1/9/2013
I had to go to
school today. I do want to take a minute to say that in America I was a
straight A student with an almost perfect attendance. Now, I dread going to
school. I showed up today and it was raining. This might sound like a bummer...
"OH, your school is outside and you are wearing a white shirt that you
have to wear three days in a row, rain must be the worst thing ever." it
is actually a great start to the day "Yippee!!! No morning ceremony because
it is raining!!!" So while I was celebrating the fact that I would not be
having the terrible morning ceremony, I walked up the wet stairs to my first
class (the stairs aren't covered so I had to walk up in the rain, luckily it
was only drizzling). When I got to my normal classroom I didn't recognize
anyone but, I was very early so I thought maybe my friends were just running a
little late. I sat in the back of the classroom and waited but after a while it
became obvious that this was not my English class. I packed up my stuff and
went to walk out of the door. Rude classmates yelled at me asking me where I
was going. I tried to open the door but it wouldn't budge. I then realized that
there was a boy sitting in front of the door so that no one could get out. I
gave the door a shove, I hope I hurt his back and then I waited for him to
move. The rest of the class was laughing hysterically. When the boy moved, he
moved because I put in my pissed of American girl who is twice as big as you
and could beat the crap out of you if you were worth her time on, I stormed out
of the classroom and did not look back to the jeers and rude comments. Some
Indonesians at my school wonder why I do not talk to everyone. This is exactly
why most of the people at my school are terrible people that enjoy making fun
of me. True, I have a lot of very nice friends but still the majority of the
people in the school are total idiots. There is a reason why only some parts of
Indonesia have good tourism, most Indonesians do not know how to act around
white people (the answer is no differently, we are not aliens). I didn't know
where my English class had relocated to and I was not in the mood to try and
find out. I went to the library, which is now my favorite place in the school.
I sat in my favorite seat, got out my computer and wasted time until my math
class started (several hours later). One of the teachers came up to me and we
had a very long conversation in Indonesian. I showed him pictures of Florida
and my family and he asked many questions. See, some people are very nice.
After a while he left and I was on my own again. Before my math class started I
went and bought a tiny bag of popcorn as a snack and then I headed off to the
room. On the way I met some of my classmates and they told me not to go in the
class yet, we waited together for another class to finish so that we could have
our classroom. About 15 minutes after class should have started our teacher
found us waiting and told us that we wouldn't have class today. I was looking
forward to actually having a class, I should have known better. I talked to my
friends for a while longer and then they told me that they wanted to go home
because they didn't have any more classes. I said goodbye and headed back to
the library. I was in the library for a little while when I remembered that my
host mom told me to go to my first host family if school ended early because
she would not be able to come and get me. I walked to my first host family's
house, on the way I bought some snacks to eat. At their house I watched a movie
and ate my snacks. After I finished my movie my host mom showed up and drove me
home. Another interesting thing that happened today was that I realized that
more than half of the school is under construction. Now two hallways have been
completely destroyed. I don't know when the school will be put together but I
can only imagine that the lack of classrooms will continue to complicate my
school life.
1/9/2013
Highlight
I enjoyed my movie afternoon. I got my
hands on Mr. Potatoes (Like Pringles but cheaper and better) and roasted
peanuts and I watched Premium Rush. The movie was good, or I was really tired
and I seemed better than it really was (no promises). And after my movie
finished I watched a little bit of cake boss, which is always fun.
1/10/2013
I had to wake
up extra early today (5 am) because I had to take a shower. I got up, took my cold shower, got dressed in
my school uniform and was almost ready for the day when I got a text from Aunt
Melly saying "I am going to Jakarta today with Herly (her son who was an
exchange student to Florida) and Leti for a Rotary conference. Do you want to come,
we will come back home Sunday." I talked to my host mom and she said that
I could so I told Aunt Melly that I wanted to go. But then my host mom got a
call from my first host family saying that they were going to have a huge party
for my first host mom's parent's 50th wedding anniversary and that the party
would be on Sunday. After a lot of confusion, arguing and guilt tripping I told
Aunt Melly that I would not be able to go to Jakarta. At this point, it was 7
and I was already late for school. My mom asked me if I wanted to go to school
and let me stay home when I said no. I went back to bed after unpacking all of
my stuff that I was going to take to Jakarta. A couple of hours latter my host
mom woke me up and told me that we should go buy a dress because the party was
going to be very formal. We went to a store and stayed there for about 10
minutes. My host mom said she just wanted to get some ideas before we had a
dress made. On the way, I found out that the "party color" was gold
and that I would be expected to wear a golden dress. We went to buy fabric and
I convinced my host mom not to make me buy a completely golden dress. Instead I
bought a dark red fabric and a golden lace-fabric that would go over the red.
It cost 19 dollars in fabric because the lace was very expensive. We went to
the tailor and explained what I wanted. She took measurements and told us to
come back for a fitting on Saturday morning. We went back home and I relaxed,
hoping that my dress would turn out ok. When Izzati got home my host mom decided to tell me that
my hair did not look good the way it was and that I should get a haircut.
