HOME : Life Renewal

It's been so long since i last updated my blog. I remember exactly i posted the pictures after i watched an orchestra in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Now i'm back writing.. At my own home. HOME. Place that i've been missed for the past 6 months that i left. Sometimes i still can't believe that i (finally) sleep in my own bed after the program ends. Right, the program finished. Too much things to tell, too much thing happened for 6 months, God. Okay let me try being a (good) story teller.. But first of all i had to congratulate myself that i did the program! YEAY!! That was totally a great & tough program at the same time. So this program is basically an exchange program held by the Ministry of Youth and Sports and a non profit ogranization called Canada World Youth. So we have 2 communities in both country that we lived in, first in Halifax-Nova Scotia and Depok, West Java. The first 3 months in Canada that i spent was perfectly awesome! Since this is my first exchange experience so i really really enjoyed all the things. At first we paired in counterpart, each person had to pair with Canadian as their counterpart and same with me as well. Then i got Chuck, a girl from Montreal that i had to live together in a same house (and a same room) for 6 months, good thing we clicked so fast and everything went well. In Halifax, we lived with a host family that were also really really really nice that i ran out of words to describe how amazing they are! My hostmom Melissa, she works at the Arts Gallery and she's one of the amazing artist who always do a great artwork. My hostdad Tyson he's totally HOT everyone can tell. He's around 30 something, tall, bald, flirty eyes (haha) and he's such a really fun person to talk with. My hostsister, Esja such an adventerous little girl and a nice baker as well ;D also she's so handful! My hostbrother, Saisen is a cute little boy who loves sport soooo much and he loves play games every night after dinner that sometimes kinda torture for me T.T but he's still cute though! Enough explanation about my hostfamily, move to the group. In this program we actually have 27 participants from all over Indonesia but we divided into 3 groups of 9. So our group of Indonesian will be paired with 9 Canadians as well, then in my group we have 9 Canadians from all over Canada too which was so great. Our activity in the program were so scheduled everyday. Monday we have Educational Activity Day that managed and facilitated by a pair of counterpart that actually similar with a workshop but more fun with some enjoyable activities. Counterpart pair at that day have to facilitate from morning to afternoon with a hot topics/general topic that they would like to discuss with us. Way of learning is a non fromal education but the learning materials always so deep and clear, so it's always nice. Mine was "Globalization and How Does It Affect Youth Culture?" so proud of myself that me & my counterpart did a goodjob facilitating the group for our EAD. On Thuesday to Thursday we work as a volunteer for placed that chosen by our Project Supervisors. I got Maritime Heart Centre for Kids that work to help and educate the kids how to live their live healthier and be physically active. My job was to present the assemblies that we have in the front of the kids in a different schools each day and tell them to do some physical activities to make their body healtier. Also i always play sports and games with them. At first for me i have to admit that it was a lil bit hard because first, however English is not my first languange and presenting in English clearly at first kinda hard. Second, the kids were hard to control and sometimes it's just hard to make them listen and focus with what i'm saying, so lesson learned : patience. But afterall, i can say that i learned by doing.. I learned how to speak in front of the kids clearly with English, i learned how to face the kids differently, i learned that working with kids is just nothing but fun as long as we put compassion on it. Then i really love my work placement!


On Friday we have group meeting/group activity which was sometimes languange lesson, workshop, or culture practice. Culture practice always fun since we had to teach the Canadians how to sing Indonesian song or even teach them Indonesian dance such are Saman dance from Aceh Province, Plate Dance, Martial Art, etc. What was so nice about culture practice is the Canadian so excited and have a big willing to learn our culture that make us so happy. At the end we have culture show that held a week before we leave our community and we invite people to come and see our performances. Again we did a really great job and satisfy all the audiences! *clapping hands* Our weekends sometimes spent with hostfamilies whether just stay at home sitting, talking and have a quality time or going somewhere. In my experience, i always go out with people in the group on weekends because my hostfamily always busy with work so no time spent at home doing nothing at least. I say my weekends always spent nicely and fun!


Indonesia phase activities weren't so different with Canada, just the places was so much different because we moved from city to village so in Depok we mostly worked in schools teaching the kids. The most wanted work placement is, rice field! Depok is such a really nice village with a green mountain, green rice field and a fresh air every morning to breath. What we really loved about the village is the hospitality of the people and our strong connection with the community. 3 months living in a village has taught us a lot of thing, different learning from Halifax, different place, and also different happiness for sure. We can say that we love Depok so much!


After the program ends, we went to Jakarta to have re entry and some time to spare with the Canadians before they go back to Canada. So little time with so many memories that we already made all together, the laughter, the tears, the good and bad times that we passed together really made us stronger as a group. Time to say goodbye at the airport was totally a hard time for us. Well, letting go has never been easy, right? Especially for those that we loved.. But life must go on, we said goodbye, hugged for the last time, cried........ They left.. We stil cry. 


Tough time still running, one by one Indonesian participants going home. One in the morning, one in the afternoon, one in the night. Tears still there, but like i said, life must go on. 


Still my eyes wet by tears, my turn was coming. The part that i hated the most, saying goodbye with the people that i love the most. Airport, so busy. We were walking together i won't say any words prevented my tears falling. I kept wishing that my flight get delayed or just give me a little bit time to spend more, just a little.. But hope was just a hope, i gotta go home. Then we hugged, so long. I left..


Home is always be as nice as heaven. Seeing my family at home, talking with my mom with a cup of hot tea every afternoon, playing with my lil brother and sister, kissing my new nephew, home foods that i've been craving for so long, sitting at the couch and every single thing that i only can do at my home i can do it again now. Now this is the real home that lived in, i'm not in the program anymore. Reality is here, my real life is here. I'm going back to college, going back to my family, going back to my friends, to the place where i belong. Adjusting is also has never been as easy as winking, but i'm still trying. This 6 months program has taught me million of thing that i'm sure will be beneficial for my life. I'm proud. I'm thankful.