#aiesecexchange

WELCOME TO DENIZLI

Istanbul was great, i had so much during my short visit. 

Thank you for the your warm hospitality except the cigkofte and salgam- my stomach cant handle it. 

I went to Denizli at 11PM by Pamukkale Bus. 

Cool thing about Pamukkale service is they will give you an ice cream on the summer even its midnight. Summer in Turkey still bit cold for me but i couldnt handle myself to take the ice cream. 

Since i couldn’t sleep during my flight to Turkey, i decide to sleep during my bus trip. I read the ticket, i might gonna arrive in Denizli around 8AM. 

I wake up in the morning and exited because i saw some “Denizli” sign. The view outside the window was cool, very different compare to my country. Sadly i forget to take a picture or video of it. 

I tried to talk to the bus man about where will i should get off from the bus but since i cant speak turkish and he cant speak english its hard for us to talk, so i give my phone to the bus man and let him talk to my organizing commitee in Denizli. 

I arrive at Denizli otogar around 8AM. My commitee said that we will meet at the Pamukkale Office on 2nd floor. I take a look to the Pamukkale office but i could’t see anyone, then i decide to sit at the waiting bench. 

Suddenly, i see someone who familiar to me, and i call her. Yes, it is my OC. I am so happy that i can make it, I am here in Denizli and ready for my project. 

Welcome to Istanbul 20.07.2015

Around at 6AM my plane landing in Ataturk Airport. 

My flight from Kuala Lumpur last night was bit tiring. The timezone differences made me exhausting. Can you imagine that my plane was taking off at 1AM and in the middle of the trip when it should be 5AM it backs to 1AM. And 10 hours on the plane probably making me bit frustated. I couldn’t sleep, i couldn’t read a book, i was too exited for that. The only thing that i could do was listening music, watching movies and eat. There’s nothing more killing me that monitoring the flight from the mini TV on the plane over and over again.

So, landing is probably best thing in my life..

There’s nothing make me more exited than feel the Turkish fresh air. The weather is great today, beautiful sunny day that still bit cold for me even its summer. 

After my plane is landed at the airport, i go out from the plane at take a bus that will taking me to the Airport building. I am walking to the immigration section, it was quiet far but doesn’t matter, i enjoy it anyway until i see the immigration line. 

The foreigner section is very long, well its actually normal because its summer, lot of people come to Turkey for holiday. I observe everything, i can see lot of different faces, from Asia, Middle-East, Western,most of them are with their families when i am standing on the line alone. Suddenly one of the security says something that i don’t understand, they point out to an old woman in front of me and ask her to quit from the line. That old woman says no, but the security comes after her, and lot of people confused about what is it going. As my interpretation skills (haha) that women standing bit out from the line and the security thinks that she cut the line but they don’t speak in the same language so its nothing but misscommunication. Then the old woman move to the end of the lines. I am bit shocked, i am glad it wasn’t me, one thing that i learn is act normal and keep on your line, be patient. 

After about an hour and half finally i passed the immigration section. Now its time to find my luggage, and its not taking a lot of time to take it. Then i go out from the airport, i decided to go to the waiting section, there are a lot of people on the exit doors holding signs, flag, yelling at someone’s name, and i couldn’t hear of fine mine. 

My friend supposed to be picking me at the airport around 6 but he told me before that he would be late for 2 hours. So i decided to walk to go to the information section where i can get a wifi. Sadly, i couldnt understand what they say because they don’t speak english very well. I only get that they say about departure section, and i don’t even know where it is. So i think its better to sit and wait. 

I start to think 

“what if he didn’t come to the airport?” 

“what if he wont pick me up?” 

“what if i will be alone and dont know where to go?” 

Its making me scared because the city that i am going to stay is not Istanbul, i am just going to spend a day in Istanbul and going to Denizli at evening. Yes, my destination is Denizli, its about 10 hours from Istanbul by Bus. 

So, i am taking an initiative to walk trough the crowded near the exit doors and i don’t know why, my feeling just told me so. I walk to he crowded with my big baggage, and...

stupid thing happen. I pull my luggage but it falls, and then also my bad. I try to pick it when suddenly someone come at me, 

“Are you Ami?”

“Yes” i am still picking up my bag. 

“Are you Zeynel?” I am asking him because he might be my friend that i have never met before. 

“No, i am not.” He told me so. 

“okay” i am thinking that i am wrong then. 

“Of course i am. who else gonna pick you?” He suddenly ask me with a small smile on his face. 

Again, i feel so stupid. 

“Oh.. Hi Ami” 

“Zeynel.. how’s your flight?”

This is where the craziness begin. (19-20/07/2015)

I totally didn’t realize when i bought my ticket that i will only transit in Kuala Lumpur for one and a half hour. What a short time to transit. Once i realize that its too short i start to read on internet about how to transit in a short time, but got nothing. People said that its very risky, normally if you want to be safe at least take 2 hours transit, or you might gonna miss the next flight.

Around 22.40 my plane is landing at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, the only thing that comes to my mind is move faster so i wont miss the flight to Istanbul. But the problem is i don’t even know my gate, so the only thing that i can do is ask people. 

I try to ask to the officer who stands on the gate, its very confusing me actually, because I don’t know which language that i should use. Honestly i never use english in my daily life so its kinda awkward for me to use english, and even i understand melayu language i understand it in a different way. Plus sometimes melayu people in malaysia speak english with malayu accent which is its hard for me to understand what they are saying about. So best way that i can do is, follow their gesture. 

“excuse me... i am going to istanbul.. which gate i can take?” I ask him nervously. If you want to know, i already prepare the question and practice to ask on the plan. You can see how nervous i am. 

“bla bla bla” this time my fear comes true. I dont’ know whats wrong with me, i don’t get the point of what his answer to my question, but thank god he pointed his finger to a stairs near the gate, so i say thank you and just follow his direction. 

