Unieng was born in 1976 in Yogyakarta and raised in a small
family of Javanese academics. Her father is a geologist and
her mother an orthodontist. In her early years she and her
sister lived with their grandparents in Jakarta as both parents
were studying in Japan and the United States. Her parents
always encouraged her to study, to be open-minded and show
respect for other people’s opinions. Ms. Sandini attended
Yogyakarta’s Gadjah Mada University as an architecture
student and did her post-graduate work in Urban Environmental
Management at Wageningen University in Holland, where she
also met her husband Marcel Luitze. They married in 2002 and
since 2004 have lived in Amed and Renon. They are expecting
their first baby in July 2007.
What kinds of jobs have you held in your life?
Architect, university researcher, environmental project worker
in Kenya and Poland, urban planner in The Netherlands, and
– at present – being a hotel-owner/PADI dive-instructor.
Actually, I was the first Indonesian woman in Bali to pass
the PADI Dive Instructors exams in 2006 at the Crystal Divers
in Sanur. I especially like this dive centre because it is
run and owned by women.
What’s the most interesting job you’ve ever had?
Any job that combines my vision of urban planning with environmental
conservation. For this reason, I liked my job in The Netherlands
where both the people and the government are so aware of all
aspects of urban planning. The last project I worked on was
The IJburg where we designed seven new islands in Amsterdam
which provided living, recreation and work space for residents
without ignoring the need for sustainable development. What’s
so exciting about working in Holland is that the Dutch actually
have the money to pursue their city planning and environmental
goals.
How did you first become interested in Bali?
In 1999, while working as a university researcher on environmental
and social degradation in Bali due to tourism, I based myself
in Sanur and had to travel around the island gathering data
and information. During this time I discovered the beauty
of Bali’s nature. I also realized the dangers that lay
ahead if the island were not managed properly. After I met
my husband while studying in Holland, we went to Bali for
a holiday and eventually both decided to live here.
What is it about Bali that attracts you?
What attracts people from all over the world to Bali are its
beautiful natural environments, both on land and under the
sea. This is why it’s essential to maintain these pristine
environments. Tourism can also bring negative impacts and
it’s only by understanding all aspects of the effects
of tourism that Bali will be able to achieve a sustainable
economy.
What advice do you give to the first time visitor to Bali?
Don’t stay in one place the whole time but travel around
the island to see all that Bali has to offer. Also please
be responsible tourists. As foreigners, local people look
up to you. You are a role model.
What work are you presently involved in?
I manage Bayu Cottages in Amed, and also teach PADI dive courses.
With the hotel being overstaffed and with us still paying
good salaries, I feel like I’m contributing to the local
economy in a direct way. In this area, with few permanent
jobs, one salary can feed five, six or more people. It makes
me happy to see our staff’s standard of living improve.
For instance, when I hear that one of my staff has taken her
child to the doctor when he or she became ill. Two years ago,
they would just let it be, which would have possibly resulted
in a common childhood disease becoming a life-long problem.
What are the biggest challenges you face in your work?
Making local people aware of the beauty of their surroundings
and showing them that preserving it doesn’t always have
to cost much money and that a lot can be gained just by changing
an attitude or an old habit. Together with a few other environmentally
aware hotels in the Amed area, we’re now paying for
a garbage truck to come by our places once a week to collect
our non-degradable trash. Hopefully, seeing the benefits of
this will trigger more local people and more businesses in
the area to join in because the more who become involved,
the cheaper the pick-up service will be.
What do you like most about the Balinese people?
The fact that they have so completely opened up their island,
their culture and their religion for people from all over
the world to witness and enjoy. I’m optimistic because
I believe that everyone living on the island will ultimately
determine to preserve Bali, its nature, and it’s social
and religious customs.
What is your favourite area of Bali?
The underwater world all around Bali! I like our village,
Lipah, where you can still find a wonderful balance between
traditional Bali and modern tourism. By 9 p.m., the whole
village becomes very quiet as most locals still earn their
living as fishermen and farmers and thus have to start work
very early.
How can people learn more about your work?
Visit my website www.restuningsandini.com to check out finished,
present and future projects.
For anyone interested in being considered for Siapa, please
contact : <pakbill2003@yahoo.com>
Copyright@2007 Al Hickey
You can read all past articles of Siapa
at www.BaliAdvertiser.biz
