Throughout my time in Bali, there have been multiple people who have made a lasting impact on me - some at my work and others outside of it. At work, I have spent a lot of time getting to know my fellow teachers who are extremely interesting to talk to because they come from such diverse backgrounds. Some of my coworkers were born and raised in Bali and have never left the island while a couple were from other Indonesian islands such as Java and Sumatra and have lived in multiple different countries. One of my coworkers who I formed a particularly strong connection with was Pak Komang. In Bahasa (the Indonesian language), "Pak" is a term of respect for men in the community that are older than you. Pak Komang works with students as part of their wood-working and material art courses. I learned a lot from Pak Komang about traditional Balinese art forms and how to convey these forms to young students. Pak Komang taught me a lot about how to give students a lot of space to solve problems on their own while providing support and encouragement when necessary. He also brought his young son to work with him very often and he was very friendly. As an art history student, it was also personally quite rewarding to talk to Pak Komang about his own personal art which is largely influenced by local Balinese cultural traditions. 

I was also impacted by one of my students, Anze, who I built a very strong connection with by the end of the program. When I first arrived, Anze was not integrating particularly well in the program because he struggled to speak much English and as a result, did not connect well with the other kids. As the weeks progressed, Anze began to communicate more and listen when I would ask him questions or invite him to participate. In the end, Anze became a leader himself among the other students by encouraging others to participate and setting an example as a strong listener which made me proud.