Indonesian field trips win

This past week, I was lucky enough to go on a field trip with my school to Yogyakarta (pronounced Jogjakarta), a place I have wanted to visit since even before I came to Indonesia. Yogyakarta is a historic city geographically located in Central Java, but it is actually its own state headed by a sultan, unique from the rest of Indonesia. 

My high school took coach buses and the entire 11th grade rode about 14 hours from Jakarta to Jakarta (I was under the impression it was more like an 8 hour drive). We stayed in a kampung (village) near Jogja which was surrounded on all sides by tropical jungle/forest. In short, it was absolutely beautiful. Being from Wisconsin and not having ever seen a forest that wasn't pine and maple trees, it took my breath away. We then all went on a jungle hike that afternoon, exploring amongst giant palm trees, man made waterfalls, and small rivers. I would go into detail about the natural beauty of this jungly paradise but I think the pictures speak for themselves.

with my roommate at the village house we stayed at

After our jungle hike we did some more activities together. It all kinda reminded me of the Amazing Race because these activities included artistic activities like making grass puppets and  dyeing batik as well as more physical stuff like riding a cow and catching fish with your bear hands. Somehow Indonesian school managed to force me to face two of my fears all in one day: cows and fish. Being from Wisconsin you would think I'm a pro with cows, but sadly that's not the truth. My friend literally held my hand as we walked down to the cow, much to the amusement of my classmates (who I hope were all as scared as I was, just not showing it). I basically held on to the plow attatched to the back of the cow (I didn't actually sit on it) and hung on for dear life as we wandered around the rice field. And then it was over. Boom, I had conquered one of my bigger fears. 

I wasn't lying about holding hands

Too bad in about fifteen minutes I was going to conquer another one.

When we finished riding the cow we moved on to our next activity, attempting to catch fish with our bare hands. Not kidding here, one of the students literally dumped about 20 fish into a tank filled with maybe 5 inches of water where we all stood and tried to catch the fish. It was probably one of the craziest and most amusing thing I have witnessed in Indonesia. Since I've always been a little wary of fish it took me awhile until I (involuntarily) joined in but I ended up having a lot of fun. Although I never caught a fish on my own, a friend handed me a fish and everyone started clapping when they saw me holding it, thinking I caught it myself. So I got my 10 seconds of fame.

The next day we all headed to Borobudur, a famous Hindu temple and UNESCO world heritage site. Borobudur is centuries old and has survived multiple earth quakes, volcanic eruptions, and many other natural disasters, remaining hidden in the jungle until the 1800s. From the top of the temple you could see for miles, nothing but lush forest and mountains. It's no wonder it remained untouched for so long because it is truly surrounded on all sides by wilderness. Standing in the middle of the jungle on rock that was constructed over 1000 years ago, it was an experience I will never forget to say the least.

Borobodur and some night market shopping wrapped up our trip to Jogja and soon we were on our 15 hour ride home. Overall, going to Jogja was some of the most fun I've had since I've been here. Visiting a 1200 year old temple, riding a cow through a rice field, "catching" a fish with my bear hands, it doesn't get better than this. As of three days ago I only have seven months left in this beautiful country. Time is going sooo fast and I am trying to make the most of it and take every moment in. Four months down, seven to go!

P.S. the YES Abroad 2014/2015 app is up so if you have any questions or are curious about applying leave me a comment!

                     

How to celebrate Thanksgiving abroad

Thanksgiving in America is probably my favorite time of the year, eating food until we're stuffed, spending time with family, Christmas being right around the corner; it's hard to beat. Before coming to Indonesia, I was a little bit nervous about spending the holidays abroad without my family. Thanksgiving is not really celebrated here, so it was up to me and the other American exchange students to use what we have and create our own Indonesian-American Thanksgiving. And that we did.

Ellen and Emily (2 other YES Abroaders in Jakarta) and I met up at my favorite mall in Jakarta (Pondok Indah) on Black Friday to celebrate together. We realized how ironic it was that we were celebrating Thanksgiving on Black Friday in a country that doesn't celebrate either day. It had been over two months since the three of us had been reunited, so it was a really good feeling to be all together again. We had our Thanksgiving dinner at a Japanese restaurant together and I can safely say that is the first time I've ever had sushi at Thanksgiving dinner. 

Part of being an exchange student is just making things work, and I'd like to think we did that pretty well. We live in a country that doesn't celebrate either Halloween or Thanksgiving but we've managed to get by on our own little celebrations anyway. Creating your own Halloween/Thanksgiving is part of being an exchange student I think. Just because you're 9000 miles from home doesn't mean you can't have a good Thanksgiving, it just means you might be eating sushi instead of pumpkin pie.

throwback to two Wisconsin girls celebrating Halloween in Indonesia

Happy Thanksgiving from the J.Co loving Americans

On a side note, since it is Thanksgiving I wanted to give thanks for so many things and people here. You always know you are thankful for your family, but until you spend Thankgiving away from home, you don't really realize how thankful you truly are. I am still so thankful to my family for allowing me to embark on this incredible journey, and for always supporting me here.

