June 23, 2016

June 23, 2016

I did absolutely nothing today and it was perfect.  I stayed up late last night (like 1am late, which is super late considering I’ve been going to bed by 10pm every night here!) to conduct a phone interview for my internship back in Albuquerque (more details to come in a few days) but I still woke up at 8am. I showered, threw my bathing suit on and a dress without a lick of makeup or anything to my hair (this has been my thing since coming to Bali) and proceeded downstairs for some delicious breakfast. I started off with some small pancakes served with honey (YUM), some Indonesian noodles and steamed rice (this is a popular breakfast in Indonesia), then finished it with a small bowl of cereal. I feasted.

I headed down the street to Kuta Beach, walking past all kinds of shops and people trying to sell me anything you can imagine.  It would normally be a 10-minute walk but since I think I’ve done some permanent damage to my ankle (not kidding), it took about twice as long as I was hobbling at best. I got to the beach at 10am and parked my butt right on the sand, laid down, and began reading. It’s hard to get some peace and quiet here because sellers on the beach try to talk you into buying things from bracelets, to massages, to ice cream. I finally gave into a nice older woman named Agung for a massage (it was $5 for an hour massage and she had very strong hands – this was an offer I definitely couldn’t refuse).

When the massage was over, I walked back over to where I was sitting, made friends with some local Indonesians who offered me a chair and sat with them.  Also sitting near me was an Australian family from Sydney who I befriended and we had a good chat about Donald Trump and America’s obsession with guns, it was great.  Between bouts of reading, talking, and laughing, I periodically got in the bath-warm waters of the ocean to cool off and swim with my new friend, Tarus. Tarus is a really good surfer (this is quite common here, to surf) and we agree that he’s going to teach me tomorrow even though my ankle is in bad shape.  Hours go by, Bintang’s have been opened then drank, and before I realize it, it’s 5pm. 

Those of you that know me know that I have porcelain white skin (thank you Michigan and dad) but I figured since I haven’t been able to work up a tan at all since being in Bali despite spending all day, every day out in the sun that I didn’t need to apply sunscreen.  So I didn’t. And I hate myself for that obviously terrible decision because 7 hours in the sun has left me with a pretty nasty burn. I’m normally so paranoid about getting skin cancer – I lecture everyone I know who goes to the tanner (I’m talking to you Shelby and Mom), I insist on the highest SPF possible, and I take every step to avoid the devastating rays from the sun (hello wrinkles, skin cancer, sun spots, etc.), but not this time and I’m going to pay for it. This very moment I can feel heat radiating off of me and I hate it. So I will lather on that sunscreen tomorrow and embrace my pasty whiteness (which men here incidentally love).

While I was in Ubud, I was blown away by how polite the men were. Whenever I visit other countries (Kenya, even Europe), the men tend to call out to me or look at me as if they’re undressing me. And this is not me being like “I’m so hot all the men want me” because I’m certain that they do this with all women. It’s so annoying and so disrespectful. But the men in Ubud weren’t like that and I loved it! However, when I was sitting on the beach today, a scruffy-looking man walked past me trying to sell me something and called me something in Indonesian. I turned to Tarus to ask what it meant and he spelled out the letters “MILF” in the sand. I’M NOT EVEN A  MOM. Like how old did he think I was? People have been asking me if I’m 18 this entire trip and now suddenly this man (who is absolutely middle-aged I should mention) thinks I’m capable of being a mother? And a hot one at that? So I stood right up and shouted out to him that I’m not a mom because I needed to clarify that for my own sake.

Around 4pm, Tarus and I walked a little down the beach to get some authentic Indonesian food being sold at a stand. It was wrapped in a cardboard pyramid and contained rice, noodles, and chicken, all a little spicy. But it was like $0.75! So in an effort to save money/only spend my money on massages from old Indonesian women with weird fingernails, I will probably eat at this stand for the rest of my time here. And let me clarify something, all of these activities with Tarus definitely seem romantic (strolled along the beach as the sun was setting, etc.) but were 100% not. Not that I am not capable of getting an Indonesian boyfriend (there’s something about their brown skin that I like), but I’m on vacation to relax, not to get swept up in some drama with someone I’m never going to see again. And yes, that sounds like the plot of a movie and like the most perfect love story waiting to happen but no thank you. I’ll pass. But maybe some day? That sounded  really cavalier of me to say but that’s not how I meant it, I just mean that I’m not at the point in my life where I want to commit to something like a boyfriend who lives on a small island 10,000 miles away. You get that, right?

This entire trip I have felt nothing but content and happy. I did nothing today and it was all I ever wanted. But when I got back to my hotel, I found myself actually feeling a little lonely. I never feel lonely because I prefer to be alone (nothing against anyone, it’s just my thing) but the feeling hit me all of a sudden. I miss my family most of all (they are probably eating this shit up right now because I’m the most unemotional, least lovey-dovey person in the world and it’s rare for me to be this way). But here I am, missing my dad’s stupid (yes, they’re stupid but that’s why they’re funny) jokes, the way he sings “and the thunder rolls” whenever (LITERALLY WHENEVER) thunder happens, my mom calling me crying because I didn’t answer my phone and she thinks I’ve been mugged and/or murdered, the way she goes on and on about a show that I literally give no shits about but still pretend to listen (love you). My cats at home, Jefferson and Matilda, they fart all the time. And Jesus Christ, I think I actually miss their farts? That is almost certainly one of the most messed up things that has ever come out of my mouth. I miss Jordan, even though we push each other’s buttons and I hate that he made me watch that stupid video of baby Dory (it was pretty cute but not stop everything that you’re doing and watch this video at least 30 times cute). I miss Michigan and a climate that isn’t 150% humidity. But no worries, I still love it here, I’m just missing my home. Sorry this blog post is so long, I’ve started writing it on my computer instead of in my journal then typing it and I find myself not being able to shut up. Typing is so much easier than writing! Why have I not been doing this all along?!