In Indonesia

 

We made it to Indonesia safe and sound! Our Indonesian hosts are so understanding and wonderful--after almost 2 days of traveling they met us t the airport and brought us back to the wisma we are staying in which is SO comfortable and beautiful. We were all exhausted, so we had dinner in our rooms and fell asleep almost immediately. This morning in the lobby we were met with many friendly faces who were very curious about who we were and why we are here. Between the little Indonesian we know and the English they knew, we were able to communicate fairly well! We were also asked to play badminton, which would have been fun but it's already so hot! Can't wait to see what's in store for us today!

-Ellie McGuire, Lehigh University

 

Our third day of our Indonesia Partnership Program was an eventful one. We had a full day of classes and adventures. We learned more information about Indonesian history and about the arts! We were privileged to have been taught Gamelan at the University of Michigan. I hope you all enjoyed our video as much as we enjoyed playing it!
 

After our classes, we were off to the airport for about thirty hours of traveling. Boy, does flying to Indonesia get exhausting. Yesterday, we were warmly greeted by Indonesian student volunteers. They helped us with our luggage and onto the bus, where we spent about an hour and a half traveling to our guest house, Wispa. Wispa is beautiful. It has a lobby that is open to elements and to the beauty of the garden. The Indonesian student volunteers were very welcoming and understanding with us and provided us with dinner. Shortly after our dinner, we were sleeping soundly. 

Today, we woke up quite early to the sound of call to prayers and the music that plays through Wispa’s speaker system. At first the music was in Indonesia, but it soon switched to Adele’s album I now understand why Indonesians wake up early, it is much cooler early in the day than it is the rest of the day. We then headed to breakfast, where we had kopi, eggs, fried noodles, and toast. It was delicious! For lunch, we were picked up by our Indonesian volunteer student and brought to the International Studies Office, where we met the director of the department. Again, we were warmly welcomed. We had a tour of the beautifully structure library that contained stores, cafes, restaurants, a fitness center, and a music center. After lunch we toured the different departments and saw the famous bridge between two colleges.
 

For dinner, we finally met our Indonesian partners! This was really exciting. We had dinner with them at a restaurant in which huts are set floating upon a pond. Like everything that we have seen in Indonesia thus far, it was beautiful. Tonight was my first encounter with Indonesian tempeh, and it was delicious! I cannot wait to start the day off tomorrow and to learn more about my roommate!

--Theresa Meija, Lehigh University

 

After thirty hours of traveling we have finally reached Jakarta, Indonesia. Throughout my life, my travels have consisted of a few trips to Disney World, one field trip to Canada, and six weeks of studying abroad in Ireland. Ireland may have taken 8 hours to reach, but all in all, it was a smaller version of America infiltrated with Irish accents and lots of green. (Mind you, it was an amazing experience and if you have the opportunity to go, take it) Nonetheless, to my dismay, I have not experienced much outside my cultural norms. However, when walking out of Jakarta’s airport and seeing buildings that integrated Buddhist, Hindu, and local culture into their structure, I knew I would receive the culture shock I had been craving for. 

With crowds hovering outside the airport, cars speedily driving by, and a temperature that immediately forced beads of sweat to accumulate across my face, my first impression met the description that had been crafted for us in Michigan. However, while many often emphasized the mass amounts of people, this was insignificant compared to the inexplicable beauty of the island. Indonesia is simple, yet exquisite, modest, yet captivating. It’s nice to see an area that still idolizes nature and has not completely fallen in the hands of construction companies. Once we reached the University of Indonesia, exhaustion had taken its toll and I was asleep by six. 

This morning we woke up fully rested and ready to experience Jakarta. After our first Indonesian breakfast (which came with the world’s best coffee), we met with the Head of International Studies at UI. He gave us a brief history of the University and tour of its campus. While most buildings are very traditional, the library is much more modern and home to several restaurants and cafés, including Starbucks. The highlight of the day came around six when we finally met our Indonesian partners. We exchanged our names and numbers and answered the usual questions like “what’s your major,” “why are you doing this program,” etc. We then walked to the lake where the Head of International Studies hosted a dinner rich with seafood, vegetables, rice and much more. 

We removed our shoes and sat on the ground, experiencing our first traditional Indonesian meal. Some of the Lehigh students even used their hand to eat. As the Director read aloud our schedule for the upcoming week, excitement overcame everyone in the program. The program continues to exceed my expectations and its only the beginning.

-Angela Farren, Lehigh University

 

Finally, after almost 30 hours of travel, we have arrived in Indonesia. This is probably the most beautiful and different place I have ever been. After our plane landed, our wonderful student volunteers accompanied us to where we stay in the guesthouses. I was so jet lagged after such a long trip I think I feel asleep around 7 in Indonesian time. Angela and I were startled awake by the sound of early morning music that played over the intercom (which we actually thought controlled the air conditioner!). We have come to learn that the local people like it very lively and loud which is definitely an exciting contrast to America. 

This morning Professor Steffen, and the rest of my American companions and I, ventured into the dining area where we enjoyed a delicious breakfast of toast, tea (“teh”), coffee (“kopi”), and fried eggs and noodles. Around noon, the student volunteer picked us up and introduced us to the head of the international studies department at the University of Indonesia. We learned a little bit about the structures of the building and the hierarchy of authority in the university before we enjoyed a delicious Korean lunch. 

At this point it was time to explore the many areas of the university grounds and all of us were surprised to learn how vast it was. After eventually crossing the “Kansas” bridge, named for the two departments it connects, we headed back to our lodging for a rest before dinner. 

Around 5 today we were so excited to meet our Indonesian partners for the first time. Mine is named Cindhi and I am so thrilled to get to know her. Tonight we celebrated the USIPP program over a absolutely fabulous seafood dinner of all Indonesian specialties as the program coordinators explained what we are to do for the following few days. The itinerary is really vigorous and we must get up early quite often. After arriving back it is nice to finally lay down and relax after a long day in the heat.

--Shannon Cassidy, Lehigh University

 

My story for today's first lecturing session! ♥
though we have to wake up very early tomorrow, i'm still excited!

--Anggita Paramesti, Gadjah Mada University