Realizations

I may or may not have written this when I didn't understand what was going on in physics...

So today has been an interesting day so far. I mean, it's not even 10 o'clock (I obviously wrote this earlier..), and I've already done what feels like enough thinking and soul searching for a lifetime. Exchange is just funny that way though. One second you're wondering why you're here and what you're actually doing with the limited time that you have been blessed enough to be given in your host country and the next you are hit with realization after realization. I'm writing this because I had had one of those realization moments.

You see, lately I have been trying to figure out what it is that I have actually been doing with my time here. As much as I don't want to admit it, the answer is not very much. The second thing that I have been asking myself is this: how much am I really enjoying my exchange? And the answer is this: not as much as I would like. The third and final question that I have asked myself is about how I can change the answers to the two preceding questions. The answer is actually pretty simple. I just need to try new things. That's a large part of the reason I came here, right? New language(s), new people, new food, new everything! Obviously getting used to all of that at once is not quite as easy as it sounds, but it is completely doable and enjoyable once the ball gets rolling.

So the reason that I'm writing this post is that I want this to serve as a reminder to myself and to other exchange students. There are many things that we have no control over when it comes to exchange (and in life in general), but the things I talked about are not usually on that "no control" list. We do have the ability to control (most of) what we do with our free time, and we will ultimately regret it if we don't put real effort into communicating (yes, there goes mention of language again) and doing the things that we really want to do. Even though this might end up sounding like a Nike ad, I just have one thing to say to myself and to my fellow exchange students: just do it! (Within reason of course..don't drive yourself crazy)

Here's a short list of some of the things that I plan on doing to get myself out of the rut that I feel like I'm stuck in:

Satu - Bahasa, bahasa, bahasa: By the end of 2014, I plan on pretty much forgetting about English (unless it's for teaching or learning in a class) until July ( I think it's already working because I almost typed sampai Juli...). For now though, I'll admit this: I still rely on good ol' bahasa Ingriss too much. In order to avoid the continuation of that, I will be removing as much unnecessary English from my life as possible and trying my best to add a minimum of 5 new Indonesian words to my vocabulary each day. 

Dua - Tari: One thing that I have been planning on doing for a while is traditional dance. Although I have not taken a dance class in years, I would love to start again while I'm here. Who knows..maybe I'll take some classes in college too. Dancing is definitely something that I enjoy, so I think it has the ability to make my exchange more enjoyable. Plus it will be a great way for me to bring back a little bit of Indonesian culture to the US!

Tiga - Relawan: Something that I have been really missing is volunteering. It is one of my favorite things to do, and I'm excited to start it up again on this side of the world. Although I will probably end up helping out at organization or two, I am also thinking about starting up a little something of my own. And before you say anything..I know, I know I already have an organization in the US. However my idea isn't really for an actual organization, so it's all good!

Oh and one more thing. Remember that this is your exchange, so please try to make the best of every moment!

Thanks for reading!

Indonesian Word of the Day: Semangat - spirit (Used as encouragement)

Miley Cyrus - The Climb

This one's for you, Birta!