And so it begins

I left Wisconsin one week ago today, and let me tell you it has been one whirlwind week. I am now sitting in my living room in Bekasi, Indonesia but it has been one long week to get to the point I am at now. So I'll start from one week ago, the beginning of my trek to Southeast Asia.

I left Madison at 7 am and flew to New York with my friend Ellen, who is also a YES Abroad Indonesia student from Wisconsin. Saying goodbye to our parents was definitely not at all easy, but we both knew what incredible years we had in store for us and we were both very excited. But it was still very hard for both of us and the 2 hour flight to New York was pretty rough. 

New York orientation was pretty chill and it gave us a chance to relax and prepare ourselves for what lay ahead. NY orientation flew by and before we knew it we were on the way to the airport (where we scrambled to figure out what our last American meal would be) and boarding our 18 hour flight to Hong Kong.

right before we left New York

HK airport

Hong Kong

right before our 18 hour flight

Wednesday night at 10 pm we boarded our plane to Hong Kong. We got to HK on Friday at 6 am. I still can't wrap my head around how we missed Thursday, but we did. The plane ride was about 5 times longer than the longest flight I've ever been on, but at least the plane was pretty comfy and we could watch movies. And Bon Jovi was on our flight and he sat about eight rows behind me (in economy) which was pretty cool. The flight attendant definitely laughed at us (or maybe just me) for fangirling so hard, but how can you not when it's BON JOVI?

We finally arrived in HK and after a three hour layover of exploring the first foreign airport I've been to and some incredible authentic Chinese food, we boarded our last flight to Jakarta. I was through the roof with excitement on this flight, but still pretty tired of flying after 18 hours in the air. The flight to Jakarta went very fast, and soon we found ourselves descending into our new home. Flying into Indonesia for the first time was absolutely incredible, you can see the copper colored roofs that cover the city from thousands of feet up and the palm trees and rice fields. It was the most beautiful place I have ever flown into, and that was the moment that it really hit we were staying in this place for a YEAR.

flying into Jakarta

After we arrived we were driven to the orientation site where we stayed from Friday to Sunday with other AFSers from around the world. On the drive there we basically stuck our faces against the car windows in awe, after four months of imagining this place, we were finally living in it. The arrival orientation was useful, but after NY and our two PDO's the YES Abroaders were pretty orientationed out. On Monday we had a talent show where we all did a traditional dance or song from our home countries (the american girls did a pitch perfect/cupid shuffle/ hand jive/ hoedown throwdown/macarena mashup and it was awesome). The Jakarta area AFSers (including me) all met our host families that night.

My host family is so sweet, I could really go on for a long time about them. I am so excited to spend this year with them and teach them about America and learn about Indonesia. Their house and neighborhood are absolutely beautiful, and I was so ecstatic to find that they have a balcony because I have a newfound obsession with balconies.

my host family

amigas de Mexico, Panama, y Argentina

Wisco girls

Today is my first full day with my host family and it could not have gone better. Our maid prepared incredible Javanese coffee and tea (both of which were the best coffee and tea I've ever had) and nasi goreng (fried rice). I'm slowly getting used to eating rice for breakfast, but I love it. My host dad drove me to school and I met my principles and I think got registered (the conversation was in Bahasa so all I picked up was "she is from Amerika"). My friend Atika who I met in DC at the Indonesian embassy was there, and she showed me around the entire school, where I introduced myself to her friends in Bahasa. Nama saya Sarah. Sayi dari Amerika. Saya pertukaran pelajar. I swear I have never stuck out so much in my life. Every person that walked by me stared at me, not in a mean way but more a confused or excited way. Lots of people smiled and waved at me, even if they didn't know who I was. I am so excited to start school next week and talk to everyone I was introduced to, Indonesian teenagers are really some of the nicest people I've ever me. 

Javanese coffee and tea

So today (or hari ini in Bahasa) marks one week since I left home. I am still a little jet lagged and attempting to adjust to this heat, but I feel great and I fall more in love with this country every minute. 

One Day More

So today is my last day in Madison. It's pretty crazy to realize that I was accepted to YES Abroad four months and one week ago, and here I am counting down the hours to my departure. It's felt like forever and two weeks ago at the same time that I've been preparing for this journey. And it has been one long preparation process. With conference calls, orientations, shopping for luggage and clothes, and some language study thrown in there, it has been one crazy summer. 

So tomorrow begins the first day of one incredible year away from home. A completely unpredictable but (hopefully) incredible year awaits me in less than 24 hours, which is pretty crazy if you think about it. 

I had my going away party on Saturday night and it was a lot of fun and a really great way to round up my last few days in Madison. It was so hard saying goodbye to everyone as they left, but I know that I'll only be gone for 11 months and then I'll be back sitting around a bonfire with them all again. 

I never really realized how many people know about me and what I am doing. I have had so many friends from middle school and parents of friends that I haven't seen in a few years tell me how excited they are for me and what an incredible opportunity this is. I had no idea so many people knew I was doing this outside of my friends at West and my family. I've gotten handwritten letters in the mail (I don't remember the last time someone mailed me a letter) of friends and family wishing me good luck. It's pretty incredible how many people are supporting me in this journey, and although it's a little bit overwhelming, I just feel so much more proud of accomplishing this.

So there you go. This is my last post in the pre-departure phase. I want to thank everyone who has helped me in this journey (friends, family, and the State Department especially). I seriously couldn't have done this without all of you along with me.

Here goes nothing.