MY EXPERIENCE IN BALI AND BALI I LOVE YOU
When? : In September and as part of my studies I had the mission to do an
internship in international trade abroad and in the country of my choice. This internship
starts in May.
Why ? Sincerely, after doing the USA, I wanted to do South Africa or
Australia and my parents wanted me to do Canada. I had never heard of Indonesia let alone Bali! I had applied for several companies in South Africa as well as in Australia and last December I already had my signed contract for Sydney in Australia. By a day of boredom, I searched on the net for "villas of dreams, beautiful landscapes, and heavenly place" and I came across Bali, Indonesia and the Bali I love you company which was very referenced. I could see through the results of my research very
beautiful pictures and it made me want to go to Bali.
Then?: I applied to Bali I love you and the boss let me know that he would
analyze my application and that I was not alone on the list, but being a
person who likes to have everything she wants and who know how to get it, I was able to convince him
and a few weeks later, my agreement was signed! Then everything accelerated
! No one in my entourage could share my enthusiasm to come to Bali, let
alone my parents! But then once the ticket was taken, I could not go
back, I did not really ask myself questions, the questions were chained
after the plane ticket. I was scared, I wanted to cancel my ticket, I asked myself a thousand questions, because I'm not an adventurer, I'm the type to
plan everything until the last minute and I left without knowing much. The only reference I had was Pascal, a very nice person whom I knew from a forum
about Bali. He came with his driver to pick me up at the airport, it
gave me a lot of relief. I felt less alone.
Home : The longest was the travel time! 27 hours of stopover flights included. With Qatar Airways company, I made a stopover in Qatar and a stop in Singapore. As soon as I got out of the airport, the first word was "Wahou is paradise here" but I was wondering at the same time if Pascal was really going to pick me up or if I was going to fend for myself. Fortunately, before I even raised my head in the crowd, he was already shouting my name! (Because being black I can not say that Bali is the place where we meet a lot of black, even if some have dark skin here) He accompanied me to the car where his driver was waiting for us, and on the road despite it was already dark, he gave me a visit from the airport to his villa . Once at the Villa where we were waiting for Pascal's friends to welcome me, I felt really better, a little tired but reassured. There is 6 hours difference between France and Bali in summer and 7h in winter. Then I had time to change and we went to eat together in Seminyak (the most famous district of Bali). We ate, discussed and to my amazement, at the moment of the addition, Pascal decided to offer me my first meal Balinese. It was really generous! Then we went for a walk in the nice bars of Seminyak so that I put myself in the bath and we came back around 2am. During the first week, I really struggled to get used to the time difference, the night I spoke with my friends and the day I slept. a little tired but reassured. There is 6 hours difference between France and Bali in summer and 7h in winter. Then I had time to change and we went to eat together in Seminyak (the most famous district of Bali). We ate, discussed and to my amazement, at the moment of the addition, Pascal decided to offer me my first meal Balinese. It was really generous! Then we went for a walk in the nice bars of Seminyak so that I put myself in the bath and we came back around 2am. During the first week, I really struggled to get used to the time difference, the night I spoke with my friends and the day I slept. a little tired but reassured. There is 6 hours difference between France and Bali in summer and 7h in winter. Then I had time to change and we went to eat together in Seminyak (the most famous district of Bali). We ate, discussed and to my amazement, at the moment of the addition, Pascal decided to offer me my first meal Balinese. It was really generous! Then we went for a walk in the nice bars of Seminyak so that I put myself in the bath and we came back around 2am. During the first week, I really struggled to get used to the time difference, the night I spoke with my friends and the day I slept. Then I had time to change and we went to eat together in Seminyak (the most famous district of Bali). We ate, discussed and to my amazement, at the moment of the addition, Pascal decided to offer me my first meal Balinese. It was really generous! Then we went for a walk in the nice bars of Seminyak so that I put myself in the bath and we came back around 2am. During the first week, I really struggled to get used to the time difference, the night I spoke with my friends and the day I slept. Then I had time to change and we went to eat together in Seminyak (the most famous district of Bali). We ate, discussed and to my amazement, at the moment of the addition, Pascal decided to offer me my first meal Balinese. It was really generous! Then we went for a walk in the nice bars of Seminyak so that I put myself in the bath and we came back around 2am. During the first week, I really struggled to get used to the time difference, the night I spoke with my friends and the day I slept. Then we went for a walk in the nice bars of Seminyak so that I put myself in the bath and we came back around 2am. During the first week, I really struggled to get used to the time difference, the night I spoke with my friends and the day I slept. Then we went for a walk in the nice bars of Seminyak so that I put myself in the bath and we came back around 2am. During the first week, I really struggled to get used to the time difference, the night I spoke with my friends and the day I slept.
The bike, the scooter and the traffic:
If you do more than two weeks in Bali, the scooter is essential! With the car, you will lose all your time in traffic. Personally, I hate the bike, the scooter, because I saw a little too much accident and it was the most catastrophic and I did not think one day having to drive that. I am very car and I love car racing.
Here I am struck by the shocks of cultures, I had to learn the bike and all alone, one day that I would surely never forget, it is when I was brought back the machine for the first
time and a few minutes later, one of the employees of "Bali I love you" asked me to follow her to visit a villa, I wanted to say no, out of fear and without trying, because the
people drive no matter how, there is no priority and even on the sidewalks no respect for the rules of the road but without saying a word and I do not know how I started my bike and I followed , everything went well. We arrived at the Villa, where we received customers and there I made my first welcoming, things were complicated when back when
I fell with my bike in the rice fields for lack of control. More fear than harm, but here as soon as you have a small injury, the Balinese give you water to drink and cleans the wound, but it is in no way a question of hospital. Then she asked me to take the bike to go to the office, I took the bike in spite of me but I could not reach the office. At around 16h I received a phone call from the boss who was in France who told me to take my time to learn the bike and not go too fast. Not to rush and do things step by step, and with the help of Pascal, two weeks later, I was already beginning to master the machine but I still apprehensive accidents. Today I am a motorcycle addict and I thank Greg very much.
