As I write this, I am sitting at school on my fourth day. My class is currently taking a math exam, and I may or may not be wearing the wrong uniform...oops! That's just one example of what I have come to call bule fails. Just in case you're wondering, this is not the first bule fail regarding sekolah dan seragam (school and uniform). Hari rabu (aka my second day of school) we are supposed to wear a kebaya instead of our regular uniform shirt, and my class also happens to have sport (gym class), which means another uniform. When I came to school on Wednesday, I did not have either one, but it was fine because the teachers knew that I was (am..) new. The same goes for today. I should be wearing my school batik, which is mostly blue, but I am wearing the only type of uniform shirt that I have...the regular white one. As annoying as these small mistakes can be, I am fine with them because they are easy to fix. However, the language thing is another story...I know I said that I would make this post about language, but I have decided to do that next week instead.
Okay so getting back to what the post is supposed to be about.. As the title suggests, I am going to write about some of my first impressions of different places, so probably Indonesia as a whole (aka when I first landed in Jakarta), Bandung, and school.
Arrival: When we finally landed in Jakarta and went through customs, I got my first taste of Indonesia. It was somewhere around midnight, and I was extremely tired from traveling for so long. However, I wanted to take everything in. When we met up with the AFS (I guess technically Bina Antarbudaya) volunteers, we went outside, and I immediately felt the Jakarta heat. As we waited to pile into a few different cars, an adorable kitten appeared on my right. There were a few people nearby, and they were speaking rapidly in Indonesian. I didn't understand a word, but I'm sure that I could at least get a general idea of what was being said by now!) From what I saw, Indonesia was a pretty awesome place, and now I can definitely say that I was right!
Bandung: Now that I think about it, I honestly don't remember too much of what I thought when I first arrived in Bandung. I do remember being slightly confused though. Orientation was one thing because most of it was in English, and arriving in my host city was a whole other thing. The first time that I actually stepped food on Bandung's soil was when I was switching cars to go home with my host family's driver. I remember looking over at the road nearby and thinking how busy it was. I used to always hear about Jakarta's traffic, but Bandung has a lot of traffic too! As I neared my new home, I also remember thinking how narrow the roads were. I still think the same thing now!
School: When I entered my host school for the first time, I definitely remember thinking how different it looked from my high school in the US. Walking to my class was also very different from what I am used to. Students excitedly ran up to me and wanted to try out their English with an American. Even though I expected it, it was still a little overwhelming. Arriving in my class was no different. The students were SO loud and excited when they found out that someone from the US would be joining them for the next year. I remember thinking that they were all really nice, and that still holds true. So far, the girl I share a desk with is the one I have talked to the most, but I'm definitely up for making lots of new friends in the coming weeks and months. By the way, I came in the middle of the school day, and my class was doing chemistry. The teacher expected me to do work right away, and I'm actually glad she did. Even though I couldn't really understand what was being said, I was glad that I could actually do the work! By the end of my few hours there, it was way too hot for a skirt that reaches the ankles and a long sleeved shirt, but I survived! As I hoped, I enjoyed my first day and first week of school. I still find it really funny that people from other classes (aka people I don't know) will scream my name in the halls and ask for pictures though.
Fun fact: I've officially been in Indonesia for two weeks! How crazy is that?!
Thanks for reading!
Indonesian Word of the Day: Sarapan - Breakfast
Tulus - Jangan Cintai Aku Apa Adanya
I hear this song ALL the time on the radio, and I really like it!
I was actually listening to it as I wrote this post :)
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