How My Journey Started. (Day 1-6)

Our first meeting with the Buddies. Left to Right: Mbak Enggar, Kim, Nadine (Me), Mas Rizal, Mbak Ratna

August 7, 2018|DAY 1

I did not sleep at all since I need to wake up at 2 a.m. in the morning; I arrived at the airport at 3:27 a.m. I’m both excited and scared since it’s my first time to be far away from my family and my first time to go to abroad alone. Our flight is at 6:30 and when Kim and I are inside the plane we’re really ecstatic to meet the students in Indonesia but at the same time we’re really sleepy since we do not have enough sleep. We arrived at 1:55 pm in Indonesian time and we’re both so nervous but when we saw them they we’re all so nice. They welcomed us whole heartedly and we were able to communicate each other well.

We went to a restaurant and we ate ayam bakar with iced tea this was the first traditional meal we had in Indonesia. When we tasted the chicken it’s like tocino in our country because it’s really sweet but when we tasted the iced tea we really liked it since it tastes organic not like in our country. They were really hospitable and welcoming since they did not make us pay for the food because they said it’s their welcoming treat for us. Since we still have to wait for the thai students at 7:00 p.m. we stayed at the restaurant and drank coffee. When it was almost 7 we were informed that the flight was delayed so we went to the convenience store named alpha mart some products there are the same in what we have in the Philippines so we felt familiar. A lot of things there are familiar to us like the weather, the products, and the streets are like in the Philippines but there are also things that are unfamiliar to us one is there are more motorcycles here than cars, the food here is really spicy, Filipinos are conservative but here we need to be more conservative and careful with our actions.

When we arrived at the airport the flight was delayed again and its 8:30 pm that time I could really feel how tired I am that time and thankfully they arrived at 9:00. Surabaya Airport to Madiun is a 4 hour long trip but we ate Mi Goreng it’s like noodles with peanut sauce, chicken and egg it takes good but I was really sleepy so I felt I’m half asleep while I’m eating it. Finally we arrived at the dorm at 1:30 in the morning; Julia, Mas Thoriq and Pak Sigit welcomed us there and we had a small talk and we drank hot tea after that we can finally sleep.

August 08, 2018| DAY 2

We woke up at 9:30 in the morning the good thing is today is our rest day. We rode a motorcycle to go to our brunch it was my first time to ride one since I was not allowed to ride it in the Philippines. I was a bit scared since I do not know how to ride it but eventually I got used to it. We had soto for brunch it’s like chicken noodle soup with rice in it, it’s like lugaw in the Philippines but there is noodles and the broth is thicker and tastier we also had krupuk from the cows skin they told us that sometimes they eat krupuk with rice and they also have fried peanuts with a bit salt. Then we went back to the dorm and we had a conversation with them about our culture and the difference and similarities we have.

Then we decided to go out and buy thai milk tea it was good just like the ordinary milk teas we have in the Philippines we also ate brownies but it taste like chiffon cake in our country so we had a great merienda. The rector of Universitas PGRI Madiun Dr. H. Parji, M.P.d. and the other officials wants to meet us at 3 in the afternoon we were panicking that time because we need to dress nice before we go there and we were running late. We rode the bike to campus 1 and it was just so fun to ride a bike in a different country.

Then we went out to eat dinner ayam geprek it’s fried chicken with sambals (chili), oil and garlic. At first it was really good but the sambal is too spicy for me that my hands were shaking already so we decided to go to the convenience store which is indo market and I bought cornetto ice cream and my mouth felt relieved at last. When we went back home me and one of my buddies went to buy chicken sate it was really good because I like everything that is grilled and we talk about the education and situation we have in the Philippines and that sums up my second day here in Madiun, Indonesia.

August 9, 2018|DAY 3

We woke up at 5:30 in the morning and we went to a place where they sell Nasi Pecel it is a famous food here in Indonesia. When we tried it, it’s too spicy for us so I was not able to finish it but the pecel taste like chicken fingers for me they told us that it’s not made from chicken but it’s from fermented soy bean. It’s really cheap it’s only 6,500 with iced tea we can’t get a meal like that in the Philippines. We went straight to the campus because we have a class called BIPA (Bahasa Indonesia) at 8 o’clock in the morning our lecturer was Ibu Lusi he taught us a lot of words in Bahasa and I’m proud to say that I could introduce myself using the Indonesian language. I really enjoyed the class since we also had a demonstration from our lecturer and we tried it also with the other lecturers there it was nice learning a different language from ours.

