#internshipindonesia

Also, I'd like to add that I work in Holmesglen Language Center. Basically, a language school teaming up with UMT and allowing their students to attend the facility's classes. Because the university is a Muslim school, I had to adhere to the dress code to cover up. However, when I had spoken to Bruce, he told me that there wasn't really a dress code. I could dress the way I wanted, but of course nothing too crazy with the American fashion (short shorts, short skirts, cleavage, etc.). My host believes that the way I dress is in itself a cultural exchange opportunity to see how a young woman like me (basically around the same age as my students) expresses herself in her fashion. To begin with, the fact that my hair is exposed already gets me a lot of attention here.

I know this can be a touchy subject, but I would like to address it mainly to disburse the assumption that it is true. So read this paragraph at your disclosure. I am aware that there is some concern here regarding the predominant Muslim religion, and I want to make it clear that in no way am I being harassed because of my religion. Rather, the students don't ask about it. In addition, my colleagues and friends don't mistreat me any different for having a Christian faith. They don't try to pressure me to convert. They're open about sharing their faith, which I can respect. In work, my colleagues all pray in the teacher's room (where I'm usually in) or in another empty teacher's lounge. They carry on with their regimen, and out of respect, I usually lower down the volume from whatever video I am watching. Back then, I would excuse myself from the room just to give them time to pray in peace, but they told me that I didn't need to leave the room. To me, this is just normal routine. In terms of Christanity in Indonesia, I would say that I have befriended a couple Christians, and they told me that their lives are peaceful. They acknowledge that in some places, some Christians do get persecuted, but it's often extremely rare. Regarding where I am, I'm perfectly safe to practice my Christian faith.

Now back on topic…

With my introductions to the classes, there were always two reactions: students were either super shy when I spoke to them or they giggled/got excited being around me. Either way, they were still shy. There are the few honorable mentions that actually had the guts to speak up to me in their broken English. Regardless, I was happy with their efforts.

Later that afternoon, I received a text from Calvin asking me to accompany him and his mother for dinner in Jakarta at 6 pm. My dilemma had been regarding my work schedule, seeing that I would finish work at 6 pm. I asked my host if I was allowed to leave early, and he insisted that I just go home for the day to get ready for the dinner. I was escorted by my host on the walk home and he gave me that walk back to work and another half hour to finish freshing up.

Because this was quite a big deal for me, and I was trying my best to impress my boyfriend's mother, I tried my best to look presentable. It was then that my host picked me up and then drove me to Calvin's house. We made it to his place just around 6 pm.

Unfortunately his mother couldn't tag along with us due to her sick grandchildren who insisted to stay home, and so Calvin and I went ahead for dinner at Pondok Indah Mall, aka Calvin's second home.

We had dinner at what appears like a fancy restaurant. It turns out that I'm quite found of this swirly looking white cracker that you usually eat with sweet soy sauce. Dinner always included chicken in my menu.  Calvin made me try a little bit of the spicy peanut sauce, and he got a kick at the sight of me reacting from just one droplet.

After dinner, we went to another arcade where I watched Calvin play a crane game and win me a small duck key chain followed by another photobooth picture.

We got to play on this piano booth where "Tong Hua" got my attention. It turns out that the game was super difficult to play, most especially with it being played at random. In reality, I know how to play the song on the piano, and the keys just ended up throwing me off and I gave up in the end. There was also this one key that was broken that drove me insane with missing the notes that played on that part. Calvin did help me try to win as much points as possible, but even a good piano player like him was struggling.

The last video game we played was Danz Base, his all-time favorite. I got one round's worth of videos and got a kick from watching them. It so happened that this game play ended up being Calvin's first time to get an S-rank result--make it 2 actually. I managed to keep up with A-ranks at the hardest levels.

The night ended with us at the food court in PIM. I was so happy when I spotted Kyo-Chon and of course, I got myself 6 pieces of my favorite garlic chicken.

The first week was an adventure. Just from the first day, Calvin and I had a date at Living World to try one of his favorite restaurants, BMC. He showed me the bill and I was amazed that we paid roughly around 75.000 rupiah ($5) for both of our meals and drinks included.

After a brief walk out of the mall, we went to Mall @ Alam Sutera where Calvin showed me his favorite arcade. To me, it reminded me of Story Bookland in the Philippines' SM mall. It's an arcade combined with an amusement park. There was one roller coaster ride, a small train ride route, bumper cars, and a carousal. Everything else were a mixture of those usual amusement park booths to win stuff animals lined against the walls and arcade machines. Calvin and I got our first picture booth picture here.