Bali I love you
My schedule:
Monday to Friday 9:30 am - 12:30 pm / 2pm - 17pm plus extras (welcomings in the evening) and Saturdays from 9:30 to 12:30.
There's Greg the boss, Lulu Greg's assistant, Puji and Nabilla in the office daily.
I started to "Bali I love you" by the location of villas, places, neighborhoods assisted by Pierre another trainee, this stage lasted more than two weeks, so that I can not lose myself. Then once I visited the villas and I spotted the
places, I had to make the description of each villa visited. This was my first task, then the maintenance of the website.
My second assignment was Welcomings, once I knew everything about the villas, I could greet guests without any problem. This task is part of the most important of "Bali I love you". Welcomings are indeed a daily task of the company.
My third major mission was prospecting the one I was expecting so much because I have to tell a prospecting mission in my internship report. In summary, I had to find in given areas, villas of 4, 5, 6 bedrooms to build records (photos, descriptions, contract, price). Once the files were made, it was up to the boss to choose among the villas, which were the best for his market.
In daily work, I also had to make sure that the customers are doing well, that is to say to go to inquire in the villas, see if everything goes well, if the stay is going well and if the villa suited them in a word to make a satisfaction inquiry. I also made cashing and deposits as soon as customers arrived in the villas. I also collected the comments of the customers at the end of their stay, and these were published on the site of "Bali I love you". It was quite varied and I became more and more autonomous and polyvante.
Outside you work, at the level of the atmosphere with colleagues, at first it was nice no more, I stayed a lot in my corner, because I am someone who does not like too much
to be friends with office colleagues, because in general most people do not know how to maintain the barrier between professional life and private life. Then they put me at ease especially Puji and Lulu staff member, so I pretty much integrated well. They were Indonesian super friendly, open, welcoming. We had great moments, especially with Lulu, we had our secret beach, I visited heavenly places with Lulu, Puji, Nabilla. We also had great parties, or we laughed all the time, it was really great. Outside the office, we met often and it was always in a warm setting.
When Greg, the boss, he is always listening to his colleagues, his customers, always smiling and always there to help and give advice while leaving you autonomy!
As much on the job it is square and just as much it makes things easier for us, the saturday morning sometimes we have the right to the little juice, cocktail, or chocolate to pay by the Boss, he looks for the best for his customers but also for his staff ! He's great, I learned a lot with him and what fascinates me about him is how he got there. It made me understand that there is no need to have a master's degree or to graduate to succeed in life, it's all about motivational work of intelligence and perseverance
My free time :
During my free time, I did a little everything. I was sleeping, I was playing, I was swimming in my pool at first, I was in the pool of friends at the end because I had more pool after a month. But I was always welcome in Pascal's pool. I went to the beach, I landed in a circle K to have free Wi-Fi, I went to the quietest restaurants and where there was Wi-Fi, I was riding on my bike ... finally a little of everything!
What I liked:
I enjoyed my adventure, the clash of cultures, (In Bali, people are more open, more friendly, always smiling, always optimistic even in the worst moments, thoroughly in the religion! It was wonderful to see women in traditional dresses making offerings in front of their shops in the morning, or walking in the street in traditional dress. It was exotic. I enjoyed working at "Bali I love you". At my age of 20, living this kind of experience is unique. Each experience is a lesson and as long as you learn you never go out loser. So I am the winner of this wonderful experience.
What I liked least:
Not much, at first I would have said the bike bike but now I got done! Pollution, I was a little sick but it's nothing!
Is it going to be hard to leave Bali?
Honestly no! France does not miss me! Bali is much more beautiful and more heavenly and people are much more friendly and welcoming. After 4 months spent on the island of the gods, I would say that I made my time. We can not all love the same thing, otherwise we would go to war to get it. I loved Bali, I loved my experience in Bali but I would not see myself living here. Others like Asia others enjoy Europe, others Africa, others USA, etc. but I am still too young and I have not yet found the country of my dreams!
If I had to thank someone?
First I thank Greg, for giving me the opportunity to discover Bali through this internship, and to have trusted me. I hope I have proved myself and hope that he will not regret a single second for choosing me. I am grateful to him for giving me many answers to my questions. My ideas are much clearer now. I thank him for always listening to me and giving me time to get used to the motobike, which seemed the hardest step for me. Now I could drive the motobike all my life.
I thank my parents, because despite the fact that he did not want me to come to Indonesia supported me financially, and morally, they have always been there for me whenever the need arises. Thank you you are great.
I sincerely thank Pascal, without whom my debut in Bali, would have been a real disaster.
I thank all the Staff of "Bali I love you" for teaching me their jobs, for giving me time and being really nice to me throughout my internship period.
I thank all those I met here who were part of my stay and made it exceptional. And finally I thank Indonesia (Bali) for
welcoming me to its beautiful island of Bali, which I more than appreciated.
A word for the end?
I learned a lot about myself in Bali.
Wisdom is the art of experience, discovering a culture is discovering one more treasure in the world, and one becomes more natural through experiences.