Indonesians are obsessed with bangs and layer, neither of which look good on
me. After at least an hour of insistent begging I consented. I got a cream-bath
(hair treatment where they rub cups of conditioner into your hair) and a
haircut. I was able to limit the layers to the bottom three inches of my hair.
After it all, my hair looked fine. I really didn't hate it, I just still don't
understand why I should have changed my hair in the first place. My host mom
told me that it look mostly the same but that it looked "better". While
I was driving with my host mom all around town today we talked about how bad
the education system in Indonesia is and how many people need to be able to
speak English to have a job. She expressed concern for the students at my
school because they were never really given a chance. She said that I should
start a club and inspire all of the students at my school. I think it is a lot of
pressure to teach.
1/10/2013
Highlight
I played UNO
with my mom via Skype and I won. I am the International UNO champion! Beat that
:)
1/11/2013
I figure if I
go to school every other day that is pretty good. Unfortunately, today was the
day I actually had to go to school. When
I got to school I went to my class and picked a seat. After a couple for
minutes the school bell started ringing and it would not stop. The bell is
already annoying and very loud but today it played on repeat for at least three
minutes. Even my classmates were wondering what was going on. We headed
downstairs for the morning ceremony and got in line. The ceremony lasted about
five minutes. The teacher dismissed us almost as soon as we got lined up
properly. When I got back upstairs my seat had been taken and I was the last
one in the classroom, which means all of the good chairs were taken and I had
to use a broken chair with no back. The teacher did come and I think he
actually taught a lesson but, I can't follow the class because it is web design
and I know nothing about it in English let alone in Indonesian. I sat quietly
in my seat playing on my computer until the teacher left and the students
started trickling out. When I was one of the last people in the classroom I
relocated to the library. After a couple of minutes I realized that I was
hungry and I went to buy some food. I ordered something called Seblak, which is
a scrambled egg, macaroni noodles, ramen-like noodles, chili sauce, water and
come kind of chip thing. I had never tried it before because I get nervous
ordering food by myself that I have never tried before from street vendors. I
was so good. I loved every bite and I will defiantly be ordering it again. For
30 cents it is a pretty good lunch. Shortly after that my host mom texted me
and told me that she was at the school and that I could come home now. I got in
the car and she told me about how she talked with the extra-curricular
coordinator at my school about me teaching an English club. We drove to a
restaurant and that Mie Ayam Manis, sweet noodles with chicken in it. It was
delicious. After lunch we went home.
1/11/2013
Highlight
I love when
trying new things pays off. It makes me feel like I am doing something right
with my exchange.
1/12/2013
I knew that I
wasn't going to school today because I had to go to my dress fitting. I was
very nervous, I had no idea if the dress was going to work or if it was going
to be terrible. We walked into the tailor and I saw the dress, it was absolutely
beautiful. I put it on and it fit pretty well except for a couple minor things
which I told the tailor I wanted changed. I talked to my host mom a lot today
about her exchange experience (she went to America, two of her daughters went
to America one of her daughters went to the Netherlands and her husband did
some college in England.. everyone in the family have been exchange students -
not all of them through Rotary). She gave me some suggestions about how I
should live my exchange. Later in the day we went back to get my dress for the
final time. (I don't know if I mentioned that the tailor only cost 10 dollars)
It was perfect. It fit me great and I am excited to wear it. To celebrate my
host mom and I went to giggle box, I ordered a cheese burger and it was really
good.
1/12/2013
Highlight
My dress fits!!
1/13/2013
I spent the morning packing. I am
spending the next week at my first host family's house because my host mom is
going out of town and I will not have a ride to school. After I get home, I
will have one day to pack up all of my stuff and I will move to my 3rd host
family. I do not know my 3rd family yet and it is always a nerve-racking experience
to move to another house. I got dressed for church, loaded the car with my
stuff and then my host mom took me to church. I was only able to stay for an
hour and then I was going to my first host grandparents' 50th wedding
anniversary party. I forgot something that I needed at home so we went home, I
got my stuff and changed into my new party dress. The dress is very pretty and
I am glad that my first experience with the tailor was a success. I had not
been to a really big Indonesian party before this party. The street in front of
the house had been shut down and there was a canopy covering the street and the
100 chairs that sat there in shade. I went upstairs to drop off my stuff and
say hello to my family. I was told that the 'color' of the party was gold and
that all of the family would be wearing it... this was not exactly true. My
grandma and mother were wearing gold, all of the men in the program were
wearing black shirts with gold ties and the girls were all wearing white
dresses with gold trimmings. There was gold, but I did not exactly match the
family. Diandra was wearing a big princess dress with 5 inch heels (so if she
is the same height as I am in the pictures, just know that she was cheating).
Everything was beautiful, the whole house was decorated. The house was full of
people (at least 70 people). The program was very cute the grandchildren and
children all walked down the stairs leading grandma and grandpa. Many people
talked. When Kevin (my brother who lives in Jakarta who is afraid to talk to
me) got up to talk I cheered for him and screamed his name (much to his embarrassment).
