Becoming Expats: Shayna, a Canadian in Bali

Originally published on PassionPassport.com on July 14, 2017

From: Toronto, Canada
Currently living: a village called Singakerta near Ubud in Bali, Indonesia.
Has also lived in: South Korea

BEST FOOD IN UBUD: Nasi Goreng at Palau Kelapa, Fish Curry at Bambu Indah, and Thin Crust Pizza and Profiteroles at Kebun.

BEST BEACHES IN BALI: Padang Padang, Batu Belig, and Pandawa

CAN’T MISS EXPERIENCES IN BALI: A weekend in a beachside hut in Amed; Watching the herons fly into Petulu at sunset; Exploring the rice fields; Walking through the Botanical Gardens in Bedugul (and picking up $2 boxes of strawberries on the way home).

BEST DAY-TRIP FROM BALI: A boat ride to Nusa Lembongan, where you can watch the seaweed farmers at sunset.

“IF I WANTED TO MOVE TO BALI, HOW WOULD YOU FEEL ABOUT THAT?”

Shayna Pitch laughed at her husband, thinking he was kidding. They taught English in South Korea and had visited Bali for an extended weekend. She didn’t expect him to spend two months secretly researching a way for them to move to Bali. The document was called, “The Relocation to Bali File.”

Six years later, Shayna and Brandon still live in Singakerta, a village near Ubud.

When they first arrived, their AirBnB apartment fell through and Shayna and Brandon scrambled to find other accommodations. They walked around Ubud, searching for somewhere else to stay, and ended up in a hotel for a month. It was low season, so they had the place to themselves.

Eventually, they saw a place online with no photos and took a chance. The young Canadian who owned the villa told them to come take a look. It was a beautiful communal-living space.

The day they moved into the villa, Shayna and Brandon found their dogs — two strays and their newborn puppies.

A year later, they wanted somewhere more private for both them and the dogs. Their search yielded nothing until someone at Brandon’s church overheard them talking about their situation. She knew a woman — another Canadian — who had just built a house, was looking for someone to stay there, and loved animals. The two-story house wasn’t too big or too small, and had a giant backyard for their four dogs.

They rented a pickup truck, piled the dogs and their furniture inside, and drove through Ubud to their new house.

After unpacking, as Shayna looked out at the backyard, watching the dogs run around, she felt at home. She felt settled.

For more stories from Shayna’s life in Bali, follow her on Instagram.