July 1st - June 20th 2013

June 1st 2013

First day of my last month... Other than this nothing was special today. I sat at home and just relaxed, I am really going to have a hard time when I have to work all the time.

June 2nd 2013

This morning I woke up and I felt really sick, some things still haven't changed after all this time. I didn't go to church because I didn't feel well and I spent most of the morning moping around in my room. Later in the afternoon my family all loaded up into the car and drove to a small suburb outside of Bandung. I was told that my sister was dancing and that is why we were going. My sister works at BCA, which is a Bank in Indonesia. I was surprised to find that it was an auto-show that was celebrating the bank's payment plans. There were some cool cars and I looked around with my host mom a little bit. My sister and the employees at her branch told us that they were going to dance at 3. Then, we were told that their dance was postponed until 4:30. They did not actually dance until 5. (That is a lot of waiting at a auto-show). When they did perform they looked really cute. They were doing a modern dance that had elements of many traditional Indonesian dances. The dance was very nice, most of the people were not dancers and were shy and nervous. But, there was one girl who actually dances. She was throwing her hair around and going way over the top with the little dance, she looked like a stripper. On the way home my family talked about how good the dance was and how crazy the one girl was. When they asked me what I thought I wanted to say that I thought the girl looked like a stripper but, I didn't know the Indonesian word for that and the closest word I know to "stripper" is "transvestite", so I settled for just saying she looked a little crazy. My family had Sate for dinner. I love my family.

June 3rd 2013

Nothing much, same old, same old.

June 4th 2013

In Indonesia fabric and tailors are very cheap. I have been told many times that I can get jeans custom made for almost nothing. Today my family said they would take me to "Pasar Baru" ("New Market" - actually a traditional market with tons of stuff and people everywhere). It took forever to get there and park, the traffic was so bad. Normally the traffic is bad but, near the market it is always crazy. When we finally parked my host parents lead me down a bunch of foul smelling street that reeked of too many people and trash. We got to a store that makes jeans and I picked out my fabric. I had to get new fabric that had not been washed yet because they cut the pre-washed fabric in squares and I am too big to use one of the pre-cut squares. After I picked my fabric I went up-stairs and was measured for the jeans. There were at least a dozen workers in the boiling hot room and several sewing machines that did not look at all safe to use. I was measured and talked to the man about what I wanted and then I went down stairs again. I put a down-payment on the jeans, final cost:11 dollars and then we left. My mom wanted to get jeans but she wanted a specific color and type so we went to several more stored that also sold jeans. When she finally found what she was looking for we went home. It took almost 2 hours to get home. I will not miss traffic when I get back to America. I hate sitting in the car for so long just because the roads are so bad and there is so many people on the road. I spent the rest of the day satisfied that I did something cool by getting jeans made. So today, I had two things one that I love about Indonesia, the markets and all the cheap stuff inside them and one that I hate, traffic.

June 5th 2013

I had to wake up super early and get dressed in my school uniform. I went to school for the first time in forever and for the last time. I got to school and I talked to my two favorite classes, who just happened to be taking tests in the same room. It had been so long since I had seen them and I am glad that I was able to say goodbye before I left. My classmates were taking their final tests for the year and I just sat in the back of the class and waited for the breaks when we could talk. I had the great idea to bring my white uniform shirt and a sharpie and I asked everyone to sign it. My shirt is amazing, it has all of my friends' signatures and last messages to me. Aunt Melly was coming to the school to get some final paperwork that I needed and she texted me when she got to the school. I went to the front office to meet her and she had tons of cake for all my classmates. I went back to my class, and interrupted a test to hand out all of the goodies. Then I gave them to the teachers and the workers at the food stands. All the workers thanked me and talked to me a little about how much I will miss their food when I go home. Most people at my school has been so nice to me and have helped me learn so much. I cannot believe that I am the same girl who walked into school on the first day, gave a terrible introduction of myself in front of the school and then was not able to speak any Indonesian. I said goodbye, for the last time and then met Melly in the office. We gave the rest of the treats to the teachers in the office and then we left. The school had already given Melly the paperwork that we needed and everything was good to go. Today, I ended up eating 3 lunches. Lunch number 1: I had Seblak at school and mango juice. Lunch number 2: I went to a restaurant with Ibu Melly and Ibu Rina and I ate dinsom, a type of Chinese food and Es Champor (mixed ice- type of drink made out of shredded ice, fruit,  and some other stuff). Lunch number 3: I had with my host family because they would not believe that I had already eaten. I had soup from Padang (an area of Indonesia), one of my favorites. All the meals were small but this is why exchange students gain weight, 3 lunches. I am like a hobbit but instead of just eating second breakfast I just eat all of the time. I am so glad that everything worked out with my school and that I now have all of the paperwork I need to go home. Ibu Melly and I are on good terms again and we are both glad everything worked out. I met my host family at the hospital, they were visiting a family friend who was sick and then I went home with them. After a hard day of waking up early, going to school, eating and sitting in traffic I took a nap. Later, I had dance practice. I am getting better at each lesson and I cannot wait to show my family what I have learned.

June 6th 2013

Nothing much

June 7th 2013

My jeans were ready so my family and I went back to the market. When I tried my jeans on I found that they did not fit. The people said that is because I have to soak the fabric for 12 hours and then wash it. They had to make it a little big because the fabric will shrink and then the jeans will not fit. I paid for the jeans and then we went into the main building of the market. It was crowded and I was feeling sick because there were so many people. I bought another thing that I wanted to get before I left and I helped my host mom buy a jacket for her son. Then we went up to the top floor of the building to eat lunch. The ventilation in the building is very bad. There was tons of smoke from the food stands and there was grim everywhere. I ate noodles and soup with avocado juice. When my mom, my dad and I were done eating we took the elevator down. There were too many people in the elevator and I took forever to finally get to the bottom floor. When we got out of the elevator we had to twist and turn threw the chaos. I was feeling dizzy, the combination of poor air quality and too many people was getting to me. When we reached the front and exited the building I felt like someone who had nearly drowned and reached the surface just in time.

June 8th 2013

I had my last dance lesson tonight. I am nowhere near perfect but, I am good and I feel amazing now that I have something to perform and show the culture of Indonesia. I could not have done it without my private dance teacher who patiently watched me fail a thousand times and corrected me until I could do it right. I love my dance!

June 9th 2013

I went to church today. The best part was that there was a baby in one of the classes and the mom was happy to let me steal it for a while. I got to play with the super cute baby until someone else took her from me. I love babies and I can't wait to play with more little kids at home. I understood more than I ever have in church, which is not saying much. I have finally learned some church words. After the service the missionaries walked me to the right Angkot and I went home by myself. My mom picked me up at the college in front of our neighborhood (can't take an Angkot directly to my house). I was resting in my room when my mom came upstairs to ask me if I hear a scratching noise in the ceiling. I have known that there was a rat above my room for the last two weeks, I do not know why my mom just started hearing it. I just laughed and said that it wasn't a problem. As long as it is not in my room, I really do not care. My mom made apple pie and I ate some of that. It really is amazing that my host mom can make anything she can think of. She does American, Italian, Indonesian, Indian and so much more. I have gained so much weight eating all of her delicious food.

June 10th 2013- June 11th 2013

Just at home, nothing too exciting.

June 12th 2013

Today I went to immigration. When I got to the office building Melly was already there. All I had to do was give my Passport, Kitas and "Book for foreign people" to the immigration workers. They gave me a ticket and told me that I could pick up all my stuff and my exit permit two days before I go home. It only took 5 minutes. Everything was worked out and I will now officially go home. I do not know why there was such a fuss over the paperwork, it all worked out. Then Melly and I went to Ibu Rina's house and talked for a little bit. Ibu Rina said that she was still missing the Angklungs that we had borrowed for the orientation at the beginning of the year. I wasn't sure if I had them or of Leti had them. I did know that if I had them they were still at my second house. Luckily my second house was very close by and we stopped by for a minute. I did not have the Angklungs. I was able to talk to my 2nd host mom for a minute. I miss my old families. Then I went grocery shopping with Melly. The farewell party for everyone in Bandung/Cirebon is tomorrow and everyone was getting ready. I helped Melly get everything and then I went home. I took a math test online for my college today. I have forgotten so much math, it is really scary. I am so nervous for my performance tomorrow. I will be dancing for everyone at the party tomorrow. I am not sure in my dancing abilities and I wish I had more lessons and more time to learn the dance.

June 13th 2013

I woke up early and practiced my dance for an hour. I was so nervous, I had never done my dance in my full costume and I did not know how it would go. I was still doubting myself when I finished practice. I then took a shower and got ready for the day. After eating breakfast I dried and straightened my hair and waited for all the guests to start coming. Poor Bridget left Cirebon at 6am and did not get to Bandung until 1pm. The drive should only take 4 hours it took her 7 this time. The roads are terrible to Cirebon and it was raining, which only makes things worse. Bridget and I talked for a little while before more people started showing up. Soon enough, Melly, Leti and Izzati (my 2nd host sister) were in my room. Melly said she wanted to do my make-up and because I know nothing about make-up I was glad that someone else was going to do it for me. I ended up with so much make-up on. It was for the dance but still, I felt silly with glitter on my eyelids and lipstick on. When she was done with my make-up Melly left and we talked for a little before my friends helped me get dressed. The peacock dress is impossible to put on by myself. I have to have help and my friends were great. It took some time to put on the layers of the costume. I have the skirt, the bodice, the wings, the collar, the scarf that I tie around my waist, the belt that told the scarf on. the arm bands, the peacock hat, the ear covers and another cover for the back of my head. It is no easy feat to get the whole thing on and it is hot, tight and not the most comfortable thing I have ever been in. When I worked up the courage we all went downstairs to greet the guests. Everyone wanted pictures with me. When everyone had gotten their fill of pictures Ibu Melly did an introduction and then I danced. It went as well as it could have gone. The only major flaw was that one of my arm bands became loose and I had to take it off during the dance. Other than that, I remembered all the moves and did pretty well. The people had to remind me to smile but, when I finished they all said that I was really good. I am proud of what I accomplished. The head piece is made out of leather and it is very tight so, I was getting a major headache. I had to wait to take more pictures with my host families and the club president and then I waddled (Long and tight skirt makes it hard to walk normally) up the stairs with my friends trailing me. I stood in the middle of the room, my friends closed the door and then they stripped the clothes off me. Best feeling ever, to be out of that costume. I have great friends. Thanks to them I didn't have to struggle alone I was out in about a minute and then I got dressed into a different outfit. The party went on for a while. We ate, we talked and we enjoyed each other's company. Bridget decided that she was going to stay in Bandung for a while and my host family let her stay at our house. I was so worried about the party but, it turned out fine. Just goes to show that there is no reason to worry about the little, stupid things. Everything will work out. I went to bed happy to be an exchange student in Indonesia.