After our BIPA we went back to our dorm since it’s still too early to have lunch. They suggested that we should try the meatball since they are well known and it’s tasty so we went there and we tried it there are a lot of balls in it there’s the meatball, some tofu, and dumpling. The meatball tastes great it’s not the ordinary meatball that we usually taste it’s like the squid balls in the Philippines. Bakso is a soup with noodles and meatballs plus we had iced tea it’s a delicious meal indeed. We were in our dorm the rest of the day, it’s 7 o’clock in the evening so we need to get some dinner but since a lot of our buddies went back to their homes ate and mas Rizal we’re the only buddy left so they suggested that we eat to a near place which is a walking distance from our dorm and it’s called rocket chicken they sell crispy fried chicken there. Rocket chicken reminded me of the famous Jollibee in our country that tasty and juicy chicken it feels like I’m back home. We went back to our dorm and we had few conversations then our day ended.

August 10, 2018|DAY 4

As day passes we get more familiar and closer with the people here. I got better in riding the motorcycle; I was able to manage eating few sambals specially if there is tomato in it. We had rice porridge for breakfast and it tasted like lugaw from the Philippines I was not able to finish it since there is peanuts in it and I don’t like peanuts in my porridge. After that we went to Kim’s school since today is the orientation in Mitra Harapan we we’re a bit late that time because we’re waiting for Kim but she was with the kids and she cannot go out. When we arrived there the whole officials and administrators of the school were waiting for us in the lobby of the building. I was a bit nervous but never the less I enjoyed that moment. We greeted the teachers one by one and they look so friendly they made sure that there was a smile on their faces. We went inside a room where there was a few speech of welcoming for us. Then from that point I and the other participant from Thailand separated already since I am assigned to SD (elementary) while she’s assigned to TEKA (kindergarten).

We went on the 3rd floor where they do their assembly. I was surprised that they have many students and I was told that all of them will be my students. So there is a performance from the students they sing and one of them delivered a poem they are quite talented children. Then they asked me to introduce myself and say a little message in front of the children I was a bit shy at first but of course I have to do it. After that the students asked me few questions it’s because there is a prize if they ask a question to me. They were so cute since they repeat the questions like what’s your name and how old are you. I find it quite funny since they are innocent children and they just want to get the notebook. They have a tradition where in they shake the hands of all the students that’s little bit long since they have like almost 60 or more students there I told each one of them nice to meet you and what is their name. After the assembly we went back to the room to have some traditional snacks. Klepon is a great snack it’s made from sticky rice and inside it is filled with syrup, it’s really addicting because it’s only small yet the flavor is amazing. I also tried es tebu because they said it’s from sugar cane so I tried it because I like sweet things but it’s too sweet for me I can’t even finish it I only tried two spoons. They gave us a lot to take home and I ate more klepon in the dorm. When we went back to the dorm we talked about what happened to our first day and we exchanged the feelings that we felt.

We have to prepare because we have BIPA in UNIPMA at 1 o’clock to 3 o’clock in the afternoon. We did not eat lunch because we’re still full from the snacks we ate from our orientation. So went straight to the BIPA class and our lecturer is already there which is Ibu Lusi she taught us some response to the words from the last class. She also asked about our language and she tried to pronounce it the way we do it. It’s a productive class indeed and it’s sad that it’s our last BIPA class because I really enjoy learning bahasa Indonesia. After the class we decided to eat late lunch and we went to their canteen. I ate nasi goreng and I like the version of nasi goreng there since there are meatballs inside it and it’s really tasty. After eating lunch we went back to the dorm and we fixed our laundry. Mas Puji and I went to the laundry I was really shocked because the laundry would be finish after 4 days and we need the clothes on Monday because of that I’ve decided to rush it and it’s really expensive it costs 50,000 rupiah I have no choice but that is not a good decision. When it’s time for dinner they were asking what we want and we told them we want rocket chicken since it reminded us Jollibee in the Philippines and it really tastes delicious. After eating dinner we had few conversations with our buddies and we went back to our room to sleep.

