A Balinese Dream

While my time in Bali was a whirlwind of unforgettable experiences, I'll never forget my last day teaching. As the bell rang on our final class, I delivered a speech written in Indonesian, to explain to my students that I had to go back to America now but that I hoped to see them again some day. Nervous titters flooded the room. Before leaving, every child wanted a handshake, a reassurance, and for the little girls, a kiss on the cheek. Several of them cried. As a young person who just wants to feel like I've spent my time benefiting the world around me, there was no comparable feeling. Bali inspired, weathered, confounded, and irrevocably altered me. Just to know that somewhere out there, a child has a better chance at being successful because of me, is something I consider to be my greatest achievement.