June 14th 2013

Bridget and I relaxed all morning and just talked about stuff. It is amazing to talk to someone who is going through the same things that I am going thru. It is like we speak the same language and we can truly understand one another. Maybe this is why exchange students normally become such great friends with each other, we are all different but we are all the same. No one goes on exchange because they are normal and they look at the world the same as everyone else. We are the freaks. We went to the movies with Leti and her sister and we saw Man Of Steal. I loved it, it was really good. Although I think that Superman's parents could have at least put him in a dipper for his trip through the universe. On the way out of the movie theater one of my flip-flops broke and I was forced to walk bear foot until I got to PayLess and bought new shoes. Then we had drinks at Starbucks and talked until we had to go home. Bridget and I tried to take a taxi home but there were not any good taxies I was able to stop a bad taxi but the driver did not want to use the meter and wanted to charge us 60,000 Rp to go to my house (6 dollars). I told him that was way too expensive (should be 2 dollars) and we did not get in the taxi. Instead we talked to a security officer and he helped us find the right Angkot to get on. the Angkot to the house cost 4,000 Rp for both of us (40 cents). The only reason I do not normally take Angkots is that they are confusing and without help I never know which one to get on. We got home without any problems. I love how helpful Indonesian people are.

June 15th 2013

Today my host parents took Bridget and I to a cool souvenir shop. Bridget was still looking for presents for everyone at home and I was trying to get the last couple of people on my list. We bought lots of awesome stuff that you can only get in Indonesia and the prices were really great. When we got back home we watched the Hunger Games. Bridget had not seen it yet and she was surprised at the violence in the movie. After a packed morning we both took naps. I really will be in trouble when I have to actually accomplish things. I will be working and going to college and tons of other things and I know it will take me forever to get used to being busy all of the time. Later we went to PVJ and met Leti there. After we met up we went home with Leti and spent the night. We had Pizza Hut for dinner and then watched a movie. The movie was terrible, it was pointless and not very funny. It was nice to spend more time with my best friends in Indonesia.

June 16th 2013

We all slept in. When we finally woke up there was no food in the house so Leti's family said they would take us to lunch near my house and then drop Bridget and me off at my house. This was very generous of them, their house is on the whole other side of the city and they had to take the toll road to get to the restaurant. I had siomay and this cool drink that was a blend of broccoli, orange and something else. The meal was really good. Then they took us home and Bridget and I spent the rest of the day talking and watching movies. Before I went to bed Bridget helped me pack all of my stuff. I completely filled 2 suitcases and my backpack. Everything is packed to the weight limit and it super heavy. I have so much stuff and I do not know what to do with it.

June 17th 2013

Today I woke up to go to Immigration for the last time. There was traffic and we did not get to immigration until 11:30. I went to get my paperwork and the people told me that I had to wait until 1pm. Apparently it said that on my ticket but it was not clear. So my host parents left and I waited at immigration. It used to be that I would have a hard time sitting and doing nothing with no entertainment for more than an hour. Now it is an everyday activity and I am very good at waiting. Just before one my host mom came back and she waited with me for the last few minutes. When it was time, I turned in my ticket and they gave me my newly stamped passport. I had to make copies of my passport for them and then they told me I was done. I asked if I could take my Kitas back or my "Book for foreign people" they told me that I couldn't which was disappointing but at least everything was in order. I met Melly near the Immigration office and together we went to the Main Police Office. We went into the office for foreign people and Melly talked to the man for a minute. I guess I should have had some little book from the Police that means that the police must help me if I am in trouble (without it, I could be dying on the street and the police could chose not to help me). It is a good thing I never got into trouble because I never had that book. After the Police Melly and I went to lunch. I had more siomay and es candol (an ice drink... yum). Melly wanted to stop at a baking supplies store so we went there and then we went to the grocery store. I bought packets of spices so that I can make Indonesian food at home in America. My family has to eat some of the food I have learned to love. When I finally got home I was very tired. Bridget had been home all day because, I didn't think it was going to take very long. We just relaxed for the rest of the day. Bridget is a vegetarian and it is not common in Indonesia so my host parents were always worried about her. They didn't think she was eating enough and they always made sure she was eating. I am glad I was not the one who had to eat tons this week.

June 18th 2013

Everyone got up early for my last full day in Indonesia. My family said they would take me Tangkuban Parahu, an active volcano that I thought I had not been to yet. When we got there I realized that I had been hiking there with my 3rd family but, I love seeing the natural wonders all over Indonesia so I didn't mind going again. We took lots of pictures. The volcano has caved in and now it is just a pool of boiling sulfuric water. The water has a greenish color and it is beautiful. The wind was blowing so hard and it was actually cold. Just before we were about to leave a group of school kids came up and asked for Bridget's and my picture. We agreed. After two dozen pictures they thanked us and we left. On the way home we stopped at the waterfall that my family went to a few weeks ago. I got to take pictures on my camera and Bridget saw it for the first time. Bridget and I were the only ones who wanted to go down to the bottom, the rest of my family waited for me at the top of the stairs. We took pictures and enjoyed the wonder of Indonesia. Every time I see a perfect waterfall or some other perfect wonder that has escaped the touch of humans I am in awe. My favorite thing in Indonesia is to just sit and look at the beauty all around me. The United Stated has a lot of things and some places are very beautiful but nothing can compare to Indonesia. When we made it back up the stairs my family was waiting with their cameras. My face was red and they teased me a lot, it isn't my fault that white skin is likes to be other colors too. We go home. I showered and then took a short nap. At about 4pm my mom took Bridget and I to the salon. I got my last cream-bath for the year. Another awesome thing that is only in Indonesia and it is super cheap. The only problem was when the lady was massaging my arm and she found a bruise and decided the best way to heal the bruise was to push on it. I told her I would just wait for it to heal and everyone laughed. My mom, dad, sister, brother, Bridget and I all went to dinner. We went to a restaurant that looks over Bandung. It was night and all the lights we lit up an shining. The food was good, I had 5-spice Chicken and rice but, the view was better. I just stared at  my city until we had to leave. I could not have asked for a better host family or a better host city. We bought Martabak on the way home and then Bridget and I watched the Bourne Legacy while I finished packing. I had to keep explaining what was happening to Bridget because she had not seen the other movies. I cannot believe that I am leave tomorrow and that all my bags are packed. It took me forever to fall asleep.

June 19th 2013

I woke up an hour before my alarm went off and I started getting ready to leave the country that has been my home for 10 months. I got dressed and went downstairs for breakfast. I could barely eat. The gut wrenching feeling that I associate with swim meets was all I could feel this morning and I could barely swallow my food. I loaded my stuff into the car and we all left to go to the airport. I checked in both of my suitcases and they didn't even weigh them. I was so worried about being overweight and it didn't even matter. My bags were checked to JFK New York. I then had to say goodbye to all my family and friends. I cried. I could not have asked for better people to help me get thru the hardest year of my life and I owe all of my success to them. I hugged everyone and said goodbye, most likely for forever. I got on my plane and headed off. The flight was uneventful except for the fact that there was some turbulence and the decent took forever. I had to go to the bathroom so bad by the time we finally touched ground. Now I am in Singapore waiting for my next flight that leaves just before midnight. At least this is a very nice airport and it is very comfortable.

June 20th (note that I was moving back in time so it was a 36 hour day)

The plane left at about 1 am, it was running late. I was in the middle seat for the entire 14 hour flight. It was miserable, I couldn't sleep, the people near me were rude and cranky. I just wanted to home but I couldn't get the plane to move any faster. Misery, that is what a 14 hour flight in a freezing cold airplane is, especially when you know you have another 8 hour flight before you are back in the States. When we finally arrived in Frankfurt Germany I was overcome with relief. I got off the plane and had to leave security and then get back into security and to the gate. While I was re-checking myself in I was pulled over by a huge German airport security man who made me go with another huge German who escorted me to a separate area where they searched my bags and put me in one of those body scanner things. It only took a few minutes and then they released me to go wait for my flight. All too soon, I had to re-board the plane and sit in the middle seat again for another 8 hours. This leg was a little less miserable. I was able to sleep a little but it was still uncomfortable and this flight was even colder. The whole way the food was mediocre, but not so bad that I wasn't really hungry. By the time I got to New York I had watched an entire season of the Big Bang Theory a few office episodes and a movie. I was exhausted when I got to JFK but I was so excited to be back in the USA!  I went through immigration and then waited for my bags. There was some problem with the bags from Singapore so everyone who had already been on a plane for 23 hours had to wait another hour for their baggage. I got one of those cart things and when my luggage finally came I loaded it up. I got lost for a minute but, I quickly found where I had to be. I checked my one of my bags, after getting in the wrong line and having some confusion and trying to find where I should be checking in. Once I checked my bag (which was 1 pound under the weight limit by the way) I went to get in security. The lady at the front didn't stop me but then after I got into the line another lady told me that I couldn't have a cart in the line and sent me back to the beginning (not my fault the other girl at the beginning of the line should have told me). After  all that was sorted out I got back in line and waited for security. I had my rice patty field hat, my backpack that was stuffed full and my carry on suitcase. It was a mad dash to get my stuff in the line, I had to rip my backpack apart and take out my computer and take off my shoes (no other country I flew through made us take off our shoes). I waited on the other side but my suitcase had been pulled. I totally forgot that I couldn't check that bag for this leg of the trip and that I had chili sauce and ketchup manis (sweet soy sauce) in my suitcase. The poor guy had to go through my bag (which was zip-tied because my host dad made me zip-tie my bags) and find the bottles of sauce. When he was done I apologized and let them confiscate my sauce and then went to my gate. When I found my gate I had one hour before boarding and I was relieved to not have to go though any more security. I just wanted to be home. While I was waiting, there was a kid that looked out the window and shouted "fire, there is a fire over there". Naturally, everyone stands up to go near the window. One of the couples who had been at the gate longer said that the fire had been going on and off for the last 20 minutes and that they must be doing practice drills. This theory made since because the incident was far away from anything and it always looked under control. I was still waiting and a mom was looking for a band-aid. Of course I had a band-aid on the top of my stuff so I gave her one, she thanked me and then we had a lovely conversation. She had just come from Germany, where her family was vacationing and we talked about her trip and I told her about my exchange and then more people joined in and we talked until they boarded us. I got on the plane and had some difficulty shoving my suitcase and my oversized backpack into the overhead compartment. The flight was almost 2 hours but it felt like no time at all, I was almost home. Almost home. The plane landed in JAX and I exited the plane. Then I went to the bathroom and changed into my "Indonesian outfit" I had a Batik shirt, Batik PJ pants, a Batik scarf and my rice patty field hat. I looked super cute. Then I rushed out of the bathroom and to the area where my family would be waiting. My family was there (plus Hunter, one of my brother's friends) and they had signs and balloons. One lady who I think works with the newspaper asked to take our picture. She wanted people to see how creative people get when family comes home. I picked up my bag and we all loaded into the car. We had pulled pork for dinner and it was delicious. After not having pork for a year and not having soft meat that is not super tough it was great. Then I took a much needed shower. I tried to spend the night with my family but I fell asleep at about 8:30 because I was so exhausted from my traveling. My Indonesian year is over and my life is moving on. Thank you for reading my blog and supporting me throughout the last year.

May 5th-31st 2013

May 5th 2013 - May 7th 2013

Just hanging out at the house. Ibu Said, my host Mom, is an amazing cook and I eat all the time. They are always wanting me to eat more.  It is nice to be able to relax a little in-between traveling.

May 8th 2013

I got up in the morning and decided to get back in the pool. I miss swimming everyday and I wanted to see if I could swim a couple of laps without dying since I haven't swam competitively in a year and a half. My practice was pathetic, I won't bore you with the details that only a swimmer would find interesting. Just know that it is really hard to make up workouts. For someone who has never swam, I did well but, for me it was a testament to how much I have to practice to be in good physical condition. I was doing some sprints and one of the other swimmers wanted to talk to me (in Indonesian)

Man: You were swimming very fast (not true)

Me: Thank you, I was on a swim team in America

Man: Oh, you were on Team America

Me: Not really, it was just a local team. I had practice every day for two hours

Man: No, you didn't that is too much

Me: I really swam a lot

Man: Sure, whatever

We talked about why I was in Indonesia and where I lived and the other basic questions that I get every day. After a while I was able to excuse myself and keep swimming. After only five minute he stopped me again.

