Reflections on our first year in Bali

Suleiman

As today marks a year since we arrived in Bali, here are some off-the-top-of-my head reflections:

The Bad

1. Traffic

I hadn’t fully appreciated just how narrow the roads would be here — often with no pavements — or quite how completely scooters dominate daily life (partly because of those roads). As a result, the streets are rarely quiet, and any journey longer than 30 minutes will almost certainly involve traffic jams.

2. Noise

I also hadn’t realised that many areas of the island would feel like a permanent building site. The area around the school is full of new housing developments, which means beautiful palm trees being chopped down, against the constant soundtrack of chainsaws, hammering, and karaoke. Those moments of tropical calm and tranquillity that you imagine defining Balinese life are, in reality, quite rare.

3. Pollution

Many Balinese don’t appear to care where their rubbish ends up, or worse, prefer to burn it rather than recycle it. Both of these are more about cultural understanding, but as a result the air quality here is often quite poor.

4. Language

By rights, I should be able to speak several languages fluently — but I never quite commit. Bali felt like the perfect opportunity, with weekly Bahasa classes and a language that even uses Western script. But clashes with school events, work commitments, and my own lack of motivation mean I can already see this slipping away too. My fault completely.

5. Food

I was hoping Indonesian food would blow me away with hidden complexities and have me ranking it alongside Thai cuisine. It’s fine … but nothing more. I’ve been converted to certain foods — fresh coconut water, dragon fruit, papaya, jackfruit — and I understand why rice is so comforting and such a staple that it’s eaten for breakfast and with takeaways. Ultimately though, it all feels a bit bland unless you add sambal (and a smidge too much of that makes any dish instantly inedible).

6. Dogs

Bali has a lot of wild dogs, and we’re even currently looking after one ourselves. We’ve learnt the tricks for managing situations where dogs congregate — authoritative body language, keep talking, no eye contact, pretend to pick up a stone, carry a stick — but every dog walk can still feel like a small ordeal.

7. Mosquitoes and flies

It hasn’t been as bad as I feared, and looking back over the year I can barely recall many issues myself. Mahnaz, however, takes the brunt of this for the family, and it’s always a relief when we travel outside Bali to somewhere that doesn’t require constant spraying. We also have to seal all food and put bread in the fridge once opened, thanks to ants and flies.

8. Our own pool

We have a small plunge pool — our own swimming pool! — and yet we barely use it. It might have been different with very young children, and Anisa still uses it when friends come over, but it turns out it’s more of a nice-to-have than a must-have here.

9. Colonial mindsets

Seeing families come to this ancient land and build European-style concrete villas and developments is deeply depressing. I assumed everyone felt the same way we did about responsibilities to and relationships with the land, but that was naïve. Everyone has to make a living, of course, but all this building doesn’t leave a sustainable legacy for an island already reaching a tipping point with overtourism.

10. World politics

Being seven to eight hours ahead of the UK does provide some physical dislocation from the endless news cycle of politics and culture back home, in Europe, and especially in America. But you can’t fully escape it — even here.

The Good

1. The weather

The world divides neatly into those who enjoy changing seasons and those who’d prefer it to be the same all year round. I’m firmly in the latter camp. The consistency enables the type of outdoorsy lifestyle I’ve always envied of the Southern Europeans, and not having to think about what to wear each day is a genuine joy.

2. The school

Despite our criticisms of certain aspects, the school is still something of a marvel — and, most importantly, it has been exactly what Anisa needed.

3. The Balinese people

They are simply incredibly humble, kind, and hospitable. In some parts of the world, hospitality can feel performative; here, it’s entirely genuine. I felt the same about the Vietnamese and Thai people we met on our travels there too.

4. The expat community

There are Green School families we’ll be truly sad to leave. Being part of a community where you see the same people most days and naturally congregate in the same cafés is special. It doesn’t feel claustrophobic, and it’s exactly the kind of community I’d like to be part of going forward — though whether that’s possible in London is another question.

5. Cost of living

We’re undeniably privileged by Balinese standards. The low cost of essential services (barber: £1.25; a gym I use every day: £18-a-month; laundry: £5 a week;) and luxuries (foot massages and pedicures are cheap, even a one-hour full-body massage at home is £7.50) enhances our quality of life enormously.

