Is living in a bubble a good thing?
This is not something that most people talk about. Yet I am one who is very much into my own bubble as well. For the longest time, I listened to Canadian talk radio while in Jakarta and even on trips to Bali. I would say it was a good year and a half. I was an avid listener in Canada and would often text the station when the topics got heated.
Especially after Covid hit, I am sure we all wanted to know as much as possible. Day by day the constant Covid news of the time and the uncertainty of things got on my nerves. Experts this and that, nothing made sense. I had to turn off the damn radio because I was getting upset. Knowing every bit of news, verified or not, was driving me crazy and making me mad, upset, and irritated.
They are aware.
So while they are aware, they are in most cases unless it’s a massive news item, will find out days later. It is more like…
Oh my, that war in Russia is terrible.
Would be more of a concern about the Russians staying in Bali. The worry would be extending visas and paying their bills than the death of the people in Ukraine. I am in such a toss-up on what attitude is better. Be all in and follow anything and everything 24/7 on CNN or let it be. Not like you or I are going to solve it. Go to the beach and enjoy the sunset because me worrying about it…
Just ain’t gonna do one damn thing, dear.
Bali could be a very self-sustaining island and in general, grow much of its own crops in both organic and nonorganic farming. Plenty of seafood as well. So as long as the locals are happy not much else matters. The people in the villages would certainly be the least affected by the sudden isolation.
Life goes on.
When we visited Hungary after communism fell, we often wondered how people got by. Prices were skyrocketing and the people were severely stressed out.
Sure, businesses and individuals suffer and suffered here in Bali as well. Hundreds of thousands of people were laid off and forced to go home to Java and other parts of Indonesia. Bali was a ghost town and is still recovering.
Crime shot up and yet it subsided once things settled and we all got used to the lockdowns and restrictions…
This recovery stage we are all in is an adjustment period. Islands such as Bali and other highly sought-after tourist destinations deal with what we have all been dealt.
The road to recovery is slow, and while I try to support locals and local businesses, it is a drop in the bucket. Yet I feel satisfied in helping the little that I can. Living in a bubble is not all bad, Bali got a bit of a wake-up call and we now know that some industry on the island is necessary. When tourism waivers or stops, migrant workers can go home but the locals certainly need jobs, this is their island and their home.
photo credit: https://www.aier.org/article/dont-live-your-life-in-a-bubble/
#bali #tourism #business #locals #indonesia #localbusiness #explore #kintamani #foreigner #visa #trekking #volcano #baliexpat #expatbali #baliindonesia #baliisland #islandlife #traveler #indo #denpasar #bulelocal #bisnisindonesia #marketing #turist #ubud
Bali, tourism, business, locals, Indonesia, local business, explore, Kintamani, foreigner, visa, trekking, volcano, Bali expat, expat Bali, Bali Indonesia, bisnis, bisnis Bali, Ubud, Indonesian family, family lokal
Zsolt Zsemba 
Following the news obsessive isn’t healthy, you can’t solve all the world’s problems.
LikeLiked by 1 person
When we moved to Cairo almost 20 years ago, I followed BBC news obsessively, but eventually adapted to life as an expat. In Egypt, I was generous with money and time to thank the local people for allowing me to be a guest in their beautiful country.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, I agree. There is great fulfillment in that. That is one reason I have included so many locals in my past posts. Thank you for your comment.
LikeLiked by 1 person