Afterwards, Calvin showed off his moves in basketball, almost beating the top score if he had another 6 points in. We played with a couple more machines, such as the punch bag and one of those strength measure machine where you use a mallet and whack on a post. I recall that he got a score of 11 out of 20. Not too shabby. I think I got only 8. We ended the day after dancing on the arcade machines:Danz Base (basically "Dance Central"), DDR, and the DDR copycat (except the arrows are pointed to like top right, top left, center, bottom right, bottom left).

After the arcade, we went up to try a dessert together. It was like halo-halo except there's no ube, but it had Jack fruit and avocado. Calvin liked it, except for the avocado bits. I finished all of that and fed him the others. It actually turns out that I don't like Jack Fruit, and so, Calvin and I ended up balancing out our dislikes and likes in that chilled meal.

Our next trip on the list was IKEA. I managed to get most of the utensils from hangers to kitchen utensils and some room decorations to make my room feel more home-like.

That night, I went out for dinner with Dyra and Calvin at this food stand outdoors. I was so jet lagged I passed out on the ride to there and on the ride back to my apartment.

And that was the chaos that was known my first day in Indonesia.

It took about an hour for my baggages to spill out of the converter belt. I was unlucky to have drawn one broken cart and another that slanted off sideways. But in the end, I decided to tough it out. In addition to my misfortune, I wore wedges that lacked resistance when I pushed on the cart, and so I was slipping and sliding here and there. But I made it to my final security scan before I entered the arrival gate. I found my host almost immediately and apologized to him immediately for my late arrival. I was grateful he waited an hour for me to show up instead of leaving me to fend for myself. He was very understanding and very kind. He rubbed me off like a doting granddaughter. And in the times I spent with him, I came to view him as an extended family, like one of those distant but related family members that you never knew (ya feel me, Filipino fams?). But he is just a genuine elderly man, and I respect him very much.

His assistant was a couple years older than me. I was surprised when she revealed her age. I wondered to myself if I would be successful when I got to her age. She appeared very independent and responsible, and I couldn't help but admire her. Fortunately, we became good friends.

It took us another hour to arrive at my apartment with all the hectic driving and congestions on the streets. The scenery from my window wasn't as foreign as I expected it to be. A lot of the houses and the plants reminded me of what I saw in the Philippines, decreasing the effects of culture shock from a first impression. The comparison helped me so much from having a pretty bad anxiety episode on my first day. The traffic was also similar to the Philippines with cars creating their own lines (even though they had lines to separate cars into their own lanes). The one thing that made me super anxious was how close the cars were against each other. I started to freak out, but my hosts comforted me by saying that Indonesian people are very careful drivers. He was right… until a van next door to us tipped over a crossing motorcyclist. Luckily, the motorcyclist wasn't driving, but just ushering his motorcycle that was filled with dead chicken. It was like seeing a cow being tipped over. No one was hurt luckily, and I was surprised by their nonchalant reaction. The motorcyclist and the driver apologized with a wave of their hands. And that was my first nervous breakdown experiencing traffic and a very minor accident.

Now arriving at the apartment, I made sure to keep my eyes peeled for Calvin. But here's the funny story: Calvin and I missed each other upon my arrival at the apartment. I recall seeing a man texting on his phone while he sat across from the elevator, but I never gave him a second glance because I was beyond jet lagged after a +21 hour flight. I just wanted the day to get into my apartment and rest, but also have it spent with Calvin in private.

I was talking pretty loudly, telling my story to my hosts that I was vlogging my experience here and there to show the life I would take on in Indonesia for the next 6 months. I was later surprised that Calvin, the guy who was sitting on the bench across from the elevator, hadn’t look up nor recognized my voice.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to record the entrance into the building (where Calvin would have been spotted), but only after I arrived on my floor did I start recording. When arriving at my apartment, I couldn't bear to make Calvin wait any longer. Calvin had arrived at my apartment at 8 am. My arrival at the airport was 8:15 am. Meeting my hosts was 9:15 am. And our arrival at my apartment was 10:15 am. The poor guy waited 2 hours for me, and I couldn't wait for my hosts to leave… and so I confessed that my best friend was waiting impatiently for me for the past 2 hours. I had borrowed my host's phone to call his whatsapp. It was then he informed me that he was waiting across from the elevators. Ridiculous. He told me he came up to my room 20 minutes earlier before our arrival. He told me he was surprised that we were in my room, claiming that he didn't see us. I told him I couldn't believe that he missed us. We literally just walked in front of him. But I called him up to see us.

