From Bali to Holland, with love<\/p>\n
Rachel Greaves, Contributor, Kerobokan, Bali<\/p>\n
One morning in October 2000, Jebeh Nyoman Yanti was walking along
\nSanur Beach, as she did every morning with her friends, looking
\nfor customers to attract to the market stalls.<\/p>\n
Little did the 20-year-old Balinese beach vendor know that
\nthis would be the day that would change her life forever.<\/p>\n
On the beach Jebeh met Tjeerd and Jenny Hoekstra, a middle-
\naged Dutch couple, enjoying their second holiday in Bali. Jebeh
\nsmiled at the visitors but didn't stop because she was on her way
\nto get some breakfast.<\/p>\n
Then something -- maybe \"the gods\" -- told her to go back and,
\nsparked by an equally astonishing intuition, Tjeerd and Jenny
\ndecided to invite her to a restaurant.<\/p>\n
Tjeerd's first question to Jebeh was, \"What is your dream in
\nlife?\" to which Jebeh replied, quite candidly, \"I want to study\".
\nTjeerd and his wife looked at one another and knew immediately
\nthat this was going to be a day that would also change their
\nlives.<\/p>\n
Over the remainder of their holiday, Tjeerd and Jenny
\nbefriended Jebeh. Struck by the Balinese girl's outgoing
\npersonality, intelligence and thirst for knowledge, they swapped
\naddresses. When they returned to Holland they exchanged numerous
\nletters in the post and arranged for Jebeh to telephone them, via
\ncollect calls, every month.<\/p>\n
Long talks followed, despite the fact that Jebeh's English was
\nlimited. The couple returned to Bali in May 2001 bringing a
\nsecond-hand laptop computer to encourage Jebeh to correspond with
\nthem by e-mail.<\/p>\n
Educating Jebeh<\/p>\n
It was surprise visit, but to their amazement Jebeh was
\nwaiting for them at their hotel with flowers, having dreamed the
\nnight before that they were coming. The goal of this holiday was
\nto discuss the possibility of educating Jebeh in Holland; they
\nhad already made enquiries about a four-year hospitality
\nmanagement Bachelor program at CHN University, Leeuwarden,
\nsuitable for foreign students and held in English.<\/p>\n
Tjeerd and Jenny had shown copies of Jebeh's school
\ncertificates to the principal and had been told she was almost
\ncertainly capable, but would need to pass the International
\nEnglish Language Test System (IELTS) test to be eligible.<\/p>\n
Jebeh's parents were proud that these foreigners wanted to
\nhelp and take care of their daughter. They survived on a meager
\nincome from their small warung, selling cigarettes, beer, soft
\ndrinks, cake and snacks.<\/p>\n
They didn't even own a fridge and had to fetch blocks of ice
\nby motorbike in order to keep the drinks cool: They certainly
\ncould not afford any education fees.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, to Tjeerd and Jenny, with no children of their own,
\nthe brave-spirited Jebeh was already beginning to feel like a
\ndaughter.<\/p>\n
In January 2002, Tjeerd and Jenny paid for Jebeh to take a
\nthree-month English course in Bali with 18 other local students.
\nIn between her studies, Jebeh fulfilled her duties at home,
\nwaking at 6 a.m. to do her share of the housework, while at the
\nsame time maintaining her beach job and doing an evening stint at
\nthe warung; she still managed to come top of her class!<\/p>\n
Two months later, she passed her IELTS test with sufficient
\nmarks to be accepted on a preparation course in Holland which, if
\nsuccessfully accomplished, would qualify her for university.<\/p>\n
The arrangements were made and, in June 2002, Tjeerd flew back
\nto Bali to collect Jebeh. He brought with him a videotape player
\nfor Jebeh's family, so that he could send them homemade tapes of
\nher progress.<\/p>\n
The Balinese family filled the table with food and made him
\nvery welcome, and then they all went to the airport to see Jebeh
\noff to her new life. It was very emotional for everyone, but
\nTjeerd promised that he and Jenny would take Jebeh back to Bali
\nevery year for a holiday.<\/p>\n
Adapting to the West<\/p>\n
Although nervous, Jebeh was amazed by her first plane journey
\nand the banner and balloon reception at Amsterdam. She now had
\ntwo-and-a-half months to get used to life in the tiny twin-
\nvillages of Oppenhuizen & Uitwellingerga before beginning her
\ncourse.<\/p>\n
At first, she found the food very strange; she didn't like
\ncheese and only enjoyed eating bread with chocolate.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, the plucky 22-year-old embraced her new
\nchallenges, and proved to be very good at adjusting to wearing
\nshoes, drinking tapwater, riding a bicycle on the specially
\ndesigned cycle paths and stopping at red traffic lights.<\/p>\n
She was touched by how friendly everybody was in the village,
\nand fascinated by the black-and-white dairy cows that were milked
\nand fed by machines. She appreciated the dishwasher and relished
\nhot baths.<\/p>\n
Jebeh did her nine-month preparation course with 23 other
\nforeigners; only five passed. Jebeh was the only one accepted for
\nthe International Hospitality Management course and won an award
\nfor being the best student.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, she had to adapt to her first cold winter: She
\nlearned to ice-skate on the frozen canal, went skiing in Austria,
\nand enjoyed the warmth of a traditional wood-burning stove.<\/p>\n
During Jebeh's first year of International Hospitality
\nManagement she passed all the modules and was the only one in her
\ngroup to achieve the propedeuse (certificate for the foundation
\nyear).<\/p>\n
Last October, she learned that she had earned a scholarship of
\n2000 euros. Only two students won this; Jebeh was the second-best
\nof 900 international students. She can hardly believe that she is
\ndoing so well in a course that appears to be one of the finest of
\nits kind in the world, studying subjects that include tourism,
\nretail management and teacher training.<\/p>\n
Helping those back home<\/p>\n
Ever mindful of her roots, Jebeh has also been involved in
\nfundraising efforts for the education of the children of a remote
\nBalinese mountain village, Cegi. Ever since learning that Jebeh's
\nfather originated from this village, Tjeerd and Jenny have
\ninspired their local community in Holland to raise over 25,000
\neuros for the East Bali Poverty Project.<\/p>\n
The funds have been used to build two schools, and to sponsor
\nthe entire 2005 education program for Cegi. This also initiated
\nan exchange program between the children of Cegi and the Dutch
\nchildren of the Oppenhuizen & Uitwellingerga elementary school.<\/p>\n
The youngsters exchange stories and drawings, and Jebeh
\ntranslates their letters, thereby creating awareness about the
\nsimple and harsh lives of the Balinese mountain children.<\/p>\n
Jebeh's Balinese smile cheers all of the customers at the
\nsports complex where she works part-time. Her earnings have
\nenabled her parents to complete their new house and she is paying
\nfor her younger brother's education.<\/p>\n
She is fluent in English and Dutch, and speaks the Frisian
\ndialect while regularly impressing her Dutch family and friends
\nwith sumptuous Balinese feasts.<\/p>\n
Tjeerd and Jenny cannot now imagine life without her: She is
\nso self assured, they say. Asking Jebeh what it feels like to
\nhave two families, she replies, \"I've got a lot of love\".<\/p>\n
Sometimes she still gets scared that she might disappoint her
\nnew family, but Tjeerd smiles. \"She could never disappoint us
\nbecause we see just hardworking and ambitious she is. So far,
\nthere have never been any misunderstandings or disagreements; she
\nbrings so much joy and happiness to our house.<\/p>\n
\"If we had to do it all over again, with a snap of our
\nfingers, we would.\"<\/p>",
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