Here are a few words from Alex himself:

“Hi everyone, I have lived and worked in Bali for two and half years and have enjoyed every moment. I help my wife develop her business and I work as a full time English teacher at one of the language schools here in Bali.

I have experience in teaching all types of students and classes, busy noisy classrooms to one on one private business classes, 3 year olds to 60 year olds, at school or on location. If you are a complete beginner needing gentle guidance or a fluent speaker needing complex conversation I can provide that for you.

I use a variety of books and supplementary materials. It is not essential to follow one book but if you so desire this can be easily arranged; in this case I find the New Headway books the most useful. Understanding English grammar properly is vital to being a proficient speaker of English and that is why I focus on this just as much as developing spoken skills. In fact I believe in developing all the main skills – writing, reading, speaking and listening – to be a complete and high level speaker of the English language.

I am willing to accept groups but the focus is on one on one attention for those really looking to improve their English. If you are interested in private English lessons then please do not hesitate to call me for queries and rates”.

Contact details:

Alex Lund-Lack BA (hons)

Private English Tutor

One on One Attention

081 337 047 872

Email: alex.lundlack@gmail.com

EFL, General English, Business English, Academic English (University)

All levels – beginners to advanced

A crucial part of child care is being able to deal with any medical emergencies that should arise. Children are lively and active, and it is not uncommon for them to have accidents and hurt themselves. Sometimes these accidents can be serious and doctors are not always close at hand. This is why it is so important, that babysitters and nannies whose job it is to care for children have First Aid training.

Bali Krisna Service provides First Aid training for all our child carers, last Saturday eleven of our babysitters and nannies attended a First Aid training course at the BIMC hospital. The BIMC hospital is an international hospital that employees staff from countries all over the world. http://www.bimcbali.com/

Here we have the girls at the office waiting to be picked up for a fun day of First Aid training at the BIMC hospital. From left to right, top row Lilis, Fidyatun, Putu, Sukrasih, Astuti, Kusmiatun; bottom row Kiki, Amy, Ira, Kadek and Gita.

The girls sit down with their training manuals, and prepare for their First Aid training.

Lilis, practices putting Gita, in the recovery position. The recovery position is a classic part of First Aid training and is used to prevent suffocation which can occur if the unconscious person is in the supine position.

Here we can see Sukrasih, practising chest compressions as a part of CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation). CPR is used to restore spontaneous blood circulation and breathing in a person in cardiac arrest. The technique is varied depending on the age of the subject.

The other part of CPR is to provide breaths to the unconscious person, in this picture Sukrasih, practices how to properly deliver breaths. Delivering breaths pushes air into the persons lungs and is called artificial respiration.

After a long day the girls pose for a picture in front of one of the BIMC hospital’s ambulances.

After speaking with the babysitters and nannies who took part in the First Aid training course I was impressed with their energy and excitement. One of our top nannies is Sagita Asmara (Gita) and she had this to say about the training

“The First Aid training was very good for us because now I know how to help someone if there is a medical emergency. The day was really fun, I found if useful because children are always getting into accidents…”

Gita went on to say:

“We learned many things, some of the most useful things we learned were about how to help children who are choking, suffering from asthma, having convulsions or seizures, burns victims, dealing with serious wounds and people with high fevers. We were also taught how to deal with each condition for different age groups, performing CPR for a baby is very different to an elderly person. The manual we have been given is great because if we ever need to check something we have the information right here.”

It is great that as a company Bali Krisna can invest in its staff in order to bring the highest quality service to its customers. If you have trouble choosing a nanny and babysitter agency you can be sure that Bali Krisna Service is the best on the island.

There can be some confusion over exactly what a nanny is: a nanny is a person that cares for children in the children’s family home and can also be described as a child minder or child care giver.

A traditional nanny would act like a servant and be a full time member of the family home. Nannies where originally known as ‘nurse’ back in the 19th and early 20th century Europe and were without doubt a vital member of the household. The nurse would run a nursery along with a helper called ‘nursemaid’. The nurse was a special member of the household and a crucial part of each family member’s childhood. The nurse needed to have a keen understanding of child development to produce productive members of the house. Often the nurse would raise two or three generations of the household giving her a privileged position to the other servants. Humans desire intimacy and that was probably lacking in the 19th century so the nanny would have had a special place in the hearts of those she cared for.

History shows that colonialism is responsible for taking this idea of a nanny to many places around the world. No more so than in Indonesia, the Dutch had no problem using the local Indonesian women as nannies, back then they were known as baboe. Below you can see a baboe with the children she cared for, the photo was taken in the early 20th century.

Bali nanny (baboe) with children in the early 20th century

The Dutch families would often take their nanny with them wherever they went as they formed such an important part of the household. We find today that travelers coming to Indonesia and especially Bali are keen and ready to hand over their children to a nanny. The natural instincts and hands on approach to child care that Indonesians have are respected by people all over the world. We find as a nanny agency that our customers are always so pleasantly surprised to see how good Balinese women are with children. In Bali child care is a joy and not a chore, seeing it as a chore is something we may be guilty of in the western world.