Man: Have you gone to the mountain here?

Me: I have been to kawah putih (literally "white crater", refers to an extinct volcano that collapsed years ago and left a small lake of boiling, sulfurous water)

Man: No, the other place

Me: Then I don't think I have gone

Man: You should come with me and my family

At this point I was not feeling comfortable, I had just met the man and he wanted to take me on vacation, I said that I was going to be out of town and that I couldn't go. After I was able to escape, I quickly finished and got out of the pool. I am sure he was just a nice guy but, Indonesians should really learn that to "bule" (white foreigners) this comes off as creepy not welcoming.

The rest of the day was spent at my house, watching TV and relaxing.

May 9th 2013

Happy Birthday to me, the big 18! Last night I looked up a swim practice so that I would be able to swim a real work out. I was out of bed at 6am and my Mom took me to the pool at the hotel near our house. I was sore but, I was able to complete the practice without talking to anyone. There were some kids who kept getting in my way but, in the spirit of my birthday I did not yell at them. I walked home from the hotel after my 2 hour practice. I was completely exhausted and I trudged into the house soaking wet and badly in need of a shower. My family was waiting at the table with a cake and presents and they sung to me, made me eat breakfast and I opened my presents. I was not expecting anything and I was very surprised. So, in all of the pictures I look terrible but, I was very thankful for my awesome family. My family got me a very nice watch, new flip-flops, a shirt and a batik wallet. There was also a package from America. My mom sent me things from my future college, University of South Carolina. I got a T-shirt a hat and a pin. I was also sent gummy bears, Hershey Kisses and the best present of all, letters from all my friends and family. After breakfast, cake and lots of photos I went upstairs and took a shower. Then, I went into my room and read all of my letters. There were letters from my family, my cousins, my aunts and uncles, my school friends and my church friends. I cried the whole time, they were the best present I could have asked for. For lunch I had the traditional birthday meal of yellow rice, fried chicken, Tofu and tempe with little fish. The yellow rice is in a huge cone and my host mom explained that it is tradition for the birthday person to take the top off the rice cone and give it to someone. Then, you spoon food into their mouth and they do the same to you. I gave my rice to my mom. Lunch was good but, I did not eat enough to make my family happy, especially my grandma. After lunch I watched Mean Girls then Lae came over and we talked. For dinner my family took me out to a restaurant. It was an amazing birthday and I am so glad that I was able to turn 18 in Indonesia, how many people from Ponte Vedra can say that.

May 10th 2013

I had to wake up early again and get ready to go to Batam for a Rotary conference. I got an email from my sister, Carly saying that they wanted to talk to me for my birthday. I was able to Skype them and talk to all of my siblings, my parents were on a cruise in the Caribbean and they were home alone for a week. They are so cute, I miss them so much and I can't wait until I get to give them all hugs when I get home. I had to go because I hadn't packed or eaten yet and I had to leave to go to the airport in a couple of minutes. I rushed to get ready and I barely remembered to bring my Rotary Blazer (foreshadowing). I got to the airport and I waited for my Rotary club president and Lae. I was messaging Lae and she said that she was already with the other lady who was coming with us and that they were at the salon because she was getting her hair done, typical Indonesian. Really, did she need to get her hair done now? So, I waited at the airport alone until I saw a Rotarian for another club that I knew and I waited with her. When everyone finally got to the airport and the plane boarded, we were on our way to Batam. The flight was only an hour and a half and it wasn't too bad, except for the fact that the pilot had to fly lower than normal because of clouds. When we got to the airport we waited with the Rotarians while they got their luggage (because they need large suitcases for a 3 day conference). My Rotary club president then asked me a strange question

President: So, how are you getting to the hotel?

Me: I am coming with you, right?

President: Well, we might not have room. So, how are you getting there?

Me: I was just told that I had to come to this conference, I really don't know anything.

Another Rotarian: Really, she isn't coming with you?

Person from Rotary who came to pick us up : Oh, we are in a bus, she can come.

President: I guess you can come with us, we have room.

Me: Great, that is incredibly convenient, wonderful.

Honestly, planning people, it really isn't that hard.

When we did get to the hotel, it was great. And then we got the news. All the exchange student we going to be staying in the hotel across the street on the 4th floor and the elevator was broken. Rotary, thank you for treating us like second class citizens. Everyone was there, or at least all of the exchange students in the district (there are 2 districts in Indonesia). Then we had to go to the nice hotel and do a parade of flags. Some of us were given flags and the rest of us had to follow them and act a little, happy, parade ponies. After the opening ceremonies (that we were allowed to sit in the hallway for instead of pretending to listen) we went to dinner. The food was mediocre and there was not enough, this might have been because Indonesians think it is their civic duty to stuff their faces with more food than I ever thought was possible. After not eating very much at the dinner the exchange students went to a local German restaurant. I split a meal and a side with Quentin both were not great. We all talked in the restaurant for a while, until we decided to go back to the hotel. I went to sleep soon after that.

May 11th 2013

We were told that we were going on a city tour of Batam and that we need to meet early in the morning in our hotel lobby. For everyone who does not know where Batam is it is a small island near Singapore. There is almost nothing there and everyone admits it. So, a city tour is somewhat useless. While we were all waiting in the lobby for our bus (which came a half an hour late) our guides told us that we needed to practice a dance. I told her flat out that we were not told we had to dance and that I refused to practice. The funny moment of the day goes to Bridget. She was standing up near the people who decided they were going to practice the dance. She asked the guide what everyone was doing. When the guide told her they were learning a dance she said "Ohh..." and side stepped away from the dancers and towards the group of people sitting in the least subtle way possible. When the bus did come we all loaded in and discovered that it was tiny and we all had to squeeze in to fit. There is exactly one tourist destination in Batam, a bridge that Indonesians compare to the Golden Gate Bridge. It is tiny and not that great. I wish that Indonesians wouldn't compare their landmarks to those in the States. While we were at the bridge we were forced to learn the dance that we were going to perform  for the Rotary meeting that night. I personally do not think it is fair to make us come to a conference, not tell us anything, make us dance and treat us like puppets. Luckily, the dance was not too difficult and we quickly "mastered"  the moves. Then, the highlight of the day, we ate grilled corn. After the bridge the guide was desperate to show us cool things. She started pointing out Post Offices, Office buildings and one college. All in all, super exciting. We did go to a Buddhist temple but, it was modern and not that cool. We got our fortunes told, which was very funny because some of the kids were taking it much too seriously. The man told me that I needed to study and not do anything else in my life because my life was going to suck and the only thing that would help is studying. When we finished, we went to a park that had all the traditional houses from all over Indonesia. Before we got there the guide told us that it was a mini version of Taman Mini (mini park in Jakarta that we had all already been to). I then told her that there was no reason to go to this park because it was just going to be a smaller version of something we had already seen. The 'houses' were about 3 feet tall and it was a complete  waste of time. When we finally made it back to the hotel we only had an hour before we had to perform. We were given a uniform to wear that was prison orange and about as unflattering as possible. We looked and felt like slaves, practiced more and then finally performed. It was terrible. I try to avoid public humiliation, especially when there are 200 cameras pointed at me but, Rotary just loves to put on a show. We then got to eat the slave food, not the delicious food that the Rotarians got to eat. We talked in one of the rooms for hours until we all decided to go to McDonald's and hang out there. We played cards and talked some more. Afterward I played cards with some of the other exchange students in the lobby until very late at night.

May 12th 2013

I wasn't leaving until 1 in the afternoon so, I was allowed to sleep in a little bit. I spent the morning with Lae and Cheyanne because most people had already gone home.  We had to check out of the hotel at noon and then we walked over to the Rotarian's hotel and waited there. One really nice lady took Lae, Cheyanne and I to lunch at McDonald's and then we came back to the hotel. Melly told me that she had a ticket for me to go home in the afternoon but, it had someone else's name on it and she didn't know if I could use it. If I could I would fly with them to Jakarta and then take a car back to Bandung. If I couldn't I would stay another night in Batam and then fly to Bandung in the morning. I said goodbye to everyone, not knowing if I would see them again or if I would be back in an hour. Melly, Lae and I got to the airport 3 hours before our flight because Melly's mom wanted to be there early. After waiting for 2 and a half hours I found out that I would be able to go to Jakarta tonight. Our flight was delayed and it felt like forever before we finally arrived in Jakarta. Then we had to take travel to Bandung, so another 3 hours in a car. By the time we finally arrived it was 11pm and I just wanted to be at home.  While I was unpacking I realized that I had left my blazer in Batam. I have almost forgotten that stupid jacket everywhere. Before I came on exchange I got half way to the airport before I remembered my jacket. I don't know what it is about that thing but, I can never remember it. I went to sleep late, worried about getting my jacket back.

May 13th 2013

As soon as I woke up, I texted Cheyanne and asked her to get my jacket from the hotel because she was still in Batam. She was able to save my jacket and I will meet her in Jakarta before she goes home to Canada. I had to finish preparing for my Rotary presentation that I was giving tonight. The Rotary meeting started at 5 and my presentation went smoothly. The president didn't show up until half way thru the meeting and I was already done with my presentation. For the rest of the meeting they talked about the exchange program and how to make it better. They asked me some questions and I tried to answer them truthfully without making it sound too harsh but, I don't know if they understood me. Rotary here is just so hard to deal with. After the meeting I went home.

May 14th 2013

Today, I had my first dance lesson at 7pm. I went to my teacher's house, she is a college student at the college near my house and she teaches English and dance lessons to pay for her tuition. I am learning the traditional Sudanese Peacock dance. The dance is almost six minutes long and it is much more difficult than I thought it was. My teacher's family sat and watched my lesson. I guess they thought it was really funny to watch a white girl try to dance. I learned the moves to about one third of the dance at the end of the two hours, but I was far from good. I have never taken dance lessons before and I am afraid that no matter how much I practice I will not look like a real dancer. My host sister drove me home from my lessons.

May 15th 2013

Now that I knew that I could learn the dance before I had to go home I went to a dress store to buy the traditional costume. The dress takes two months to make and it cost 150 USD. Luckily, the store already had two dresses made and they only had to alter it. The first one they brought me was a light purple color and I didn't love it, I was worried that I was going to have to rush order a dress but the second dress they brought me was a dark green color and it was beautiful. Everything fit except for the skirt and the belt and the owner said it would only take a day or two to make those alterations because they we fairly basic. I left the dress store super excited for my new dress. After the dress store my host mom had a doctor's appointment and I came along. For lunch we ate Siomay at a street stand. Siomay is a traditional Indonesian fish dumpling served with spicy peanut sauce. It is delicious, but you have to buy it on the street they taste so much better. The rest of the day I was at home.

