thank you sarinbuana

never would I have known the degree to which my experiences working at the sarinbuana ecolodge in bali would have so profoundly impacted me. coming to work at the lodge back in april, knowing I would stay for some time I always hoped that during this time I could really involve myself in the community and my surroundings further.  having to say goodbye just over a week ago and coming to the realization that the three months have come and gone in the blink of an eye has been harder than I could have ever imagined.

the ecolodge nestled on mount batukaru - photo by seb drewett

during my time at the ecolodge I truly feel I was able to learn more of the natural environment, continually grow my knowledge of sustainable tourism and apply it directly, come to meet and open up to the lives of so many incredible souls travelling through, and connect and become part of a family of beautiful balinese locals that made me feel so loved and cared for more than I could ever put into words.  

I knew leaving the lodge would be difficult for me.  living in a jungle half way up a beautiful mountain, fully captivated by a lush green environment, delicious plant based food straight from the garden, sharing my love of sustainability and green living, teaching yoga in the jungle and sharing the practice with people from all over the globe. being in a community of like minded people, getting active and moving my body outside every single day and feeling so at peace.  however, while that was all so hard to leave, the hardest part was definitely saying goodbye to my balinese family after making such meaningful connections.

working alongside, laughing and always chatting in the office with putri, endless giggles with surni in the back area, and morning coffee breaks with the whole crew. smiles and talking to agus, erie and gomang in the garden, treks with and visits to wayan's family farm for fresh salak from the field. cooking tips, girl chats and lots of loving from iluh and made. joking in the kitchen with kadek, putu and rio. making banana leaf plates every saturday with whoever was in the kitchen that day, dancing in the office with ebu eka and lena.  car rides and touring around with made, wonderful massages and huge smiles from meisia, putu and russi. continually inspired by ketut's woodwork and story. greeting wayan at her house or finding her tucked away in the jungle getting bananas as I walked the dogs.  and to all the other wonderful people in the village who made me feel so welcomed and cared for. lastly, daily walks, endless loving, and all the cuddles with my fury family saski, cruser, and ellie. 

day to day these little moments may seem insignificant but stepping away from the lodge now, I know it was the collection of those moments that created depth in my time here and truly allowed me to become part of the family at sarinbuana.  I can hardly put to words what this experience was for me.  to each person that touched my life so deeply, I am forever grateful.  knowing I poured my heart and soul into my time and efforts at sarinbuana, feeling so passionately about all the ecolodge and community encompasses, being able to connect with everyone in such a meaningful way was more than I could have ever hoped for. I feel nourished more than words could ever fully describe. all of these moments, beautiful people, and these memories will stay close to me forever.  

I guess that's the thing with traveling and truly life in general.  it's impermanent, where everything is in a constant state of change and evolution. it can be hard to want to cling to every moment and try to keep the highs in life at a constant, but by accepting that things don't last forever it allows us to make the most of each moment in the present and cherish the memories for what they are.  instead of dwelling on the difficulty in leaving, I will forever remain grateful for all of these experiences, lessons, memories and the joys this time has brought me, knowing that when I left everyone at sarinbuana, teary eyed and a heavy heart, it was never a 'goodbye' only a 'see you soon'

so, to my family at sarinbuana, terima kasih banyak.

xoxo