I want to say thank you to YES Abroad, the State Department, the American tax payers and everyone who made this dream a reality. I could never have even come to Indonesia if it weren't for this amazing program. 

Coming to Indonesia has opened my eyes in ways I never could have imagined, making me realize the countless small things I took for granted everyday back home. Things as simple as hot baths/showers, Wisconsin milk, choosing what i want to wear to school, safe tap water, cold weather, reliable WiFi, having a job that doesn't require me to stand in the middle of a busy intersection directing traffic for 50 cent tips, the list goes on. So many things I took for granted or even complained about back home I never realized how I am lucky to have. I want to give thanks for all of these things as well.

That is what traveling abroad does to you, it opens your eyes to see the bigger picture around you, exposes you to a way of life you never could have even imagined. Indonesia has opened my eyes in so many different ways, and this Thanksgiving I just really want to give thanks for being here and for learning all that I am. 

Jadi terima kasih semua orang untuk semuanya, dan untuk baca ini.

Indonesian shopping

Like many aspects of Indonesian life, shopping is one place you can go over the top expensive or bargain your way down to paying just a few dollars (or even cents). Jakarta is the capital and (and I think its safe to say) shopping center of Indonesia. I have never seen so many malls in such a small area of land. Malls in Jakarta often have valet parking, taxi queues, movie theaters, and four or more stories. They often resemble airports from the outside by their sheer size and volume of customers.

I have spend many weekends (and dollars) shopping at these malls and just admiring them. In Indonesia it is more common to meet up with friends at the mall than in Wisconsin because there is just more to do. In the mood to see a movie? Get a haircut? Get a massage? Work out? Sing karaoke? Ice skate? Pray? You've got it all in one place.

Lately my Indonesian language skills and my independence have both been increasing so I have been able to explore more malls with my friends, both Indonesian and American. I've managed to take taxis alone in Jakarta (a city of 8 million people) to meet friends at the mall which in itself feels like a big accomplishment.  

courtesy of google but you get the idea

my YES Abroad ladies shopping(L-R: Ellen, Mallory, and I)

You can sometimes forget you're in Indonesia at the mall due to the array of Western food options and Christmas/Halloween/other holidays not celebrated by the majority of Indonesians' decorations.

I found a christmas tree at a department store!

first root beer in 3 months

However the malls can be very western, if you want a traditional Indonesian experience you'll head to the pasar (lit. market). There are both pasar malam  and pasar pagi, (night market and morning market) but I have only yet been to the latter. At the pasar, hundreds of sellers are packed into a maze of shops filled with food, batik, and anything else you might want. I have not been able to witness the pasars too many times, but it is a very interesting experience. My friend guided me around  through the array of batik while bargaining prices until we could achieve the best deal or we would just keep going. I really hope to be able to explore the pasars more and eventually be able to bargain my way into non-bule prices (which may take awhile).

pasars remind me a lot of Farmers Markets in Madison, just more palm trees

If you have any suggestions or any topics you want me to write about, please comment or email me! The more I adjust the harder it becomes to write since Indonesia is starting to feel like a regular life.

Also, tomorrow marks three months since I left home. Time works in crazy ways right?

rice fields and angkots and waterfalls in the jungle

The last few weeks here in Indonesia have been pretty crazy, I'm not entirely sure where to begin right now. I've been riding hollowed out vans through the city of Bandung, ridden a horse carriage through the village of Kuningan, and wandered through a rice field in the country side. It's been a whirlwind yet incredible few weeks here, and I'm starting to really fall in love with Indonesia and this life I'm living here.

Two weeks ago my host family and I went to the village of Kuningan in West Java for Eid al-Adha. In short, it was a time for me to meet my extended host family, eat plenty of great food, learn more about Islam and Islamic holidays,  and experience village life. To say that I enjoyed my time in the village would be an understatement. This village was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been, surrounded by sawahs (rice fields) for miles and nestled along side the 3rd tallest volcano (yep volcano) in Java, it was paradise in my eyes. I spent a quality morning in the village wandering through a sawah and taking pictures while trying not to lose my balance. Since rice fields are terraced, if you fall the next terrace is about four feet down in the mud. So you really don't want to lose your balance; not that you'll be hurt or anything, just take my word for it you don't really want to fall in that mud.

We also ventured up to a waterfall on the side of the volcano in the village. We couldn't swim or anything since the water was only about mid-calf deep, but still standing under a waterfall in the middle of the jungle on the side of a volcano is pretty sweet if you ask me.

