Spiritual Wonderings

As soon as I heard about the final project for this class, I knew I wanted to do something on spirituality. Religion is one of my favorite things to learn about, and I find spirituality of different cultures so fascinating. Going in to the trip, I wanted to do a video, because I think it’s one of the best ways to present something, and I’m not a very good writer. However, I quickly realized that doing a technology-heavy project in Bali wasn’t the way to go. The thing I love about this place is it is all about living in the moment and enjoying it, instead of being tied to technology. Because of this I decided to create a magazine. I figured a magazine would be the best way to provide visuals of what I was seeing and experiencing, but I could also write about things and provide more detail of the things I found important. I expected to have to really search and talk to people to find enough information for my project. However, I have been immersed in it since I got here and I couldn’t be happier. Seeing all the shrines and offerings every day shows how devoted people are to their religion. I loved talking to Dayu, Evert, and Wietske about different things that we were doing and seeing. I learned so much from them. It was amazing to learn things straight from the people that live it every day, and you can tell that they are so passionate about it. I’m not a photographer by any means, so it was a struggle to capture the visuals I wanted to accompany my articles. I was happy that I was able to use my own photos though, except the pictures from the cleansing ceremony. I’ve basically created a magazine that explains different aspects of Balinese Hinduism, and how much balance is an important aspect of spirituality and every day life in Bali.