Author: bsilva@rollins.edu

Saying goodbye is never easy. I said my final goodbyes to my SIT classmates and staff a few days ago. I am still in Bali with my mom traveling here for another two weeks. Although I have not left Bali, I can already tell that I am greatly going to miss this place. I am…

I am finally on my last week of my research project! This final week is writing week, therefore I will be spending these next few days finishing and editing my 50 page research paper. My friend Maia and I chose the Gili Islands as our location for the writing period. Perhaps this was not the…

Happy Earth Day! Yesterday I arrived back in Ubud, after being at a Buddhist Monastery for five days. My time at the monastery was an invaluable experience for both my research project and my personal life. During my time spent here, I met the Buddhist monk who has been living at the monastery for decades…

Today I officially start my Independent Research Project, which means I only have a month left in the program and two months left in Bali! It feels like just yesterday I stepped off the plane and entered Asia for the first time. At the same time, a lot has happened in the past two months…

This past weekend, we returned from Java where we had stayed for the past three weeks. During our first two weeks in Java, we attended lectures at the Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta, the second largest university in Indonesia. We also stayed with a homestay family in the village of Godean; I got along very…

Five days ago, I arrived in Yogayakarta; I was welcomed into my Javanese homestay on Tuesday. My family is a family of five: bapak, ibu, a son and two daughters. All the children speak English, which has been very helpful and we have engaged in discussions about each other’s lives and cultures. During these three…

Bali has been my new home for two weeks now. This lovely island has captured my heart; the people here are genuinely friendly, the nature is stunning and vibrantly green, and the program is great so far. At times, its easy to forget that I am indeed in school as our classes are outside in…

I am currently glued to the fireplace in my aunt’s house thanking myself for choosing a study abroad location that has a warm climate. Yesterday I left the sunshine state to fly to New Jersey to say goodbye to my family before leaving for the Island of Gods – Bali! On Sunday I will embark…