WAYAN.

Met this beautiful but very reserved lady at the entrance to Nyang Nyang Beach. Wayan.

Maybe some of you heard of the name Wayan before, but referring to a man. Turns out Wayan isn’t necessarily a name, more a description to be said very rough.

Wayan means the first born. So Balinese people name their children after the birth order.

1st child: Wayan, Putu or Gede

2nd child: Made or Kadek

3rd child: Nyoman or Komang

4th child: Ketut

5th+: The cycle often repeats (e.g. Wayan Balik = Wayan Again)

For us western people this is on one part funny but also maybe a bit too simplified since we are so obsessed with the names of our children or even our own names.

But this is the spirit you feel when you are in Bali - and that’s exactly why I love it so much. The focus is on the important stuff, the community, the respect, the people - no one cares how cool your name is, if you are a nobody in your heart or spirit, your name could be Jesus.

Exactly this was reflected by Wayan you see in the pictures. Spending most of her hours folding baskets made out of coconut or palm leaves to create a basket for offerings which include flowers, rice and incenses.

Focusing on the important things in her life like most balinese people, which is gratitude and maintain balance between the seen and unseen worlds.

Maybe let me use this to explain to you how I perceive balinese people.

Balinese people are known for their deep spirituality, artistry, and strong sense of community. They practice a unique form of Balinese Hinduism, which blends Hindu, Buddhist, and animist beliefs — all centered around living in harmony with the divine, nature, and others.

In Bali, ceremony is life, and life is a ceremony. There are rituals for everything - from birth to death, from harvest to house blessings, and even for things like motorcycles and computers.

And this is exactly what you feel, day in day out living in Bali.

Imagine me, coming home from living in an environment like this for 3 months trying to explain it to someone in Switzerland that has never seen or felt anything like it before. It’s hard to understand being this aligned with nature and the universe to someone in our environment back home, even if most of us think or pretend we know the deal.

Here it’s truly lived and practiced every single day, with a deep connection to the universe, the higher self or call it god.

Again, it’s not about names, it’s about living it.