Today a nanny can choose to live in or live out depending on her/his situation. The nanny is not a servant of the house, a nanny is a paid employee with workers rights. A nanny has the duty to assist the parents in looking after the children and in early childhood development.

Any parents out there who are looking for a holiday destination that provides the classic tropical get away with quality child care then Bali has to be the number one choice.

Bali's most holy temple, Besakih, on the slopes of Mount Agung.

It has been confirmed by the US State Department, that the US President Barack Obama will attend the East Asia Summit (EAS), held in Bali, in November this year.

Suspicions had been aroused by the planned visit from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to Bali later this month. It is now apparent that the Secretary of State will visit Bali to prepare for Obama’s participation in the EAS in November. The expected date of arrival is 19^th November.

This will be Obama’s second visit to Indonesia during this term as US President. Obama spent part of his childhood during the 1960’s in Jakarta, then a quiet place a completely different beast to the one it is now.

Obama seems to be treating Indonesia as a special project as he promised that he would make the US become Indonesia’s number one trading partner; in recent months the US has moved into place as the second largest investor in Indonesia and is ranked as the fourth largest trading partner. The total bilateral trade between Indonesia and the US in the first three months of 2011 totaled $6.5 billion. This is all good news for an Indonesian economy desperate to boom and modernise. The young people in Indonesia are without doubt ready for the modern era and an interested US is fantastic news for them.

Indonesia is currently chair of The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) which is the 10 country core (Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam) for the wider 18 country EAS. The summit is an interesting one as the Chinese President Hu Jintao will attend along with Russian representatives.

Bali is a symbol of Indonesian success and holding the EAS here means a lot to Indonesians and the Balinese.

Nanny from Bali Krisna Service playing with child

Government health experts from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have teamed up to issue advice to the parents of under five year olds. The concern comes over under-5s spending too long in buggies or car seats, and not getting enough time to run around and be active. It is being recommended that under-5s should be physically active for at least three hours a day, and under active children could be at risk from obesity and reduced brain development. Studies show that only 30% of children between the ages 1-15 in the UK are getting enough physical exercise.

This problem may be endemic of western life styles; people are so busy these days that they get very little time to watch their children play. Instead children are fastened into strollers or car seats and transported around in ways that make it easier for the parents.

Children from day one should be allowed to crawl, roll around, walk and do as much physical exercise as possible. Some parents may consider it dangerous to let their children go wild, but it is essential for healthy development.

For children that can walk activities such as cycling, running games like ‘tag’, climbing and swimming are all highly recommended. For babies it is suggested that letting them crawl, roll around on a mat, reach out and grab their toys, and baby swimming lessons are all fantastic forms of exercise.

The fact that children need exercise is not a secret in Bali, children here are free to run around and play with other children in a whole variety of energetic games. The babysitters and nannies employed by Bali Krisna Service are very active and completely understand how exercise is essential for healthy child development. Bali offers lots of activities for children such as, natural outdoor activities related to the beach and mountains; it has water parks, play grounds, zoos and plenty of space for children to really let of all that steam and pent up energy.

Bali has to be one of the best places for parents to bring their young children. People do lead very busy lives these days, and Bali is one of those places where busy parents can come and pay for affordable and high quality child care. The parents get to fully relax while the kids can go wild on the beach with the babysitter.

Balinese people celebrating Galungan

Every 210 days the Balinese people decorate their streets with ornate penjor and visit their special temples to celebrate Galungan and Kuningan. During this religious holiday Bali comes alive with vibrant colours, the air is filled with the rapid rhythms of Gamelan orchestras and families work hard to prepare wonderful offerings. This holiday is the most special and important time in Bali, but why do the Balinese celebrate Galungan and Kuningan?

According to the tradition Balinese people believe that their Gods return to earth on Galungan, stay for 10 days, and then leave on Kuningan. Galungan means “When the Dharma is winning” and implies a positive time in the Balinese calendar. This occurs every 210 days in the Balinese cycle of days, otherwise known as pawukon.

The Gods must be appropriately welcomed this is why so much time and effort is put into making sure everything is decorated beautifully, offerings called banten are prepared, music is played and prayers are practiced in the most sincere way possible. It is important that the Balinese people return to the kampung (village of birth) to join in the celebrations.

The first day of Galungan starts with an early visit to the temple to pray to their Gods for good luck and well-being. Before temple the men must wake up to slaughter the pig that is the main ingredient for the feast, it is spit roasted and then used for lots of different dishes including sate and lawar (a dish made of pork, jack fruit, chili and pigs blood), other foods include rice cakes and a wide selection of fruit. When the feast is over family and friends sit around talking and playing games, the men might even drink home brewed alcohol called arak. The feast for kuningan is very similar but the rice must be yellow.

Happy Galungan 2011 to all those living in Bali.