May 16th 2013

I woke up and went swimming today. It was just another example of how bad I have gotten. I wasn't able to finish the practice that I wanted to do. In the afternoon my mom had another doctor's appointment  and afterward we went back to the dress store. They had called and said that the alterations were finished. When I got to the store they brought out the dress and I went to try it on. The owner's son came in the dressing room and she told me that I didn't have to take off my clothes to try on the costume. This annoyed me because I wanted to make sure everything was perfect before I paid for it. It turns out that I didn't have to try it on to know that it was terrible. The skirt was too small so they cut it apart and then sewed another half yard of fabric onto it. The lady showed me how to tie the skirt on. The skirt was embroidered but, the new fabric wasn't so there was just blank fabric in the front. I told the lady that it was not expectable and that I would not buy the skirt like this. She told me that I was just too fat and big and this was the only option. I stormed out of the dressing room and tried to explain to her that I was not going to buy the dress because it was ugly and did not fit correctly. After arguing for several minutes she said that she would embroider the rest of the skirt and make it so I could zip the skirt and I wouldn't have to tie it. I would have to pay an extra 10 Dollars for the work but, I think it is worth it.

May 17th 2013

Just at home, nothing much. I did decide that I would not be climbing a mountain because I wanted to focus on my dance lessons.

May 18th 2013

Today I had my second dance lesson. It is exhausting. I am always doing the dance too fast or I forget what comes next. Most of the dance is done on tip toe and the other part of the dance is done on one foot. I don't think I have ever given dancers enough credit. Ibu Melly came to the house to talk to me and she got to see some of my practice. I learned about two-thirds of the dance today but, I still have to practice if I want to be any good. After my dance lesson, Ibu Melly asked me for paperwork that I didn't know I had. She said it was in a white binder, which is unfortunate because I threw away my white binder at my last house. I asked her how big of a deal it was if I did not have that paperwork. She told me that I would not be allowed to leave the country because, I needed an exit visa and all the paperwork was in the binder. I had never hear of an exit visa before and I kind of thought it was a joke until she started calling people to see what she had to do. I was so worried about the paperwork I could not fall asleep until very early in the morning.

May 19th 2013

I woke up because, I wanted to go to church. I had my dad take me and it took forever because of the traffic. When we did get there the gate was locked. I called the missionaries only to find that it was stake conference and everyone was in Jakarta. I apologized to my host dad and we drove back home. My mom and dad had a Rotary meeting that they had to go to but, I didn't have to come so I went to lunch with my host sister, brother his wife and my other brother. Lunch was really good and I enjoyed eating with my siblings. We were heading back to the house when I got a text from Ibu Melly saying that I needed to go to the Rotary meeting immediately because they needed to talk to me. My siblings were nice enough to drop me off. It turned out that Ibu Melly and Pa Wasito (high up in Indonesian  Rotary Youth exchange) wanted to talk to me about my exit visa. I hadn't slept very long and I was not handling things well.  I felt attacked and ambushed. When they told me that I would not be able to go home on the 19th of June and I would have to go to Jakarta and pay 100 or 200 dollars to replace the paperwork I had a mental breakdown. I started screaming in English and crying. Not the best way to handle a situation but, that is what I did. Ibu Melly got really mad at me. She said that it was completely my fault and that I had no right to be yelling or mad because I was being careless. I told her that I was never told that I had important paperwork and I never knew. She told me that she had told Ibu Affie and that I had to of known. I really am tired of everyone assuming that I know stuff and then yelling at me when I don't know it. I yelled about how I hate Indonesia and I just want to go home and leave this stupid country. Ibu Melly started yelling at me and saying that I needed to apologize to her. I refused I said that I would not apologize for something that I did not know was wrong. After solving nothing, my parents drove me home. I went in my room and put myself in timeout and cried myself to sleep. I woke up in time for dinner and then I could not sleep again. I sent a text to Ibu Melly apologizing for my behavior because I guess I just have to be the bigger person and take all of the blame. I still couldn't go to sleep. I talked to Callie (my friend in Austria) at about 4 am my time and then I talked to my mom at about 5am. I fell asleep somewhere around 6:30am. Completely exhausted in every way.

May 20th 2013

I woke up late, still in my bad mood from yesterday.  I didn't do anything all morning and I was freaking out from yesterday. At about 3 my family was getting ready to leave the house. When I asked them what they were going they said that they were going to a waterfall. So, I put on tennis shoes really fast and got in the car. I always feel sick when we drive in the mountains, the terrible roads, the twists and turns and the altitude are a sure fire way for me to feel sick. After about 30 minutes of driving we got to a small park. From the top of the stairs we could barely see the waterfall. The people at the information desk said that there was more than 500 steps down to the waterfall. My host mom asked me if I was brave enough to go down the stairs. I told her that I really wanted to go down and see the waterfall. We paid for admission and started down the stairs. My host mom, my older brother and his wife, my older sister,  my younger brother and I all started at the same time from the top. I went much faster than anyone else. I stopped to wait for them about 2/3 of the way down and my younger brother caught up and we kept going. It was beautiful. The waterfall was almost 100 meters tall and it splashed down into a pool of water at the bottom. The spray from the waterfall rained on everything within a 50 meter radius. I had to get closer to the waterfall, it was just too cool to stay far away from. I got close enough to touch the small lake at the bottom, and get completely soaked with the spray. We took tons of pictures, I didn't have my camera but, that was probably best because it would have gotten wet. My family and I stayed at the bottom of the waterfall and enjoyed how beautiful it was for about 30 minutes. Eventually, we decided that we were going to start on the trek back up the cliff side. I started first and made a steady pace up the stairs.  My younger brother quickly passed me (he decided he was going to run up the stairs). I was about 1/2 of the way up when I met a new friend. If any of you have seen Mulan, you will remember the part when she tries to spit and it dribbles and it a total fail. Well I thought I was alone on a section of stairs when I did the exact same thing. A mountain guide saw the entire thing and was laughing his head off. I walked faster to catch up with him and then we talked the rest of the way up the stairs. Sometimes the best way to make friends is to make a complete fool of yourself, I have learned this over and over again as an exchange student. We were almost to the top when we caught up with my brother who had been resting after running up most of the stairs. Together we finished the climb. I was proud that I was barely out of breath and I waited with my brother for the rest of our group. We watched the monkeys that lived near the entrance of the park while we waited. After 15 minutes my older brother and his wife finally made it to the top. My sister in law went to sit in the car, she seemed very exhausted. We waited for my host mom and my older sister but they were nowhere to be seen.  After another 5 minutes my two brothers climbed back down to meet my mom. I waited in the car for another 10 minutes until I couldn't wait anymore. I went back to the gate and one of the guides said that they were bringing my mom oxygen right now. I ran down the stairs and found my host mom and sister sitting on a bench. Then we helped my mom up the last few stairs. She exclaimed "Alhamdulillah" (Praise to God in Arabic - I have picked up lots of Arabic catchphrases in the last 9 months) when she reached the top. My brother was the only person to get as close to the waterfall as I did and he was able to change clothes. I sat in the back of the car on our way back home. It took forever to get home. We bought fried tofu, which was delicious and hot. The tofu came with chilies and I ate one with my tofu, it was spicy and very good but, we did not have any water and I had to suffer until the burn wore off. Then we stopped at a restaurant for dinner because my mom normally does the cooking and she was still exhausted and she did not want to cook. She made me order rabbit sate because she said that I had to try it or I was not brave. After the stuff I have eaten this year, I am not afraid of rabbit. The meat was tough and not very good but I ate all of it, I do not like being called a coward. I was freezing cold. For the first time in Indonesia, I felt really cold. I was still soaking wet, all my clothes, including my shoes and socks were drenched and I just wanted to take a warm shower. When we finally got home, I ran up and took a shower. Much to my disappointment the water was cold and it refused to get any warmer. I dried off any got dressed in sweats and a sweat shirt and socks because I was still freezing. It was a good day. Life is a rollercoaster  one day can be the worst ever and the next reminds me why I wanted to go to Indonesia in the first place. This exchange might just be the best mistake I have ever made.

May 21st and 22nd 2013

Just at home, I have not been sleeping at nights and the stress of my paperwork is really getting to me. I feel hopeless and people just kept telling me to wait, I am tired of waiting and being unable to do anything for myself. People say that exchange is meant to teach kids independence. I digress. I believe that exchange, at least my experience, teaches kids to hate depending on people and long for independence.

May 23rd 2013

I woke up early and got in the car with my mom and dad. They had a meeting that they had to go to with 15 bule (white people) from Michigan State University (my host dad's alma mater) and they wanted me to come. I am not going to lie, I was nervous. I get really awkward around white people and I don't know what to talk about. My stomach hurt really bad in the morning but after a few hours the pain subsided and I was able to have more fun. We met everyone at their hotel, we ate breakfast and then we loaded onto a bus. We took the bus to SMA 1, Public high school #1 in Bandung. This is the school of my younger host brother and one of the best schools in Bandung. We had a meeting and the school's administration and top students talked to us. It was nothing like my school. I go to a vocational school and it is crap compared to how nice this school was. The people from Michigan State University are all people who are getting doctorates in some type of education so they were very interested in talking to me about school in Indonesia. I told them that what they were being shown is not how most schools are in Bandung and that they should keep that in mind. Everyone was very nice and I had a fun time talking English. We had an Angklung and a dance performance , both of which we very good and we toured the campus. After lots of pictures and talking we went to leave the campus. I went home with my mom because they were only going to be in boring meetings for the rest of the day. On our way we dropped off the people's dirty laundry at a dry cleaners.  It cost 50 cents per kilo of clothes and we picked them up later that night. For all 15 people's clothes it cost less than 20 dollars.  My mom didn't want to cook so we ate lunch on the street. I had soup with beef chunks and noodles in it and orange juice. My mom also bought seblak because she knows that I love it so much and she hasn't ever heard of it before. It wasn't the same as the stuff I normally eat but it was really good. It was spicy, too spicy for my mom (who has been sick and unable to eat lots of spicy food) but, I loved it. Yum, spicy food. I took a short nap and then went to my dance class. I worked really hard to finish learning the dance. The dance is at her home and some man (maybe her dad) took a couple of pictures of me (without asking of course) while I was sweating tons and attempting to do the dance. It is way harder than it looks and when the class was over I was exhausted. I went home and ate this kind of Sudanese pancake that my sister bought. She also told me something that I am mad I didn't know earlier. There are chocolate factories in Indonesia and they sell ugly chocolate that broke or crumbled before they could sell it by the kilo. My sister brought home a 1/2 a kilo of chocolate that was perfectly good and cost as much as one small candy bar. I love Indonesia.

May 24th 2013

Nothing much.

May 25th 2013

My sleeping is still messed up a lot and I cannot fall asleep before 3am. I was woken up by my dance teacher at eleven am, which is the latest I have ever slept-in in Indonesia. I was unfocused in class and could barely remember the steps. We worked for a hour before it was clear that my heart was just not in it. We ate lunch and then I told my mom and teacher I didn't want to finish my lesson for the day. We talked instead and I returned to my room after my teacher left. At 5pm my family left to go to a MSU alumni party and my dad's boss's house. It took an hour to get there with all the traffic and we got there an hour early. I guess because we were bringing food we had to come before the party even started. I sat on a couch and tried to avoid all the old people. When the party did start most of the guests were the 15 people that I had met the other day. They were really nice and I talked to them most of the time, I even showed them how to eat salak, a fruit that was introduced to me in Indonesia. The party went on until 10pm and we got home around 11 because the roads are so bad. I went straight to bed I was so tired, I never really woke up today. I wish my body would get its crap together and let me be awake during the day.

