We are coming up on finishing the second week on the SIE program here in Bali, and I have had such a whirlwind of emotions and experiences that I was not expecting to have here in Bali. We have gone to so many nonprofit organizations, talked to multiple community leaders and had our fair share of class discussions. I have felt so at home in this place, with the locals and with the other people I am here with, which is a feeling I was not anticipating.
The past few days in Pemuteran we have been learning about the Biorock infrastructure and how it completely changed the entire village. It was put into place to preserve the coral reefs that were being destroyed from unsustainable fishing, yet somehow transformed the whole village into a popular tourist town. I love being able to see something like this in action from the town itself, not only reading about it in a textbook. The opportunity for learning is infinite when there are so many resources to explore, versus only reading what authors or scientists want you to read about. I have felt this same feeling throughout our whole trip, being able to talk directly to the starters or works of nonprofit organizations and different foundations shows the strong passion that goes into every organization. I love being able to see this passion and see an organization as more than solely their data, but with the story that goes behind everyone. I have found this passion to be the beauty of this whole program. It is shown in every student here, wanting to learn more about SIE and how they can apply it to their future lives. It is shown in everyone we have talked to at different foundations, wanting to make an impact. It is shown in all of our program coordinators in how excited they are to share this beautiful experience with us. I am excited to keep exploring this magical island and be even more immersed within their culture.
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