Mixing veggies from our gardens

Renee our intern from Montana, USA, in our kitchen with our volunteer Lucy, from Canada, trying out some new recepes.  Peeling lots of garlic to go into the mixed veggies from our gardens
Jiwa Damai.

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You can find out more about our internship on our website! 

Internship at Jiwa Damai: Living the difference

Internships at Jiwa Damaiare a special experience. Our interns are invited to really live the difference. The focus is a personal growth process offering people an in-depth learning on several levels: personal inner growth, conceiving, designing and implementing their own project, cross cultural interaction with a very different Hindu culture, as well as with our international interns form all around the world. In addition to the personalized support, we offer daily morning yoga classes and evening Heart meditation.

Each intern designs his/her individual project with supervision and based on the aforementioned in-depth learning. The internship can cover a wide range of topics. See more about topics, application procedure and more details here.

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We talked to Marie Thimm our intern from Germany about her experience. It was not really an interview but more of a discussion about her project and about how she lived the difference at Jiwa Damai.

Why Jiwa Damai?

I wanted to make a change; I wanted a shift in my work path. Jiwa Damai attracted me because of its variety: a place to do an internship, a permaculture farm, a retreat, the Lagu Damai Foundation and also the work of Dr. Margret Rueffler– the peace psychology. I wanted to experience it and see how they were all working together, how they are inter-connected.

I was also very much interested in foundations because I didn’t want to work in money making oriented companies but in places that take care of the surrounding: be it the nature, the community or the planet, in general.

The location had no impact in my choice, but it was a nice side effect

It was already dark when I arrived at Jiwa Damai but from the very first moment it felt like being in an oasis. When one comes from Denpasar, with all that terrible traffic Jiwa Damai unfolds like a peaceful and beautiful oasis.

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A process of connecting with the inner most self

My internship consisted of a personal project. What we developed was a process through which I could really differentiate all the skills I have into the ones relevant for my future work by applying the Heart-Self Intelligence method. At the same time, I defined my values and I put them into an application letter so that gained a different power and energy.

It was really interesting for me because I discovered that some skills that I thought were important were not really relevant for my future path. However, new ones came up. It was a process of connecting with the inner most self and from there working towards finding a new path in life.

I also learned about self-awareness. I learned what it is needed for my self/ for my project in the moment and thus to enjoy the things that I am doing instead of just finishing them. I learned to transform the “I have” into “I want to” or “I would love to”.

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The perfect environment for the process to take place

I really appreciated the structure of the day and what opportunities the intern has besides the personal project: yoga classes in the morning, meditation in the evening and three delicious Balinese meals with vegetables from the garden in between.

During a normal internship you are not working on your own project or on your personal growth. The special thing about Jiwa Damai internship is that you can choose on what you would like to work. Could be permaculture projects in the garden or a personal life shift/career shift. And you still have the daily supervision and support.

Moreover, I could chose where to do my work, for instance next to a pool or in a hammock. I had the opportunity to take a break whenever I needed and go in the garden and feel the earth under my hands. I didn’t have to stick to office ours.All these aspects set the perfect environment for the process to take place.

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A genuine exchange of knowledge with people from all over the world

I studied international business communication and I am very interested in cross-cultural issues and would love to work with people from all over the world in the future.

Here you have the opportunity to meet people with different cultural backgrounds who are like-minded, who want to make a difference. The daily discussions with Margret and the volunteers create a genuine exchange of knowledge. One can also get in touch with local people and learn about the local challenges and how to deal with them.

The little light spots

At JiwaDamai I learned that it is important to create places in the world as Margret says “little light spots” everywhere, just living the difference or living a life connected to nature again. I also discover the beauty of welcoming people who are working in their own way for a sustainable and healthy future.

The little light spots are an inspiring example for people because they reveal that we can live in harmony with nature again by building and creating eco friendly homes and communities, not relying on governmental systems.

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Bali:the place for adventures

Bali is such a beautiful spot on Earth. The people are always friendly. They are happy if you talk to them, even if it is only a few words in English. The nature is amazing: rice fields, mountains and beaches. And there is also place for little adventures such as riding the motorbike or climbing a volcano to see the sunrise from the top of the mountain or snorkeling to see an underwater temple. It is hard to believe that it is only one island of the thousands that exist in Indonesia.

Future: we make a difference already

I will definitely use the Heart Self Intelligence for future steps along my path.

Before I already used to rely on my feelings rather than my mind but really to trust in the wisdom of the heart brings a new perspective. The entire process gave me self-confidence that there are other people who are out there having the same goal or the same interest.

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Jiwa Damai was a nice booster to following the dreams that really fit me. It would be difficult to change entire systems such as the governments, food supply, the world economy, but we can create spots of light. We can focus on a positive approach towards a sustainable and healthy world. We make a difference already by finding new ways of living in harmony with nature, by focusing on the true needs of people, by listening more to the wisdom of our heart.

Find out more about the internship at Jiwa Damai in Bali here.