May 26th 2013

I was supposed to wake up early so that we could leave for a wedding at 8am. I missed my alarm and my mom woke me up 10 minutes to 8 am and told me that everyone was running a little behind. I got out of bed, took a shower, got dressed and got down stairs with very little hurry. I was the first one ready, even thou I was 15 minutes late. We got in the car and drove to my host cousin's wedding. It was tiny by Indonesian standards.  There were only about 75 people at the ceremony. Normally a small wedding has at least 200 people at it and a weddings can be as big at 800 plus people. Some people advertise their wedding on billboards so that more people come. When I told my host family that I only want about 20 people at my wedding they were appalled. They told me that when their son got married they only had 600 people at the wedding and they could not invite all of their friends. They invited their 300 "closest" friends and the bride invited her family's 300 closest friends. I might know 300 people's names, and we are defiantly not close friends. Indonesian people have this compulsion to know everyone and be friends with everyone. Weddings are a huge social event and it is not expectable if you don't invite everyone. People get mad if they are not invited and the hosts get mad if someone who is invited doesn't come. Indonesia is so different from the United States.  The wedding was very pretty. The bride and the groom sat at a table with a priest (whatever the Muslim version of this is), they had a lace veil draped over both of their heads. The ceremony was in Sudanese and Arabic with only a little in Indonesian, so I didn't understand much of it but, my host mom acted as translator for me. The couple signed documents and got their marriage books (legal documents from Indonesia). They then went up to the stage and begged for forgiveness from their mom, dad, new mother in law and new father in law. This is a tradition of  Islamic people, they kneel in front of their elder and they talk to them and kiss their cheeks. I had to do this for Idul Fitri (the celebration of the end of Ramadan). Then they walked outside and did some traditional ceremonies.  An important man took an egg in a bag and put a clay plate over it and took a special stick and put it across the plate. Then the groom crushed the pile, if the egg exploded and got everywhere it is a sign of good luck. The man was able to break the egg and the plate and the stick on the first try. Then the wife took a clay pot and washed her husband's feet (that now had egg on them). Then the couple stood up with the clay pot and moved it around per the instructions of the priest and then they threw the pot on the ground. They broke it, which is good luck. Then they sat and were protected by an umbrella while a couple of other people threw coins, uncooked rice and candies at them. The young children all tried to collect the most.  After a while we all moved back inside and they formed a reception line and everyone congratulated the family and the new couple. Then they served chicken soup, that was really good. We had an hour break before lunch was served. The wedding was catered and the food was really good. I ate tons. After we were done eating we went back home. The thing that I found the most interesting was that at no point in the ceremony did the bride and groom kiss. No kissing, weird.  Nothing else for the rest of the day which was fin because the wedding was amazing, I am so glad that I was able to see a traditional Sudanese wedding before I go home to America.

May 27th 2013

Today I didn't do anything in the morning. At night my dance teacher came to the house and I worked on my dance. I finished learning the dance and a successfully completed the 6 minute dance without forgetting any moves. I performed for my family and I messed up but, I blame this on the fact that they were trying to talk to me while I was dancing. I am so proud of myself. I still can get a lot better at the dance but,  I can do it. Ya! I have learned how to do something completely new that I never thought I would learn.

May 28th 2013

My dress for the dance was done and I went to the store with my parents to pick it up. It was perfect. I love every bit of it. They had to adjust the skirt a little and finish putting the hooks on the bodice but they were quick fixes and I was able to walk out of the store a proud owner of the most beautiful dress ever. I am super happy with my dress and I cannot wait to perform for everyone back home. The only problem with the dress is that is physically impossible for me to put it on by myself, I have to have someone help me and it weighs more than 2 pounds. Oh well, it is amazing. It was a good day!

May 29th 2013

I got a call from the missionaries from my church and they wanted to come over and talk to me. I talked to my family and they agreed to let the missionaries come over to the house. We talked for a few hours. My host mom made dinner and they ate tons (I guess some things are universal). We talked about everything but mostly religion, which is more hard for me to follow because I do not know very many religious words. It was nice to have some church this week. The missionaries are all really nice and after this exchange I really know how hard it is to live in a new country for 2 years and learn a language and a new culture.

May 30th 2013

In the morning I was able to talk with one of my best friends from Florida. Chris and I talked for more than an hour before we said goodbye. Skype is the best thing ever,  I would have never made it this long on my exchange without it. Later, I went to Ciwalk mall, at 2 and met Leti for lunch. Hanza was also there. He is an exchange student with AFS and he lives in Bandung. We talked for a while and then Leti and I went to the movies we saw Epic, which was a cute animated movie about protected the environment. Leti and I were both really hyper from eating so much junk food in the movie and so we decided that we were going to do a double header and see the new Star Trek movie too. I was so excited, I have been waiting to see t for a while.  The movie was great, I loved it and I defiantly want to watch it again.

May 31st 2013

I told Aunt Melly that I needed to go to Jakarta to get my blazer from Cheyenne. I am not allowed to go. Great! I love Rotary. They told us the last 2 months of our exchange were free and they have totally kept all of their promises. News Flash I have 20 days left and I should be able to travel. Whatever.

The last day of another month. I spent it writing this blog. Thanks to everyone who keeps reading. I am almost done with my year in Indonesia. 

Big Trip: April 4th-17th and April 17th-May 4th

4/3/2013

Day 1 of the Big Trip

After staying up until 2am and submitting my RYE journal to www.ryeflorida.org. I finally went to bed. I woke up finished getting ready for Bali and then my driver took me to the airport. Because Leti, Bridget and I were all on the same ticket I had to wait for them so that I could check in. I was very early (actually the exact time Rotary told me that we needed to be at the airport). I had to wait 30 minutes for Leti and when Bridget still didn't show up I texted her and asked where she was. She told me that Mas Indra (head of Rotary Youth Exchange in Indonesia) told her that Pa Wasito (another head Rotarian) told him that the flight was delayed and was not going to leave until 2 hours after the scheduled time. I looked at the monitor with all the flight times and it still said that the flight would be leaving on time so I told her to hurry up and get to the airport. Leti and I talked and waited for Bridget and Ibu Melly (Bridget was at Melly's house and Melly needed to give me my monthly allowance). When they finally arrived we all checked in and got our boarding passes. Bridget was right, the flight had been delayed 2 hours, even thou it was not on any of the 'information' screens. Typical Indonesia. We waited and talked. The whole time I was wondering how nice a couple extra hours of sleep would have been. When it finally came time to board the plane we said bye to Ibu Melly and went through security to the gate. (Security in Indonesian airports is a phrase that should not be taken too seriously). When we got to the gate we were greeted with a surprise. 3 of our Rotary friends from Medan were on the same plane. They flew from Medan to Bandung and then with us from Bandung to Bali. The flight was fine and very uneventful. Except for the fact that a week later on the exact same flight, Lion Air from Bandung to Bali, the plane ended up landing in the ocean. No one died but still, it was kind of scary that if we had left a week later we would have been in the water. We landed in Bali and were greeted by another exchange student and a travel service that took us to the hotel. We were staying in Kuta, which is a very famous beach in Bali. We had free time for a couple of hours and I caught up with all of the exchange students, there were 24 of us on the trip plus 2 chaperons from Rotary. We went to dinner at an Indonesian restaurant where they played the Angklung and other traditional instruments for us. The performance was fine, nothing too special but the company was great. We had fried chicken, rice and Tempe for dinner. I do not know how Indonesian people never get tired of cold rice that tastes like rocks and unsalted Tempe and mediocre fried chicken. Dinner was disappointing but, that is to be expected with Rotary. After we finished eating our two chaperons talked to us about the trip. They gave us itineraries and money. The money was for 13 meals that we would not eat with Rotary and that we must buy ourselves. They gave us 50,000 Rp (~5 dollars) per meal. When they first gave me the money I was sure that I would have extra because, food in Bandung is so cheap that unless I went to a very, very nice restaurant, 5 dollars was more than enough. I was wrong, food in Bali and the other places we traveled was twice as expensive and I had to dip into my own money much more than I thought I would have to. While we were talking something happened that would never, in a million years, be expectable in America (or most countries in the world, after the reactions of the other exchange students). Mas Indra asked, at the dinner table, with everyone there... "Who is menstruating?" This was followed with shock and anger from all of the female exchange students. They explained that we were going to Komodo island and that menstruating women were not allowed because the Komodo Dragons can smell the blood and they are more likely to attack. After we finished talking we went back to the hotel, socialized some more and then went to sleep.

4/4/2013

Day 2 of the Big Trip

Apparently, Rotary thinks that all of the exchange students are little princesses and that we need an hour to get ready, then 30 minutes to eat breakfast and then we need to wait at the airport for an hour. First real day on the trip and the scheduling was already annoying me. But, at least we were all ready and on time. We got on a plane that was smaller than any other plane I have been on. We left all of our luggage at our hotel and only brought supplies for two days and one night. We arrived in West Flores, which is a small island near Komodo island. We went from the plane to the bus to a boat. I got put on the smaller boat with less people on it and Mas Indra. It was about a 2 hour boat ride but it was nice outside and we had all put on sunscreen (especially those people who also went to Belitung and learned that the sun is a terrible thing). I brought Uno cards and we played while waiting to get to Komodo island. I never knew that Uno had so many different rules. Every person has their own way to play and while we were playing we mixed all of the rules. In Indonesian rules you can block a plus 2 or plus 4 card by playing your own plus card and it the pot keeps adding up with more and more people blocking. The first person who cannot block must pick up all of the card. Because we were playing with 8 people it was no uncommon to be forced to picked up 14 cards if you couldn't block. Another rule is that if you have multiple colors of one number you can put them all down together. It was so much fun to play Uno with so many different rules. We stopped for lunch at an island about half-way to our destination. We changed into our bathing suits, swam around. One of the boys brought a tennis ball and we tossed it around for a while. I was doing really well until I went to throw the ball to Luke and it hit Oguzhan of in the head (about 10 feet in front my original target).Nice, Alaina. After swimming and eating we got back on the boats and finished the trip to Komodo. We arrived in Komodo and it was so hot. Indonesia is normally hot, but this was just cruel. We walked to base camp and met our guides. Komodo island is a national park in Indonesia. All of the Komodo Dragons are free and can move around however they please. The guides do not feed the Dragons, so they still hunt. The guides told us how dangerous the reptiles are and that in the last month 3 guides have died. Our guides were armed with large sticks (not exactly comforting) and told us the they are not perfect are and that in the last month 3 guides have died. Our guides were armed with large sticks (not exactly comforting) and told us the they are not perfect. We saw five or six Dragons in base camp and they looked really big to me. Imagine facing down a seven foot monster who's saliva has potent bacteria that will kill you if you do not get immediate medical treatment. The guides said only the small or sick Komodo live near the base and that the bigger ones live in the wild and get up to 10 feet. We had to go on the shorter walk because it was already 4pm and the sun sets at 6 everyday. It would be incredibly dangerous to be out in the park at night. We walked on a small trail. At one point we saw a cool looking caterpillar and the guide instantly flicked it off the trail saying that the caterpillar was poisonous and it could have killed one of us. As awesome as it would be to die via Komodo dying by caterpillar is much less respectable. The guides stopped us after only 25 minutes and told us that we were looking at Komodo nests and that during mating season the female Dragons go to the nests to lay their eggs and that they are fiercely protective of the area and that they would attack. They also told us that once the babies are born they must hide in the trees because the moms and other Dragons will eat them. We saw a water buffaloes bathing on the trail and some other cool wildlife but no more Komodo Dragons, Eventually, we made our way back to the base camp and were forced to get back on the boat and say goodbye to an amazing island. We were on the boat for the sunset and we talked all the way back to Flores. I talked to Quentin. I didn't really know him before and it was nice to talk to someone new. He is from Minnesota and currently lives in Jakarta. One of the best things about exchange students is that we never run out of things to talk about; politics, sports, our past, our experience, our future, theoretical situations and anything else that might spark our interest. Our possibilities seem so big and truly endless. We arrived in Flores and I was sad that one adventure was already over. We checked into a hotel and ate dinner provided by Rotary. I thought it was chewy and tasteless but, whatever. There was an amazing pool and we played in it for hours. I started a game of sharks and minnows and then we played Marco Polo and Chicken fights. When people started getting tired we just talked and floated around. Another amazing day in paradise.

