BALI PARADISE POTRAIT

Bali Paradise Potrait article.First came to Bali in 1986 and lived in the village of Penestanan near Ubud. Among all the vivid and challenging experiences of a newly- arrived tourist, I noyiced that people called me Tamu or Guest. I had lived in several other places around asia before this time and I had been called many other things, most of which were not nearly as pleasant as : guest: and so I appreciated this graciousness.

As I've lived here over the yeras, I've gained a deeper understanding that this linguistic custom is not a formality but reflects a more basic quality of Balinese culture. As I moved around the island and lived in different situations I was always wlcomed in the same way. And despite all the confusion I inadvertenly caused as I tired to learn the ways of Balinese life, I was always treated with patience and with a spirit of accommodation in some cases my presence was valued simply as entertainment and as a break from the routine.

I'm sure that I've been the subject of a substantial amount of good-natured teasing whether I know it at the time or not, but at other times I noticed that people were really curious to know about my world and how people really lived in it. I've been asked every conceivable question about life outside Bali. For Example people have wanted to know what it feels like to drive a car in a snowstorm, or how it fells to be so far away from family. I,ve been asked many questions about personal relationship in western culture, some that could be printed in this magazine and some that could not.