Yayasan Senyum (Bali smile foundation)

Mary Northmore is a resident of Bali and the widowed-wife of Indonesian artist Abdul AzizMuch. Mary has for years given her time and energy to supporting Indonesians in a number of different areas. Her two most noticeable successes are the Seniwati Gallery of Art for Balinese women artists and the Yayasan Senyum a smile foundation for Bali.

The Seniwati Art Gallery, established in 1991, supports female artists in Bali by offering a place for them to come and unlock their artistic talents. With workshops, professional support and an encouraging atmosphere Seniwati has been great for uncovering hidden talent amongst the Balinese female population.

Yayasan Senyum is what you can call a real success story, for the last seven years this foundation has been helping Indonesians with craniofacial disabilities. Craniofacial disabilities include cleft lip and palate, Goldenhar Syndrome, Apert Syndrome, facial tumors and facial accident trauma. Due to little or no investment from central government, Indonesia suffers from a severe lack of health care, simply put if you can’t afford it you don’t get it. Non-profit organisations like Mary Northmore are absolutely vital for rural areas in Bali and across Indonesia.

It is great to hear that Mary Northmore will travel to Buckingham Palace in the UK to receive an MBE from the Queen Elizabeth II. The MBE (a Member of the Order of the British Empire) is to recognise Mary’s great work in Bali. The British Ambassador to Indonesia, Martin Hatfull, stated “Mary has made a major contribution to the health, happiness and quality of life of many disadvantaged people in Bali and neighbouring areas of Nusa Tenggara through Yayasan Sentum”.

We salute you Mary and all those working with you for all the hard work and progress you have made.

If you would like to help, visit http://www.senyumbali.org/help.

Hotel on the beach in Amed.

Residents of Bali have been waking up to sunny skies and significantly cooler air temperatures over the last two weeks. This is the sort of weather that everybody can agree is pretty much perfect.

In 2010 the weather in Bali had everybody wondering what was going on as the rainy season never really finished, meaning that the dry, sunny, tourist season did not materialise. Residents of Bali were hoping and praying that 2011 would see a proper and prolonged dry season, a season that shows just how beautiful the mountains and beaches of Bali can be. Late on in April 2011, as with normal weather patterns, the wet season finished and the dry season took centre stage much to the delight of people living on Bali.

The dry season is also known as the hot season but this year in 2011 the temperature has dropped a couple of degrees making perfect holiday conditions. There is also a strong breeze making it that extra bit comfortable when out and about. At night the temperatures are such that they require people to wear trousers and a light jacket, you can really feel the cold if you ride a motorbike.

The slight drop in temperature could well be the ESE winds bringing in the colder weather from Australia. Whatever is causing the great weather Bali is in bloom right now and I for one am not complaining. The sun is shining, the winds are blowing and the kites are in the sky. The strong winds in Bali bring on the kite season and if you look up in the sky you can literally see a hundred kites of all shapes and sizes.

Over the last 40 years many people from all over the world have come to settle on the Indonesian island of Bali. To cater for this ever growing expatriate community numerous international schools have come into existence. These schools offer full a curriculum often in accordance with Cambridge University standards. The main focus of most western European and American schools is on maths and the science’s. The international schools in Bali seem to come in two different types those that continue this tradition of making maths and science’s the most important subjects; and those that focus more on holistic teaching, environmental awareness and creative arts. Below is a list of international schools in Bali I tried to make it as complete as possible.

We have been sending our children to an international school for many years and have been very happy with the results. Our business keeps us very busy which means we do not have the time to drop-off and pick-up our children from school. The nanny we employ can do this for us which is a great help. The schools are really understanding about this and they do what they can to make sure the kids get to school safely.

Moving to Bali has to be one of the best decisions I have ever made. We have found the local people and their culture a pleasure to live with and they have accepted us into their way of life. We have received so much help from the Balinese people and we feel privileged to have received this help. The nanny that we employ from Bali Krisna has been wonderful with the children, it gives us an extra pair of hands when we are snowed-under with the business. The school too has been fantastic we chose to send our two children to an International School that has a main focus on environmental awareness and holistic teaching. We believe these things will be important in the future as environmental issues become more and more relevant. The children even have yoga lessons which they really enjoy. We are not a rich family but we do OK, this is the beauty of Bali you can have so much at affordable prices.

Post written by Rob, Australian expat living in the Canggu area.

Kids Camp Wrestling & Surf

If you missed the first one don’t worry because High Intensity Wrestling and Surf Camp is back.

Children from the ages of 4 – 15 can join.

Daily training designed for optional learning, fun, and character/physical building excitement. Transportation from gym to beach provided, includes drinks & snacks. Final day will be a wrestling tournament and surf tournament with awards for every camper.

The camps will be operating on:

July 5-7 Tuesday to Thursday

July 12 – 15 Tuesday to Friday

Contact:

+62 878 619 283 82

twellman3@yahoo.com

SignUp Form + Daily Itinerary

Thumbs Up is the organisation behind high intensity wrestling and surf camp. They offer a daily camp for kids with activities to suit all types. If you would like to find out more click the link below.

THUMBS UP flyer