4/5/2013

Day 3 of the Big Trip

We were allowed to sleep in until 7am. The breakfast as the hotel was very good, and a good meal and sleep was defiantly nice. We left the hotel at 8 and headed to the airport. I got in the first car to the airport and no chaperones went with us so we ended up at the airport for 20 minutes with no one, no tickets and no idea where we should be. Other kids finally showed up and we waited outside the airport for an hour before we could go in. At some point the Rotarians disappeared, I am not even sure that they came to the airport until about 10 minutes before we were allowed inside. We boarded another small plane and headed back to Bali. We were free during the afternoon so, I went shopping with Bridget and the two French girls (Charlene and Elise). I bought sunglasses that would have been nice for our boat ride the day before. We ate lunch at a cafe that was across the street from our hotel. At 3pm we all got on the bus again and headed to Uluwatu temple. It is a temple built in the 11th century on the edge of a 300 feet cliff. Before we got off the bus we were warned that the monkeys are aggressive and that they will try to take our stuff so it is better to leave everything on the bus that we didn't need. The temple was amazing, we were on top of a beautiful cliff and we could see the surf below us hitting the rocks. I walked off with Sam, Oguzhan, Quentin and Tommy (From Brazil lives in Jakarta) and we went to explore while everyone else was busy taking pictures. The view was spectacular, the sheer size of the cliff was stunning. At 5 we headed over to an amphitheatre where we were going to watch the traditional Kecak dance with the sun setting in the background. We had great front row seats and had a great view of the whole thing. The dance is called Kecak because men sit in a circle and chant "cak-cak-cak" sounds. The dance was super interesting, I wish I could have understood it more but it was still really interesting. The sunset was too cloudy and it wasn't the best I have seen but, I always love watching it anyway. The "cak-cak-cak" noises were very unique and repetitive. I wouldn't have bought a CD and listened to it all the time but it was something that I am sure I could never find in the States. After the performance we took the bus to a seaside restaurant and ate yummy seafood. I tried muscles for the first time. We were visited by a band that played the Lazy Song, a Brazilian song and La Cucaracha upon request. They were really funny and they actually sounded really good. After we ate some of us walked on the beach. I felt like I was home in Florida again, with a twist. I love walking on the beach at night and I used to do it all the time in Ponte Vedra. More talking and more interesting topics. We went back to the hotel and I went to sleep.

4/6/2013

Day 4 of the Big Trip

Wake up at 4am. At 5am drive to the airport, flight departs at 6:20 (the airport is only 15 minutes away from the hotel). Why did we wake up at 4 am?!? We also got a "breakfast box" for breakfast. In Indonesia this means that we got a box of vile pastries filled with nasty jams and mystery meats or other 'food' products that we probably made the night before and had been sitting out for hours. I know I wasn't the only one who just took the water bottle out and then threw out the rest of the food in the box (complete crap for Rotary to count this as a meal). We got on another airplane and headed to Lombok. We arrived in Lombok and loaded onto another bus. Everyone was exhausted and most of us slept through the bus ride. First, we went to a beach and were able to walk around on the bizarre sands. I have been on many beaches and I have never seen sand like this. It was small balls that tickled like crazy and sunk six inches every time I tried to step. It didn't stick together like sand and it was super cool. We took lots of pictures and I was sad when we had to move on. We arrived at a traditional village and watched as they performed for us. They played music, danced and even fought. My favorite was the stick fighting. There were two men each armed with a crude shield and a long stick. The guide told us in a competition is held every year and all the men in the area compete to know who is the strongest and the bravest. During the competition the ends of the fighting sticks are coated in asphalt and glass and other harmful materials. The fight we watched was much less intense and the men were holding back and not trying to actually hit each other. It looked like a dance with the musical whap of the stick on the shield. There was also a crazy man with paint on his face that did a comedic routine for us. Quentin remarked that the man "had one of the greatest jobs in the world" I countered that "He doesn't have a great dental plan but, what can you do no job is perfect." (the man's teeth were rotting out of his mouth, like most Indonesians). After the performances we walked around the village, which became an obvious tourist trap. Everyone was selling bracelets and sarongs (Material that can be used as a skirt or a cover or anything else you can think of). The village is famous for its unusual floors. The floors are made out of cow dung and are actually "cleaned" with cow poop. The theory is that the dung keeps away mosquitoes. The problem is that it attracts flies. We went into one of the houses and were able to look around. It was tiny and hot. The downstairs was a entry way that had stairs up the second level, it was impossible to stand up because the ceiling was so low. The upstairs was even more hot because, it did not have any windows. The room, maybe 5ft by 8ft was the bedroom for the parents, the children and the kitchen. There aren't any windows because kidnapping is a problem in the society and everyone is afraid that their children will be stolen. When we were done in the village we all loaded back onto the bus. We were supposed to do more things but we were all so tired that we went to our hotel. I felt sick so I ended up sleeping all day. I was coughing so hard I couldn't breathe, I had a minor fever and I was very dizzy. The room had a tub so I took a long, hot bath to try to combat the illness. Bridget was my roommate and she was also feeling tired so she stayed in with me most of the day. One of the huge landmarks as an exchange student is having your first dream in your host language and I have yet to dream in Indonesian. Rotary Florida blew up this dream in my mind and some days I feel like a failure because I am not dreaming in Indonesian. Anyway, while I was in my feverish sleep Bridget swears that I spoke in Indonesian in my sleep. All I said was "Sudah" or "Done/finished" but I spoke in Indonesian in my sleep! That has to be better than some stupid dream (I still want one). I went to dinner with Bridget, ate tons of pasta and then went to bed early. Almost everyone else was playing all afternoon and night.

4/7/2013

Day 5 of the Big Trip

We didn't have to get up insanely early today and we enjoyed breakfast at the hotel. After breakfast we packed up our stuff and got back on the bus. The bus drove us to a Harbor where we caught a boat to Gili Sudak. The schedule said we would be able to see colorful coral reefs and exotic fish in the reefs around Gili Sudak. All of the area around our small island was dead. I only saw a few small fish and everything was grey. After the amazing reefs I have seen in Indonesia this one was somewhat disappointing. It was still nice to swim in the water and relax with the other exchange students. After we finished looking around the island we took the boat to a slightly larger island where we ate lunch. Seafood again. Nasty, Chewy Seafood again served with rice and unsalted tempe. Yum (*sarcasm- in case you didn't pick up my subtlety). We took the boat back to the mainland and then stopped at two different villages on our way home. One focused on weaving, a lady taught me how to use their loom and I was able to do a couple of lines in the fabric. The lady then undid all of my work when I stood up. The projects were amazing, some of the fabrics took 3 or 4 months for one woman to finish. I cannot imagine having the patience and focus to be able to complete one. The second village did pottery. This was much less exciting but, still cool. It is amazing to see what people can accomplish after years of practice and hard work. After our tours were done we went back to the hotel. I was still sick and feeling terrible. All of the exchange students ate dinner together at a restaurant close to the hotel. Dinner was a nightmare. It took twenty minutes to seat everyone another half hour to order, then it started raining and we had to move again. The food was good and it came pretty fast. The bill was the major problem. Exchange students are cheap and some have no qualms about letting others pay for them. People paid for their dinner but they did not pay for the tax and service charge and some did not even pay for their drinks. A couple people paid much more than they needed to and most walked out without paying enough. You think that people would be more considerate, but they are not. After dinner, Bridget and I watched the boys try to play Monopoly for a few minutes and then went to bed. Since I have been sick, I have not slept through the whole night, I keep coughing and waking myself up. I have taking medicine from the convenience store and I own every kind of cough drop the store was selling.

4/8/2013

Day 6 of the Big Trip

Woke up and ate breakfast at the hotel again. We got on another boat and rode to Gili Trawagan. I had my suitcase and it was very strange to load and unload my suitcase on the beach and then carry it through the sand. We went to another beach where we could go snorkeling again. I sat on the beach and spent time with the other kids. Sid went snorkeling and she saw a sea turtle, so cool! Lunch was nasty, thanks Rotary. I honestly do not know how they always find nasty food, it is a talent. Most of the places we went on this trip are tourist destinations and it is hard to find terrible food, thank goodness for Rotary. I tried to go shopping a little but all the products had to be shipped from Bali to Gili so, everything was more expensive than I wanted to pay. We checked into our hotel to find out that a better word for it would be resort. Each room was 300 dollars a night. We only had 2 people in a room even thou there was plenty of room for 4 people. Most people, including myself were mad that we stayed at this resort. In America my family never stays at fancy hotels and we always try to fit as many people in a room as possible. The Bali trip was very expensive and I can only imagine how much money we could have saved if we stayed somewhere else or at least put 4 people in a room. We could have spent the money we saved on getting better food, or something else. After checking in we all went swimming. For a really fancy resort, the water was cold and it was sea water because they wanted less of an "environmental impact". We swam a lot. One of the kids had challenged me to a race but we couldn't organize it and there were too many people in the way. Sam didn't think I could get to the other side of the pool underwater without breathing and without using my arms. I did it easily, no one else who tried could make it. It started raining really hard so we all hid near the in-pool bar because it had an overhang that would protect us from the cold rain. Then the boys decided that they wanted to play a game. Six of us stood in a circle with our hands laying flat on top of our neighbor's hand. Then one person would slap the person whose hand was on their other hand. If you talk or move your hand you are out of the game and the circle closes in. I won the game, much to the surprise of the boys playing. Maybe they went too easy on me in the beginning and found that their hands hurt too bad to keep going. Then I played with just Luke and I lost because my hand already hurt when we started. When I decided that I had swam enough I got out of the pool and found that my towel had been completely soaked in the rain. I ran back to my room (not indoor hallways like a normal hotel, each room was a little house. Indonesians prefer the Bungalow system for hotels). There were not any extra towels in the room so I called the front desk and asked them to quickly bring me a towel. Thirty minutes later, I called again because they hadn't come yet. Another twenty minutes later I was fuming mad and I decide that if they were not at my room by the time I counted to twenty I was going to call again and scream in English until I got a towel. The towels made it seconds before I went bat crazy. I was then able to take a shower that I had been waiting for. It was salt water and the bathroom is outside. How and I expected to wash my hair properly with lukewarm salt water outside. Needless to say I was not happy with the hotel. After my disappointing shower I dried off with my new towel and got dressed. For dinner, I went with some of the other exchange students again. The group was much smaller and we were able to pay separately so, it worked out very well. I had pizza and it was the best thing that happened all day, it was nice and hot and fresh. I was sharing a room with Daisy (from Chicago, lives in Yogya) and she wanted to party with the other kids so, I had the room to myself most of the night. I was really sick all night. I watched TV, until I was able to fall asleep. At 3am I woke up again coughing. It is never pleasant when you wake up unable to breathe. I watch more TV because I couldn't go back to sleep. Doomsday Prepers was on and it is very funny, watching people try to prepare for the end of the world. Even thou I was in my room all night, I still did not get very much sleep.

