Mason's Southeast Asia Adventures: Yayasan Intros

     I am officially exhausted but feel the need to blog before I have too much to write..which may have already happened. Before I really get started I need to let you know that we actually farmed today! Stef and I got up early and headed over to Putus' farm, our neighbor, to help harvest his rice field. We helped cut and then bang (to knock the actual rice off the stem) the rice crop and he filled us in and the whole process and techniques for growing the best crop. It was great. Now to get started..we have spent five days at Yayasan Widya Guna where we are teaching. To correct an earlier statement, it is not an orphanage. At one time, orphans were living here but all have moved out at this time. Instead it is a children's foundation which provides extra classes for all of the children in the surrounding area as well as some of the only classes for mentally and physically disabled children. School ends at lunch time for primary school so afternoon classes are held here daily for these children from 2-4pm. Yayasan provides sponsors for over 100 children, and these sponsors financially put these kids through the extent of their education. Many of the children here have lost parents, some to the Bali beach bombings in 2005, but all except 8 sleep at home. Of the eight here, two are children of the founders Ketut and Nyoman, and three are his sisters sons. Yayasan also provides playing fields, a computer room, dance classes, and music classes for all of the children.
      Our main task to date has been teaching the mentally disabled class each morning Monday-Friday, alongside Nana, their Balinese teacher, and at times, other volunteers. There are usually around eight students with either downs syndrome or cerebral palsy and one with severe autism. It is an unbelievably challenging job teaching this class without any background in their language, but by using pictures, white boards, games, and Nana, we are able to make good progress. The kids are amazing and I find myself fluctuating between excitement, frustration, love, and heartbreak very quickly. There is one girl I find myself especially attached to named Ayu who is wheelchair bound by cerebral palsy. There is no question that she is extremely smart, and it is so so difficult to see the frustration in her eyes that her body won't do what she wants it to. She cannot walk, has minimal motor function, and has trouble getting words out. I find myself trying to speak to her through my eyes because I can only imagine what she wants to be able to say, and can't imagine how hard it must be to be trapped inside. When she does answer questions, they are almost always correct. It is really hard. The other kids are all great and each has his/her own difficulties and sadnesses. This said, they are some of the happiest kids you'll ever meet and loove coming to school. There is lots of high-fiving, clapping, and chanting going on for every assignment.
       Some afternoons we have been teaching the younger primary school kids from 2-4. They are all great kids and their english is good. Daily activities with the kids include yoga, baseball, roughhousing, and helping with homework( for the ones that live here). I will not embelish for now as this is already getting long.
       In our spare time we have been keeping equally busy. We rented a moto for three weeks so that we can travel around on our days off, and we have visited spice farms, sarong weaving businesses, markets, and warungs(cafes) in the surrounding areas like Ubud. We tried local Kopi Luwak (for those who know what it is) and also took our moto up to Mt. Batur, an active volcano north of here which was beautiful. One night, Stef and I got dressed up in our finest Hindu attire (sarongs, sashes, headdress) and headed to Temple for a ceremony to honor the gods. We were a little late but got to sit and talk to the locals and the Pomang Ku (he leads the ceremony) about how they pray and to whom. It was very intresting, and we have been invited for dinner at one mans house sometime in the future.
      Starting Thursday we are taking over the afternoon primary school class full-time so I will keep you updated and maybe get some pics on here. Hope you're all well and safe. Mas