My heart raced. My palms ran cold. And my ears became extremely sensitive as I waited for Calvin's arrival. While we were waiting for him, we discussed the plan regarding communication. We decided that for today, we would only run to Tangcity to purchase a SIM card for the phone Calvin would provide for me and internet.

I heard his footsteps echoing from the hallway getting closer and closer and when I saw him at the door, I couldn't breathe. After meeting his eyes for the first time in person, I was scared my face would give it away to my two hosts. I didn't want them to know about our relationship at the time, and being around Calvin for the first time made it really stressful for me. I mean… I looked like shit after that long flight. I introduced him briefly to my two hosts, followed by receiving his present from Singapore from months ago. For the rest of the conversation and sharing our plan to Calvin, I avoided looking in his direction.

And then, the four of us were off to Tangcity. Calvin and I situated ourselves in the backseat, and he teasing me for needing to wear seatbelts. In Indonesia, the back seat passengers don't wear seatbelts at all (there were cars that didn't even have seatbelts installed in the back). But safe to say, there hasn't been any crazy or life threatening accidents yet (knock on wood).  But throughout that car ride, Calvin was pretty much in my bubble with him poking and squeezing my face. I imagine that this was his way of letting reality sink in that his LDR girlfriend is now sitting a foot away from him.

My host dropped Calvin and I with my host's assistant in Tangcity to get three errands out of the way:

Money exchange

Sim card

Internet

Of course throughout the trip he teased my height, and attempted to hold my hand. Feeling extremely conscious, I told him not to grab my  hand. However, that invited him to mess around with me more… although I didn't really mind it. Right off the bat, I love our chemistry with each other. I loved that we were very playful.

After completing our first task, my host took us to his work to grab a universal plug outlet. Thank goodness for that. My American technology survived for the next 3 weeks.

When all tasks have been met, my two hosts dropped Calvin and I back to my apartment where he proceeded to help me unpack and also retrieve my overdue presents.

I cannot express how long I have waited for the day for us to meet. It didn't turn out the way that we both hoped, but it was still magical nonetheless. Our love story was definitely worth the wait, but I'll save that story for my next relationship post.

And it was true.

The number one person I would miss the most really had to be Jack. I didn't realize how much I depended on him until it was our final night together sharing my room. His eyes were large, confused as to why I was behaving in such a way, but despite strongly disliking the idea to be held, Jack behaved himself while I cried and smothered him against my chest.

I thought of all the days I would wake up without seeing my little bunny bouncing about the room or jumping on my bed when I was working or laying on my bed. I thought about the times where I wouldn't feel him running on my bed sheets,  digging himself a handful of the blanket, or feeling his weight on my chest when he wanted me to wake up and feed him. I thought of how silent my room would be without hearing him scuffle about… As much as he was a trouble maker, his rambunctious actions gave me a sense of comfort. I could never sleep at night in silence because my thoughts were loud. I needed noise to lull me to sleep. Music, at the time, just brought me heartache, so I would watch Pewdiepie's videos from my laptop to bring me to sleep. Then eventually, it was just the sound of Jack moving around my room.

I thought of the times I would be sitting down on a chair, and I wouldn't feel Jack's fur rubbing against my leg because he would always sprawl out underneath my chair. I would miss looking over my shoulder and see Jack twitching in his sleep while he was in Cloud 9. I would miss being able to pet him and teach him his "round round" and giving him treats…

Even as I type this… or at any time I recall Jack whenever I am alone… I still cry.

When it was time for me to say goodbye to Jack, I sobbed my eyes out again. I hugged my baby and told him to behave while I would be gone for the next 6 months. I told him to not give my parents a hard time and to give them the same love and affection he gave me when I was at my weakest. I hope he gave my parents strength when their two daughters are living hours away. I know my parents are still sad time to time knowing that their home is empty.

The day of my departure was difficult. The moment I got in the car with my family along with my cousin, Lek, it suddenly felt surreal to me that I was officially leaving California for the next 6 months. Tears pricked at my eyes, and I started to cry.

At the airport, I only had twenty minutes to spend time with my family after getting my lugages checked in. It felt like time moved really fast, and I wanted to prolong my stay just a little longer. But when it was time for me to go, I couldn't stop the waterworks.