4/9/2013

Day 7 of the Big Trip

We didn't have to leave the island until two so I actually slept until 9am. When I did wake up I could not speak at all. My voice had been cracking all week but now it was gone. I ate breakfast with Oguzhan and Mas Indra. After breakfast I went back to my room and packed up all of my stuff. When I was done I saw Luke and I tried to get his attention, but I could barely croak out a whisper so, I had to snap really load to get him to turn around. He then proceeded to laugh at me for not being able to talk and invited me to walk with him and Oguzhan. I walked with them for a while until I saw Elise and Charlene and I ditched the boys for the French girls. I got fish therapy with them, the one where the little fish clean your feet. It tickled, the fish get in-between your toes to clean. It was fun and I liked trying it for the first time. Everyone had to check out at noon and then we had one hour to eat lunch before we had to catch the boat back to Bali. My voice still didn't want to participate and I didn't care what everyone else wanted to do so, I ate lunch alone. There was a little girl at the restaurant, the daughter of my waitress, and she smiled at me and I made faces back. She was super cute and I took a picture with her. After lunch I met back up with the other exchange students. We waited for our boat for a long time before it finally came, when it did, everyone loaded on. At first, I was sitting inside with everyone else, many other people there too but the AC was too cold and I was feeling sick so I followed Sam and Tommy up to the roof of the boat. The boat was already moving and we had to climb a latter on the outside of the speed boat to get to the top (never ever in America). It was so nice on the top of the boat. I talked to Sam and Tommy about school in Indonesia and other things while we enjoyed the breeze. For whatever reason I wanted to jump off the boat, I have wanted to jump off several high things in the last week and I have no idea why. I am not the typical adrenaline junky. It took almost two hours to get back to Bali. We exited the boat and got back on another bus. It took another two or three hours to drive to our hotel in Kuta beach.

4/10/2013

Day 8 of the Big Trip

A few days ago we picked up a guide who made everyone mad. He talked for hours and we all had to turn up our IPods to drown him out. He had an annoying face and by the end of our time in Bali no one was sad to see him go. Today he was being particularly annoying. I sat next to Quentin on the bus and we listened to his music. Our first stop was at another traditional dance. We have now seen several and they are starting to be less cool. The dance was a fight between good and evil and it was impossible to follow. The good people were not in white and the bad people were not in black, how are we supposed to know who is who if it is not clear. The show was still nice (especially because the guide wasn't talking). Then we loaded up on the bus again. We stopped at  Kertha Gosha, a traditional court. One of the rooms had pictures of punishment for sin. There were specific tortures for each sin for example, if you did not nurse your children then you would be forced to nurse snakes and other monsters in hell. The guide kept trying to move us along and acted like a disgruntled babysitter. Then we got back on the bus and went to another temple.. Ya!! Exchange students in Indonesia think of temples like I am sure European exchange students think of churches. We go to too many and they all blur together. For the next temple we went to (the "Mother Temple" of Bali) we had to walk almost a kilometer uphill to get to more stairs to see a boring temple. The most exciting part of the temple were the little girls trying to sell things. Everywhere you go in Indonesia people try to sell you things. These particular little girls were selling postcards and wanted us to buy them. One of the girls attached Luke (8 year old, tiny, girl  vs. 6foot 1 Alaskan guy). She told Luke that he had to buy the postcards or she wouldn't move. He told her that he didn't have money and that he couldn't buy them. She felt his pockets and told him that she knows he had money. He stood there for a while not knowing what to do. According to Luke, he picked her up to get her out of the way and then finally broke down and bought the postcards. Another girl saw that this tactic worked so she started crying and another American boy was tricked into buying the cards. After seeing nothing worthwhile at the temple we walked another kilometer down the hill. (Mas Indra and Pa Wasito took Motorcycles both ways- typical Indonesians). We finally got to Ubud in the late afternoon. We checked into the hotel and then went to dinner. I had potato and roast duck soup, it was to die for.

4/11/2013

Day 9 of the Big Trip

Another temple, this one Goa Gajah (Elephant Cave). We also had to walk down stairs for 10 minutes to get there. I am a firm believer that it is much easier to go up first so you don't have to dread going back up the entire way. There were sadly no elephants. There were some carvings that some king was buried in and more stairs and puddles but, no elephants. There was also an area that was a group of caves that are used for prayer and meditation. The caves we only about 4 feet deep and had been carved out of the mountain, they were not natural. We had to take our shoes off because it was a holy place, I do not like walking barefoot outside with mud and spiders everywhere. Leti and I made our way back up the stairs with lots of heavy breathing. When I got to the top I coughed for almost 5 minutes (still battling a cold). One of the venders looked genuinely concerned that I was going to die after I bought a drink from her station. After that temple we drove to lunch. The restaurant had a great view of a volcano and the surrounding land that was still black from the last eruption. I could barely eat because I was so excited about what was coming next, ELEPHANT SAFARI!!! We arrived at the park and I could barely hold still. I shared and Elephant with Quentin and we rode an elephant for thirty minutes. By far the coolest thing I have done in my entire life. I never wanted to leave. The only downside to riding an elephant is that they are not exactly steady walkers and Quentin and I were both Elephant sick (car sick but on an elephant) before the ride was over. Before I continue I just want to take a minute to say. I rode and elephant! I rode an elephant! I rode an elephant! Ha all you haters who said I was crazy for going on exchange to Indonesia! I rode an elephant! I am so cool!! Ya! OK, anyway, after our ride we watched an elephant show. The elephants played basketball and soccer and painted and walked a balance beam and did many other things that I didn't know elephants could do. On our way out of the park we saw a wall of fame, so many celebrities had been to the park including Julia Roberts (while she was shooting Eat, Pray, Love), The Crocodile Hunter and many other famous people. We returned to Ubud and our hotel. I had Indian food for dinner, the first time I had eaten Indian food in Indonesia and, it was delicious. It was a great day! Elephants!!

4/12/2013

Day 10 of the Big Trip

This morning I needed to take a shower only to find a huge spider in the bathroom. It was at least 6 inches across and it was running all over the bathroom. If it stayed in one place I could have taken a shower but it was moving too much so I went to Bridget's room and took a shower in their bathroom. After cleaning up, I got my stuff ready and went down for breakfast at the hotel. When everyone had eaten we took shuttles to the bus. The hotel was out of the city and down a very small road that the bus could not use. Everything we wanted to go to dinner or to the bus we had to take a shuttle. *Funny - Yesterday while we were trying to go to the Indian restaurant we got into a car because we thought it was a shuttle, it wasn't. the driver explained that he did not work for the hotel and we quickly shut the door. Today we went to learn about rice cultivation and traditional village life. The first thing we did was go to the local school and interrupt a class. They sung for us and we tried to sing for them. Every country was told to sing a song for the kids. Despite the fact that there were more kids from America than any other country on the trip, we did the worst job. We attempted YMCA and only sung "young man... da da da .. Y.M.C.A..da..da..da " It was a little less than spectacular. After humiliating ourselves in-front of the school children we went across the street and saw more of village life. People taught us how to weave leaves in fun, traditional patterns and we walked around the area. I saw pigs for the first time since leaving America. Because most people in Bali are Hindu, they eat pork and are allowed to have pig. Muslims are not allowed to have pork or any contact with pigs and I have lived with Muslims all year. While we were eating Passion Fruit the village showed us another tradition, cock fighting. No joke, we watched a cock fight on a Rotary trip. We were done in the village so we were all issued rice hats and sticks and we walked to the rice patties. We took turns plowing the field. We sat on the plow behind an ox and churned mud. Then we planted stalks into a field that had already been prepared. Most fields in America are not all mud, rice patties are flooded regularly and the dirt is never kept dry. When we were covered in mud we rinsed ourselves in the gutter water, which was completely clean compared to the gutters in Bandung. We took a short walk to a coconut tree and we were challenged to climb it. The farmers use rope on their feet to work their way up the tree but none of us could do it. I put my feet in the rope and hugged the tree and then realized that I would have to hop up the tree to move and decided that I did not want to do it. Instead I tried a coca bean. It tastes nothing like chocolate but it was interesting. We had coconut milk for a drink and then we ate lunch. Again the food was lacking and I barely ate anything. For dessert we had one tiny banana (about 3 inches long and very sweet) and a coconut snack that was wrapped in a leaf. I really liked the coconut thing and Quentin gave me his because he doesn't like coconut. Yasuko (from Japan, lives in Jakarta) is one of the nicest, sweetest people that I have ever met. She offered me her coconut thing and I took it and thanked her. When I opened to leaf I found the banana. That little trickster! We said goodbye to all of the nice people that had showed us their traditions and then got back on the bus. We drove to the Bali Classic Culture Center. We watched another dance and then we chose two of the available activities: egg painting, batik canvas, boomerang painting, mask painting, rain-stick painting, wood carving, gamelan orchestra (traditional music) and Balinese Dancing. I wanted mask painting and wood carving but wood carving was canceled so I did batik canvas instead. There was no instruction, it was just arts and crafts. My mask was fine but my batik was terrible. You use hot wax to draw on a canvas. I didn't know that I needed to make a large pattern because it would be hard to do small things and I made a mess of my canvas. We watched yet another Balinese dance and this time they called up people to dance with them and I had to dance in-front of the other exchange students. I was incredible, never taken a lesson. We drove back to the hotel and were free the rest of the night. After spending so much money on food in the last couple of days, I ate Pop Mie for dinner. I played card with some people but it wasn't that fun because the rules kept changing. The best part of the night was when we sat in a circle and told a newly woken up Oguzhan to sit in the middle of our circle. He was still mostly asleep and did not know what was going on. We started chanting and making weird noises. Lots of fun to pretend exorcise someone while they are half asleep. I went to bed soon afterward.

