End of an Era

I have left Bali behind, and along with it the 9 people I have come to think of as friends here in Indonesia. We were ten strangers on February 9, 2009, the day we all arrived in this strange and beautiful land. Our backgrounds are so different we would likely never have met had it not been for the cosmos working its magic and entwining our paths here in Indonesia.

We are:

• Honourary Canadians (they are from New Hampshire so this honour I have bestowed on them personally) Jessica Goldman and Mik Allore (or Mr. William Allore the Third for short). Jessica is, for reasons beyond my comprehension, both an expert on mosquitoes and a lover of puppet shows, and has done development work in Africa for many years. Mik is… well Mik is what all of us secretly want to be, brilliant, yet with a sense of rebelliousness and freedom that allows him to live two lives, Mik the ski-bum (my apologies, Mr. Allore) and Mik the economist and consumer of knowledge in all its forms.


• Retired surgeon Dr. Ing Tan of the Netherlands. This 71-year-old is so youthful and active he makes me feel as old as a fossil. I witnessed him swim two lengths of a pool underwater without surfacing (no one else could accomplish this) and ride his bike (in Denpasar traffic, see previous entry on motorcycles) to and from language school every day. Not to mention his 6-month volunteer placement at a hospital in Ende, Indonesia.


• Accountant, basketball player, and church choir member extraordinaire Peter McGill, from Scotland. To this day Peter firmly believes that England is only part of the UK because Scotland allows it. He has a quick wit, an infectious laugh, and a positive, unflappable attitude that is an inspiration. Oh, and should you ever require training on ‘rolling your r’s,’ Peter’s your guy.


• Operations Manager, tuba player, and world traveler Mark Henderson of Ireland. I had the sincere pleasure of sharing a room with Mark in the final days of our time in Bali and let me say something only he will understand: I SO miss you. Mark laughs constantly, entertains constantly, educates constantly – he is everything I hope to be when I reach his ripe old age (sorry my friend).


• Interesting and mysterious Wicliff Kivumbi, from Uganda. There is not enough space in a paragraph nor accurate words to describe Wicliff. He is one of 26 children, and has worked tirelessly for many years in development and family planning in Uganda and Kenya. Wicliff managed to bring a smile to all of our faces several times a day through his unique and distinctly un-western world view.


• Tall, dark and hilarious Mark Fijens, former Logistics Operations Manager from the Netherlands. Mark is quick to laugh, and has a well-hidden but highly amusing rebellious streak (which only began to reveal itself in the waning days of our time in Bali). I think there is only one thing I should say to Mark that no one else will grasp: May the Force be with you.


• Brilliant, witty, amusingly stubborn, and infinitely generous psychologist Anouk Cleven, Mark Fijens’ new bride from the Netherlands. I bonded with Anouk in a very special way while barefoot on the dancefloor in Kupang (over a beer and vodka – yes you read that correctly, a beer AND vodka, together, like gin AND tonic). I can safely say I have bonded with no other in this manner, and I believe I can say the same of Anouk.


• Last but certainly not least, the illustrious Jenny Van Opdorp, also of the Netherlands. Jenny has somehow managed to be the only one of us to adapt a unique Indonesian name, Jenny Van OpDROP, the unwittingly funny result of a typo, and she has embraced it fully. Jenny was the first of the new volunteers I met on that hot morning that seems a century ago, and she was the last one to see me off when I left for the airport on Saturday. Jenny, thank you for being who you are, thank you for keeping me positive, and thank you for being my friend… but most of all, thank you for saving me from the spider.

To all of you, best of luck in your adventures in Indonesia and in all that follows. Thank you for giving me, in your own unique way, the support and encouragement I didn’t realize I needed until you were gone.

I hope our paths cross again my friends.