Expatriates in Bali

The man who invented Bali

How we can recognize a seasoned expatriate in Bali?

a)      he is projecting an image of a guy who invented electricity, rice and corals

b)      his ego is so overinflated that guy is floating 10 cm above the ground

c)      his Indonesian is so heavily accented nobody understands it, but in front of the peers he will stick to Indonesian

d)     he is not just convinced, he is the centre of the Universe

Are we, expatriates of Bali, all the same?

Definitely not!

I wouldn’t like to be compared to a guy who started a hotel in Pemuteran, invented electricity and brought the light to poor natives…

Or to a lady who on her own bombed the beaches here and invented “eco breaking and replanting method” for building of private coral reefs. Or something like that…

Or a guy suffering severe hydrophobia and yet day after day fighting the dangers of the sea, exploring, discovering and creating new tourist destinations, all for the benefit of humanity…

Here is my humble story, a story of a man who eats his humble pie for breakfast, lunch and dinner…

When I started business here, there was nothing yet in Pemuteran, except me… Shit, shit, shit! Wrong…

I’ve been the only educator and guiding light for the desperate local population… Shit, shit, shit! Wrong…

I’ve helped to put the village on a tourist map and make it prosperous… Shit, shit, shit! Wrong…

My divine presence made them the happiest community in the world… Shit, shit, shit! Wrong…

……………………………………….

Sorry for a delay. I’ve been intensely searching for at least one humble fact from my history.  No results found.

Probably I have the same problems as Atila the Hun, when he wanted to start preparing his humble C.V. when applying for a job as a social worker “I’ve been born to a poor, yet honest family of…”

All this may sound hilarious, however, there are some strong seeds of this mentality in each of us, seasoned expatriates in Bali. And a rather good remedy for this pathetic state of mind is to buy ice cream for all, sit down with our staff, have some good laughs – and enjoy the good life :)