Being an Indonesian, I always have that dilemma to choose between travelling abroad or exploring my own country. Sometimes I ask myself this question: why should I go to other countries when I can find most of the landscapes in Indonesia? Indeed, we almost have everything here! From volcanic mountains, lakes, waterfalls, rivers, sea, beach, diving spots, religious monuments, to diverse cultures. You name it! In order to remind myself of those breathtaking places that I have yet to visit, IRead more
(Read the Part 1 first) After successfully got a good deal for the room, we dropped dead to sleep. We were just tooooo tired! I blamed the World Cup Final for this! 😀 We hadn’t had a good sleep until that afternoon. We were even woken up by a knock on a door and were asked whether we wanted to join for the snorkelling but we refused. We needed a good sleep. Come back tomorrow 😛 . We woke upRead more
(Embrace yourself, this is going to be a loooong post!) Yes, I went to Indonesia last June. It was honestly a sudden decision. Mom had been bragging me about coming back and I kept on resisting; hoping that I could plan an escape to somewhere in Europe. After days of "yes" and "no", eventually, I decided to go back. This vacation was a bit different than my previous ones. My lovely traveling buddy, Jessie, was spending her vacation too inRead more
I am not going to lie to anyone and I’m not being a hypocrite. I do enjoy living abroad, despite cultural and language differences, despite being a minority, and many other things. I don’t care about those people who have accused me of being unpatriotic towards my own country! Talk about whatever you want; you won’t understand it until you experience it yourself! I am already used to living in a country where everything is convenient, safe, and clean. IRead more
In Indonesia, we must respect people who are older than us, especially the elderly. We are expected to kiss their hands whenever we meet them, bend our body whenever we pass in front of them and talk politely to them. We cannot call them only with their names. We have to attach Mr, Mrs, uncle, auntie, et cetera in front of their names. These unwritten rules are applied to most Asians as well, e.g. Koreans, Malaysians, and Japanese people. SimilarRead more
When I first arrived in Australia, I was quite surprised of how friendly people (read: strangers) could be. They would greet me on the street and said, “Hi, how are you?” even though we never met before. They would also engage in conversation when waiting at the bus stop, train station, etc. They would ask me about my country, religion, and my purpose living here as if we know each other! They would tell me about their experiences, views onRead more
Many people asked me, why do I choose Australia to study in the first place? The truth is, I didn’t. I knew that I would study abroad once I finished high school, but my mind was focused more on Singapore or Malaysia; because the costs are affordable for my parents. I had never thought that I would step into this country! I did dream about coming to the States, Australia, or Europe whenever I saw the EF exchange brochures, butRead more