I knew I had severe separation anxiety since 6th grade. The moment I sat inside the bus, before our departure to 6th grade camp, I was already crying. The bus wasn't even turned on. But looking out the window and seeing my parents wave at me was enough to make me feel really sad. The hugs were my cue to cry. Because I knew that it would be hard for me to live alone in a foreign country without my parents. I knew that it would be hard to come home to a house that would be empty. I already knew that I wouldn't be able okay on my arrival or the following days after.

When I rode the escalator, I turned around and saw the four of them waving at me. I cried even harder. Looking at them, it broke my heart, and I was scared that I might change my mind at the last second. I tried to control my emotions, but it was difficult. The moment my dad called me, the waterworks came back. During the call, he passed the phone to everyone to wish me their last farewells before they left the airport. After that, I was really on my own.

There was a gentleman who stood behind me in line who spoke to me throughout our wait until we entered security. He asked me so many questions regarding residence and occupation. He meant no harm, and expressed that the reason why he asked me so many questions is because he knew I was in distress. He knew I was Filipino and expressed his sympathy, explaining that he worked in hospitals and knew that Filipino families have a tendency to be very protective of their children, especially for their daughters. He asked if I was traveling alone for my first time and I nodded. I told him that I was heading to Indonesia for a 6 month internship as a teacher. He expressed his admiration and support for my career. Unfortunately, I don't remember his name… all I can recall is that he was flying to Turkey to be reunited with his family. However, I will never forget his kindness. I was happy when I got to see him one last time at the waiting area before the buses separated us to our designated planes. We wished each other for the best.

In the waiting area, I felt so feeble. I didn't know what I was doing. I expressed gratitude when one Indian woman had reached out to me when I expressed my anxiety for my flight. She told me she would run back to me to check that I knew when to depart. As embarrassing as it was for me, I was really surprised by the amount of kindness I was bestowed with throughout my flight. Everyone was kind and patient to me when I was a mess and internally panicking every other minute.

My first flight took me to South Korea. It was an 11 hour straight flight. I was lucky that I got myself a window seat, and that the whole 3 rows were for myself. However, I didn't know if it was rude of me to sprawl out my legs across those three seats, so I just opted for hogging 2 seats and 3 pillows. Unfortunately, the entire flight, I wasn't able to catch a wink of sleep. I was suffering from lower back pain and constant bathroom trips (it's my fault for chugging an 18 oz of Happy Tea before my flight). Even with movies playing to lull me to sleep, it wasn't enough. So I suffered for the longest trip.

I remember panicking when I saw that we were landing in South Korea at first, because it was never listed on my ticket that we would make a stop first. I arrived in Korea at 10 pm (their time). I had to wait an hour for the crew to switch and clean the cabins before we continued to the next destination: Singapore (I made sure to vlog the airports I've visited for my curious friends).

The fly to Singapore was 4 to 5 hours long. Luckily, I was able to get sleep this time around, and had unfortunately lost my other free spots to a couple.

Arriving in Changi airport, I tried to record as much as I could about the world's best airport. However, I got lost. In addition, I sacrificed some time to do a live video both on instagram and on facebook to update my loved ones on my flight. I was lucky that Changi offered free wifi service for 3 hours. Luckily that was enough for my one hour wait there. To be honest, Changi airport is pretty cool and lives up to its reputation on the facebook video my sister had shared with me. Unfortunately, many shops were closed when I had done my quick tour, and the slide was nowhere in sight. On the bright side, I love the free massage chairs. They felt nice despite feeling really disgusting throughout my humid adventure.

I was five to ten minutes late to arrive on the given time to meet in the waiting room, but luckily when I had arrived, no one was boarding yet. I spent the remaining time talking with my dad over messenger.

My flight to Indonesia lasted for almost 2 hours. The plane I road reminded me of the planes from 2005. They had the old fashion handheld remotes from the side armrests. I was surprised that they still had these old planes. But hey, I guess if it's to be more economic, then good for them. Although I much preferred the touch screens and touch pads from my first plane.

I felt butterflies when the plane hovered over Indonesia. The main reason for these butterflies was because my boyfriend was already anxiously waiting for me at my apartment like we had planned. At the same time, I was anxious… anxious about meeting my hosts. In the end, I had nothing to worry about. I was blessed with two wonderful hosts who I became very close to.

And meeting my boyfriend for the first time…

Surreal.