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Balinese Caste System

I've learned so much from my Balinese friends at Undiksha University but so far the most surprising thing I learned from them is that the caste system in Bali does not depend on wealth. You can be super rich and be in the lowest caste. It's all about family name. My friend Novi told me the biggest difference is the part of a temple you have to pray in. Balinese women can marry anyone in the higher castes, and men are not traditionally supposed to marry women in higher castes but some do. My friend Astra told me that castes don't really matter because it's the old way of thinking and people don't really place that much importance on them anymore.

#Ubud

Mood

#Ubud

As if this moment wasn't perfect enough already, a rainbow appeared in the background.

#lovina

Nothing like watching the sun set with new friends on a boat in Bali.

#lovina #balisunsets

Women’s Center (Ubud, Bali)

One of my favorite parts of this trip so far was our visit to the PKP Women’s Center in Ubud. We met Ibu Sari, the woman who founded the center. She had very kind eyes and a beautiful, selfless soul. She was brave enough to share her heart breaking story with us and she spoke about her divorce and how she had lost the rights to see her child. She said that “in the past [she] was nothing. People looked down on [her]. [She] was alone and had no value. Men even asked for [her] price”. She even mentioned that at one point she drank poison because she thought that life without her child was not worth living. I can’t even imagine the amount of pain she must have gone through, but it is really amazing that she was able to turn her life around and use her experiences to help other women in Bali.

Ibu Sari said that Balinese women who are divorced, infertile, single mothers, or special needs face extreme stigmatization in society. By opening the Women’s Center, she hopes to provide a safe space for women where they can feel unafraid to express their feelings, as well as a space where women can learn to care for their own health. The center offers educational and skill programs: sewing, cooking, healthy mind and body, computer skills, and English language. The cooking program teaches women to cook healthy food without monosodium glutamate (MSG) and provides them with catering opportunities. The sewing program sends sewing machines to women’s homes. Additionally, there is also a program which allows women at the center to directly sponsor a child with financial issues. The center ultimately aims to empower women, educate them about life, and help them find a voice.

#ubud

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