4/13/2013

Day 11 of the Big Trip

The last several days the guide (still the one that makes everyone angry) has decided that we need an hour and a half to get ready. This is complete crap, it takes everyone 45 minutes max and that is when we are checking out of the hotel and need to pack up. So we woke up too early and ate breakfast and got on the bus. Today, we went water rafting! For those of you who do not know, my family in America loves going water rafting and I have been several times. We arrived at the office and we got our oars and lifejackets. Then we walked down a mile of stairs. Some, less intelligent people asked if we were going to have to walk up these same stairs when we finished, I told them that unless the river was a circle that was not going to happen. We got to the bottom and split into groups. I went with Cheyenne, Daisy and Sid. Daisy was afraid that she was going to fall in and not be able to swim. Cheyenne and Sid are both good lifeguards and I am a strong swimmer and all of us were looking for a reason to jump out of the boat into the river. Daisy was fine. It was the most unique water rafting I have ever done. Most guides avoid rocks, ours played bumper raft with them and seemed to enjoy going down the river with no direction. Sid and I were in the front row and we could not hear the guide's instructions because he was not speaking loud enough and Daisy or Cheyenne had to relay the instructions to us. I fell back on Daisy once and lost my oar once. Not exactly professional but, I had fun (and I am pretty sure our guide could have said the same thing). The river was beautiful. There were waterfalls and greenery everywhere. At one spot in the river there were carvings in the rock side and because we had seen so many temples we thought it was important. The guide told us that the hotel above that spot had done it as advertisement. Oh well, I liked it better as a temple. We were able to get out and swim in two spots. The second of which was a large waterfall. We took turns standing under it and taking pictures. I wish people could see how beautiful Indonesia really is when you get out of the cities. I can never understand why most Indonesian people prefer malls to hiking and exploring nature in their country. The more time I spend in nature, the more I hate going back to the dirty cities. The raft trip was about 2 hours long and we ate lunch at the buffet at the end of the river. We did have to climb 10 minutes worth of stairs to get back up to the road and I coughed uncontrollably for several minutes afterward. After rafting we went to Ulun Danu temple. It was raining and cold and I had just changed out of my wet suit into dry clothes. It was foggy too and we couldn't really see it. When the fog did clear it was dissapoiniting and I think the cliff-side temple was much better. We hurried back onto the bus and drove to another place. It was a waterfall that we had to do about 1 kilometer of stairs to get to. I passed and stayed in the bus. My ear had been hurting for several days and I didn't want to make it worse. It was like my ear could not pop and adjust to the pressure, and I was still fighting a nasty cough. The kids who did walk to the waterfall said that it was not that amazing and it was fine to miss. When we made it to our new hotel I swam for a little bit and then took a shower and went to dinner. The dinner was at the hotel and it was actually decent. I walked with the exchanges students a little and we spent several hours on the beach just staring at the stars and talking. I mostly talked to Sid and then talked a lot to Quentin and Leti. Went to bed at around 1am.

4/14/2013

Day 12 of the Big Trip

The wake-up call came at 5:30 and we were in the lobby by 6am. The people who decided to wake up boarded traditional boats and rode off into the bay to look for dolphins. The boats were very narrow, only a couple inches off my hips and we all sat in a line. The sunrise was amazing, really spectacular. There were a few clouds and the colors were great. Watching the sunrise is one of my favorite things to do in Indonesia and this one was above ordinary. Our boat man did not do a good job finding dolphins. We saw a couple but only for a minute and after we rode around for an hour and a half. Our guide eventually got bored and started fishing off the back of the boat before bringing us back to the hotel. The other groups saw lots more dolphins, but at least we saw dolphins so that is ok. We ate breakfast at the hotel, which was even better than the dinner the night before. We then returned to our rooms packed up our stuff and checked out of the hotel. We headed back for Kuta and it was a several hour drive. Before we got too far from our starting hotel we stopped at a traditional market with ingredients lists for Indonesian food we were required to make. My group was Leti, Tommy, Oguzhan, Pauline (From France, lives in Medan) and Renata Elmec (From Brazil, lives in Lampung). We decided we wanted to make Nasi Goreng (Fried Rice) and Gado-Gado (Vegetables and peanut sauce). We all walked around the market and bought everything that we needed (except Pauline who didn't help at all). It took forever and we could not find all of the ingredients that we wanted. When we made it back to the bus we thought we were the last ones. Bridget's group was actually last and we had to wait for them for a while before they returned. I had to hold our group's eggs for at least an hour while we drove to the place we were going to cook the food. We ended up at a hotel with a kitchen used to teach people how to cook Indonesian food. They had all of the supplies there. Why did we have to buy the food if they had everything? I guess I will never understand. We cooked out food, meaning a chef told us exactly what to do and we followed his instructions. When everyone was done and had put their food items on the table we ate food that the hotel had prepared for us (meaning that no one ate the food we made- wasting even more ingredients). Pa Wasito judged the dishes and we all (except the team that won) agreed that he was not a fair judge. Our group won 3rd place out of 4 teams. The team that won 2nd made Sate that was so tough and overcooked no one could eat it. Bridget's team won because they had "good teamwork". Well isn't that nice, one of their teammates didn't work either, that is not good teamwork. The entire thing was messed up. When we got back on the bus, I split up the money we didn't use for the food and our prize money. Pauline did not get any money but everyone else got 100,000 Rp (10 dollars). We stopped at another temple on the way to Kuta. I got separated from the group and got lost in the shopping stands, so I never actually saw the temple. When we made it back to Kuta we were all tired. I walked with Bridget because we wanted to go shopping. By the time we got back it was already late and most of the shops were closed we did eat dinner at a good restaurant. I got Mie Goreng (Fried Noodles) and Bridget ordered a combo plate with a burrito and a taco. I didn't order Mexican because I have already been disappointed once and I didn't want to have another bad meal. Bridget got so much food and it was very good. Then we walked back to the hotel. I was locked out of my room for more than an hour because Leti had the key. I talked to Luke and then Leti finally showed up and let me into the room.

4/15/2013

Day 13 of the Big Trip

Breakfast at the hotel and then we took the bus to another boat. We went on a day cruise. When we arrived at the dock we found out that it was a Chinese cruise and that everyone, except us was Chinese and was speaking Chinese. Before we got on the boat someone came around and asked if we got seasick and offered us pills if we did. I did not take any of the "free pills" from the Cruise line. I got on the boat and sat with some of the other students where we were outside and in the breeze. I don't think that the boat had a very good design. Everyone was getting sick on the other decks (we were on the top). The workers were handing out vomit bags to everyone and directing people to the bathroom. Luckily, I did not see or smell anything or there would have been even more tossed cookies on the deck. Cheyenne and I went to get juice so we went down two flights of stairs and each grabbed two glasses of water. It was nearly impossible to get back up to our seats. I actually kept most of my water in the glasses. Before the cruise Mas Indra called "seasick" "sea drunk", this now made much more sense. Cheyenne and I laughed as we drunkenly tried to get up two flights of stairs without spilling our water. It took about 2 hours to get to our destination which was a floating platoon in the ocean. The platoon was equipped with a slide into the ocean, an area for snorkeling, unlimited banana boat rides and a buffet lunch. We were told that we needed to eat as soon as the lunch opened or the "Chinese Army" would swarm and it would take forever to get our food. After eating I wanted to go down the slide. I went down first and Sid and Luke followed me. I was watching them go down the slide and I didn't realize how strong the tide was. Within a few seconds I was 20 yards away from the slide. I got out of the water with my other friends and we got snorkeling gear. The water was too deep and the current was too strong. We ended up off course and had to try really hard to swim back. There was a floating marker (PVC pipe) about 15 yards from the deck (which was about 5 yards long). I decided that it would be fun to fight against the current and swim to the floating PVC pipe. I made it to the marker and was soon joined by Sid and Luke. Swimming back to the deck was harder. Sid and I managed it easily. Luke wanted to go in a perfectly straight line so he swam at a 45 degree angle to the current and it was the slowest 15 yards I have ever seen. We swam to the marker again and back again. Before I swam back to the deck this time, I noticed another marker about 20 yards away (20yards directly in front of the slide). I let go of marker number 1 and tried to sprint against the current to get to marker 2. When I thought I was half way there I looked up and realized that I hadn't moved at all in the last 30 seconds of full sprint and stopping acted like opening a parachute and I got thrown backwards. I had to try really hard to get back to marker number 1. Now that I knew it was difficult I wanted to get to the 2nd marker. I went off the slide and sprinted to the marker. Everyone on the deck was watching and cheered for me. I swam back to the deck and I repeated this again. I was having so much fun swimming around. When I was satisfied that I had swam enough I got out of the water and tanned for a little while. When we had to leave, I was bouncing I was so happy with the cruise. Other people were sick and complaining but I thought it was the best thing yet (other than riding the elephant of course). I talked to Luke about books the whole way back. We got back to the harbor at about 4pm to find a protest. Everything was in Chinese and I couldn't understand anything. The only disappointing thing about the day was that I could not understand any Chinese (Studied it for 3 and 1/2 years). We drove to a popular oleh-oleh store (souvenirs you buy for your friends when you travel). We all bought some stuff and then got back on the bus. Back at the hotel we were free for the rest of the night. I went to a Brazilian restaurant with some of the Brazilian kids, Elise, Charlene and Quentin. The food was amazing. I learned to mix my beans and rice and was applauded by the Brazilians when I ate it correctly. The meat was delicious and I ate much more than I should have. After dinner I played cards late into the night with Sam, Tommy and Elise. We had a great time just talking and playing. I eventually was forced to go to bed because I was too tired to keep playing. It was a perfect day.

4/16/2013

Day 14 of the Big Trip

This morning we woke up and went to a beach resort about an hour away. There we rode camels on the beach. So not only have I ridden an elephant in a forest I have also ridden a camel on the beach. I am pretty awesome, you can all be jealous. Camels are much weirder than we think they are. Their teeth are all messed up and the make the funniest noises I have ever heard. I was in the second group of people and I was shocked when the camel stood up, it was much taller than I thought it was. The ride was only twenty minutes long but it was defiantly worth the bus ride. I talked to my guide who told me about the camels. They are from Australia (I didn't even know there were camels in Australia) and they only have one hump instead of 2 (like the camels in the Middle-East). Vinicius Figueiredo or Vinno for short (from Brazil, lives in Makassar), was right behind me and I thought his camel was going to bite me. When our ride was over we had to wait for another group and then we loaded back on the bus. We went to lunch and then to more temples. Bridget and I went to the bathroom before we left the restaurant and when we came out everyone was gone. It took several phone calls and about 15 minutes before we found everyone else. This was a modern temple and the statues were concrete, not even old or impressive. We went to too many temples on this trip and I am sure they will mush in my brain until I think I just went to one big mega temple with a million stairs. After the temple, we went back to the hotel and had free time during the afternoon. We all went to dinner together to a famous local restaurant for our farewell dinner. None of us could believe the Big Trip was already over, it also meant that our exchange was almost over. The food was really good, for being with Rotary. We returned to the hotel and spent our last night in freedom.

4/17/2013

Day 15 of the Big Trip

I woke up and ate breakfast early so that I could say goodbye to everyone. My plane did not leave until the afternoon so I was free for a little while longer. I bought some batik pants with Leti and she made me pay more than I had to because she thinks I can't bargain for myself or speak Indonesian. Bridget, Leti and I headed to the airport early and checked in our bags. After we had our boarding passes we went to eat. I had a sandwich from Starbucks and an ice from Burger King. The plane ride was fine and we got home safely. Bridget and I were picked up by my driver and we took Bridget to Aunt Melly's house. The Big Trip was over.

April 18th- May 4th

The days following the big trip. I was still sick and a week was spent resting and packing all my stuff up. On the 24th I moved to the Said's house, my 4th host family. On the 26th I went to school for the first time in a month and a half. I had to go to the opening ceremony for the first time in several months. I gave my friends stuff I had brought from Bali (spicy peanuts) and extra pictures I had of my family (real family from America).  On the 28th I went to Jakarta with my family. We went to Taman Mini (small park) which is famous for its models of traditional Indonesian houses. My host mom and dad were going to a convention for old people, the translated name of the club is "growing old together". I went to Taman Buruk (Bird Park) and saw lots of birds. on the 29th I had lunch with Ibu Hetty, my 2nd host mom and I went to a Rotary meeting. On the 2nd of May I gave a presentation for Leti's Rotary club and then went out to dinner with Leti, Quentin and Renata Elmec. Nothing else very interesting has happened. Sorry this took me forever to write and I know the writing is terrible. I want to remind people to post or email me questions, if they have any. My email is AlainaRRoberts@gmail.com. Thanks for reading!!