6. How little we need

Despite the above, we’ve realised how little we actually need. Our fridge is rarely full, we buy food fresh and waste very little, and we don’t need many new clothes. I hope this mindset survives our eventual return to the UK.

7. Relationships

Being away from friends and family is hard — perhaps harder for them than for us. My mum, in particular, has missed us deeply. But we’ve managed to maintain, and in some cases strengthen, friendships and family bonds despite the geographical distance. And thanks to VPNs and free streaming apps, we can still feel connected to British culture! We religiously watch The Traitors, Taskmaster, and Bake Off, albeit a few hours or the day after it airs in the UK.

8. Language (of a different kind)

While my Bahasa has stalled, I’ve fallen in love with cryptic crosswords. I’m more of a Quick Cryptic man than a full Times Daily devotee, but it brings me enormous joy. I’ve also had the time to read an absurd number of books on the Kindle. So while my Bahasa may be going to pot, my English has never been in better shape!

9. The land

Despite all the complaints I outlined earlier, Bali is still an amazing place to be and I am so thankful I am here. From the rice terraces of Sidemen and Karangesam, the beaches and seas of Mejangan in the West, Lovina in the North, Canggu and Sanur in the South, the Gilli islands and Nusa Penida and Lombok, and the mountain scenery of Kintamani, there is so much to see and explore.

10. Adventure

Despite the tropical island setting, life here feels as routine and perfectly normal on a day-to-day basis as it would be anywhere else. But every so often it hits me how kind of mad it is that we’re actually doing this! Sharing this adventure as a family means we’re creating memories that will strengthen our relationships forever.

Anisa

3 loves

1. Our pets. While living here in Bali, i just love all of my animals. I really miss Pandora (my kitten) and Oreo, but we will see Oreo next month because she needs to be sterilised with Hopey! I hope Pandora is doing okay, and I am excited about collecting Hopey on Monday and giving her a bath!
2. School. I really like my school even though some people don’t like it. I am really happy with my group of friends. My Quest project will kick off soon too and I’m quite nervous.
3. Riding my bike to school. It’s nice to ride through the forest with my friend Millie, and Its so easy to cycle quickly past the pig farm on the way.

3 bads

1. MOSQUITOS! They are so irritating!
2. Some people at the school (parents, some of the children) are lowkey kinda rude. Trump supporters, for example.
3. The weather. Okay that probably sounds quite weird, but for me i just think it’s a bit too hot sometimes. I really enjoy it when it rains.

Mahnaz

I don’t have much to say, other than living in Bali feels like a dream. It’s fluid, fleeting, intense at times, peaceful, the heat is draining making me lethargic, the rain intense and the variety of people from all over the world in our community is so enriching – Indonesians, Balinese, and others from this side of the world add something special. The school can be inspiring and incredibly annoying – it is a beast which is alive and keeps me intensely curious. The kids all seem content and those who leave, miss it dearly. Something we will have to deal with soon enough.

Just in case you didn’t know, we were due to return to the UK last month, but with this being a key year with Anisa’s Quest, we have decided to stay until she completes this. She has moments of clarity, then confusion, then questions everything around it, until she gets clarity again – sound familiar? 🙂 A dilemma which many British families are going through atm are the concerns about GCSE’s – which Anisa was due to select in December just gone. But the Quest feels more real practically – particularly with the changes which our world is going through with AI, Climate Change, automation of jobs, politics and economic uncertainty. We don’t know what we will be doing or where we will be in a year from now. But we will be returning to the UK in July on Quest completion. For a visit? Forever? Who knows!

Being here has given us an enriched view of our world, and time will tell. We are remaining open to what we (and Anisa) feel is right for Anisa and her education and future, as well as our family. BTW if you have any recommendations of alternative schools in the UK (or abroad) which are a Green School type, do share. Something child-led, open, with less pressure on success and achievements and more emphasis on curiosity, artistry, creativity, critical thinking with ongoing assessments. We are considering the IB curriculum too.