I remind myself that i am in a rush------

I decided to walk faster and take the stairs, and....

i don’t know what to do next when my clock is still ticking. 

I decided to ask to the other officer that just out from the toilet, this time i understand him a bit, he look at the flight board, and then write the gate on my ticket. 

“where is the gate?” 

again i didn’t get his point, i only get that its on the 2nd airport and i can go there by a train. 

The only thing that comes to my mind is, “Crap, there’s another part of airport that i should reach by taking a train. i cant imagine how far it is.”

I say thank you, and looking for the train that fortunately not far from where i was. And there’s 2 train, on the left and right side, and i don’t know which one is true. Then i decided to ask the information desk to make sure about my gate and the train. And they don’t help me much, they only tell me to take the train. I am too tired to deal with people so i decided to take the train on my right. I don’t know why its just my feeling told me to take the right one, if my feeling is wrong then i might just get lost somewhere. I keep checking on my clock, this is making me nervous. Suddenly, i start to think why didn’t i take the left one when it comes, so walk into the left and staring at the left train, ask myself if i am sure, until the train leave. hahaha (stupid things to do when you are in rush)

After about 6 minutes of worriedly waiting the right train is coming. And surprisingly, the KLIA 2 is not that far as i expected, it was just like a separated building, not the place. haha (i am feeling like a stupid) 

When the train stop, i run out from the train to check my gate and find a toilet. I am glad that my gate is still closed, and the toilet is not too far from the gate, also they have wifi there. I found my life is complete by that. 

Now, the only thing that i can think is I am very glad that i don’t miss the flight, and i just passed one experience. But deep down i am still kinda worried about myself, i still couldn’t talk to anyone, alone, and don’t know what to do. 

After 30 minutes, they open the gate, and i start to observe people on the gate checking, like what kind of things that they need to collect and everything, so i wont seems like a beginner. I dont want to seems like a beginner not becase i am shy to admit that i am a first timer, but because i dont want to wasting people’s time because i know nothing and hold the line. I think in this time, observing is the best thing i can do, thats how i could learn from now. After the cabin checking, I decided to sit and play with my phone until a girl seems confuse around me. She’s looking for an electricity, but couldn’t find any around her. So i take an initiative to let her use my powerbank. 

“Do you want to use my powerbank?” 

She says yes and sit beside me, and we start our conversation. 

She’s a girl from Suriah, but she lives in Istanbul. She came to Malaysia for a trip and now she’s going back to Turkey again. She’s nice (sorry i forgot your name), She gives me Haribo and she let me take as much as i want. Sadly, after that we need to take off because its actually nice to talk to her. 

Finally, i found my seat but then there’s an announcement that my flight gonna be delayed for an hour. Well, it doesn’t matter for me as long as i already on my seat, there’s nothing i should worried about.

So like about 1AM, the plane take off to Istanbul. I am very exited because the next adventure is waiting for me.

19/07/2015

Today is the day that i have been waited for so long. 

The day when my life changing experience begin, and the day when i kill all of my doubts to fly. 

Today is my flight to Turkey.

This is gonna be my first experience of going abroad and probably my first experience of taking plane to go somewhere (i never took a plane before only train and bus). I am very excited about my first flight experience.

Since today is still eid mubarak day, i should go to airport by myself. It’s not a problem actually but my flight is gonna be at 8PM, if i am going to the airport alone then it will be boring. So i decided to call my high school friends to accompanied me to the airport (Thank God, They say yes).

I go to airport with my friend that also totally have no experiences of going abroad or taking a plane like me. So there is 3 awkward girls going to the airport. We learn by observing people about how to do everything in airport. 

We arrive in airport at 3 PM, my flight gonna be at 8PM. Me and my friends just spending our time by eat, taking picture, wandering around the airport and talking about our dream until 5PM when they should leave me and back to our city. 

There it goes... alone again. 

Being alone is something that i hate the most. Because i have no one to talk with, i don’t know what to do, i cant share everything with friends and everything’s just awkward. Honestly i am quiet scared of this exchange, since i have no idea what gonna happen when i arrive in turkey.

Then i decided to check in since i have nothing to do outside, it was fine until the man on the check in counter ask me, 

Counter man: What is your name?

Me: Ami 

CM: You’re going to Turkey?

Me: Yes

CM: Are you alone?

Me: Yes 

CM: Really? (He’s looking for someone behind me)

Me: Yes 

CM: How old are you? (He seems not sure about me) 

Me: I am 18, and yes i am alone. 

CM: Okay, Take care of yourself 

Me: Thank you 

I leave the check in counter. 

That’s the most awkward moment ever that i have ever felt. Yea, lot of people might thinking that i am a high school student but never been awkward as that situation with the counter man. 

After the check in i decided to find electricity on the waiting lounge since my phone is actually broken. It will died if i don’t charge it all the time, that’s why i bring 3 powerbank for the safety. haha

Its kinda boring to sit alone till one guy sit beside me and we start to talk about our destination. He’s going to Australia for a master program, he got a scholarship from his office and he give me some advices about school and life. This is actually one of my favourite part of being alone, i can talk with a random stranger and learn a lot of things from them. 

At 7PM i leave the waiting lounge to the gate, and take off at 8PM to Kuala Lumpur.

As i told you about myself, i like to have international experiences.

So now, I am going to share my story about my exchange experiences with AIESEC one and a half year ago. That experiences was my turning point, and from that day i knew that my life had been change.

Sadly, I was confused about how to do my journal but now, i decided to do a throwback and i will start to the day when my journey begins.

So i will put the day depends on the experiences not depends on when i post it on tumblr. Also it might be gonna be a little bit random 😊

Hope you enjoy it