After we returned home to Jakarta I packed my bags and set off for another mini trip, this time to Bandung to visit my friend and fellow exchange student Mallory. Bandung is a city in West Java, about two hours from Jakarta with about 2.5 million people. I spent five days with Mallory staying with her host family, exploring Bandung and navigating our way via public transportation (hollowed out buses) and going to school. We got to reconnect with other exchange students that I hadn't seen in two months which was great too. Being able to journey around Bandung by ourselves was an incredible feeling, I was slowly starting to feel less like a helpless bule, which I have felt like a lot in the past few months. Having entire conversations with shop owners and street vendors alike in Indonesian is a pretty cool thing and it feels good to have that capability. 

Ben from Belgium, me and Mallory

So now I have been in Indonesia for two months and six days which still blows my mind. It feels like both a week and six months ago that I landed in Jakarta with my group and our journey began. Time works in crazy way when you're an exchange student, there's no doubting that. But I've had some of the most fun I've had here in my whole life and I wouldn't trade these last two months for anything.

2 down, 9 to go!

seven weeks

So it's been awhile since my last update, and a lot has happened. I've gone to school, done a lotttttt of shopping, and eaten a lot of spicy food. I've spoken lots of Bahasa (Indonesian) and I make more progress with this language everyday, which is a great feeling. And I continue to adjust everyday to this new climate, culture, and country. Everyday I am reminded of how incredible Indonesia is, and how truly amazing it is that I was given this opportunity. It's the little things that I fall in love with here everyday that take my breath away, from tasting some of the best noodles I've ever had in my life for less than $1 to zooming down a side alley on the back of a motorcycle on the way to school, Indonesia is both the craziest and most mind-blowingly amazing country I have ever been. 

I've been here seven weeks now, so here are some pictures to sum up my time here so far:

about to leave New York City to fly to Hong Kong

my first view of Java

driving in Jakarta for the first time

meeting my host family for the first time

the view from my balcony

my backyard

seeing a komodo dragon at the zoo for the first time

eating nasi goreng :)

this is an average mall here

Jakarta is incredible at night

life in a month

This post is very long overdue and I have a lot to catch up on, but yesterday marked my one month anniversary of landing in Indonesia. It's a pretty crazy feeling knowing that I have been here for a month, in ways its felt both so much longer and so much shorter than a month. This has been the craziest and most incredible month of my life. Every day is really just another new adventure in this country that I am slowly learning more and more about. I thought I would do a quick summary of what I have been doing with myself this month. Enjoy!

During the past 30 days in Indonesia I have...

• survived 95 degree weather wearing jeans
• ridden on the back of a motorcycle to school everyday
• not had starbucks, or bagels, or used hot water, or taken a bath (bucket showers all the way)
• listened to the call to prayer
• ate food so spicy I want to cry
• Ate enough nasi goreng (fried rice) to feed a family of four for a good year
• worn a school uniform (3 actually)
• eaten plenty of Indomie (ramen)
• gone to the American embassy
• performed the cupid shuffle/macarena/hoedown throwdown in front of the American ambassador
• met AFSers from Japan, Belgium, Finland, Panama, Argentina, Mexico, France, Thailand, Switzerland, and the Netherlands (probably more)
• spoken Javanese, Sundanese, Indonesian, Spanish, and some Finnish
• survived 26 hours of flying
• sat eight rows ahead of Bon Jovi on a plane to Canada
• listened to plenty of American music (Macklemore)
• become a school celebrity
• gained 60 twitter followers in a week
• eaten plenty of tropical fruit
• taken selfies in class with my friends
• gained a new nickname (Sarahbule)
• posed in pictures with complete strangers
• been interviewed twice
• watched plenty of "friends" with Indonesian subtitles

...and so much more. Hopefully this gave some insight into what the past 30 days in Indonesia have been like without me going on for too long. Indonesia has truly changed my life in ways I had never expected. Everyday I learn more about my own capabilities and this incredible country. Little everyday accomplishments become big scale victories when added up. Like being able to speak Indonesian to my friends at school, and understanding when they respond. And being able to order food in public places in Indonesian, surprising both the food vendor and myself in what I can say in a foreign language, a language most of my friends back home don't know exists. 

The one month mark is an interesting one to hit. One month is a long time to spend in a foreign country when you're 16. A long time. I'm spending ten months here, which still blows my mind everyday. Throughout this month Indonesia has slowly become my home. My neighborhood is beginning to feel familiar and my school is beginning to feel familiar as well. Everyday when I leave school, I really feel like I am coming home, not just to the house I'm living in. Of course one month is not enough to completely adapt to a new environment, and I continue to adapt everyday, but it's enough time to slowly begin to piece your new life together. 

So here is one more list, this time of my favorite things in Indonesia:

• the taste of freshly cooked nasi (rice)
• the palm trees everywhere
• the fact that food costs maybe 50 cents
• mango and other tropical fruit
• taking an ojek (motorcycle taxi) to school
• nasi goreng 
• my school and amazing classmates
• the heat (it's a love/hate relationship)
• cicaks everywhere (geckoes)
• bucket showers
• listening to the call to prayer
• the city of Jakarta

 More pictures to come soon!