August 11, 2018|DAY 5

Today is our city tour since they prepared a lot of us I am excited because we are going to famous places here in Madiun, Indonesia. We woke up early in the morning since we have a lot of agenda to finish. We left at 7:30 am and there are two cars prepared for us one is for the buddies and the other one is for Julia, Ibu Lusi, and us the participants. So the first the place that we went is at the public market they call it pasar in bahasa. It’s ­pasar kawa one of the smallest pasar in madiun. Julia told us that this market is always crowded and you usually touch other people since there is not much space to walk in. They sell a lot of things there from the traditional baked goods to the wet market and the tools they use in cooking. We saw jackfruit there and the vendor told us that we could try it, it’s really sweet and it’s not like the jackfruit I’ve tasted in our country but I did not buy it since we do not have a place to store. At the end of the market we saw baked goods again and we did not have breakfast yet so we decided to buy it. I bought 2 pastries that has banana filling in it and sliced of cake called pikang ambon that tastes like bibingka in our country.

Then we went to a mosque and cemetery of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd mayor and the mayors’ family in Madiun. They told us that before entering the mosque they should clean their whole body before entering it and they should not also wear shoes. They showed us a gong they use it when they want to call the community to notify them that it’s time to pray. It’s quite chilly when we entered the cemetery in there and they said that it has a different aura when we go to the first mayor’s cemetery. Then we went out already and we took a picture outside everyone looks good in that picture. We went to our next destination which is the factory of bluder cokro it’s bread famous in Indonesia since it’s really soft and it has 17 different flavors we had a company tour and they showed us the process on how they make it. The smell is really good and it’s really interesting when we saw the process.

After that we went to the store and they showed us around. Mas Ridho asked us things about the history of cokro and fortunately we answered the questions. They were so nice and in accommodating and they gave us free products. Mas Ridho was so nice and he knows few things about the Philippines and we were shocked since he knows few things about our country. We bought different flavors of bluder cokro since we wanted to taste everything but we only purchased cokelat, keju, abon sapi, keju coklat and ovalmaltine. My favorite flavor is cokelat since it really complements the bread. That is the last destination for our city tour then we went back to the dorm. When we’re in the dorm already everyone took a rest since we’re all tired from the city tour. When we woke up they told us that we’re going to the park called alun-alun it’s near our dorm.

So we went there and decided to eat martapak we ordered a savory and sweet one. Then we sat on a mat and we ordered coconut water it was a great meal. Then we we’re curious about the siomay they told us to try it since it has a different flavor they said that its Indonesian style. I did not like the taste since it does not suite my preference so we just taste a little we decided not to eat it. There was a monkey who rides a bike and balances things it was so cool at the same time scary since the monkey is going to close to us. We had a great picture in a place there with many lanters it was fun night indeed. We ended this day with a smile in our faces.

August 12, 2018|DAY 6

Today is Sunday meaning we have to attend mass good things is there’s a near catholic church in our dorm and also there is Julia who is a Christian that would translate the mass for us. When we went there we were a bit late but fortunately we were able to hear the first reading. We have few difference one is the helpers of the priest are girls when we asked Julia about it she told us it’s because the boys assisted the priest yesterday in the anticipated mass so it’s the girls turn now, second one is they do not hold hands during the our father and the last one I noticed is they use the gong while in our country we use bells. After hearing the mass we went back to the dorm and returned to our room to sleep.

They woke us up since it’s time for lunch already and they bought friend chicken that is only 5,000 rupiah with other 2 vegetable dishes. We cooked rice in our dorm and we ate together. It was a great meal since it’s cheap but it’s delicious. There was not that much activity since today is rest day and almost all the buddies went to UNIPMA to help in preparing the welcoming party for us and they will just go back on Monday. Since there were only 3 buddies left we can’t eat outside the dorm for dinner because we lack people for all of us to ride the motorcycle. They decided to buy rocket chicken that’s near our dorm. They bough ayam geprek I was not able to enjoy my meal since there was too many sambals in the chicken meaning it was too spicy that my mouth is burning. It was a short day but a good one too since I was able to sleep a lot and recharge the energy I have used.