What is it with Bali anyway?

To be honest, I had never been to Bali until this week. With so many Australians it seemed so familiar and I always wanted to go somewhere new and different.

But 2017 has been busy with work, uni and sitting on boards so when Air Asia had a sale I found myself booking a ticket to Bali for a few days of rest and relaxation.

While I love adventure, I am also really tired after working a crazy schedule.

Everyone said Seminyak was amazing and it was. Just a place to sleep in, relax and indulge a little.

                                     

But what struck me was how Australian it was and how much it was geared to the Australian market. From the cafés that were almost identical the ones found at home to some locals putting on aussie accents to make us want to buy more stuff or to jump in their cab.

It just made me wonder what the point of visiting Bali if it is so similar to home. Being an adventurous sort, I kinda like going somewhere totally different and out of the ordinary. That is where I get my energy from, not to mention my joy and something that calms my restless spirit.

Would I go again?

Maybe, if I needed to recharge my batteries and relax but adventure will always take priority. It always does.

Aussie breakfast in Bali

I'm still not sure about the whole Bali thing and I am sure that Semenyak's Sisterfields doesn't help.

With its Scandinavian decor and its Aussie style, I couldn't help but get what I always get - smashed avo with poached eggs and a bit of smoked salmon on the side. Of course, I couldn't help getting a Skinny Flat White with an extra shot because this is what I always have when I go out for breakfast. 

The food was great and the staff were great. The coffee wasn't bad either.

My sister and Elle went for gold with a Bloody Mary and whatever which they liked. 

Sisterfields is a great if you want an Aussie style breakfast abroad and if you want to do the local thing then Bali is probably not the place for you.  

    

It is a wrap for Social Impact

Today, I handed in the final assignment of my Social Impact course. It has been a full-on year that tested me in so many ways and while it has been a privilege to go back to study, I am ready for this chapter to finish.

It was a four-unit graduate certificate delivered in blocks of 6 weeks over a year and designed for people working in the social sector. We covered areas such as social entrepreneurship, measurement for social impact, philanthropy and social investment as well as leadership.    

It was fantastic to learn alongside some amazing people as well as hear from amazing speakers from the Not-For-Profit space as well as from the corporate world. It was also lovely to study at UWA which has to be one of Australia’s most beautiful campuses. It was so lovely to walk through the campus each day to get to the Business School and enjoy the lovely campus.

Apart from a short trip to Bali, the next challenge is to put it into practice. A common struggle is that people come out from such experiences and want to put it into practice but organisations are run by those who haven’t been through the program and aren’t really open to new idea and are hell-bent on keeping the status quo.

But that’s going to change. Society deserves better than mediocre services, leaders and organisations. Enough excuses and things are going to change. Trust me!!