Dealing with Balinese 1
Thursday, September 27th, 2007 by Sidarta WijayaIn general the Balinese are very frank in actions that would be out of question among us, such as clearing the throat, spitting, and so forth. These are perfectly normal actions no one needs to conceal. (Covarrubias)
Humor is one of the most difficult aspects of culture for an outsider to appreciate. Much Balinese humor is rather direct and unsubtle. Bawdy jokes and allusion are part of daily conversations. But one must be an insider to appreciate such humor as is involved with my baldness. It is not unusual for a Balinese, upon seeing my shining pate, to say: “bung ujan” – “the rain has been cancelled”. Or he might say “sing meli TV” – “I don’t want to buy a TV”. The first of these gems compare a bald head to a clear sky, the second refers to smooth face of a TV tube. (Eiseman, Jr)
In Bali, to be teased is to be accepted. It was the turning point so far as our relationship to the community was concerned, and we were quite literally “in.” (Clifford Geertz)







