Returning to Bali: Why are we here?

Dinner at Ibu Robins! Always fun.

Erin with Irene a volunteer from Europe

So it seems I left out a big piece of the picture. I have gotten a few emails asking, “What are you doing in Bali?” I assume they mean other than loving life in a tropical bliss. …

James and I accepted a position to come work as a team at Yayasan Bumi Sehat (Foundation for Healthy Earth) a clinic dedicated to peaceful birth and health care for Indonesians. We came in 2010 for 4 months to volunteer and loved the work. When this opportunity came up we accepted with out a second thought. Our whole family feels very at home in Bali.

Everyone making baby packages

James is working in the office handling emails and processing volunteers for the clinic. It is amazing

Office staff sorting t-shirt

how many wonderful offers we get to help at the clinic. He also orients volunteers when they arrive in Bali and handles issues as they arrive here. You’d be surprised what comes up- emotionally and otherwise when you take someone out of their daily routine and put them somewhere where nothing is familiar from the food to the toilets.

I have a similar position to last time. I am precepting midwifery students, medical students and doulas. This means I work with them in the clinic and help integrate them so they can work along side the Balineses staff. I also support their understanding how midwifery works in Bali which tends to be different than from what they know. I also teach and train the students. I assess where they are in their education and support them to grow from there as well as question what they have learned and see how things can be done differently. As humans we do things a certain way and then we rationalize it in our minds as not only the only way but the best way. (see Better no Better) We talk about birth, birth, birth and occationaly other things.

Student Midwife volunteer meeting and learning to suture.

Tour for dance troupe who does a benefit for the clinic every year in Japan

It isn’t all work at the clinic. It is lots of fun. There are 58 people who work at the clinic in different capacities. Everyone helps with everything. One day in the midwives room we were watching a video on how to resolve a shoulder dystocia (a complication at birth). I looked behind us and saw the cleaning staff had joined us and were learning too! Teamwork. Everyone helps out. Everyone gives tours to groups which roll through daily, make packages of baby clothes to give away, cook, eat and laugh lots.

Ibu Agung Mas with another midwive's baby

Midwife Rena cooking. She makes wonderful doughnuts.

midwives from Malaysia. They came to learn about waterbirth.


trading marbles with boys

Where are the kids during all this fun?

We live just behind the clinic and our kids come pop in if they want to see us and join in or they can stay with the nanny that comes for a few hours each day. Their days are spent playing, learning Indonesian, running around, reading, exploring and or playing with their bunny (yes a pet rabbit. A gift from our friend Eka.)