The couple was so cute, grandpa cried and they did some traditional things.
They cut a piece of cake fed it to each other and then fed it to the oldest
member of the family (I think it is grandpa's mom), to show respect. They also
took a cooked piece chicken and they both grabbed a side to see who got the
bigger piece. Grandpa lost. I talked to lots of people, ate lots of food and
was told to eat more food. They had hired a piano player and a dance teacher, so
I spent some time learning a dance with the other kids. Many people wanted me
to sing and yelled at me when I didn't want to but, when I looked at the songs
they were all oldies and I didn't know any of them. I told everyone I did not
know any of the songs because they were too old, they still were not happy.
There was one man, an uncle maybe, who kept telling me I had to sing, I
explained again and again why I did not want to. Finally, I lost patience and
told him that I would sing if he sang a song first. He said that he couldn't
and that he did not want to sing... really? At least he left me alone after
that. (I have now won several arguments in Indonesian) When most of the family
left there was still a lot of close family and the kids all played games together.
They told me that they wanted to play hide and seek so, I said yes. This was
NOT hide and go seek it is called '25' in Indonesian and I could not figure out
the rules, it did not seem to have any. I lost the first round and then watched
trying to figure out the rules. Then we played freeze tag and Jenga (that game
with the wooden blocks that you try to remove without making the whole tower
collapse). Eventually, everyone had to go home. I was so tired. Nothing tires
me out like talking to people and participating in a party. It is also hard to
explain to your host family that you avoid parties because you do not like them
and that you haven't had a large birthday party since 4th grade. Actually, one
of my new year's resolutions is to go out more often, if I was given the choice
I would stay in my room all day or hang out with one or two friends at a time.
1/13/2013 Highlight
The party was fun, I am glad that my
grandparents are so happy!
1/14/2013
Totally forgot to set my alarm. I
woke up at 6:10 got dressed, ran downstairs and no one was there. I didn't know
where anyone was and I was already late so school so I went back upstairs and
changed into my PJs again and went back to bed. My maid apparently did not
remember that I was staying at the house until about 10, when she told me I
need to eat breakfast. I spent the day relaxing and catching up on college
things. For lunch I walked to the Indomart and bought some snacks and I got an Avocado
juice. At dinner I ate everything on the table that I recognized but, I was
still hungry so I ate this meat thing. I totally thought it was good corned
beef, I ate a couple of pieces. The next day, I found out that I ate cow
tongue, it was pretty good.
1/14/2013 Highlight
No school!
1/15/2013
Back to school today. When I got to
school no one was there. It was raining and everyone was running late. I had
culture class first and it took half the class for everyone to show up. While
we were waiting my friends were complaining about how cold it was. One of my
friends asked if America or Indonesia is colder. If anyone was confused America
is much colder, even if Florida does not get snow it is still colder. The lowest
temperature I have ever had was 60 degrees because we were very high up in a
mountain and it was raining. Normally it doesn't get colder than 80 degrees.
After culture I should have had Indonesian class. I talked to one of my friends
in that class and she said it was moved to 2pm. So I went to the library and
spent some time in there. My last class of the day was digital drawing. I
actually learned something today! It is always exciting when I can figure
something out on Photoshop. I couldn't go to Indonesian because I was still in
my other class. Before I left school I bought seblak, the spicy macaroni and
egg thing. I almost ran home because I did not want my food to get cold (had to
go home because I only had a little bit of water). I ate my lunch and took a nap. When I woke up
I was cramping really bad and I spent an hour cradling a hot water bottle. I
was half way through my Seminary class when my maid told me that I needed to
come to dinner. I was not looking forward to it. I still was not feeling good.
But, the best thing happened. We had Indo Mie for dinner (basically spicy ramen
noodles). I ate my whole bowl and had to ask my maid to make me another
serving. It was so good.
1/15/2013 Highlight
INDO MIE!! BEST THING EVER!!! I am
defiantly bringing some home and I am never going to eat ramen without chili in
it from now on.
1/16/2013
Ok, two days of school in a row.
This is a record. I feel like I should get an award every time I decide to get
out of bed in the morning. Got to school and waited. We had a morning ceremony
but, it was not long. I should have had English class today but my class is
still M.I.A. I have no idea where to look for my class and as I learned in my
first month at school, neither does anyone else. Back in the library. A teacher
came up to me and we talked for a little bit. It is funny, recently people keep
coming up to me and asking "So, Alaina are you fluent in Indonesian
yet?" (in Indonesian) and when I respond that I know a "little
Indonesian they look disappointed and walk away". Another funny thing is
that when I say I speak some Indonesian people do not know how to talk to me so
they just stare at me and it seems like they want me to read their minds. I
have a better chance of understanding what you want me to know if you say something,
anything. I really don't know what you are thinking if you just look at me. I
am so sorry to disappoint everyone. Rest of the day was normal.. nothing too
exciting.
1/16/2013 Highlight
Uploaded about 150 pictures onto
Facebook. So I accomplished something today :) Thanks for reading
