One Fine Night

About one or two week before christmas, my hostfamily got an invitation for a dinner at their rellative house. And as one of a christmas culture, gingerbreads are the likely one of the most have items for christmas celebration. My hostmom really excited to make the gingerbread with me since i've never made one before, so we made it! In the part of making, me and my hostsister Esja got to decorate the gingerbreads with the icing and the cute colorful little sugar on top. I got my favourite cake also in this which is fluffy cake ; the white cake that made from white flour, sugar, and corn flour that taste really, really really fluffy that just melted suddenly on your mouth at the first bite! It tasted so good and so easy to make i bet everyone can make it. Well as i'm talking about cakes and cookies, now i think i have found the answer why i gained so much weight in Canada. Cookies, cakes, cheese, chocholates, muffins, waffles and all the sweetness on earth that everyone kept feeding me! Or else, me feeding my ownself. Anyway the gingerbread also taste good (as people said, i don't really like cookie that taste like ginger) but i like how we decorated it! Merry (early-so late) Xmas. 

Hello, my name is Snow.

So this is what they called Snow! First experience of having snow in my daily life kinda overwhelming. The excitement was crazy like a little baby eating ice cream for the first time. I skipped work that day since i got permission from my supervisor to play with snow all day (i know, she's super nice) then i enjoyed every single drop of snow that falling from the sky. Me and my counterpart were sitting together at the kitchen while i'm eating my baggle, she said "Look outside, it's snowing! It's like the sky is pooping!" I know, she's crazy. Then i went outside to touch it and i loved it! Me and Mayfree decided to go somewhere just to take hundreds of picture of snow with every kind of style that we can make with the snow. We went downtown, took so many pictures from each places that visited, we played like crazy with snow, we laughed and i fell. TWO TIMES. Okay snow started to annoy me but still that was okay. We kept on going everywhere walking and took bus to the Mall to buy something (the Mall was so far from our place FYI) right after we arrived there the mall just closed, around 3 pm where actually still on working hour right? We were a bit pissed but still that was okay because it was snowing, and snowing. After took hundreds of picture and the mall was closed, we were walking without direction and the snow was getting crazier and even too crazy that we couldn't even see and walk properly because snow blocked our view and the streets as well. We walked to Tim Hortons getting hot drinks and croissants, again right after we arrived there we heard the officers said that they're going to close the cafe due to the bad weather.. So we ordered hot drinks, sat for awhile and go (sad, huh?) 4 pm for this weather already dark like 7 pm in the evening. We decided to go home since all the stores are closed and we got so many pictures already though, the streets were so slipper and we were freezing. Then we walked again to the bust stop aaaannnddddd THERE WERE NO BUS COMING! Again and again due to the bad weather. We were seeing each other hopelessly, thinking to take a cab but there were no cab working that day either so we just wait.. The miracle came, one bus coming and that was the only bus that pass our way so we took it even we didn't recognize the bus number we feel so blessed. It was around 5-6 pm already we still on the bus without knowing which way that we're going but we just keep on talking. The bus went around the city like an hour with all those unfamiliar streets that we passed before we arrived our way but still we have to walk soooo long before reaching home. So many struggleeeee we had that day and again when we arrived home our clothes became super wet because of the melted snow that stick to our coats and a really messed up looks with wet hair as well. The day after we talked about it then we say, "Maybe yesterday was our first experience of snow.. And well, snow wasn't as cute as it looked like on TV". But i'm glad and feel lucky that i experienced it :D

"There is always a first time for everything.." 

-Life Traveller

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.