Jonah's Gap Year Journal

Hello! I'm writing from a cozy bungalow by the pool at 10pm on a little island called Nusa Penida. Obviously there is a lot to catch up on. My experience since arriving to Bali in early November has been nothing but magical. My volunteer organization, North Bali Reef Conservation, is so structured yet open, local yet internationally rich that I feel I have everything I need here. I've extended my stay by two weeks and now I will be flying to India on December 15. The organization's English school, Yayasan Widya Sari, is truly one of the most wonderful places on earth. From the day after I arrived, I have been teaching two one hour long classes of 8-10 year old Balinese children, 4 days a week. My students are so purely happy to be learning English and their excitement makes it impossible not to walk into class smiling every day. Wednesdays are culture day, when me and the other volunteers put on our sarongs and join the kids in a local cultural activity in place of classes,...

I will try to pick up where I left off in New Zealand. After my 2 day long side quest in Taumarunui, I got on another bus (the correct one this time) and watched out the window as the magical North Island hills rolled by- for nearly 7 hours. Something I didn't expect is the physical toll that travel days can have on a person. Nevertheless, I was so excited to be in a familiar place again. Most of my first wave friends had left the hostel by this point, so I enjoyed sitting in the common room and meeting some new people. I even pulled out the board game that I bought in Auckland the week before and found some people interested in playing. If you've ever played Settlers of Catan before, I'm sure you know how intense the game can get. I still had no idea how I planned to fit the entire board game in my bag when the time came, but that was a problem for another day. I soaked up as much of Auckland as I could before the day I took an Uber to the airport. Remembering my mishap i...

New Zealand continued to teach me a lot of important lessons and offered me so many memorable experiences. Since meeting Niamh and Gareth, my Frienz friends only multiplied. Once the group grew to about 6, we made many excursions together. We went to see the Auckland war museum. I spent hours in this museum, marveling at the beautiful exhibits and learning about how New Zealand's indigenous Māori culture thrives to this day in modern New Zealand. My favorite exhibit in the museum was the Māori council meeting house. The building was moved into the museum and visitors were allowed to walk around inside and admire all of the intricate carvings on the wall. The museum was loud and busy, but upon stepping into this warmly lit room I was instantly overcome with a sense of peace. For a while, I was the only one standing deep in the wooden temple. The craftsmanship required to create such a beautiful place baffled me. The rest of the museum was amazing as well, with exhibits on the volc...