkey Forest Road. I'll miss seeing Ketut Liyer, the medicine man and his toothless grin every morning when I leave the compound. I'll miss playing with the most vivacious baby girl in the world, Daya, Ketut's great-grandaughter, and her mother who single-handedly cured my crazy Indonesian stomach cramps. I'll miss the times when we drive for what seems like forever in a hot crowded van, only to reach the most amazing lookout point or breathtaking panorama of mountains, volcanoes, or my favorite of all, Lake Batur. I can't decide if I'll miss the food yet...I'm so saturated with it that I feel like I might explode if I see another plate of rice, but then again maybe a week of budgeting and eating peanut butter sandwiches in Kuta to save money for other adventures will make me miss the delicious cuisine I've been eating. I'll miss fresh fruit served with every meal for sure though, and the way Coke tastes better outside the United States for some reason. I'll miss being so connected to where my food comes from and having intelligent conversations with my friends who are studying agriculture and food systems about organic farming and such. I'll miss nearly stepping on the offerings put out every day to honor the gods here in Bali, and I'll miss seeing little kids run around in sarongs and cheerfully shouting things to one another in a language I don't understand. I'll miss the sounds of Gamelan, the indescribable music played on uniqely carved instruments by up to 20+ people at a time, and can put you in a trance if you hear our extremely talented guide play...

I'll miss a lot of things. But I still have one week left to take in some more of Bali, so I'm off to go do some of that. Thanks, as always, for making it to the end of a blog post, I know they get long. I'll be seeing you all soon! :)

<3 Jill