In Reply to: Why I love my boyfriend posted by Girlfriend on Sunday, 31. December 2000 at 08:48 Bali Time:
I am married to a Balinese and we have a son as well. I have never been happier in my life. I was raised in the US and witnessed the almost complete breakdown of the nuclear family concept that is what Bali life is all about. When you marry a Balinese, you in fact marry his or her family and village as well. While I will never be Balinese, I am no longer regarded as Tamu either. It took time, patience and a lot of work to be fully accepted, but I have never felt more loved or part of a community as I do now. In fact, it was easy for me to gauge my progress of transition to full acceptance. In the beginning the usual and daily question was, 'where you from?' which changed to 'when you go home?' to now, which is 'selamat pagi Pak Roy, apa kabar?' This may not be for everyone, but for me, I could never live any other way. I still smile every day when I open my wardrobe and realize I no longer own any wing tip shoes, white shirts, neck ties or suits, and my smile broadens when I realize I never will ever again. I never awaken to an alarm clock and that white spot on my wrist where my watch used to sit has long since become tanned. My Balinese wife is the most beautiful woman, inside and out that I have ever met. She defines the word womanhood for me every day and my son Bima and I are the luckiest men alive.