In Reply to: Disheartened - Help please posted by Mez on Wednesday, 30. March 2005 at 11:23 Bali Time:
I think a lot of us go through this at some point. Don't worry though because most of us come out the other end!!
This is what I think happens. The first time (or in my case few times) you go, you fall in love with the place and it's perfect people. You also believe that anyone you didn't like too much is probably from Java or somewhere, certainly they could't be from Bali.
Like the falling in love with love phase, it passes and you wake up one day to find out that all Balinese are not perfect. Maybe Made has a gambling problem. Maybe your friend Putu tries to hit you up for a new motor bike. You come home horribly dissapointed. You are scared that you will never feel the same about the place.
When you return it gradually dawns on you that like the rest of us the Balinese are not perfect either. The good the bad and the ugly. Then you find that you like them anyway just the way they are. You also find out that some of the people you really really like are not from Bali at all but Java, Madura or Sumatra.
Now you are getting somewhere. This is no longer infatuation. This is the real thing. Enjoy.