the best month yet

May has probably been one of the busiest and best months yet in Indonesia. I've spent the last thirty days in three different cities, both reuniting with old friends and making new ones. 

A couple weeks ago I joined in the AFS Java mini exchange, where all the exchange students on Java (maybe 15 or so) switched cities for a week and lived with a new family. I was placed in Bandung, a city in the mountains about two hours from Jakarta. Bandung is actually one of my favorite cities in Indonesia so I was very excited to be placed there. It's mountainous landscape and cool weather is such a welcome and stark contrast from living in Jakarta for the past nine months. 

I got to meet up with some old friends in Bandung as well as explore the city, taking angkot everywhere. Bandung reminded me a lot of Madison in that it had a very "college town" like feel, something that I had really missed about home. 

bule adventures

street food

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my host mom in bandung

A couple weeks after Bandung, my friend Mallory (another YES Abroader from Montana) came to visit me in Jakarta. I got to play tour guide and we roamed around Jakarta from mall to mall, doing what we do best. Somehow we decided it would be a good idea for me to get my hair dyed, which is how this happened:

Through a series of events I now resemble a mix between Iggy Azalea and Queen Elsa from Frozen. I didn't exactly intend for my hair to end up this shade of platinum blonde but hey, you're only seventeen and live in Southeast Asia once. 

After Mallory went home to Bandung I met up with the middle schoolers I had volunteered with a few months ago and we took a field trip to a botanical garden in Bogor. I went with my teacher friend, her mom, and 20 fourteen year old girls so it was a pretty full group. I talked with them in a mix of Indonesian and English so we could both practice each other's languages and I had a great time teaching them about America and high school life. And of course I got the standard questions: 

1) What is your favorite Indonesian food? (Martabak manis)

2) Who is your favorite guy from one direction? (I don't listen to them too much but I guess Niall?)

Afterwards some of us headed back to Annisa's house where we played ping pong (my first time in at least a year) and had es kelapa (coconut water in a plastic bag). Overall it was just a great day with some great people, and I really hope I can keep in touch with them all in the future.

Friday was also my last day of Indonesian high school and junior year, I can't believe how fast this school year has gone but at least I still have about 5 weeks of free time so I can still hang out with my school friends.

Thanks to everyone who continues to read this, only 6 more weeks until I fly home to Madison! Thank you for all the support :)